Is there any evidence that the standard of English as a foreign language has improved in the years since the Second World War? Naturally, as it is the world language, more and mere people are taught it and use it. But do they speak it or write it or understand it better than their patents’ or grandparents’ generations?
Have standards declined? There is no objective way of answering this question. Tests of the traditional sort — compositions, precis writing, and so on — have always been subjective, so they cannot be used to judge whether people have got better or not over the years. But so-called objective tests are useless as a measure of progress too. They have not been used consistently (一贯的) in the same “concentration” over the period they have been in use, so there is no way of comparing exams “now” and “then”. Moreover, usually in the form of multiple choice questions, they do not, by and large, test the things that really count in mastering a language. Even comprehension is a partly “creative” activity in real life, as we have to think of possible meanings for ourselves rather than have them suggested for us from outside. And people can be trained in the techniques of multiple choice, while others fail the tests because they have been led astray (离开正道) precisely by their “suggestive” nature, so they are not really objective at all. We are left with only personal impression to go on.
My own is that, if anything, standards have declined somewhat in the last thirty or forty years, despite all the new theories, tools and techniques that have been developed. I am not alone in this judgment. In Sweden, for instance, Professors Johannes Hedberg and Gustav Korlen, two of the most experienced workers in the field; have on several occasions drawn attention to the lack of progress in the teaching of foreign languages since the late fifties. Yet Sweden is a sophisticated (先进的) society with extremely high educational and academic standards, and very concerned not to be cut off from the rest of the world. If such a country cannot achieve advances in the study of foreign languages, it is unlikely that many, if any, others have done so.
Japan is another community where remarkably little progress has been made in the learning of English. It is probably as important for Japan as for Sweden to master that language, and there is much academic effort put into linguistic (语言学的) research of various kinds. Yet the average standard of language learning is abysmally low, particularly for such a highly literate and educated society. This is no doubt in part the result of a vicious circle (恶性循环): many of the professors of English at Japanese universities are themselves incapable of speaking or writing or even understanding the language well.
1.Which of the following is TRUE according to the author?
A.Multiple choice questions are objective because people cannot be trained any techniques.
B.Sweden emphasizes the teaching of English without paying attention to other countries.
C.We have to depend on our own impression to judge the English standards.
D.Compositions are useful to test people’s English ability because people have to write out their viewpoints.
2.The so-called objective tests cannot be used as a measure of progress because _______.
A.the people who design the tests are changing constantly
B.the tests do not always focus on the same thing
C.the way of scoring is not scientific
D.they contain too many reading comprehension questions
3.The author’s attitude towards present English standards is _______.
A.negative B.indifferent (漠不关心的)
C.sympathetic D.positive
高一英语阅读理解简单题
Is there any evidence that the standard of English as a foreign language has improved in the years since the Second World War? Naturally, as it is the world language, more and mere people are taught it and use it. But do they speak it or write it or understand it better than their patents’ or grandparents’ generations?
Have standards declined? There is no objective way of answering this question. Tests of the traditional sort — compositions, precis writing, and so on — have always been subjective, so they cannot be used to judge whether people have got better or not over the years. But so-called objective tests are useless as a measure of progress too. They have not been used consistently (一贯的) in the same “concentration” over the period they have been in use, so there is no way of comparing exams “now” and “then”. Moreover, usually in the form of multiple choice questions, they do not, by and large, test the things that really count in mastering a language. Even comprehension is a partly “creative” activity in real life, as we have to think of possible meanings for ourselves rather than have them suggested for us from outside. And people can be trained in the techniques of multiple choice, while others fail the tests because they have been led astray (离开正道) precisely by their “suggestive” nature, so they are not really objective at all. We are left with only personal impression to go on.
My own is that, if anything, standards have declined somewhat in the last thirty or forty years, despite all the new theories, tools and techniques that have been developed. I am not alone in this judgment. In Sweden, for instance, Professors Johannes Hedberg and Gustav Korlen, two of the most experienced workers in the field; have on several occasions drawn attention to the lack of progress in the teaching of foreign languages since the late fifties. Yet Sweden is a sophisticated (先进的) society with extremely high educational and academic standards, and very concerned not to be cut off from the rest of the world. If such a country cannot achieve advances in the study of foreign languages, it is unlikely that many, if any, others have done so.
Japan is another community where remarkably little progress has been made in the learning of English. It is probably as important for Japan as for Sweden to master that language, and there is much academic effort put into linguistic (语言学的) research of various kinds. Yet the average standard of language learning is abysmally low, particularly for such a highly literate and educated society. This is no doubt in part the result of a vicious circle (恶性循环): many of the professors of English at Japanese universities are themselves incapable of speaking or writing or even understanding the language well.
1.Which of the following is TRUE according to the author?
A.Multiple choice questions are objective because people cannot be trained any techniques.
B.Sweden emphasizes the teaching of English without paying attention to other countries.
C.We have to depend on our own impression to judge the English standards.
D.Compositions are useful to test people’s English ability because people have to write out their viewpoints.
