Among the four skills in learning English ,which of these is the “Odd-Man-Out”?The answer is speaking. The other three you can do alone on your own. But you can't really speak alone! Speaking to yourself can be “dangerous” because men in white coats may come and take you away!

Where can you find people to speak English? And how can you practise speaking when you are alone?

At school if you pay to go to a language school ,you should use the chance to speak .If your teacher asks you to speak in pairs or groups with other students ,try to say as much as possible. Don't worry about your mistakes. Just speak!

Conversation Clubs　Many cities around the world have conversation clubs where people can exchange one language for another .Look in your local newspaper to find a conversation club near you .They are usually free although some may charge a small entrance fee.

Shopping　Even if you don't want to buy anything ,you can ask questions about products that interest you in a shop.“How much does this cost?” “Can I pay by cheque?” Often you can start a real conversation—and it costs you nothing!

Cafe and Bars　There are often American, Britain, Irish and Australian bars in many large cities .If you can find one, you'll probably meet many people speaking English as a first or second language.

Language is all around you　Everywhere you go, you find language .Shop names, street names ,advertisements ,notices ,and car numbers....When you walk down the street ,practise reading the words and numbers that you see .Say them to yourself .It's not exactly a conversation ,but it will help you to “think” in English .But don't speak too loud!

Songs and Video　Repeat the words of an English-language song singing with the music until it becomes automatic. It's good practice for your memory and for the mouth muscles that you need for English.

Above all ,speak as much as possible! Make as many mistakes as possible! When you know that you have made a mistake, you know that you have made progress!

1.What does “Odd-Man-Out” probably mean according to the passage?

A.Someone or something appearing different from others.

B.Someone or something standing out of the group.

C.Someone or something arranged in pairs.

D.Someone or something easily mistaken for another.

2.What might happen if you speak to yourself loudly in public?

A.The police will take you away and punish you.

B.The doctors will force you to stay in hospital.

C.You will have to pay to escape being punished.

D.You will be forbidden to be member of the club.

3.Why does the writer say “Make as many mistakes as possible”?Because _______.

A.everyone will make mistakes in learning English

B.everyone will meet people speaking English with some mistakes

C.making mistakes is a must in making progress in learning English

D.making mistakes can make one realize the importance of speaking

4.According to the passage,which way is not likely to be accepted by English beginners?

A.Recite poems loudly along the riverside.

B.Listen to some English pop songs and video.

C.Find an Englishman to speak English with.

D.Take to the TV showing programmes at home.

　　More than four out of five people admit to telling little white lies at least once a day and the preferred way of “being economical with the truth” is to use technology such as cell phones, texts and e-mails, a survey last Thursday said.
　　The research by UK pollsters 72 Point found that “techno-treachery(高科技说谎)” was wide-spread with nearly 75 percent of people saying gadgets made it easier to fib(撒小谎).
　　Just over half of respondents(被调查者) said using gadgets made them feel less guilty when telling a lie than doing it face to face.
　　The workplace was a favorite location for fibbing with 67 percent of the 1,487 respondents admitting they had lied at work.
　　The top lie was pretending to be ill (43 percent) followed by saying work had been completed when it hadn’t (23 percent). Worryingly for bosses 18 percent said they lied to hide a big mistake.
　　But, employers were not the only ones on the receiving end of dishonest statements. Just over 40 percent of the respondents said they had lied to their families or partners.
　　Key topics to lie about were: buying new clothes or the cost of them (37 percent), how good someone looked in something (35 percent), how much they had eaten (35 percent) and drunk (31 percent) and how much they weighed (32 percent).
1. The underlined phrase “being economical with the truth” probably means ________.
A. telling lies           B. making apologies      C. feeling guilty     D.admitting mistakes
2. It can be inferred from the passage that ___________.
A. employers sometimes lie to their employees, too
B. 75% of people have ever lied to someone
C. without gadgets, people may feel more pressure when telling white lies
D. more people lie to their family than to their bosses
3. Which of the following is NOT TRUE according to the passage?
A. Cell phones make people more likely to lie.
B. Some people might lie to their bosses when they are not doing their work well.
C. 40% of employers admit that they have lied to their families or partners.
D. Nearly 1,500 people were questioned in the survey.
4. According to the passage, in which of the following situations are you most likely to lie?
A. You are going to spend the night at your friend’s, which your parents won’t allow.
B. Your friend is wearing a new dress and asks you how you find it.
C. You are a little too fat, and you’re trying to tell your friend how heavy you are.
D. You want to ask your boss for a sick leave, although you are not ill.
5. The main idea of the passage is that __________.
A. people are getting more likely to lie
B. gadgets are seen as the best way to tell white lies
C. most people tell white lies at the workplace
D. 18% of people lie to their bosses

On a hot day, I decide to mow our extremely hilly lawn. It was likely to    21    a jungle（丛林）with weeds growing wildly. I need to mow it at once.

