The road is covered with snow.I can’t understand ______ they insist on going by motorbike.

I keep hammering this because I keep seeing people who don’t do it．

1．Look up English to Elvish．

2．Look up the Elvish word in the best Elvish dictionary you have, and, preferably, find out the context in Tolkien’s language dictionary．

3．Change the word to suit rules of grammar: singular or plural, mutations, verb tenses, etc．

       You cannot leave out any of these steps．If you do, you’re almost certain to have errors．Why you have to do step 2:

       Languages never match up one- to-one．English and Elvish are closer than usual, but there are still problems．And English has strange idioms: why are there no baths or beds in public bathrooms or restrooms? You can’t translate literally．You have to understand the meaning behind each word．

       In Elvish this is even more true, since our dictionaries contain more or less questionable reconstructions, and words that Tolkien later threw away or replaced．Find the best one you can．

       Consider the word “fair”．We tend to use it to mean “just”．Tolkien tends to use it to mean “beautiful”．In Elvish, these are two entirely different words．So when you look up “fair”, you’ll have to go to the Elvish dictionary to see that you’ve got the right one．

       Consider the nightmare of He left the bar．Is “left” the opposite of “right” （which also has two meanings） ? Is “bar” extruded steel（型材钢）, or something to do with law? You have to know what words mean in both languages．

       And you’d be amazed at how many people ignore step 3, forgetting that language is more than a string of words, and there are rules about how to fit those words together．You can’t simply look up the word “I” and use it everywhere．Sometimes you need “me” or “my”．There’s a reason it takes a while to learn a language: you have to learn the rules．

       It drives me completely mad when people give a questionable translation they insist is right because “it’s in the dictionary”．A dictionary is a tool, a resource．but its entries（词目）should not be mistaken for a finished product．They are raw materials．

The underlined word “this” in paragraph 1 refers to         ．

       A．consulting the dictionaries when translating between languages

       B．finding out the true meaning in context

       C．ignoring the rules of grammar

       D．leaving out some of the three steps the author mentions

According to the author, you have to do step 2 because         ．

       A．you have to understand the meaning behind each word

       B．Elvish and English are quite different in forms

       C．there are no baths or beds in public bathrooms

       D．Elvish has some words which are hard to find

Grammar is also very important because it         ．

       A．helps fit the words together   B．takes a while to learn a language

       C．is a rule to obey       D．is often forgotten in translating

In the last paragraph, the author shows         ．

       A．his impatience to those who insist their wrong translation is right

       B．his puzzle to the questionable translation

       C．the importance of the correct use of dictionaries

       D．the mistaken entries in the dictionaries

The passage is mainly about how to         ．

       A．learn a foreign language with a dictionary

       B．avoid errors when looking up a dictionary

       C．understand the meaning of a strange word

       D．use a dictionary to translate between languages

Teens don’t understand the big fuss(小题大做).As the first generation to grow up in a wired world,they hardly know a time when computers weren’t around,and they eagerly catch the chance to spend hours online,chatting with friends.So what?

But researchers nationwide are increasingly worried that teens are becoming isolated(孤寂),less skillful at person-to-person relationships,and perhaps numb(麻木) to the cheatings that are so much a part of the e-mail world.“And a teen’s sense of self and values may be changed in a world where personal connections can be limitless,”said Sherry Turkle.

Another researcher,Robert Kraut,said he’s worried about the “opportunity costs”(机会成本) of so much online time for youths.He found that teens who used computers,even just a few hours a week,showed increased signs of loneliness and social isolation.“Chatting online may be better than watching television,but it’s worse than hanging out(闲逛) with real friends,”he said.

Today’s teens,however,don’t see anything strange in the fact that the computer takes up a central place in their social lives.“School is busy and full of pressure.There’s almost no time to just hang out,”said Parker Rice,17.“Talking online is just catch-up time.”

Teens say they feel good about what they say online or taking the time to think about a reply.Some teens admit that asking someone for a date,or breaking up,can be easier in message form,though they don’t want to do so.But they insist there’s no harm.

The researchers argue that ______.

A.teens may develop a different sense of values

B.nothing is wrong with teens’ chatting online

C.teens can manage their social connections

D.spending hours online does much good to teens

Teens think that talking online can help them ______.

