Advice to English learners

Learners of English, especially self-taught learners may have trouble in understanding speeches by native speakers. The following ways might help improve their ability.

First of all, do things step by step. It is not good to listen to something beyond your level. Better choose a suitable course and start with the first book. Go on to the second book only after you are sure you understand the first one.

Secondly, stick to one course of study. Don’t change books often. Never let your attention be attracted by another course just because it seems to be more “ fashionable”(时髦).

Thirdly, listen to the English news programme over the radio from time to time. Better go through the news stories in the Chinese-language newspaper first. That will make it easy for you to understand the English news on the radio.

Fourthly, if you have time, listen to some interesting stories in “special English” from the VOA or other listening materials of the same level as that of your textbook.

1.This is a piece of advice to learners of English in how to_____.

2. If you want to understand the English news programme on the radio, you should_________.

read the Chinese-language newspaper carefully

read again and again the Chinese-language newspaper

go through the Chinese-language newspaper

be able to recite the Chinese-language newspaper

3.“Beyond your level” means something_______.

4. The author advised that once you have taken up a course, you should_______.

stick to it                                   B. begin with the last book

C. take up other courses if you are more fashionable     D. not do anything else

5.In this passage, VOA stands for______.

Man has a big brain. He can think, learn and speak. Scientists thought that men are different from animals because they can think and learn. They know now that dogs, cats and birds can learn too. They are beginning to understand that. They make noises when they are afraid, or angry or unhappy. Apes(猿) can understand some things more quickly than human, one or two of them have learnt a few words. But they can not join words to make sentences. They can not think like us because they have no language. Language is a wonderful thing. Man has been able to build a modern world because he has language. Every child can speak his own language very well when he is four or five, —but no animal learns to speak. How do children learn it ? Scientists do not really know. What happens inside our body when we speak? They do not know. They only know that man can speak because he has a brain.

1.The best title for this passage is          .

2.Men are different from animals in the way that           .

3.An ape can not           .

4.Scientists now know            .

5.Which of the following is NOT true ?

根据短文内容，从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有一项为多余选项。

Dear Sir,

I have to travel every day from So UK Road to the airport. Two buses travel along this route: No.49 and No.16. However, by the time No.16 reaches So UK Road, it is always full.__1.__

The timetable states that there are buses from So UK Road to the airport every ten minutes.__2.__ The instructions state that if there are empty seats on a bus, the bus must stop at every stop where people are waiting. __3.__

The instructions state that no bus may carry more than 40 seated passengers and 20 standing passengers. Yesterday, I was the first to get off the bus when it reached the airport. __4.__ There were 129 of them.

Clearly printed on the back of every bus is a sign that says “Maximum speed: 50mph.” ___5.__ Saturday morning a No. 49 bus traveled the distance in ten minutes, at an average speed of 60 mph. At times it must have done at least 80 or even 90 mph.

It is obvious that our bus companies have neither respect for the instructions nor consideration for their passengers. Can nothing be done about this?

Jerry

E. This leaves No.49 which sometimes has empty seats on it.

F. If this is so, why do I have to wait half an hour for a bus nearly every day?

下面是一篇应用文及其应用场合的信息，请阅读下列应用文和相关信息，并按照要求匹配信息。请在答题卡上将对应题号的相应选项字母涂黑。

首先，请阅读下列律师事务所的信息：

A:   Workplace Rights

Unpaid overtime. Wrongful Termination. Wage&Hour. Haressment. Retaliation. Disability. Pregnancy leave. Call for free consultation:  310-273-3180

B:  Arguing with Your Homeowners Association?

Homeowners Association Dispute. Property / Neighbour Controversies. Eminent Domain

and Government Agency Issues.         949-727-0977

C:  Auto Accidents Injury Cases

Hit and run charges. Ticket warrants. Suspended Drivers License. All Criminal Law Cases.

562-628-554

E:  Bankruptcy

Stop Foreclosures. Levies. Repossession & Garnishment. Discharge taxes. Negotiate your debts without bankruptcy

We are a debt relief agency. Help people file for bankruptcy relief. 818-762-8120

F:  DMV Hearings

Reexaminations. Administrative Hearings. Medical&Skill Hearings.

Service all of California.  805-482-1961

请阅读下列客户的信息，然后匹配客户与拟要寻找的律师事务所：

1.Susie got her driving license two months ago. But last week when she was going along a quiet road, another car following her hit her from behind. She was not hurt seriously, but the her car was quite damaged and the driver ran away at great speed. She hasn’t any evidence except for the car number she remembers.

2.Mr. Samdos has recently got a large fortune from his uncle who lives abroad. He wants to quit his job as an engineer and starts his own company. Not having done that before, he is at a loss how to start his company.

3. Mr. Johnson is a worker for maintenance in his company and he often has to work overtime. But due to some managerial reason, for years he hasn’t received any extra pay for that.

