When my son was 11 years old, he got a small job helping out with a traveling carnival in our town.He didn’t come home at lunch time, phoning  1 to tell me he was fine and had found a few days’ work  2  out at an exhibit.However, after he finished work he 3  for supper as usual.

I asked him how he had  4  at lunch and he told me he had made some new  5  at the carnival, some young men who were twin brothers, and their mom and dad.They had _6_ him a few dollars and invited him for lunch  7  for helping them set up their exhibit and wanted him to  8  the next day to help with other chores(杂务).

I was glad he had found new friends but a little  9  about the type of people who might be traveling in a carnival.“Oh, Mom, these are just 10  everyday people like anyone else.They 11  work at a carnival instead of in a store or something”.“Come down tomorrow and  12  them yourself,” he said.

So the next day I went to the carnival and to the exhibit he had  13  me to.The twin brothers  14  out to be Siamese(连体的) twins, joined at the chest.He hadn’t thought this 15  was noteworthy enough to mention.When I brought it to him, he said, “yes, I  16  that too.Do you know that their mom has to make all their clothes  17  it’s so difficult to find anything to fit them? They’re also really good  18.Today, Joe, the one on the right, made me spaghetti (意大利面条) for lunch.”

What others see first in a person is not what a child considers 19.Where I saw Siamese twins, he saw people having difficulty buying clothes that fit, and young men who were good cooks.It was a  20  I have thought about many times over the years.

1.A.instead             B.even               C.also               D.besides

2.A.leaving             B.helping           C.taking            D.showing

3.A.did up              B.gave up         C.took up          D.turned up

4.A.sought             B.managed         C.worked          D.acted

5.A.clothes             B.friends           C.choices          D.differences

6.A.paid                 B.charged         C.lent                D.owed

7.A.by chance        B.in return         C.by turns                D.in advance

8.A.return              B.promise         C.consider         D.decide

9.A.excited             B.regretful         C.worried         D.optimistic

10.A.humorous       B.obvious         C.particular        D.normal

11.A.just                B.never             C.hardly            D.always

12.A.teach             B.meet              C.affect             D.join

13.A.ordered          B.directed         C.forced            D.persuaded

14.A.worked          B.left                 C.came             D.turned

15.A.expression      B.change           C.fact               D.idea

16.A.understood     B.made              C.noticed           D.formed

17.A.before           B.if                 C.after              D.because

18.A.cooks            B.doctors          C.artists            D.singers

19.A.necessary       B.important        C.impossible      D.unlucky

20.A.lesson            B.festival           C.task               D.match

On October 19, 1959, the first Special English program was broadcast on the Voice of America.It was an experiment.The goal was to communicate by radio in clear and simple English with people whose native language was not English.Experts said the goal was admirable (令人敬畏的),but the method would not work.They were proved wrong.The Special English programs quickly became some of the most popular on VOA.And they still are.

    Forty years later, Special English continues to communicate with people who are not fluent in English.But during the years its role has expanded.It also helps people learn American English.And it provides listeners, even those who are native English speakers, with information they cannot find elsewhere.

   Today, Special English broadcasts around the world seven days a week, five times a day.Each half-hour broadcast begins with 10 minutes of the latest news followed by 20 minutes of feature programming.There is a different short feature every weekday about science, development, agriculture and environment, and on the weekend, about news events and American idioms.

   Three elements make Special English unique.It has a limited vocabulary of 1,500 words.Most are simple words that describe objects, actions or emotions.Special English is written in short, simple sentences that contain only one idea.And Special English is spoken at a slower pace, about two-thirds the speed of Standard English.This helps people learning English hear each word clearly.It also helps people who are English speakers understand complex subjects.

Through the years, Special English has become a very popular tool for teaching English, even though it was not designed as a teaching program.It succeeds in helping people learn English in a non-traditional way.In countries around the world, English teachers assign Special English to their students.They praise it for improving their students’ ability to understand American English and for the content of the programs.Universities and private companies in many countries produce packages of Special English materials for students’ use.

1.At the beginning, Special English program was ________.

   A.well received                                   B.rejected by native people

   C.doubted by some professionals                    D.intended for teaching English

2.What kind of English is spoken on Special English?

A.British English                                B.American English

C.Both British and American English                D.Not certain

3.Which of the following are the elements that make Special English unique?

   a.limited vocabulary

   b.short simple sentences

   c.good communication method

   d.slow speed

   e.interesting feature programming

   A.a, b, e                 B.a, c, d              C.a, b, d              D.b, d, e

4.Which of the following statements is TRUE?

   A.Special English has been founded for less than 50 years.

   B.Native English speakers don’t go in for Special English much.

   C.Special English usually starts with 20 minutes of the latest news.

   D.People can learn some idioms from Special English.

5.From the last paragraph we can infer that ________.

   A.Listening to Special English can be a student’s homework

   B.Listening to Special English can improve the content of the program.

   C.Some students record the Special English material for sale

   D.Learning English from VOA is a traditional way for English learners.

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