Sometimes it is difficult to talk to taxi dri...

Sometimes it is difficult to talk to taxi drivers. They must give all their attention to the road as they work out the shortest way to the place where you are going. However, passengers from Wangfujing were in surprise when they took a taxi. The driver just would not stop talking - in English.

Organized by the Cultural and Education Section of the British Embassy, “Dare to Speak” examines if Chinese people will speak English in “real-life” situations.

Matthew Knowles, an acting student from South Carolina at Beijing Film Academy, acted the part as the “driver”. He collected six passengers on Saturday morning, most of whom were female white-collar （白领）workers.

“Of course they were surprised at first, wondering why I’m driving a taxi, and wondering whether this is a real taxi, but then most of them were pretty willing to speak,” he said. Knowles said he was also surprised by his “passengers”. “Apart from my first ‘passenger’, who could speak very little English, all the rest spoke English very well, and it was fun to communicate with them,” he said, adding that some “passengers” were quite talkative.

The “foreign taxi driver” project was just one of the “Dare to Speak” activities, which have been going on since the end of October. Other projects included a foreign store owner near a high school in Beijing, a cook in a Shanghai university canteen. They were testing the willingness of Chinese people, especially students and white-collar workers, to speak to foreigners in English.

Rong Xin, senior manager of IELTS （雅思） with the British Embassy, said they hoped to let IELTS takers in China know that communication is the ultimate goal of IELTS.

“We hope that more and more IELTS takers in China can realize the importance of communicating in English in real life, instead of just getting high test scores,” she said.

1.Why did Matthew Knowles drive a taxi?

A．He took part in the project “Dear to speak”

B．He played the role of a taxi driver in a film.

C．He enjoyed chatting with people in English.

D．He wanted to improve his Chinese while driving.

2.The Chinese may meet and talk to _______ in “Dear to speak” projects.

A．a white-collar worker　　 B．a foreign store owner

C．a restaurant manager　　 D．a high school student

3.The underlined word ultimate is closest in meaning to ________.

A．most difficult　　　　　　　　　　　 B．most common

C．most famous　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 D．most important

4.The purpose of the project “Dear to Speak” is to _______ .

A．attract more foreigners to start business in China

B．draw Chinese people’s attention to IELT

C．remind language learners of the goal of learning

D．give more chances for English learners in China

高一英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Drivers are warned that it is dangerous to talk on the phone while________.

A．drive　　　　　　 B．driving

C．drove　　　　　　 D．to drive

高一英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

Drivers are warned that it is dangerous to talk on the phone while________.

A．drive       B．driving    C．drove       D．to drive

高一英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

The key to learning English well is to overcome your shyness and fear , said taxi driver Zhang, who is attending the English training program run by the West Lake Taxi Company. “Out teacher Mrs.Yang encourages us many times to open our mouths and speak English out loudly in her class ,” said Zhang.

Chen Zhong, another fluent(流利的) English speaker, shared his opinion. “I didn’t think English was important to us at the beginning since many foreign passengers could speak some Chinese to me. But when I did speak some English, the foreigners were always pleased and said I was the first taxi driver they had met who could speak English.

Chen said he found studying English extremely interesting. The 160 minutes’ study per week was simply not enough for him. He bought books , tapes and VCDs to learn English on his own.. “Though it cost me a lot of time and energy , I did find it is useful in the long term” he said.

The reward of learning English is more than Chen has expected. Now he has made several foreign friends who book his taxi when they need. Some foreign passengers even give him tips (小费when he communicates with them in English.

To facilitate their studies, the company developed a bilingual(双语的) tape which includes the most frequently used sentences for taxi drivers and the names of major streets and buildings in Shenzhen.

“It has helped me out, ” said Chen. “Once I failed to express ‘Chinese Folk Culture Villages’ in English when I was asked to go there by a foreigner, I played the tape and got its meaning.”

59. What difficulty did Mr.Zhang have learning English at first?

A. He had no time to study English

B. His company didn’t allow them to study English

C. He had no courage to speak out.

D. He had no chance to speak English.

60. Which of the following is NOT the benefit Chen gets from learning English?

A. He gets some good advice on learning English from foreigners.

B. He earns more money from some regular foreign customers.

C. He has to spend both money and effort learning English.

D. He gets great fun and encouragement in learning English.

61. We can infer from the passage that _____.

A. the company is the first to encourage its drivers to learn English

B. all the drivers have made money after learning English

C. the company has developed and English tape for its drivers

D. the tape is welcomed by the drivers learning English

62. What is the probable meaning of the underlined word “facilitate” in the fifth paragraph?

A. To make easy   B. To increase     C. To encourage   D. To check

高一英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析

It is often difficult for visitors to understand Americans lack of desire for privacy(隐私) . They are not a nation of walled gardens and closed gates. Their yards normally run into one another without fences, they often visit one another’s homes without being invited or telephoning first, they leave their office doors open while they work.

Their lack of desire for privacy probable results from their history as a nation. America is a big country. There have never been walled cities in the United States, nor was there the need for Americans to protect themselves from neighboring states. During the early years, America had so few settlers that neighbors were very important, they were not to be shut out by doors and fences. Neighbors offered protection and helped in the hard work of settling the land. They depended upon each other.

From the nation’s early history has come the desire for openness rather than privacy. Visitors will notice this desire in a number of small ways, there may be rooms in American homes that do not have doors or that have glass walls. If you notice that people forget to close your door when they leave your room, do not think that this is rude, help them to learn that you would like it to be closed, or else become used to new ways. In either case, be patient with the differences.

1.According to the passage, visitors to America sometimes have difficulty

understanding ___________.