4.Mr. William is a successful businessman and he owns a few corporations. To his sadness, one of his corporations suffered huge loss when co-operating with another big corporation in a new business deal. He wants to break from the partnership, but the partner asks for a higher price than he is willing to accept.

5.Mr. Black shared a parking lot with Mr. Cambell, who lives next to him. But last month, Mr. Cambell built a wall around the lot, which makes it impossible for Mr. Black to park his car in the lot without a key. But Mr. Cambell claims the lot to be his own.

基础写作（共1小题，满分15分)

最近，你班举行了一个“What will the future be like？”的专题讨论会，请你写一篇短文来反映讨论结果。

       [写作要求]

1.只能使用5个句子表达全部的内容；2.将5个句子组织成连贯的短文；3.可适当增加情节，使表达连贯。

[评分标准]   句子结构准确，信息内容完整，篇章结构连贯。

第二节读写任务 (共1小题,满分25分)

阅读下面的短文，然后按照要求写一篇150左右的英语短文。

Insistence or Giving up

There is a battle in our daily life. Two forces are fighting with each other again and again. They never stop until you are buried in the earth. We called them insistence and giving up. They are like twins. One is angle, and the other is a demon..

As we all know, we want to pass the CET-4. So we get our own strategy. First of all, I am bound to master five thousand vocabularies. Second, I will write an article every week which is at least two hundred words. Then I will read at least two English articles, make more friends with foreigners for learning native English, and listening to some English news broadcast every day.

Nevertheless, according to my strategy, the first day, I should wake up at 6 a.m. to memorize at least twenty words. The alarm clock rings for me; I should get rid of my bed in order to study. Suddenly, “Giving up” came and whispered to me. “What about a five-minute prolong sleeping? How soft, comfortable this bed is! But Ms Insistence urged me, “Don’t listen to him; Come on, let’s carry out our plan.” Her voice is sweet, but not what I need.

Time flies! If we can’t seize every opportunity to appreciate time, Mr. Giving up will win all the time. Insistence of your plan, your dream may not be accomplished successfully, but giving up, you are sure to fail in life. (237w)

【写作内容】

有些人做事有时候缺乏持之以恒的毅力。请就“坚持” 还是 “放弃”的话题发表你自己的看法，内容要点包括：

1 以约30个词概括阅读材料的要点；

2 请选择一个角度，用你自己或朋友的经历，以约120个词谈谈自己的观点，内容包括：

1）持之以恒对工作和学习有什么意义；

2）以成功或失败的事例来说明持之以恒的重要性；

3）你对大家的建议是什么。

【写作要求】

在作文中可以使用自己的亲身经历或虚构的故事，也可以参照阅读材料的内容但不得直接引用原文中的句子；作文中不能出现真实姓名和学校名称。

完形填空（共15小题；每小题2分，满分30分）

阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后从下列各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。

The human nose is an underestimated tool. Humans are often thought to be  1___ smellers compared with animals, but this is largely because, unlike animals, we stand upright. This means that our noses are  2  to detecting those smells which float through the air,  3  the majority of smells which stick to surfaces. In fact though, we are extremely sensitive to smells, even if we do not generally realize it. Our noses are capable of  4  human smells even when these are  5  to far below one part in one million.

　　  6     , some people find that they can smell one type of flower but not another, while others are sensitive to the smells of both flowers. This may be because some people do not have the genes necessary to generate  7     smell receptors in the nose. These receptors are the cells which sense smells and send  8    to the brain. However, it has been found that even people insensitive to a certain smell at first can suddenly become sensitive to it when  9     to it often enough.

　　The  10   for insensitivity to smell seems to be that brain finds it  11    to keep all smell receptors working all the time but can  12   new receptors if necessary. This may also explain why we are not usually sensitive to our own smells we simply do not need to be. We are not  13     of the usual smell of our own house but we  14     new smells when we visit someone else's. The brain finds it best to keep smell receptors _ 15    for unfamiliar and emergency signals such as the smell of smoke, which might indicate the danger of fire.

语法填空（共10小题，每题1.5分，满分15分）

阅读下面短文，按照句子结构的语法性和上下文连贯的要求，在空格处填入一个适当的词或使用括号中词语的正确形式填空。

Just up the road from my home is a field, with two horses in it. From a distance, each horse looks like any other horse. But if you get a __1.____( close) look you will notice one of them is blind.

   Instead of abandoning him, his owner has made him a safe and comfortable barn to live in. And if you stand nearby and listen, you will hear the sound of a bell__2._( come) from ___3.___ smaller horse. Attached to  __4.__ (it) halter is a small, copper-colored bell assisting the blind friend to follow him.

5.___you watch them, you'll find the horse with the bell always checking on the blind one, and that the blind horse will listen for the bell and then slowly walk to ___6._ the other one is, trusting he will not ____7.____( lead ) astray. When the horse with the bell returns to the barn each evening, he will stop ___8.___( frequent ) to look back, making sure that the ___9.__ isn't too far behind to hear the bell.

