A student is learning to speak British English. He wonders: Can I communicate with Americans? Can they understand me? Learners of English often ask: What are the differences between British and American English? How important are these differences?
Certainly there are some differences between British and American English. There are a few differences in grammar. For example, speakers of British English say “in hospital” and “Have you a pen?” Americans say “in the hospital!” and “Do you have a pen?” Pronunciation is sometimes different. Americans usually sound theirs in words like “bird” and “hurt”. Speakers of British English do not sound theirs in these words. There are differences between British and American English in spelling and vocabulary. For example, “colour” and “honour” are British, “color” and honor” are American.
These differences in grammar, pronunciation, spelling and vocabulary are not important. However, for the most part, British and American English are the same language.
1.According to this passage, a student who is learning to speak American English might be afraid that_______.
A. British people cannot understand him
B. American people cannot understand him
C. the grammar is too hard for him
D. the spelling is too hard for him
2.American English and British English are different in ________.
A. spelling B. pronunciation
C. grammar D. all of the above
3.What is not mentioned in the passage?
A. Whether there are differences between British English and American English.
B. Whether British English and American English are one language or two.
C. How the differences between British English and American English happened.
D. How important the differences are.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
Pat O’Burke was a poor Irishman with a large family, and one morning, waking up very early from cold and hunger, he decided to go shooting in a wood near his cottage. The wood belonged to Lord Northwood, a rich gentleman. Pat had no right to go there, but in it there were swarms of rabbits and flocks of birds that were good to eat, and Pat determined to take the risk. Suddenly he saw the owner, with a group of friends, coming towards him in the wood. There was a look of anger on Lord Northwood's face as he caught sight of the gun in Pat's hands.
Pat's heart sank with fear, but he saw there was no hope of escape, so he walked boldly(大胆) up to the group and said to Lord Northwood, “Good morning, sir, and what has brought you out so early this morning?”
Lord Northwood, rather surprised, said he and his friends were taking a little exercise to get an appetite(食欲) for their breakfast. Then, looking at Pat with suspicion(怀疑), he said, “but why are you out so early in the morning?”
“Well, sir” said Pat, “I just came out to see if I could get a breakfast for my appetite.”
The whole crowd burst into laughter at Pat's ready wit, and with a smile Lord Northwood walked on, leaving Pat to try his luck with the rabbits.
1.This is a story about _____.
A. a rich man who owned a big wood
B. a poor Irishman who lived all by himself
C. a clever man who tried to get something to eat
D. an Irish hunter with a large family
2.There was a look of anger on Lord Northwood's face. Why?
A. He was not expecting Pat at this early hour.
B. He knew Pat was coming for shooting.
C. He didn't like the poor Irishman at all.
D. Pat had not told him he would come.
3.Why was Lord Northwood surprised?
A. He had not expected such a bold question from Pat.
B. He wondered why Pat didn't run away.
C. Pat wasn't afraid of him.
D. Pat had a gun in his hands.
4.What made the whole crowd burst into laughter?
A. Pat's funny looks.
B. Pat's interesting remarks.
C. Pat's quick and humorous response.
D. Pat's promise to leave fight away.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
There is a story about a man who lost his legs and left arm in an accident. After the accident, only a finger and thumb on his right hand remained.
He was a brilliant, creative, and educated man. He had gained a lot of experience while traveling around the world, so he became very depressed after his accident. He was afraid that he would spend the rest of his life suffering and would no longer be able to spend his life in a meaningful way. Then, he realized that he still had partial function of his right hand and could still write even though it was very difficult. An idea occurred to him. “Why not write to other people who need encouragement? ”
He wrote to the prison ministry about sending letters to the prisoners. The prison minister replied, “Writing to the prisoners is acceptable, but your letters will not be answered. ”
Filled with excitement, the man knew he could write his letters. He began sending one-way messages of God’s love, hope, strength, and encouragement. He wrote twice a week, testing his strength and ability to the limit. He poured his heart and soul into his words and shared his experience, sense of humor, optimism, and faith.
It was difficult to write those letters, especially without hope of a reply. One day he received a letter from the prison ministry. It was a short note from the officer who monitored and checked the prison mail.
The letter said, “Please write on the best paper you can afford. Your letters are passed from cell to cell until they literally fall to pieces! ”
No matter what circumstances life may present, we all have unique experiences, abilities, and God-given talents. We can discover ways to reach others who desperately need messages of encouragement and strength.
1.In order to live in a meaningful way, the man began to____________.
