I’d like to know about fluency．What can I do to feel better when I’m talking to other people? Do you have some ways to learn it faster? Please help me!
——Roberto in Brazil
A：
Roberto wants to know how to become more fluent in English, and this is something you want to be able to do “fast”．
First, if you get to meet English speakers much, the important rule is to listen not just to native speakers of English, but aslo to very good users of English．If you don’t, then listen to the radio, TV or films in English．
The next step is to notice what it is that speakers of English do, which makes them sound fluent．The first trick(诀窍)is to probobly have confidence．Some people think they might make mistakes．Don’t worry about that．Your listeners will usually try hard to understand you---a few grammar mistakes aren’t going to worry them．
What you do need to worry about is pronunciation, especially stress(重音)．When you learn a new word or expression, learn it with its stress．Notice how a native speaker says it or look it up in a dictionary．
Another good thing that speakers of English do is to have a few tricks up their sleeves(袖子)for when they need to give themselves thinking time．Sometimes they use “filler sounds” like er, um, and so on．
It is also useful to know how to bring other speakers into your conversation so that you keep them interested---and this is often done by asking questions like “What do you think?” “How do you feel about this?” and so on．
So, to become a fluent speaker, you’ll need to put into practice all these kinds of things．And there’s the key：practisce, practise, practise．
——Susan Fearn
(1)
Roberto wants to know how to __________
[ ]
A．
learn English
B．
speak English fluently
C．
talk to other people
D．
become confident
(2)
When mentioning pronunciation, Susan pays special attention to __________
[ ]
A．
stress
B．
expressions
C．
dictionaries
D．
words
(3)
What do the underlined words “to have a few tricks up their sleeves” probably mean?
[ ]
A．
To wear a lot of clothes．
B．
To have a secret plan or idea．
C．
To hide some tricks into their sleeves．
D．
To have sleeves covering their whole arms．
(4)
What do we know from the passage?
[ ]
A．
One can only learn stress from dictionaries．
B．
Grammar mistakes worry one’s listeners a lot．
C．
Asking questions can make one’s conversation attractive．
D．
One can become fluent if one practises one of the suggestions．
阅读理解
Your first term is sure to be manic(躁狂的)，but there’s no need to panic．Read the following suggestions on how to make your first months unforgetable．
Wake up
You’ve just finished spending the long summer holiday and now is the time to wake up and ready to work hard．
Eat properly
Eat fruit and vegetables every day, eat breakfast and avoid(避免)fatty, salty food; they all lead to a happier and healthier you．
Check stock
Make sure you’ve got everything you need, such as textbooks, pens, pencils, paper and anything else that’s specific to your lessons．
Question everything
Don’t be in a “Why am I here?” way, but try to get your head around anything you’ve not sure of．For example, if you don’t understand something that has come up in a textbook, ask your teachers．
Write stuff
Early on it’s worth making even more notes than you might usually, just to make sure you don’t miss anything that you will need later．As you progress you’ll get a better idea of how many notes you need to make．
Compare notes
Once you have made those notes, why not discuss them with your classmates? It’s a good way to get to know them better and make sure you haven’t missed anything in the process．
Get involved(参与)
When you sign up for all those clubs, don’t forget to go along to them! This is a chance to meet new people and learn new things．
__________
Let friends and relatives know how you’re getting on, while it’s also good to hear from the people you love．However, don’t go home on your first weekend if you live at the school; settle in your new surroundings first．
(1)
The underlined word “panic” in Paragragh 1 can be replaced by “__________”
[ ]
A．
be enthusiastic
B．
be disappointed
C．
be amazing
D．
be afraid and anxious
(2)
What’s the writer’s purpose of giving suggestions to the new students?
[ ]
A．
to make them eat properly．
B．
to make them make as many notes as possible．
C．
to make their first term memorable and colorful．
D．
to tell them to campare notes with their classmates．
(3)
What does the underlined word “It” in Paragraph 7 refer to?
[ ]
A．
to get to know your lessons better．
B．
to discuss your notes with your classmates．
C．
to make sure you have’t missed anything in the process．
D．
to make your notes．
(4)
Which of the following can be filled in the blank of Paragragh 9?