   Life does not throw us away just because we are not perfect or because we have problems or challenges. Sometimes we are the blind horse being guided by the little ringing bell of our acquaintances; __10.__other times we are the guide horse, who helps others to find their way.

It was time for Mr. Rocco to shut up shop when I hurried into the florist’s. “Now, what is it you want?” Mr. Rocco turned to me. “I want the most beautiful flower you have.” I replied. “And just how much do you have to pay for this most beautiful flower?” I held out a wet hand showing a quarter and dime. He nodded, and then showed me a plant on the counter. “I can give you this one for 35 cents.” he said. “Aw, gee,” I protested, “it looks like a weed!” About 18 inches high, the plant was in a small pot covered with faded red paper. “Now trust me, boy—I promise that tomorrow morning when you get up, you will find your most beautiful flower.” said Mr. Rocco. I knew him to be a good honest man, so I agreed to take it.

It was almost midnight when I arrived home. Mom was seriously sick and using the front bedroom. I looked in to see if she was asleep, and then quietly tiptoed in and set the plant on the table beside her bed. I wanted her to be surprised when she woke on Mother’s Day.

The next morning, I dressed and hurried downstairs. The sun was shining through kitchen window as I looked into Mom’s room. She motioned for me to come in, then glanced over at the table where the plant was. Holy mackerel! There were three big yellow trumpet-shaped（喇叭状的）blooms. It was just like Mr. Rocco said—the most beautiful flower I ever saw! When I looked at Mom, she was smiling as tears streamed down her cheeks. She held out her hand for me to come near, then pulled me close and hugged till it hurt. Then, remembering her contagious condition and that she wasn’t supposed to touch me, she quickly let me go.

My dear mom died the next night. The moment she hugged me turned out to be the most wonderful moment of my life. Not only had that beautiful plant helped show just how much I loved her, but I’d always know how much she loved me.

1.  The author didn’t like the plant recommended by Mr. Rocco at first because ______.

A. the packing of the plant was shabby

B. the plant was more a weed than a flower         

C. the plant appeared too ordinary to be the most beautiful

D. he thought Mr. Rocco was reluctant to do the deal with him

2.  Mother’s condition was contagious (Line 6, Para.3) for ______.

A. she was at the death’s door         B. she suffered from the illness

C. others were sick of her appearance   D. virus might spread from her to others 

3. When mother hugged the author tightly, she was showing that ______.

A. she liked being given gifts             

B. she valued what the author had done for her

C. she was aware of the approaching of death   

D. she was touched by the beauty of the flower

4. The story is mainly developed by______________.

A. time        B. logic            C. comparison       D. cause and result

5.Which may be the best title of the passage?

A. Flowers of Love                          B. A Son’s Love for Mother

C. Low Price, High Value              D. A Special Mother’s Day 

The audience starts to scream and young people all over Britain turn on their TVs. Yes, it’s Top of the Pops!

 Top of the Pops is an amazing 34 years old. Pop stars from all over the world appear on this successful TV programme. After 1,800 shows, it’s still the most popular pop music show in Britain. So what’s the secret?

 “We get lots of bands to perform live in the studio,” says producer Chris Cowey. “That just doesn’t happen on other shows.”

  Chris starts planning the programme over a week before it goes out. His first job is to decide which bands to have on the show. When the chart of the top twenty songs is produced on Sunday, Chris can start to book the bands.

 Monday starts with Chris meeting his sound, lighting and camera workers. They listen to each song and plan the show.

 Tuesday is paperwork day. There are bookings to make sure of letters to answer and lots of phone calls to make. The show is on Thursday. Bands arrive at the studio from 10 o’clock in the morning and start practising. Tonight’s presenter, Jo Whiley, practices too.

 First the bands go to make up. Judy and Issy are the make-up artists. “We see the stars with no make-up on, looking terrible,” says Issy. Then the bands go to the costume department where Marianne dresses the stars.

Back in the studio things are happening. The audience are practicing their dance moves! It takes over two hours to record the whole programme, then Chris edits it all night long. The final version is exactly 29 minutes long.

31. What make(s) Top of the Pops still the most popular in Britain?

A. The live performances in the studio.

B. The jobs carefully done by the workers of the TV station.

C. The great fame of the bands.

D. The large numbers of pop fans in Britain.

32. When the bands receive the invitations to the performance, _________.

A. they must decide on the songs

B. they don’t have to decide what songs they will perform

C. the songs that will be performed haven’t been decided on

D. they have no idea what songs they will perform

33．The underlined word “costume”（in Paragraph 7） probably means         .

    A. makeup         B. stage          C. studio       D. clothes

1. How is a music programme made at the TV station?

2. Which is the proper title for the passage?

A. More Popular, More Successful

B. A Stage for Pop Stars

C. Go Backstage of Top of the Pops.

D. A Popular Live Band.