A.use computers properly

B.improve their school work

C.develop an interest in social skills

D.reduce their mental pressures

The text mainly deals with ______.

A.teens’ pleasant online experience

B.teens’ computer skills and school work

C.the effects of the computer world on teens

D.different opinions on teens’ chatting online

The purpose of the text is to ______.

A.describe computer research results

B.draw attention to teens’ computer habits

C.suggest ways to deal with problem teens

D.discuss problems teens have at school

C
Conjoined twins lead separate but active lives.
Lori and Reba have never been alone and they want to keep it that way.
The 40-year-old conjoined twins in Pennsylvania,US,have read about others locked together by an accident of birth who have been medically separated.But they insist only death can part them.
“We’ve never imagined a life divided,”Lori said.
Lori and Reba are joined together at the side of their heads,facing in opposite directions.Their blood supply is partly linked,but each has a separate brain.
Reba suffers from a disease which has left her completely dependent on her sister.
Lori wheels her everywhere they go in different professional directions.Lori worked in a laundry room at a hospital for six years before giving that up to allow Reba to try to become a country singer.
Her first song is called “The Fear of Being Alone”,which was inspired by Reba and Lori’s desire for togetherness.
Reba’s career has taken her across the United States,Europe and parts of Asia.
While the twins receive some money from the government,the earning from Reba’s concerts go to AIDS and cancer charities(慈善机构).
The sisters have set goals for themselves.Reba looks forward to a successful career as a country singer,while Lori says she hopes to get married and have children.Lori said,”So when it comes,it comes.Meanwhile,I live wonderfully from day to day.”
46.When Lori said “We’ve never imagined a life divided”,she meant that      .
A.they don’t wish to be made separate        
B.they think their case is beyond medical help
C.independent life would be too good to think of 
D.they would die once separated
47.By leading separate lives,the topic means that       .
A.either of the two can look after herself   B.the twins do different things
C.they face in opposite directions         D.they are no longer conjoined now
48.When Reba gives performances as a country singer,Lori       .
A.works in a hospital                   B.continues her college education
C.brings up her children      D.looks after her sister
49.The twins lead active lives because they       .
A.are tired of staying at home doing nothing 
B.need more money  
C.want to prove themselves as useful citizens
D.have to earn their own bread
50.From the last paragraph we can understand that Lori       .
A.thinks it’s too late for her to have children 
B.is sure she’ll get married and have children
C.prefers to have things go naturally     
D.would rather not change her way of life

Teens don’t understand the big fuss. As the first generation to grow up in a wired world, they hardly know a time when computers weren’t around, and they eagerly catch the chance to spend hours online, chatting with friends. So what?

But researchers nationwide are increasingly worried that teens are becoming isolated, less skillful at person-to-person relationships, and perhaps numb to the cheatings that are so much a part of the e-mail world. “and a teen’s sense of self and values may be changed in a world where personal connections can be limitless,” said Sherry Turkle.

Another researcher, Robert Kraut, said he’s worried about the “opportunity costs” of so much online time for youths. He found that teens who used computers, even just a few hours a week, showed increased signs of loneliness and social isolation. “Chatting onine may be better than watching television, but it’s worse than hanging out with real friends,” he said.

Today’s teens, however, don’t see anything strange in the fact that the computer takes up a central place in their social lives, “School is busy and full of pressure. There’s almost no time to just hang out.” said Parker Rice, 17. “Talking online is just catch up time.”

Teens say they feel good about what they say online or taking the time to think about a reply. Some teens admit that asking someone for a date, or breaking up, can be easier in message form, though they don’t want to do so. But they insist there’s no harm.

1.She researchers argue that___．

         A．teens may develop a different sense of values

         B．nothing is wrong with teens' chatting online

         C．teens can manage their social connections

         D．spending hours online does much good to teens

2.Teens think that talking online can help them ____．

         A．use computers properly                   B．improve their school work

         C．develop an interest in social skills            D．reduce their mental pressures

3.The text mainly deals with __ _．

         A．teens' pleasant online experience

         B．teens' computer skills and school work

         C．the effects of the computer world on teens

         D．different opinions on teens' chatting online

4.The purpose of the text is to ____．

         A．describe computer research results

         B．draw attention to teens' computer habits

         C．suggest ways to deal with problem teens

         D．discuss problems teens have