[ ]
A．
Phone home．
B．
Eat out．
C．
Go home．
D．
Make friends．
阅读理解
As kids, my friends and I spent a lot of time out in the woods．“The woods” was our part-time address, destination, purpose, and excuse．If I went to a friend’s house and found him not at home, his mother might say, “Oh, he's out in the woods,” with a tone of airy acceptance．It's similar to the tone people sometimes use nowadays to tell me that someone I’m looking for is on the golf course or at the gym, or even “away from his desk．” For us ten-year-olds, “being out in the woods” was just an excuse to do whatever we feel like for a while．
We sometimes told ourselves that what we were doing in the woods was exploring．Exploring was a more popular idea back then than it is today．History seemed to be mostly about explorers．Our explorations, though, seemed to have less system than the historic kind：something usually came up along the way．Say we stayed in the woods, throwing rocks, shooting frogs, picking blackberries, digging in what we were briefly persuaded was an Italian burial mound．
Often we got “lost” and had to climb a tree to find out where we were．If you read a story in which someone does that successfully, be skeptical：the topmost branches are usually too skinny to hold weight, and we could never climb high enough to see anything except other trees．There were four or five trees that we visited regularly－tall beeches, easy to climb and comfortable to sit in．
It was in a tree, too, that our days of fooling around in the woods came to an end．By then some of us has reached seventh grade and had begun the rough ride of adolescence(青春期)．In March, the month when we usually took to the woods again after winter, two friends and I set out to go exploring．We climbed a tree, and all of a sudden it occurred to all three of us at the same time that were really were rather big to be up in a tree．Soon there would be the spring dances on Friday evenings in the high school cafeteria．
(1)
The author and his fiends were often out in the woods to _________．
[ ]
A．
spend their free time
B．
play golf and other sports
C．
avoid doing their schoolwork
D．
keep away from their parents
(2)
What can we infer from Paragraph 2?
[ ]
A．
The activities in the woods were well planned．
B．
Human history is not the result of exploration．
C．
Exploration should be a systematic activity．
D．
The author explored in the woods aimlessly．
(3)
How does the author feel about his childhood?
[ ]
A．
Happy but short．
B．
Lonely but memorable．
C．
Boring and meaningless．
D．
Long and unforgettable．
阅读理解
All of us have read thrilling stories in which the hero had only a limited and specified time to live．Sometimes it was as long as a year; sometimes as short as twenty-four hours, but always we were interested in discovering just how the doomed man chose to spend his last days or his last hours．
Such stories set up thinking, wondering what we should do under similar circumstances．What happiness should we find in reviewing the past, what regrets?
Sometimes, I have thought it would be an excellent rule to live each day as if we should die tomorrow．Such an attitude would emphasize sharply the values of life．We should live each day with a gentleness, a vigor, and a keenness of appreciation which are often lost when time stretches before us in the constant repetition of more days and months and years to come．
Most of us take life for granted．We know that one day we must die, but usually we picture that day as far in the future, when we are in pleasant health, death is all but unimaginable．We seldom think of it．The days stretch out in an endless prospect．So we go about our little task, hardly aware of our listless attitude towards life．
The same attitude, I am afraid, falls on the use of our abilities and senses．Only the deaf appreciate hearing, only the blind realize the various blessings that lie in sight．Particularly does this observation apply to those who have lost sight and hearing in adult life．But those who have never suffered loss of sight of hearing seldom make the fullest use of these blessed abilities．Their eyes and ears take in all sights and sound hazily, without concentration, and with little appreciation．Seldom do people realize how good it is being in good health until they have fallen ill．It is the same old story of not being grateful without missing．
(1)
When reading the thrilling stories, we usually _________．
[ ]
A．
have curiosity about the hero’s limited life
B．
show great interest in our own lives
C．
find many regrets in reviewing the past
D．
have mercy on the doomed man
(2)
