A Strange Greeting, a True Feeling Last week I was invited to a doctor’s meeting at the Ruth hospital for incurables. In one of the wards a patient, an old man, got up shakily from his bed and moved towards me. I could see that he hadn't long to   1   , but he came up to me and placed his right foot close mine on the floor.

 “Frank！” I cried in astonishment. He couldn’t   2  , as I knew, but all the time   3   his foot against mine.

My   4   raced back more than thirty years to the   5   days of 1941, when I was a student in London. The   6   was an air-raid shelter, in which I and about hundred other people slept every night. Two of the regulars were Mrs. West and her son Frank.

   7   wartime problems, we shelter-dwellers got to   8   each other very well. Frank West   9   me because he wasn’t   10  , not even at birth. His mother told me he was 37 then, but he had   11   of a mind than a baby has. His “  12  ” consisted of rough sounds——sounds of pleasure or anger and   13   more. Mrs. West, then about 75, was a strong, capable woman, as she had to be, of course, because Frank   14   on her entirely. He needed all the   15   of a baby.

One night a policeman came and told Mrs. West that her house had been flattened by a 500-pounder. She   16   nearly everything she owned.

When that sort of thing happened, the rest of us helped the   17   ones. So before we   18   that morning, I stood beside Frank and   19   my right foot against his. They were about the same size. That night, then, I took a pair of shoes to the shelter for frank. But as soon as he saw me he came running and placed his right foot against mine. After that, his   20   to me was always the same.

(   )1. A. work           B. stay    C. live     D. expect

(   )2. A. answer   B. speak  C. smile         D. laugh

(   )3. A. covering       B. moving      C. fighting      D. pressing

(   )4. A. minds    B. memories   C. thoughts     D. brains

(   )5. A. better    B. dark    C. younger            D. old

(   )6. A. cave            B. place   C. sight          D. scene

(   )7. A. Discussing           B. Solving      C. Sharing            D. Suffering

(   )8. A. learn from           B. talk to C. help          D. know

(   )9. A. needed         B. recognized  C. interested          D. encouraged

(   )10. A. normal       B. common     C. unusual     D. quick

(   )11. A. more          B. worse  C. fewer         D. less

(   )12. A. word          B. speech C. sentence           D. language

(   )13. A. not            B. no      C. something         D. nothing

(   )14. A. fed            B. kept    C. lived          D. depended

(   )15. A. attention    B. control       C. treatment          D. management

(   )16. A. lost            B. needed       C. destroyed          D. left

(   )17. A. troublesome  B. unlucky    C. angry         D. unpopular

(   )18. A. separated           B. went   C. reunited            D. returned

(   )19. A. pushed       B. tried   C. showed      D. measured

(   )20. A. nodding            B. greeting     C. meeting            D. acting

     Language is always changing. In a society where life continues year after year with few changes, the language does not change either. The earliest known languages had difficult grammar but a small, limited vocabulary. Over the century, the grammar changed, and the vocabulary grew. For example, the English and Spanish people who came to America during the sixteenth century gave names to all the new plants and animals they found. In this way, hundreds of new words were introduced into English and Spanish vocabularies. Today life is changing very fast, and language is changing fast too.

     There are several major language families in the world. Some scientists say there are nine main families, but other scientists divide them differently. The languages in each family are connected, and scientists think that they came from the same parent language. About 3 percent of the people in the world speak languages that are not in these major families. （词数155）

The early language had ________.

   A. a lot of problems        B. words and easy grammar

   C. words but no grammar   D. grammar but not many words

In the next few hundred years we can expect language to _____.

   A. stay exactly the same    B. change a great deal

   C. change only a little      D. ask more words and drop some grammar

What this article shows is that _____.

A. languages change fast          B. languages really don't want to change

C. language really with changes in society    D. Spanish and English change

A popular saying goes, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” However, that’s not really true. Words have the power to build us up or tear us down. It doesn’t matter if the words come from someone’s else or ourselves --- the positive and negative effects are just as lasting.

    We all talk to ourselves sometimes. We’re usually too embarrassed to admit it, though. In fact, we really shouldn’t be because more and more experts believe talking to ourselves out loud is a healthy habit.

    This “self-talk” helps us motivate ourselves, remember things, solve problems, and calm ourselves down. Be aware, though, that as much as 77% of self-talk tends to be negative. So in order to stay positive, we should only speak words of encouragement to ourselves. We should also be quick to give ourselves a pat on the back. The next time you finish a project, do well in a test, or finally clean your room, join me in saying “Good job!”