2.The so-called objective tests cannot be used as a measure of progress because _______.
A.the people who design the tests are changing constantly
B.the tests do not always focus on the same thing
C.the way of scoring is not scientific
D.they contain too many reading comprehension questions
3.The author’s attitude towards present English standards is _______.
A.negative B.indifferent (漠不关心的)
C.sympathetic D.positive
高一英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析
Believe it or not, there is no such thing __________ “standard English”.
A. for B. like
C. as D. being
高一英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
1.Believe it or not，there is no such thing as standard English.
翻译：________________________________________________________________________
仿写：信不信由你，所有这些可能性都得考虑。
________________________，________________________________ should be considered.
2.This is because in the early days of radio，those who reported the news were expected to speak excellent English.
翻译：________________________________________________________________________
仿写：他迟到了，这是因为他起晚了。
He was late；______________________________.
3.The USA is a large country in which many different dialects are spoken.
翻译：________________________________________________________________________
仿写：这是我两年前住过的房子。
This is the house __________________________ two years ago.
高一英语翻译中等难度题查看答案及解析
Oral English , also known as spoken English , is the form of English that is used when people are speaking to one another . Students who are learning English as a second language often feel uncomfortable using oral English because they fear that they will not be understood . It is important that a person who is learning to speak English practice using the language . ________1.________
Listening is important to learning spoken English . ________2.________ Pay attention to conversations that happen around you while you are shopping . Watch the news every evening while you have supper .
Part of learning spoken English is in understanding how English words are formed . Watch the mouths and tongues of native English speakers carefully . ________3.________ Notice how the lips form certain sounds . Imitate （ 模仿）what you see .
Rent movies over the weekend . Try to follow the story line of comedy shows . ________4.________ Not having to respond in English lets you concentrate on simply understanding what is being said . Understanding how English is used in conversation will help you to better communicate in the language .
________5.________ When you are reading , pay more attention to the correct pronunciation of the words you are reading rather than comprehension of each word . Read easy books that were written for children . Reading simple books takes away the frustration of sounding out hard words .
A．Read out loud for twenty to thirty minutes every day .
B．Listen to English radio while getting ready in the morning .
C．Observe how much the mouth is opened to say certain words .
D．Find a friend or teacher who is willing to help you learn English .
E. Repeat the conversations several times to increase your speaking speed .
F. Watching TV shows and movies allows you to hear English used in conversation .
G. The more a person practices his or her skills , the more easily speaking English will become .
高一英语信息匹配中等难度题查看答案及解析
Standard English is the formal（正式的） English that you need to use when you write in coursework or in the exam. Standard English is the form of English you learn in school. All written English should be standard—that means it should be clear enough for anyone in Britain to understand it. Standard English developed as the main form of printed English in the 15th Century. At the time, every region of Britain used to spell words differently, but printers needed a fixed spelling. Printers like Caxton chose the East Midlands dialect form which was used in London and the South East. Soon Standard English replaced（取代） all written dialect forms – the other forms of English spoken around the country. It also replaced French and Latin in law and in academic（学术的） work. In the 18th Century, people wrote dictionaries and grammar books which standardized spelling — Dr Johnson’s Dictionary of 1755 fixed many of the spellings we still use today. All written English should be Standard English — any grammar rules you learn are for Standard English and you will definitely need to learn them to avoid making mistakes in your work. The rules of Standard English mean using the correct forms of words with the correct spellings.
Avoid slang words（俚语）—words that your teachers or friends wouldn’t understand. You’ll lose marks if the examiners can’t understand what you say or write. Don’t use dialect words. Every region has words or phrases that are only used there. Don’t use them in your coursework, because you won’t be understood. Make sure you revise grammar and punctuation（标点） you have learned, and learn the list of commonly misspelled words you have made. Clichés are ideas or sayings which have been used so often that they’ve become boring and unoriginal. Phrases like, “As good as it gets” “At the end of the day” “In the fullness of time” are all clichés. So are images like, “as fierce as a lion” “as cunning as a fox”. If you use them you will sound boring and unimaginative— that could mean you lose marks for writing and speaking style. So avoid clichés.
1. What three things do you have to think about when using English?
a. no slang word or dialect b. no grammar and spelling mistake. c. no phrase
d. no cliché e. no punctuation
A. abc. B. bcd. C. ade. D. abd.
2. What is standard English?
A. the English spoken by British people.
B. the English spoken by American people.
C. the English used in London.
D. the English spoken by British people in 15th Century.
3. What is the cliché according to the passage?
A. the English full of slang words.
B. the boring ideas or sayings because of being used often.
C. the long phrases which are used often.
D. all the English which is used outside of London and the southeast of Britain.
4. Why do we need to use Standard English?
A. Because no one can understand dialect words.
B. Because there are many kinds of English in the world, we need Standard English to make communication easier.
C. Because local dialect belongs to certain region, not every one can understand it.
D. Because standard English has been used for a long time.
5. Which statement is true?
A. Written English should be formal and standard.
B. Standard English means people should use the words from Dr Johnson’s Dictionary.
C. All the spoken English should be Standard English.
D. Standard English replaced all written dialect forms in the 18th century.
高一英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析
Some solid evidence proves that water really exists on Mars, but unfortunately, there is still no of life.
