Have you ever noticed advertisements which say “Learn a foreign language in 6 weeks, or your money back! From the first day your pronunciation will be excellent. Just send…” and so on? Of course, it never happens quite like that. The only language that is easy to learn is one’s mother tongue. And think how much practice that gets! Before the Second World War people usually learnt a foreign language in order to read the literature of the country.

Now speaking a foreign language is what most people want. Every year millions of people start learning one. How do they do it? Some people try at home, with books and records of tapes; some use radio or television programs; some use computers and network; others go to evening classes. If they use the language only 2 or 3 times a week, learning it will take a long time, like learning a foreign language at school. A few people try to learn a language fast by studying for 6 or more hours a day. It is clearly easier to learn the language in the country where it is spoken.

However, most people cannot afford this, and for many it is not necessary. They need the language in order to do their work better. For example, scientists and doctors chiefly need to be able to read books and reports in the foreign language. Whether the language is learnt quickly or slowly, it is hard work. Machines and good books will help, but they cannot do the student’s work for him.

1.According to some advertisements, you ______ .

2.Now most people try to learn a foreign language in order to ______.

3.Learning a foreign language is a hard job ______.

C
Today， we have a world economy. Canadian businesses and workers must compete with businesses and workers in other countries.
Every year， more Canadian factories are closing or moving。 They cannot compete with factories in countries where wages（工资） are low. In the future, there will be fewer jobs for factory workers in Canada.
Many Canadian businesses are trying to spend less money. For example, they are hiring more part-time workers and more temporary(临时的) workers. They are employing fewer permanent(永久的)full-time workers. More services, fewer goods. Canada’s economy is changing. Businesses are making fewer goods(for example: shoes and radios). But Canadian businesses are providing more services to people.
In the future, there will be more jobs for people who provide services. For example: sales people, waiters and waitresses, home health care workers, bakers and cooks.
There will be fewer jobs for other kinds of workers(for example: farmers , miners , fishermen, forestry workers and factory workers).Many new jobs will be in small businesses with 20 or 30 employees. Technology machines are changing the way people work. Business are using many machines (for example: computers and robots).
Businesses will need fewer workers. And some jobs will disappear. Many grown-ups will have to go back to school or train for new jobs. Workers will not stay in the same job for their lifetime. The population of Canada is changing.
Today, many Canadians are in their 30s and 40s. They need goods and services. As they get older, they will need different goods and services.
Canadians come from many cultures. They have different customs and religions. Employers and workers must learn to work with many different people.
44. World economy means_________ to Canada.
A. closing and moving           B. competition
C. low wages                   D. improvement
45. Which of the following will be fewer in the future in Canada?
A. Restaurants       B. Shops        C. Doctors  D. Farmers
46. Businesses will need fewer workers because_____________.
A.  the owners can’t afford them
B. some jobs will disappear
C. machines will take the place of workers in many ways
D. the workers will have to be trained for new jobs
47. Which of the following statements is TRUE?
.A. Many people who come from different cultures will work together.
B. All Canadians have the same culture and religion
C. Different cultures will do good to Canada
D. Many Canadians will change their jobs in the future.

完形填空（共20小题;每小题1.5分,满分30分）
阅读下面短文,从短文后各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C、和D)中，选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项，并标在答题卷的相应位置。用答题卡的考生，先把选出的最佳选项标在试卷的相应位置，再转涂到答题卡上。
There are about fifteen hundred languages in the world.
But ___36___ a few of them are very ___37___. English is one of these. Many, many people use it, not only in England and the U. S. A, but in other parts of the world. about 200, 000, 000 speak it as their own language. It is difficult to say how many people are learning it as a ___38___ language. Many millions are ___39__ to do so.
Is it easy or difficult to learn English? Different people may have different ___40___. Have you ever __41___ the ads of this kind in the newspapers or magazines?
“Learn English in six month, or your __42___ back ...” “Easy and funny? Our records and tapes __43___ you master your English in a month. __44___ the first day your ___45___ will be excellent. Just send ...” Of course, it never ___46___ quite like this.
The only language that seems easy to learn is the mother tongue. We should ___47___ that we all learned our own language well when we were ___48___. If we could learn English in the same way, it would not seem so difficult. ___49___ what a small child does. He listens to what people say. He tries what he hears. When he is using the language, talking in it, and ___50___ in it all the time, just imagine how much ___51___ that gets!
So it is ___52___ to say that learning English is easy, because a good command of English ___53___ upon a lot of practice. And practice needs great effort and ___54___ much time. Good teachers, records, tapes, books, and dictionaries will ___55___. But they cannot do the student’s work for him.