    Often, words come out of our mouths without us thinking about the effect they will have. But we should be aware that our words cause certain responses in others. For example, when returning an item to a store, we might use warm, friendly language during the exchange. And the clear will probably respond in a similar manner. Or harsh（刻薄的）and critical language will most likely cause the clerk to be defensive.

    Words possess power because of their lasting effect. Many of us regret something we once said. And we remember unkind words said to us! Before speaking, we should always ask ourselves: Is it loving? Is it needed? If what we want to say doesn’t pass this test, then it’s better left unsaid.

    Words possess power: both positive and negative. Those around us receive encouragement when we speak positively. We can offer hope, build self-esteem（自尊）and motivate others to do their best. Negative words destroy all those things. Will we use our words to hurt or to heal? The choice is ours.

The main idea of the first paragraph is that ________.

A. not sticks and stones but words will hurt us 

B. inspiring words give us confidence

C. negative words may let us down

D. words have a lasting effect on us

There is no sense for us to feel embarrassed when we talk to ourselves because _______

A. almost everybody has the habit of talking to themselves

B. we can benefit from talking to ourselves

C. talking to ourselves always gives us courage

D. it does no harm to have “self-talk” when we are alone

The underlined part in the third paragraph means that we should also timely _______

A. praise ourselves                                                         B. remind ourselves

C. make ourselves relaxed                                              D. give ourselves amusement

The author would probably hold the view that ___________

A. encouraging words are sure to lead to kind offers  

B. negative words may stimulate us to make more progress

C. people tend to remember friendly words

D. it is better to think twice before talking to others

A growing number of students in the United States are studying Mandarin(普通话). It is the official language of China. More and more people speak Mandarin than those who speak other languages in the world.

Schools that teach Mandarin want to prepare students for a future in which they are likely to work with people from China. Business in China is booming(繁荣的), and that trend(趋势) is expected to grow.

The US government is trying to encourage even more public schools to teach Mandarin. Officials are considering spending about $1 billion on Mandarin programs in schools. China is getting involved(参与) too. The Chinese government has donated

Mandarin textbooks to US schools. Some schools are also taking part in teacher exchange programs with China.

“It is important for students to learn Mandarin and Chinese culture,” said Mary Patterson, a school principal(校长) in Portland, Oregon. “Students who do so will have wider opportunities when they become adults.”

Why are US schools teaching Mandarin?

A. To help students communicate with Chinese students.

B. To encourage students to move to China,

C. To prepare students for the future.

D. To get students interested in business.

The underlined word “donated” (in Paragraph 4) can be replaced by “______”?

A. provided          B. kept           C. made          D. found

What is the best title for this passage?

A. Why US students learn Mandarin         B. Schools in China

C. How to speak Mandarin                  D. China today

Language is a way to communicate with each other. We started to learn language when we were born. However, people are used to speaking their native language, so immigrants are having many problems between the first generation and the second generation because they don’t have the same native language. Also, the second generation is losing their identity. Especially in America, there are many immigrants that came from different countries to succeed in the States.  Because they suffer in lots of areas such as getting a job and trying to speak English, they want their children to speak English, not only at school, but also at home in order to be more successful. Because of this situation, their children are losing their identity and, even more, they are ignoring their parents whose English is not very good.    

I think most immigrants are trying to preserve their native language in their new country, but this doesn’t help very much in getting a good job. My aunt taught Korean to her children not to help hem succeed in the U.S. she did so, hopefully, to help them establish a Korean identity. Though the second generation was born in the new country, they often get confused about their identity because they look different from others, and also, if they visit their parents’ country, they will probably feel different from other people there too. My cousins told me that when they visited Korea a few years ago, they felt different from other Koreans. They could even feel it just strolling around the street because they wore different clothes and walked differently.

We must realize that language is important and valuable for many reasons. Immigrants should make an effort not to be ignored by their children understand their background by teaching them the parents’ language. This is very important, not only for the harmony of the family, but also in helping the second generation establish their identity. 

According to the text, what is the problem of the first generation immigrants?

A. They have lost their identity.

B. Their children are losing their identity.

C. Their children speak different languages.

D. They cannot speak their native language.

My aunt taught her children Korean____.

A. so that they knew they were of Korean origin

B. so that they would be more successful in the U.S.

C. because she didn’t want them to speak English

D. because she wanted them to respect her

The writer’s cousins felt different in their parents’ country because they____.

A. had never been there before        B. behaved quite differently

C. couldn’t understand the language    D. had different facial appearance

According to the text, the native language is important and valuable to immigrants in that____.

A. it gives them self-confidence and better chance

B. t makes the second generation love motherland

C. it helps the second generation to understand their parents

D. it strengthens the family ties and reminds them of their identity (BCABD)