A．mark B．sign C．symbol D．signal
高一英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
Do you think that people are _______off than they were five years ago as our standard of living is improving.
| A．well | B．worse | C．better | D．badly |
高一英语单项填空简单题查看答案及解析
—Is there any way that I can improve my English in a month?
—No, learning English is a long and slow process. _____, after all.
A. Better safe than sorry B. All is not at hand that helps
C. Rome wasn’t built in a day D. Be as you would seem to be
高一英语单项填空困难题查看答案及解析
There are many idioms in English. An idiom is a phrase that we can't understand from the meaning of each word. The following are some of them.
As the crow flies
When a bird flies from place to place, it takes the most direct route. But when people drive, they have to follow roads and often go farther. When people give a distance "as the crow flies", they mean the shortest distance between the two points, not the distance you would have to travel by following roads.
As Dan and his mum drove along the river, they could see the beach on the opposite side. Dan asked "How far is it to the beach?"
"It's only about a quarter of a mile as the crow flies" his mother said.
Blow hot and cold
In one of Aesop's Fables, a man blows on his fingers to warm them up and then blows on his soup to cool it down. In both cases, the man is opening his mouth, but what comes out is different. If a person says one thing and later says the opposite, we say that the person is blowing hot and cold.
"Is Felicia going to try out for the soccer team this year?" Stacy asked.
"I don't know," Tricia replied." Last week she was saying yes, but this week she's saying no. She's really blowing hot and cold."
Break the ice
Nowadays people use the phrase to refer to ending an awkward silence by beginning a conversation.
It was the first day of summer camp. The four girls began to make their beds in silence. None of the girls knew each other, and no one knew what to say. Finally, one of them broke the ice by saying" Hey, where's everybody from?"
Bury the hatchet
In native American culture, when two nations agreed to end their war, they buried the hatchet. So to bury the hatchet is to make peace with someone else.
Colin could not excuse his sister for breaking his tennis racket. Finally, his sister said, "Colin, can't we bury the hatchet?"
1.What does "as the crow flies" mean?
A. In the smoothest way. B. In a straight line.
C. By plane. D. At top speed.
2."Blow hot and cold " can be used to talk about someone's ______.
A. dishonesty B. changing attitudes
C. communication skills D. bad manner
3.It can be inferred that Colin's sister hoped that Colin would ______.
A. buy a new tennis racket
B. stay away from her
C. forgive her mistake
D. make an apology to her
4.Which of the following is TRUE according to the text?
A. What Felicia thought was different from what he said.
B. Dan and his mother need drive a quarter of a mile to the beach.
C. “Bury the hatchet” is an idiom from Aesop’s Fables.
D. It’s difficult to understand the meaning of an idiom by each word.
高一英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
There is one word that is on the lips of Americans, day and night: “Sorry.”
One time as I was walking on the street, a young man ran by hurriedly, brushing against my handbag. Even as he continued on his way, he turned back and said “sorry” to me. Even in a rush, he didn’t forget to apologize. One day, after I bought a mango, the salesman was giving me the change, but I wasn’t ready for it and a coin dropped to the ground. “I’m sorry,” he said while bending down to pick it up. I was puzzled—why would he apologize when it is my fault?
Another time, I stepped on a man’s foot in an escalator, at the same time, we both said “sorry”. I thought it interesting, was it really necessary for him to apologize? Later on, an American friend explained to me that according to the American mentality, the escalators a public place, and everyone should be able to stand in it. After someone occupies a position in the elevator, making it difficult for someone else to find a place to stand, isn’t it necessary to express an apology?
If you go to the movies and the tickets happen to be sold out, the ticket seller will say: “Sorry, the tickets are sold out.” Whenever one of your hopes goes unfulfilled, an American will say “sorry” as a sign of sympathy.
During my stay in America, I often came across situations in which I was supposed to say “sorry”. Gradually, I realized that when friction（摩擦）appears in daily life, Americans don’t care much about who is wrong; If someone is troubled, a “sorry” is always necessary. When this happens, even if the other person is hurt, the “sorry” cools tempers and human kindness is shown. Perhaps this is why I never saw anyone quarreling on the buses, subways or streets of America.
1.How many examples are given to show that Americans like to say “sorry”?
A．One B．Two C．Three D．Four
2.When the author was walking on the street, a young man ran by hurriedly ______.
A．and took away his bag B．and touched his bag
C．to help him with his bag D．to brush his bag
3.Which of the following plays a different role in the passage?
A．Paragraph 2 B．Paragraph 3 C．Paragraph 4 D．Paragraph 5
4.At last, the author’s attitude towards the Americans’ “sorry” seems to be ______.
A．angry B．interested C．approving(赞成) D．disappointed
5.The best title for the passage can be “_______”.
A．My life in America B．Americans’ “sorry”
C．My experience in an escalator D．The meaning of “sorry”
高一英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析