From the passage, we can learn that _________．
[ ]
A．
the author thinks it would be excellent to live if he should die the next day
B．
the disabled are anxious to regain their abilities and senses
C．
each of us should treasure what we have possessed today
D．
many of us are able to make full use of our time
(3)
The underlined word “hazily” in the last paragraph probably means _________．
[ ]
A．
happily
B．
unclearly
C．
freely
D．
enthusiastically
阅读理解
Despite the fact that it has never been seen almost everyone is familiar with the legendary unicorn(独角兽)．Descriptions of unicorns have been found dating from ancient times．The great philosopher Aristotle theorized that there were two types of unicorns－the so-called Indian Ass and the Oryx, a kind of antelope．Unicorns are often used in the logo of a noble family, town council or university as their special sign．Even Scotland is represented by a unicorn．
According to the legend, anyone attempting to catch a unicorn had to be extremely cautious as it has a reputation for being very fierce．A clever trick suggested by unicorn-trappers, in order to catch this magnificent beast without being hurt by its horn, was for the hunter to stand in front of a tree and then to move quickly behind it as the unicorn charged．Hopefully, the creature could then be captured when its horn was stuck in the tree．
When hollowed out and used as a drinking-cup, the unicorn’s horn was said to have the power to offer protection against person．It was believed that nobody could be harmed---by drinking the contents of a unicorn’s horn．Right up until the French Revolution in 1789, the French court was said to have used cups made of “unicorn” horn in order to protect the king．In addition, the horn was said to have medicinal value, so much so that it could be sold for more than ten times the price of the same weight of gold．What, then, was “unicorn” horn? We know at times the rhino(犀牛)was confused with this legendary creature．A drinking-cup supposedly made of “unicorn” horn was discovered to be made of the horn of a rhino．
(1)
Which of the following is TRUE of the unicorn?
[ ]
A．
It was not historically recorded
B．
Its horn was first used in France
C．
It was similar to the Indian Ass and the Oryx
D．
It could be the symbol of a universityzxxk
(2)
To catch a unicorn, the unicorn-trappers had to try all of the following EXCEPT _________．
[ ]
A．
tempting the unicorn to attack
B．
making use of the tree as a protection
C．
hiding quickly behind the unicorn
D．
having the unicorn horn stuck in the tree
(3)
The last paragraph is mainly about _________．
[ ]
A．
the properties of the unicorn horn
B．
the users of the unicorn horn
C．
the price of the unicorn horn
D．
the comparison between the unicorn horn and the rhino horn
阅读理解
After a year in the US, I have learned some interesting American expressions．When I am facing a lot of pressure at work, my back and neck would start to hurt．I have too many things to do, because my supervisor is on my back all the time．In other words, my employer is always telling me to do things．
Sometimes I want my employer to get off my back．I cannot say this; I would never turn my back on her or refuse to help when there is a need．If I did refuse to help, my supervisor might say bad things about me behind my back．Sometimes when I am very productive in my job, my employer gives me a pat on the back．She might even say, "I will scratch your back, if you scratch mine．" This means she will do something for me if I do something helpful for her in exchange．
I know that my employer carries a lot on her shoulders．She is responsible for many things at the office．Being important, she often rubs shoulders with the top officials．She spends time with some very important people．I believe the top official values my supervisor．He never gives her the cold shoulder．He always treats her to be an important part of the organization．
I also value my supervisor．In fact I think she is very effective in her job．We are always ahead of others in the yearly sales．But it is not necessary for me to praise my supervisor．So I think I will just save my breath because talking or repeating will not do any good．
(1)
Your boss will show his/her _________ by giving you a pat on the back．
[ ]
A．
kindness
B．
requirements
C．
confusion
D．
satisfaction
(2)
According to the last paragraph, we can infer that _________．
[ ]
A．
the writer thinks the boss doesn't need to be praised
B．
the writer likes to judge people
C．
the writer doesn't admire her supervisor
D．
the writer seldom falls behind in yearly sales
(3)
What is the purpose of the text?