A. receive the school education
B. write to other people who need encouragement
C. meet the people who are depressed
D. help other people with lost arms and legs
2.According to the prison minister,_______________.
A. the man was not allowed to write to the prisoners
B. the man couldn’t go to see the prisoners himself
C. the prisoners were not allowed to answer the letters
D. he was not sure if the prisoners would receive the letters
3.From the officer’s short note we are told that_____________.
A. the man would be offered free paper to write letters on
B. some of the prisoners were not satisfied with his letters
C. the prisoners eagerly wanted to write back to the man
D. his letters were very popular among the prisoners
4.What can be the best title for the passage?
A. Stories about a Humorous Person
B. Popularity of Special Letters
C. Special Letters of Encouragement
D. Relationship between writers and prisoners.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
Have you ever run into a careless cell phone user on the street? Perhaps they were busy talking, texting or checking updates on WeChat without looking at what was going on around them. As the number of this new “species” of human has kept rising, they have been given a new name — phubbers（低头族）.
Recently, a cartoon created by students from China Central Academy of Fine Arts put this group of people under the spotlight. In the short film, phubbers with various social identities(身份) bury themselves in their phones. A doctor plays with his cell phone while letting his patient die, a pretty woman takes selfie in front of a car accident site, and a father loses his child without knowing about it while using his mobile phone. A chain of similar events eventually leads to the destruction of the world.
Although the ending sounds overstated, the damage phubbing can bring is real.
Your health is the first to bear the effect and result of it. “Constantly bending your head to check your cell phone could damage your neck,” Guangming Daily quoted doctors as saying. “the neck is like a rope that breaks after long-term stretching.” Also, staring at cell phones for long periods of time will damage your eyesight gradually, according to the report.
But that’s not all. Being a phubber could also damage your social skills and drive you away from your friends and family. At reunions with family or friends, many people tend to stick to their cell phones while others are chatting happily with each other and this creates a strange atmosphere, Qilu Evening News reported.
It can also cost you your life. There have been lots of reports on phubbers who fell to their death, suffered accidents, and were robbed of their cell phones in broad daylight.
1.For what purpose does the author give the example of a cartoon in Paragragh2?
A. To inform people of the bad effects of phubbing.
B. To advertise the cartoon made by students.
C. To indicate the world will finally be destroyed by phubbers.
D. To warn doctors against using cell phones while treating patients.
2.Which of the following is NOT a risk a phubber may have?
A. His social skills could be affected.
B. His neck and eyesight will be gradually harmed.
C. He will cause the destruction of the world.
D. He might get separated from his friends and family.
3.Which of the following may be the author’s attitude towards phubbing?
A. Supportive. B. Opposed
C. Optimistic. D. Objective.
4.What may the passage talk about next?
A. Advice on how to use a cell phone.
B. People addicted to phubbing.
C. Measures to reduce the risks of phubbing.
D. Consequences of phubbing.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
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。选项中有两项为多余选项。
The Winner’s Guide to Success
Do you know what makes people successful? To find out the answers, an American reporter recently visited some of the most successful people around the world. 1. .
Be responsible for yourself
Sometimes you may want to blame others for your failure to get ahead. In fact, when you say someone or something outside of yourself is stopping you from making success, you're giving away your own power. 2. .
Write a plan.
It’s very difficult to try to get what you want without a good plan. It’s just like trying to drive through strange roads to a city far away. 3. . Without this “map”, you may waste your time, money and also your energy; while with the “map”, you will enjoy the “trip” and get what you want in the shortest possible time.
4. .
Nothing great is easy to get. So you must be ready to work hard---even harder than you have ever done. If you are not willing to pay the price, you won’t get anything valuable.
Never give up.
5. When you are doing something, you must tell yourself again and again: Giving up is worse than failure because failure can be the mother of success, but giving up means the death of hope.
A. A good plan is like a map to you.
B. It seems to us that everyone knows this, but it is easier said than done.
C. Some people achieve success much later in life because they don’t work hard earlier.
D. You're saying, "You have more control over my life than I do."
E. Someone else’s opinions of you don’t have to become your reality.
F. Be willing to pay the price.
G. Here are some keys to success that they give.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
完形填空
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。
When I was only eight, my father decided to work far from home to earn a living for the whole family. He _________that he would come back home once a year. Thinking that he didn't love me, I had too much difficulty_________ the unexpected and sudden _________ at that time. No matter how many times mother explained it to me, l could not help _________ him for his leaving.
