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As I was thinking about language learning the other day, the image of baking bread came into my mind. I compared some of the exercises and drills that we put ourselves through in order to learn a language to the various ingredients that go into baking a loaf of fresh bread.
Real language learning takes place in human relationships. No one sits down and eats a cup of flour, even if he is hungry and in a hurry. You don’t become bilingual (双语的) by learning lists of vocabulary. You don’t become a speaker of a language by memorizing verb conjugations (动词的词形变化) and agreement rules. You become bilingual by entering a community that uses that other language as its primary means of communication.
I am not suggesting that we can make bread without ingredients. Flour is necessary, as are yeast, salt, water and other ingredients. Vocabulary is part of any language and will have to be learned. Grammatical rules exist in every language and cannot be ignored. But merely combining the appropriate ingredients in the recommended proportions does not result in bread. At best, you only end up with a ball of dough (面团).
In order to get bread, you have to apply heat to the dough. And in language learning, that heat comes from the community. Anyone who has learned a second language has experienced that heat. It creeps up your neck when you ask the babysitter, “Have you already been eaten?” when you meant to say, “Have you already eaten?” When you try to say something quite innocent and the whole room bursts into laughter, you are experiencing the heat that turns raw dough into good bread. Remember the old saying, “If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen?” This is where language learning often breaks down because we find the heat uncomfortable and we stop the baking process. In other words, we can’t stand the heat, so we get out of the kitchen.
However, the language learner who stays in the kitchen——in the heat until the combined ingredients are thoroughly transformed will enjoy the richness of a quality loaf of bread. He said that he did not “get out of the kitchen” at the critical moment when the oven seemed too hot. The dedicated language learner knows that becoming bilingual cannot be achieved without the heat!
1.The passage is mainly about________.
A. how we can make baking bread with various Ingredients
B. how to become bilingual by communicating with others
C. what an important role “heat” plays in learning a language
D. what a high quality of bread you may achieve in the kitchen
2.You can become a speaker of a language by_______.
A. bearing millions of words and expressions in your mind
B. using the language to communicate with those around you
C. knowing verb conjugations and grammatical rules
D. saying something innocent to be laughed at by others
3.What is the purpose of illustration of the example——you ask the babysitter, “Have you already been eaten?” when you meant to say, “Have you already eaten?” ?
A. To prove that you are sure to make some mistakes when you enter a community.
B. To show that you should combine the ingredients in the recommended proportions.
C. To prove that you may experience "heat" from the community in language learning.
D. To indicate that being bilingual calls for your courage, confidence and perseverance.
4.According to the passage, which of the following is NOT the necessity of baking bread and learning language?
A. Wonderful skills. B. Various ingredients.
C. Appropriate proportions. D. Uncomfortable heat.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
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If you have the opportunity to visit some places in New Zealand, then the list below is our recommendation.
Fiordland National Park
This park is part of the South Westland World Heritage Area and is New Zealand’s largest national park and one of the largest in the world. The scenery in Fiordland is nothing short of extremely beautiful, with steep mountains, wild waterfalls, and abundant rain forests. Being able to come back and forth in its deep bay attracts most of the visitors.
The area has some of the world’s greatest walks including the world famous Milford Track, which was described as the finest walk in the world in the early twentieth century.
Abel Tasman National Park
Abel Tasman may be New Zealand’s smallest national park, but the attractions are huge. Located in one of New Zealand’s sunniest spots, the area also has the best beaches in the country.
The popular Abel Tasman Walk is a great way to see this park. It takes 3-5 days to complete. Sea taxis are also available and can drop you off at any number of beaches within the park.
Rotorua
Accessible from New Zealand’s biggest city, Auckland, Rotorua is famous for its volcanic activities. Rotorua is also famous for its plentiful lakes which are great for swimming and fishing. The surrounding area contains plenty of native bushes and some famous walks.
Rotorua is also the best area in the country to experience and learn about Maori culture.
Mt Cook National Park
Mt Cook as well as the surrounding area is an alpine( 高山的) park within the World Heritage listed in South Westland. The biggest peaks in all of Australasia are here. The park doesn’t contain many trees or plants due to the altitude. Walks range from a two-hour walk to difficult tracks suitable for experienced mountaineers only.
A helicopter or plane ride gives visitors excellent views of the mountains with the option of landing at the top of Tasman Glacier, a true permanent snow-covered alpine environment.
1.The most impressive experience in Fiordland National Park may be ．
A. rock climbs B. forest camps
C. water jumps D. boat trips
2.If you are interested in folk customs, you can go to visit ．
A. Fiordland National Park B. Rotorua
C. Mt Cook National Park D. Abel Tasman National Park
3.If you go to visit Mt Cook National Park, you can ．
A. view some amazing waterfalls B. enjoy some tropical fruits
C. step on the top of Tasman Glacier D. take walks in various bushes
难度: 简单查看答案及解析
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Wilderness
“In wilderness(荒野) is the preservation of the world.” This is a famous saying from a writer regarded as one of the fathers of environmentalism. The frequency with which it is borrowed mirrors a heated debate on environmental protection: whether to place wilderness at the heart of what is to be preserved.
As John Sauven of Greenpeace UK points out, there is a strong appeal in images of the wild, the untouched; more than anything else, they speak of the nature that many people value most dearly. The urge to leave the subject of such images untouched is strong, and the danger exploitation(开发) brings to such landscapes(景观) is real. Some of these wildernesses also perform functions that humans need—the rainforests, for example, store carbon in vast quantities. To Mr.Sauven, these ”ecosystem services” far outweigh the gains from exploitation.