After several false    22      , I had to examine it and finally got our old lawn mower     23      . I was mowing and trying hard to push the machine uphill, which was really a hard job, for the machine was too old to work well. I was so   24  that I complained under my breath, so I decided to take a short break.

At the top of a rise, I   25  to see my 12-year-old John Thomas standing there, with a smile on his face and a glass of    26   in his hand.  "Here, Mom, "he said, "have a drink, Want me to help you? Dad   27  me work on hte flat places."

I  28   the ice water and went to sit in the      29   of a tall tree. As I took my drink, I   30     my son. To my surprise, he didn't seem to be    31    the normal mowing pattern. And he kept smiling at me   32    he worked. I wondered    33  made him so happy? I thought to myself.

After a while, he    34   mowing and looked in my direction. "Hey, Mom. Could you  35  here? "   "He's always　naughty like this, lazy again?" I said to myself    36     .  Then I stood up and walked across the lawn, noticing that he had missed a sizable spot. "John, you didn't..."  My angry words gradually became      37      , for the spot I thought he'd missed had been       38     mowed into the shape of a（an）   39   , suddenly I felt something warm and gentle rising from inside.

"Like it, Mom? It's mine and it's for you."  he asked with a big    40  .

"Now I'll finish the job."

21. A. turn on B. turn into     C. turn down  D. turn up

22. A. starts    B. words C. ends    D. behavior

23. A. work    B. move  C. going  D. flying

24. A. cheerful       B. tired   C. cared  D. boring

25. A. looked through    B. looked over       C. looked after       D. looked up

26. A. hot tea  B. chocolate    C. milk   D. ice water

27. A. asks      B. allows C. lets     D. agrees

28. A. drank   B. heated C. accepted     D. received

29. A. shade    B. leaves C. root    D. top

30. A. saw      B. watched     C. observed    D. noticed

31. A. feeling  B. finding       C. following   D. feeding

32. A. if  B. since   C. whether      D. as

33. A. what     B. that     C. all      D. it

34. A. continued     B. went on      C. stopped      D. finished

35. A. go over B. turn over    C. driver over D. come over

36. A. happily B. angrily       C. eagerly       D. anxiously

37. A. heavier B. thicker       C. louder D. quieter

38. A. carefully      B. carelessly   C. casually      D. comfortably

39. A. heart                  B. apple  C. hand   D. foot

40. A. sign      B. smile  C. surprise      D. sigh

.

Among the four skills in learning English, which of these is the “Odd-Man-Out”? The answer is speaking. The other three you can do alone on your own. But you can't really speak alone! Speaking to yourself can be “dangerous” because men in white coats may come and take you away !

Where can you find people to speak English? And how can you practise speaking when you are alone? At school if you pay to go to a language school, you should use the chance to speak .If your teacher asks you to speak in pairs or groups with other students, try to say as much as possible. Don't worry about your mistakes. Just speak!?

Conversation Clubs　Many cities around the world have conversation clubs where people can exchange one language for another . Look in your local newspaper to find a conversation club near you .They are usually free although some may charge a small entrance fee.?

Shopping　Even if you don't want to buy anything ,you can ask questions about products that interest you in a shop. “How much does this cost?” “Can I pay by cheque?” Often you can start a real conversation—and it costs you nothing!?

Cafe and Bars　There are often American, Britain, Irish and Australian bars in many large cities .If you can find one, you'll probably meet many people speaking English as a first or second language.?

Language is all around you　Everywhere you go, you find language .Shop names, street names ,advertisements ,notices ,and car numbers....When you walk down the street , practice reading the words and numbers that you see .Say them to yourself .It's not exactly a conversation ,but it will help you to “think” in English .But don't speak too loud!?

Songs and Video　Repeat the words of an English-language song singing with the music until it becomes automatic. It's good practice for your memory and for the mouth muscles that you need for English.?

Above all, speak as much as possible! Make as many mistakes as possible! When you know that you have made a mistake, you know that you have made progress!?

57．What does “Odd-Man-Out” probably mean according to the passage??

A. Someone or something appearing different from others.?

B. Someone or something standing out of the group.?

C. Someone or something arranged in pairs.?

D. Someone or something easily mistaken for another.?

58．What might happen if you speak to yourself loudly in public??

A. The police will take you away and punish you.?

B. The doctors will force you to stay in hospital.?

C. You will have to pay to escape being punished.?

D. You will be forbidden to be member of the club.?

59．Why does the writer say “Make as many mistakes as possible”? Because _______.

A. everyone will make mistakes in learning English?

B. everyone will meet people speaking English with some mistakes?

C. making mistakes is a must in making progress in learning English?

D. making mistakes can make one realize the importance of speaking?

60．According to the passage, which way is not likely to be accepted by English beginners?

A .Recite poems loudly along the riverside.?

B. Listen to some English pop songs and video.?

C. Find an Englishman to speak English with.?

D. Take to the TV showing programmes at home.??