[ ]
A．
To talk about the writer's attitude towards her boss．
B．
To explain some American expressions related to body parts．
C．
To tell readers about the writer's work experience．
D．
To introduce the relationship between the writer and her boss．
阅读理解
Tom was one of the brightest boys in the year, with supportive parents．But when he was 15 he suddenly stopped trying．He left school at 16 with only two scores for secondary school subjects．One of the reasons that made it cool or fun not to care was the power of his peer group．
The lack of right male role models in many of their lives --- at home and particularly in the school environment－means that their peers are the only people they have to judge themselves against．
They don't see men succeeding in society so it doesn't occur to them that they could make something of themselves．Without male teachers as a role model．the effect of peer actions and street culture is all-powerful．Boys want to be part of a club．However，schools can provide the environment for change, and provide the right role models for them．Teachers need to be trained to stop that but not in front of a child's peers．You have to do it one to one, because that is when you see the real child．
It's pointless sending a child home if he or she has done wrong．They see it as a welcome day off to watch television or play computer games．Instead．schools should have a special unit where a child who has done wrong goes for the day and gets advice about his problems somewhere he can work away from his peers and go home after the other children．
(1)
Why did Tom give up studying?
[ ]
A．
He disliked his teachers．
B．
His parents no longer supported him．
C．
It's cool for boys of his age not to care about studies．
D．
There were too many subjects in his secondary school．
(2)
What seems to have a bad effect on students like Tom?
[ ]
A．
Peer groups．
B．
A special unit．
C．
The student judges．
D．
The home environment．
(3)
What should schools do to help the problem schoolboys?
[ ]
A．
Wait for their change patiently．
B．
Train leaders of their peer groups．
C．
Stop the development of street culture．
D．
Give them lessons in a separate area．
阅读理解
Why do men die earlier than women? The latest research makes it known that the reason could be that men’s hearts go into rapid decline(下降)when they reach middle age．
The largest study of the effects of ageing on the heart has found that women’s longevity may be linked to the fact that their hearts do not lose their pumping power with age．
“We have found that the power of the male heart falls by 20-25 percent between 18 and 70 years of age,” said the head of the study, David Goldspink of Liverpool John Moores University in the UK．
“Within the heart there are millions of cells that enable it to beat．Between the age of 20 and 70, one-third of those cells die and are not replaced in men,” said Goldspink．“This is part of the ageing process．”
What surprises scientists is that the female heart sees very little loss of these cells．A healthy 70-year-old woman’s heart could perform almost as well as a 20-year-old one’s．“This gender( 性)difference might just explain why women live longer than men,” said Goldspink．They studied more than 250 healthy men and women between the ages of 18 and 80, focusing on healthy persons to remove(消除)the confusing influence of disease．“The team has yet to find why ageing takes a greater loss on the male heart,” said Goldspink．
The good news is that men can improve the health of their heart with regular(规律的)exercise．Goldspink stressed(强调)that women also need regular exercise to prevent their leg muscles becoming smaller and weaker as they age．
(1)
The underlined word “longevity” in the second paragraph probably refers to(指的是)“__________”．
[ ]
A．
health
B．
long life
C．
ageing
D．
effect
(2)
The text mainly talks about __________．
[ ]
A．
men’s heart cells
B．
women’s ageing process、
C．
the gender difference
D．
hearts and long life
(3)
According to the text, the UK scientists have known that __________．
[ ]
A．
women have more cells than men when they are born
B．
women can replace the cells that enable the heart to beat
C．
the female heart loses few of the cells with age
D．
women never lose their pumping power with age
(4)
If you want to live longer, you should __________．
[ ]
A．
enable your heart to beat much faster
B．
find out the reason for ageing
C．
exercise regularly to keep your heart healthy
D．
prevent your cells from being lost
(5)
We can know from the passage(文章)that __________．
[ ]
A．
the reason why ageing takes a greater loss on the male heart has been found out
B．
scientists are on the way to finding out why the male heart loses more of the cells
C．
the team has done something to prevent the male from suffering the greater loss
D．
women over 70 could lose more heart cells than those at the age of 20
阅读理解
Alia Sabur, from NY, US, has clearly been ahead of the learning curve(曲线)since an early age．She finished elementary school at five, made the jump to college at 10, and by age 14, was earning a bachelor’s degree(学士学位)of science in applied mathematics(应用数学)from Stony Brook University－the youngest female in US history to do so．Her education continued at Drexel University, where she earned an MS and a PhD in materials science and engineering．
With an unlimited future ahead of her, Sabur directed her first career choice to teaching．“I really enjoy teaching,” said Sabur．“It’s something where you can make a difference．It’s not just what you can do, but you can enable a lot of other people to make their changes．” She was three days short of her 19th birthday when she was hired(雇佣)as a professor at Konkuk University in Seoul, Korea．This distinction made her the youngest college professor in history, according to the Guinness Book of World Records, beating the previous record held by Colin Maclaurin, a student of physicist Isaac Newton．
Although she doesn’t start until next month, Sabur has taken up(从事)teaching math and physics courses at Southern University in New Orleans．Sabur is old enough to teach, but not to join her fellow professors in a bar after work．In Korea, where the drinking age is 20, she might have more luck．In traditional Korean culture, children are considered to be one year old when they are born, and add a year to their age every New Year instead of their actual birthday．
In addition to her unprecedented(空前的)academic achievements, Sabur has a black belt in the Korean martial art of tae kwon do．She is also a talented clarinet(竖笛)player, who once performed with musicians like Lang Lang and Smash Mouth．So is there anything Sabur can’t do?