Lee Lane, a visiting fellow at the Hudson Institute, takes the opposing view. He acknowledges that wildernesses do provide useful services, such as water conservation. But that is not, he argues, a reason to avoid all human presence, or indeed commercial and industrial exploitation. There are ever more people on the Earth, and they reasonably and rightfully want to have better lives, rather than merely struggle for survival. While the ways of using resources have improved, there is still a growing need for raw materials, and some wildernesses contain them in abundance. If they can be tapped without reducing the services those wildernesses provide, the argument goes, there is no further reason not to do so. Being untouched is not, in itself, a characteristic worth valuing above all others.
I look forwards to seeing these views taken further, and to their being challenged by the other participants. One challenge that suggests itself to me is that both cases need to take on the question of spiritual value a little more directly. And there is a practical question as to whether wildernesses can be exploited without harm.
This is a topic that calls for not only free expression of feelings, but also the guidance of reason. What position wilderness should enjoy in the preservation of the world obviously deserves much more serious thinking.
1.John Sauven holds that_____.
A. many people value nature too much
B. exploitation of wildernesses is harmful
C. wildernesses provide humans with necessities
D. the urge to develop the ecosystem services is strong
2.What is the main idea of Para. 3?
A. The exploitation is necessary for the poor people.
B. Wildernesses cannot guarantee better use of raw materials.
C. Useful services of wildernesses are not the reason for no exploitation.
D. All the characteristics concerning the exploitation should be treated equally.
3.What is the author’s attitude towards this debate?
A. Objective. B. Disapproving. C. Sceptical. D. Optimistic.
4.Which of the following shows the structure of the passage?
CP: Central Point P: Point Sp: Sub-point(次要点) : Conclusion
A.
B. 
C. 
D. 
难度: 困难查看答案及解析
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No one has a temper naturally so good, that it does not need attention and cultivation, and no one has a temper so bad, but that, by proper culture, it may become pleasant. One of the best disciplined tempers ever seen, was that of a gentleman who was naturally quick, irritable, rash, and violent; but, by taking care of the sick, and especially of mentally deranged(疯狂的) people, he so completely mastered himself that he was never known to be thrown off his guard.
There is no misery so constant, so upsetting, and so intolerable to others, as that of having a character which is your master. There are corners at every turn in life, against which we may run, and at which we may break out in impatience, if we choose.
Look at Roger Sherman, who rose from a humble occupation to a seat in the first Congress of the United States, and whose judgment was received with great respect by that body of distinguished men. He made himself master of his temper and cultivated it as a great business in life. There are one or two instances which show this part of his character in a light that is beautiful.
One day, after having received his highest honors, he was sitting and reading in his sitting room. A student, in a room close by, held a lookingglass in such a position as to pour the reflected rays of the sun directly in Mr. Sherman's face. He moved his chair, and the thing was repeated. A third time the chair was moved, but the lookingglass still reflected the sun in his eyes. He laid aside his book, went to the window, and many witnesses of the rude behavior expected to see the ungentlemanly student severely punished. He raised the window gently, and then—shut the window blind!
I can not help providing another instance of the power he had acquired over himself. He was naturally possessed of strong passions, but over these he at length obtained an extraordinary control. He became habitually calm and selfpossessed. Mr Sherman was one of those men who are not ashamed to maintain the forms of religion in their families. One morning he called them all together as usual to lead them in prayer to God. The “old family Bible” was brought out and laid on the table.
Mr Sherman took his seat and placed beside him one of his children, a child of his old age. The rest of the family were seated around the room, several of whom were now grownups. Besides these, some of the tutors of the college were boarders in the family and were present at the time. His aged mother occupied a corner of the room, opposite the place where the distinguished Judge sat.
At length, he opened the Bible and began to read. The child who was seated beside him made some little disturbance, upon which Mr Sherman paused and told it to be still. Again he continued but again he had to pause to scold the little offender, whose playful character would scarcely permit it to be still. At this time he gently tapped its ear. The blow, if blow it might be called, caught the attention of his aged mother, who now with some effort rose from the seat and tottered across the room. At length, she reached the chair of Mr Sherman, and in a moment, most unexpectedly to him, she gave him a blow on the ear with all the force she could gather. “There，” said she, “you strike your child, and I will strike mine.”
For a moment, the blood was seen mounting to the face of Mr Sherman. But it was only for a moment and all was calm and mild as usual. He paused; he raised his glasses; he cast his eye upon his mother; again it fell upon the book from which he had been reading. Not a word escaped him; but again he calmly pursued the service, and soon sought in prayer an ability to set an example before his household which should be worthy of their imitation. Such a victory was worth more than the proudest one ever achieved on the field of battle.
1.The following sentence should be put at the beginning of Paragraph ________．
The difference in the happiness which is received by the man who governs his temper and that by the man who does not is dramatic（戏剧性的，巨大的）.
A. Two B. Three
C. Four D. Five
2.What was Roger Sherman's attitude towards his aged mother?
A. Grateful. B. Skeptical.
C. Tolerant. D. Sympathetic.
3.What can we learn about Roger Sherman?
A. He came from a distinguished family background.
B. He was not good at displaying his true inner feelings.
C. He severely punished a student who didn't behave himself.
D. He was a man conscious of the consequences of his behavior.
4.What does the underlined sentence in the last paragraph mean?
A. Mr Sherman's face was covered with blood.
B. Mr Sherman was seeking strength in prayer.
C. Mr Sherman was then on the point of exploding.
D. Mr Sherman was ashamed of his mother's rude behavior.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