 During the school year many parents take on the role of driver as they drive their children from one lesson to another. It can be understood that many of us want our children to have a little taste of everything, from organized sports to music, dance and more. But we overdo it, leaving our children feeling a little tired, and according to parent educator Diane Loisie, it’s their school work that suffers the most. “After school, if they’re busy in a number of sporting events, besides they need to do their homework, then the time they’ll feel sleepy is in the classroom. Your child needs free time. So if you’re filling up that after school time, then it’s during the day they’re going to be taking a break. ”

 Professor Claire McDermott agrees that there’s a lot to be gained from sometimes putting those planned lessons and activities away. “Relaxing time is important for children. It’s time just to do the things they want to do. A child can go up to their room, or they can play around. It doesn’t look like useful time; parents certainly wouldn’t be saying ‘Wow, are they ever learning things now?’ But this relaxing time gives both the body and the brain just a wonderful chance to relax after a day. It helps a child prepare for sleep, but it also helps to understand the learning that’s gone on that day. ”

 It’s hard to prevent signing our kids up for some activities and lessons. After all, many of us want our children to have a head start in life and the chance to join in great activities in the arts or sports is a part of that. However, Loisie feels that in the long run most children feel better with just a few key activities because it gives them an opportunity to master them. “When we get our children in too many activities because we want our children to experience everything, then what we’re doing is setting them up not to be good at one thing or gaining a skill. ” So choose your children’s activities wisely. It may be one of the best things you’ve ever done for your kids… and for the family driver!

1.What is the biggest disadvantage for children to attend too many lessons after school?

 A. They can get bored easily about everything.

 B. They might have no time to do the homework.

 C. They might not pay much attention to learning.

 D. They cannot easily focus on learning during the day.

2.What should we think of children’s playing around aimlessly?

 A. It is simple.

 B. It is helpful.

 C. It is a bad habit.

 D. It is a waste of time.

3. Why should parents limit the activities our children attend?

 A. Because children have no time.

 B. Because children cannot learn many things.

 C. Because children do not have enough sleep.

 D. Because children cannot focus on too many activities.

4.What is the main idea of this passage?

 A. Don’t be children’s drivers after school.

 B. Choose activities for your children wisely.

 C. Make your children learn as much as possible.

 D. Let children learn something from various subjects.

C
Our brains work in complex and strange ways．There are some people who can calculate the day of the week for any given date in 40,000 years, but who cannot add two plus two．Others can perform complex classical piano pieces after hearing them once, but they cannot read or write．
Dr．J．Langdon Down first described this condition in 1887．He called these people idiot savants．An idiot savant is a person who has significant mental impairment （损伤） , such as in autism or retardation．At the same time, the person also exhibits some extraordinary skills, which are unusual for most people．The skills of the savant may vary from being exceptionally gifted in music or in mathematics, or having a photographic memory．
One of the first descriptions of a human who could calculate quickly was written in 1789 by Dr．Benjamin Rush, an American doctor．His patient, Thomas Fuller, was brought to Virginia as a slave in 1724．It took Thomas only 90 seconds to work out that a man who has lived 70 years, 17 days, and 12 hours has lived 2,210,500,800 seconds．Despite this ability, he died in 1790 without ever learning to read or write．
Another idiot savant slave became famous as a pianist in the 1860s．Blind Tom had a vocabulary of only 100 words, but he played 5 ,000 musical pieces beautifully．
In the excellent movie Rain Man, made in 1988 and available on video cassette, Dustin Hoffman plays an idiot savant who amazes his brother played by Tom Cruise, with his ability to perform complex calculations very rapidly．
Today we more clearly recognize that the idiot savant is special because of brain impairment．Yet not all brain impairment leads to savant skills．Some studies have shown that people who have purposeful interruption of the left side of the brain can develop idiot savant skills．However few people wish to participate in such experiments．There are many excellent reasons for not undergoing unnecessary experimentation on one's brain．The term idiot savant is outdated and inappropriate．Virtually all savants have a high degree of intelligence and are thus not idiots．
63．What does the passage mainly talk about?
A．Idiot savants have areas of outstanding abilities．
B．Human Beings have complicated thinking process．
C．The brains of the idiot savants are partly impaired．
D．The reasons why people have wonderful skills vary．
64．Which of the following can be done by Rain Man?
A．He can play wonderful pieces of classical music．
B．He can guess out exactly the length of a man's life．
C．He can memorize the contents of the pictures fast．
D．He can count matches dropped on the floor quickly．
65．What can you infer from the passage?
A．Idiot savants have real talents for art and math．
B．Dr．Down is the first person who found idiot savants．
C．Few people wish to risk becoming savants by brain operations．
D．Intentional left brain impairments will surely lead to idiot savants．
66．Which of the following shows the structure of the passage?

1—5refer to paragraph 1—5.