(1)
What is Paragraph 1(第一段)mainly about?
[ ]
A．
Sabur’s childhood．
B．
Sabur’s education．
C．
Sabur’s achievement in science．
D．
Sabur’s interest in teaching．
(2)
What can be inferred from Sabur’s words?
[ ]
A．
She’s ambitious to make a big difference to the world．
B．
She’s eager to show how special she is．
C．
She’s ready to share her knowledge．
D．
She wants to be long remembered．
(3)
What does the underlined word “distinction” in Paragraph 2 mean?
[ ]
A．
A difference between similar things．
B．
A strange man / woman．
C．
A famous place．
D．
A special honor．
(4)
By saying “she might have more luck” in Paragraph 3, the author means __________．
[ ]
A．
Sabur might be more welcomed in Korea
B．
Sabur might make more achievements in Korea
C．
Sabur might be permitted to drink in bars
D．
Sabur might be old enough to be a full-time professor
(5)
From the last paragraph we can infer(推断出)that __________．
[ ]
A．
there is nothing Sabur cannot do
B．
where there is a will there is a way
C．
Sabur has varied interests
D．
Sabur has her own way to relax
阅读理解
I remember my math teacher Mr．Young very well．He stood out because the kids made fun of him．He was missing one of his fingers, and always pointed at students with his middle finger．
I was not very good at English and math．No matter how hard I tried, I just could not know why I did not understand what all the other kids found so easy to learn．
One day, I was told that if I got one more E on my report card, I would be taken to the “big prison for kids”．
I tried really hard for weeks．I just couldn’t understand how to make different parts of numbers into whole things．
The day before report cards were to come out, I knew that Mr Young would give me an E, just like he always did．
I went to Mr．Young and told him that the orphanage(孤儿院)was going to send me to the big prison if I got another E on my report card．He told me there was nothing he could do; it would be unfair(不公平)to the other kids if he gave me a better grade than I had actually earned．I smiled at him and said, “Mr．Young, do you know how the kids make fun of you because you’re missing your finger?”
He looked at me, moved his mouth to one side and said nothing．
“They shouldn’t do that to you because you can’t help not having a finger, Mr Young．Just like I can’t help not being able to learn numbers and stuff like that,” I said．
The next day, when I got my report card, I tucked it into one of my books．While on the school bus, I opened it：Geography, B＋; Mechanical Drawing, C-; English, D-; History, C-; Gym, B＋; Art, C; Math, D-．
That math grade was the most favorite one I ever received．Because I knew that someone in the world finally understood what it was like for me to be missing a finger inside my head．
(1)
From the second paragraph we can infer(推断出)that the boy is __________ in some subjects．
[ ]
A．
mind-blowing
B．
slow-witted
C．
fun-loving
D．
badly-behaved
(2)
Where may the boy live according to the passage?
[ ]
A．
In an orphanage．
B．
In a big prison．
C．
In the school dormitory．
D．
In his home．
(3)
What grade should the boy have got in the math test this time?
[ ]
A．
D-．
B．
C．
C．
B＋．
D．
E．
(4)
The underlined word “tucked” in the passage most probably means “_________”．
[ ]
A．
stuck
B．
listed
C．
hid
D．
copied
(5)
The reason why the boy remembers Mr Young is that __________．