Now the VOA Special English program Words and...

Now the VOA Special English program Words and Their Stories.

( MUSIC)

Many everyday American expressions are based on colors.

Red is a hot color. Americans often use it to express heat. When they are red-hot, they are very angry about something. Fast loud music is popular with many people. They may say such music is red-hot.

Pink is a lighter kind of red. People sometimes say they are in the pink when they are in good health. The expression was first used in America at the beginning of the 20th century. It probably comes from the fact that many babies are born with a nice pink color that shows that they are in good health.

Blue is a cool color. The blues music in the United States is the opposite of red-hot music. Blues is slow and sad. Someone who is blue is very sad.

The color green is natural for trees and grass. But it is an unnatural color for humans. A person who has a sick feeling in the stomach may say he feels a little green. A passenger on a boat who is feeling very sick from high waves may look very green. Sometimes a person may be upset because he does not have something as nice as a friend has, like a fast new car. That person may say he is green with envy. Some people are green with envy because a friend has more dollars or greenbacks. Dollars are called greenbacks because that is the color of the back of the paper money.

The color black is used often in expressions. People describe a day on which everything goes wrong as a black day.

(MUSIC)

I’m Warren Scheer. Listen again next week for another Words and Their Stories program in Special English on the Voice of America.

1.We say you are in the pink when you are _______________.

A. very sad　　　　　　　 B. very happy

C. in good health　　　 D. feeling well

2.What does the word “ upset” mean ?

A. happy　　　　　　　　 B. sad

C. satisfied　　　　　 D. active

3.We describe a day on which everything goes wrong as a __________ day.

A. red　　　　　　　　　　 B. green

C. pink　　　　　　　　　 D. black

4.Which of the following sentences is TRUE according to the passage?

A. People in the USA use black to express heat.

B. If you are blue, you are very happy.

C. Green is a natural color for humans.

D. If you have a sick feeling in the stomach, you feel a little green.

5.What is this passage probably written for?

A. A radio program.　　 　　 B. A news report.

C. A telephone call.　　　　 D. A TV play.

九年级英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析

Now the VOA Special English program Words and Their Stories.

( MUSIC)

Many everyday American expressions are based on colors.

Red is a hot color. Americans often use it to express heat. When they are red-hot, they are very angry about something. Fast loud music is popular with many people. They may say such music is red-hot.

Pink is a lighter kind of red. People sometimes say they are in the pink when they are in good health. The expression was first used in America at the beginning of the 20th century. It probably comes from the fact that many babies are born with a nice pink color that shows that they are in good health.

Blue is a cool color. The blues music in the United States is the opposite of red-hot music. Blues is slow and sad. Someone who is blue is very sad.

The color green is natural for trees and grass. But it is an unnatural color for humans. A person who has a sick feeling in the stomach may say he feels a little green. A passenger on a boat who is feeling very sick from high waves may look very green. Sometimes a person may be upset because he does not have something as nice as a friend has, like a fast new car. That person may say he is green with envy. Some people are green with envy because a friend has more dollars or greenbacks. Dollars are called greenbacks because that is the color of the back of the paper money.

The color black is used often in expressions. People describe a day on which everything goes wrong as a black day.

(MUSIC)

I’m Warren Scheer. Listen again next week for another Words and Their Stories program in Special English on the Voice of America.

1.We say you are in the pink when you are _______________.

A. very sad　　　　　　　 B. very happy

C. in good health　　　 D. feeling well

2.What does the word “ upset” mean ?

A. happy　　　　　　　　 B. sad

C. satisfied　　　　　 D. active

3.We describe a day on which everything goes wrong as a __________ day.

A. red　　　　　　　　　　 B. green

C. pink　　　　　　　　　 D. black

4.Which of the following sentences is TRUE according to the passage?

A. People in the USA use black to express heat.

B. If you are blue, you are very happy.

C. Green is a natural color for humans.

D. If you have a sick feeling in the stomach, you feel a little green.

5.What is this passage probably written for?

A. A radio program.　　 　　 B. A news report.

C. A telephone call.　　　　 D. A TV play.

九年级英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

She always does very well in the English exams. But she can 　　　　　 understand VOA Special English.

A. always               B. hardly      　

C. already                D. easily

九年级英语单项填空简单题查看答案及解析

1.AROUND XICHANG can be watched _______ a week.

2.At the end of every month, you can get IN TOUCH in_______ all around Sichuan without paying.

3.If you want to get some information of music and travel, you can find something in _______.

4.If a foreign friend wants to get some news about Xichang, he can can_______.

5.This passage is perhaps _______.

九年级英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

This is the VOA Special English Agriculture Report.

One of the sweetest gifts of nature is a red, ripe strawberry. There are three basic kinds of strawberries: June bearing, ever bearing and day neutrals.

June bearing are ready in the spring, so they are also called spring bearing. But gardeners will not get a crop during the first spring after planting. Ever bearing , when planted after the last winter freeze, will produce fruit during spring or early summer. A second or sometimes third crop will be ready in late summer. Day neutrals produce fruit throughout the summer months.

The University of Illinois Urban Extension says ever bearers and day neutrals are especially good for home gardens. Plant strawberries in the spring as soon as the soil is dry enough. Try to plant late in the day or on a cloudy day. The soil should cover just the roots and not the crown on top of the plant. Runners will appear in a few weeks.

Strawberries grown in containers（容器） need a soil depth of about twenty-five to thirty centimeters. Be sure the container has holes in the bottom.