Whenever I saw other parents sending their children to school _________ while I only had my mother with me, I couldn't _________ asking myself, “Why can't I have the honor?” Whenever there was a sports meet, I felt that I was the only one _________ to get encouragement from a father. Obviously I didn't understand my father; _________ , I even blamed him for not being there for me. I _________ the only way to let him know my feelings was to _________ him the cold shoulder, so I never gave him any _________. He did not know how to _________ to my indifferent attitude, which gradually formed a great_________ between father and me.
However, one day things _________ . I was ill. While lying in bed, suddenly my phone rang, and it was my dad. When I answered the phone, to my _________ , I heard him crying. I never saw him cry. After a while he said, “You don't know how _________ I feel. If there is one-in-a-thousand chance that I could get back to you, I will not _________ . However, I cannot. Sometimes one must give something up to take his real_________ . You don't know how much I _________you. Every time I hear your voice, I cannot stop blaming myself for leaving you.” At that moment, I _________ him and knew that sometimes one has to stop trying something so as to be really responsible.
1.A. promoted B. promised C. proved D. persuaded
2.A. receiving B. adapting C. accepting D. controlling
3.A. decision B. idea C. feeling D. advice
4.A. punishing B. blaming C. forgiving D. teasing
5.A. gently B. strictly C. hurriedly D. happily
6.A. regret B. remember C. like D. stop
7.A. unwilling B. uncertain C. unable D. unfit
8.A. instead B. therefore C. otherwise D. however
9.A. thought B. searched C. hoped D. noticed
10.A. send B. give C. make D. bring
11.A. look B. money C. face D. call
12.A. respond B. contribute C. return D. attend
13.A. bridge B. opinion C. barrier D. connection
14.A. arose B. changed C. cleared D. adjusted
15.A. relief B. sorrow C. disappointment D. surprise
16.A. empty B. lucky C. guilty D. calm
17.A. hesitate B. accept C. avoid D. doubt
18.A. credit B. fame C. responsibility D. advice
19.A. value B. trust C. know D. love
20.A. admired B. understood C. supported D. respected
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
阅读下面材料，在空白处填入适当的内容（一个单词）或括号内单词的正确形式。
Online shopping is coming into fashion in most cities, where people are able to make full use of the rapidly---developed internet technology. Nowadays, can we find a person 1. has not experienced online shopping? Definitely not.
Online shopping 2. (welcome)by most people due to various reasons. From the perspective of consumers, it can save some time for people who don't have much spare time. Just click the mouse, they can get 3. they want while staying at home. For the retailers(零售商), it can cut some costs for those who don't have much circulating funds. Compared with the traditional trade mode, they don't have to spend money 4. (rent) a house. 5. , there are still some disadvantages in online shopping. First, a face-to-face deal makes online shopping less reliable and 6. (believe). Second, people will lose 7. fun of bargaining（讨价还价）.
8. is clear that shopping on the internet has become a popular trend in modern society. It's 9. great importance that we need to make the relative laws in accordance with(与…一致) the rapid growth of online shopping. Only in this way can we enjoy the pleasure and 10. (convenient)of online shopping without the concern of being cheated.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
短文改错
假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌写的以下作文。文中共有10处语言错误，每句中最多有两处。每处错误仅涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。
增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号(∧)，并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除： 把多余的词用斜线(\)划掉。
修改：在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意：1. 每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；
2. 只允许修改10处，多者(从第11处起)不计分。
One activity that my family and I enjoy do every summer is taking our boat out. It’s so many fun! We always invite one of our neighbour, Paul, to go with us. Paul is also my best friend, whom is the same age as me. He is good for swimming and fishing. I still remember last year he catches a very big fish. Every time we go boating, my father drives the boat. Sometimes he drives them really fast when we are sitting in front of the boat. We are very excited and happily. My mother always brings a lot of fruits and snacks. When we are hungry or thirsty, and we can eat them.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
你是吴刚，是个交流学生(an exchange student), 四年前住在美国Johnson 家。现在你已经回国。根据以下要点，用英语写一篇100词左右的感谢信。开头和结尾已给出，不计入总词数。
1．感谢四年来Johnson一家人对你在生活、学习等方面的关心与帮助。
2．感悟美国家庭教育与中国家庭教育的差异(劳动态度、独立生活能力)。
3．现在正在找工作。欢迎到中国来。
注意：1. 短文中不能出现与本人相关的信息；
2. 可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；
3. 参考词汇：劳动态度 working attitude，独立生活能力independent living ability
Dear Mr and Mrs Johnson，
I am Wu Gang.I have been back home in China.______________ ___________
Yours truly，
Wu Gang
难度: 中等查看答案及解析