Strawberries grow well in loamy soil（沃土） that lets water pass through easily. Carl Wilson at the Colorado State University Extension suggests mixing about three to five percent organic（有机的） material into the soil.

根据短文内容，判断下列句子正误。正确的用“A”表示，不正确的用“B”表示。

1.The strawberry is a kind of fruit with red color and sweet taste.

2.June bearing is usually planted in winter of last year.

3.Strawberries can grow both in gardens and in containers.

4.The right time to plant strawberries is on a wet day.

5.Strawberries only produce fruit once.

九年级英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Yesterday I downloaded a new educational program 　　　　 the Internet. Now I can listen and read English on my computer.

A. with　　　　　　　　 B. in　　　　　　　　　 C. from　　　　　　　　 D. at

九年级英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

Hello and welcome to "Words and Their Stories". We will research into some commonly used words and expressions. As with other languages, American English is rich in expressions that come from animals. Today we will talk about the wolf.

Wolves are important animals in the traditions and stories of America. Before the Europeans arrived at north America in the 1500s, to native (土著的) Americans, wolves often meant being brave.

However, in English, wolves are not to be trusted. Perhaps wolves attacked too many people or ate too many farm animals. Whatever the reason, wolves were killed in many places. So many died that they almost became endangered. They also became known as bad animals.

To begin with, there is an expression lone wolf. If we call somebody a lone wolf, he isn't a bad person, but he may like to do things by himself. In fact, he sometimes makes you think he doesn't want to be around people because he dislikes them.

Now, let’s move on to the home. Parents tell their children not to wolf down their food. In other words, the child eats too quickly and without care. And if someone says a child was raised by wolves, that child has bad manners and is behaving like a wild animal.

A wolf call is the noise made by a man to show that he likes the way a woman looks. But a wolf call is not a nice thing. These men sound rude. And trust me, most women really hate wolf calls. So, they don't help a man in the game of love.

By the way, there is a popular expression about wolf from a very old story: a wolf in sheep’s clothing. A wolf in sheep’s clothing describes someone who acts and looks nice on the outside but is bad on the inside. It tells us not to be fooled by appearances.

1.What can we know after reading the passage?

A. Wolves are dangerous and should be killed in order to protect other animals.

B. Only in American English can we expect to find expressions about wolves.

C. In different areas and times, wolves make people think of different things.

D. Nobody lived in north America before the Europeans went there in the 1500s.

2.If a person is called a lone wolf, which of the following things is he most likely to do?

A. Helping classmates to finish homework.

B. Stealing money if nobody is watching.

C. Making many friends with people around.

D. Going to see a movie on his own after school.

3.Which of the following expressions can be used on a student who often breaks school rules?

A. A lone wolf.

B. Raised by wolves.

C. Wolf call.

D. A wolf in sheep's clothing.

4.Where is it possible for us to find the passage above?

A. A book for travel guide.

B. A magazine on trade and business.

C. A science report.

D. A program for English learning.

九年级英语阅读单选中等难度题查看答案及解析

A new language exchange program is helping Brazilian students practice their English and it helps cheer up the lonely lives of elderly American retirees(退休人员).

FCB Brazil developed the Speaking Exchange Project and CAN school in Brazil, put it into practice . They help the students have conversations with the retirees in Chicago . Chatting on the Internet about their families, hobbies, futures make them form special friendship in the process.

To help the students improve their English, the video conversations are recorded, allowing students to review them and improve. One heart-warming conversation in the video is between an old lady and a girl talking about travel.

“Are you planning some day to go to Brazil?” The girl asks the lady. “Oh, I would love to!” She says. The girl then tells her,“ You can stay in my home if you want, ”making the lady laugh happily. At the end of their conversation, the girl expresses her grattitude(感激) for her help in improving her language skills.“ I want to thank you for this exchange of experience, ”she says . The lady put her hand to her heart and says, “Girl, if you were here, I’d give you a big hug.”

1.The students in Brazil chat online with the students in America.

2.FCB Brazil developed the Exchange Project to help students to improve their English..

3.The conversations between the students and the retirees aren’t allowed to recorded.

4.The old lady invites the girl to live with her.

5.The girl expresses her thanks to the lady for improving her English by chatting .

九年级英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Choose the best answer according to the advertisements.

1.One can choose all of the following programs in the "IMBA program" EXCEPT

A. Full-time MBA (Chinese) B. Part-time MBA( Chinese)

C. International MBA(English) D. Human Resource

2. If John wants to prepare for his A-Levels, when can he start his study at Castle College Nottingham?

A. Either September or January.  B. September.  C. January.

D. Any time when he is free.

3.Which of the following statements is TRUE?

A. Students all over the world can choose to study the IMBA program.

B. A student from Britain can enter

Castle College Nottingham to study a foreign language.

C. Li Ming, who will have a month's vacation, can choose to study English at Castle College Nottingham.

D. The MBA program is the earliest in China.

4. Mr. Wu has the experience of management in a large company in China, so he can choose ______to learn some theories.

A. English as a Foreign Language

B. Pre-Programme at Castle College Nottingham

C. The IMBA programme at Renmin University of China, School of Business

D. Castle College Nottingham

5.As a Chinese, if you want to study abroad, you can email to ______to get more information.

A. www. castlecollege. ac. uk/international

B. minhha. nguyen@ castlecollege. ac. uk

C. www. rbs. org. cn/mfea/en

D. imba@ rue. edu. cn

九年级英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析

—How many English words have you learnt now?

—We had learnt over 1,500 English words ___________ the end of last week.

A. at     B. in     C. by     D. with

九年级英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析