A .Americans’ openness

B. American’s lack of desire for privacy

C. Americans’ way of home

D. American’s style of life

2.During the early years, people were never shut out by doors because _________.

A. they were neighbors

B. they were friends

C. they depended on each other

D. they got used to that

3.Visitors will notice American’s desire for openness in a way ___________.

A .they walled their houses with glass

B. they leave the office doors open while working

C. they never have fence

D. they depended upon each other

4.Which of the following is the best title for the passage?

A .No Walled Cities.

B. The Early Settlers

C. Americans’ Lack of Desire for Privacy

D. be Patient with Differences

高一英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

______ the task is difficult, they managed to complete it on time.

A. Because       B. Therefore    C. As         D. Though

高一英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

Sometimes people add to what they say even when they don't talk. Gestures are the “silent language” of every culture. We point a finger or move another part of the body to show what we want to say. It is important to know the body language of every country or we may be misunderstood.

In the United States, people greet each other with a handshake in a formal introduction. The handshake must be firm. If the handshake is weak, it is a sign of weakness or unfriendliness. Friends may place a hand on the other's arm or shoulder, some people, usually women, greet a friend with a hug.

Space is important to Americans. When two people talk to each other, they usually stand about two and a half feet away and at an angle, so they are not facing each other directly. Americans get uncomfortable when a person stands too close. They will move back to have their space. If Americans touch another person by accident, they say, “Pardon me.” or “Excuse me.” Americans like to look at the other person in the eyes when they are talking. If you don't do so, it means you are bored, hiding something, or are not interested. But when you stare at someone, it is not polite.

For Americans, thumbs-up; means yes, very good, or well done. Thumbs-down means the opposite. To call a waiter, raise one hand to head level or above. To show you want the check, make a movement with your hands as if you are singing a piece of paper. It is all right to point at things but not at people with the hand and index finger. Americans shake their index finger at children when they scold them and pat them on the head when they admire them.

Learning a culture's body language is sometimes confusing. If you don't know what to do, the safest thing to do is to smile.

1.If you are introduced to a stranger in the USA, you should _________.

A.greet him with a hug B.place a hand on his shoulder

C.shake his hand firmly D.shake his hand weakly

2.Which behavior is acceptable when people talk to each other in the USA?

A.Facing each other directly. B.Touching each other.

C.Not looking at the other person in the eyes. D.Not standing too close.

3.When your American friend gives you the thumbs-up, he, in fact,_________.

A.shows his rudeness to you B.shows his anger to you

C.expresses his satisfaction to you D.expresses his worries about you

高一英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Sometimes people add to what they say even when they don’t talk. Gestures are the “silent language” of every culture. We point a finger or move another part of the body to show what we want to say．It is important to know the body language of every country or we may be misunderstood.

In the United States，people greet each other with a handshake in a formal introduction．The handshake must be firm．If the handshake is weak，it is a sign of weakness or unfriendliness．Friends may place a hand on the other's arm or shoulder．Some people，usually women，greet a friend with a hug（拥抱）．

Space is important to Americans．When two people talk to each other，they usually stand about two and a half feet away and at an angle，so they are not facing each other directly．Americans get uncomfortable when a person stands too close．They will move back to have their space．If Americans touch another person by accident，they say “Pardon me” or “Excuse me”．

Americans like to look at the other person in the eyes when they are talking．If you don't do so，it means you are bored，hiding something，or are not interested．But when you stare at someone，it is not polite．

For Americans，thumbs-up means yes，very good，or well done．Thumbs-down means the opposite．To call a waiter，raise one hand to head level or above．To show you want the check，make a movement with your hands as if you are signing a piece of paper．It is all right to point at things but not at people with the hand and index finger（食指）．Americans shake their index finger at children when they scold them and pat them on the head when they admire them．

Learning a culture's body language is sometimes confusing（使糊涂的）．If you don't know what to do，the safest thing to do is to smile．

1.From the first paragraph we can learn that ________．

2.If you are introduced to a stranger from the USA，you should _______．

3.In the United States，people often ________．

4.If you talk with an American friend，it's polite to ________．

高一英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Sometimes people add to what they say even when they don't talk.Gestures are the "silent language" of every culture.We point a finger or move another part of the body to show what we want to say.It is important to know the body language of every country or we may be misunderstood.

In the United States,people greet each other with a handshake in a formal introduction.The handshake must be firm.If the handshake is weak,it is a sign of weakness or unfriendliness.Friends may place a hand on the other's arm or shoulder,some people,usually women,greet a friend with a hug(拥抱).

Space is important to Americans.When two people talk to each other,they usually stand about two and a half feet away and at an angle,so they are not facing each other directly.Americans get uncomfortable when a person stands too close.They will move back to have their space.If Americans touch another person by accident,they say,"Pardon me." or "Excuse me."Americans like to look at the other person in the eyes when they are talking.If you don't do so,it means you are bored,hiding something,or are not interested.But when you stare at someone,it is not polite.

For Americans,thumbs-up;means yes,very good,or well done.Thumbs-down means the opposite.To call a waiter,raise one hand to head level or above.To show you want the check,make a movement with your hands as if you are singing a piece of paper.It is all right to point at things but not at people with the hand and index finger.Americans shake their index finger at children when they scold them and pat them on the head when they admire them.

Learning a culture's body language is sometimes confusing(困惑的).If you don't know what to do,the safest thing to do is to smile.

45.From the first paragraph we can learn that_________.

A.gestures don't mean anything while talking

B.gestures can help us to express ourselves

C.we can learn a language well without body language

D.only American people can use gestures

46.In the United States,people often_________.

A.show their friendship by facing each other directly

B.show their friendship by touching each other

C.say "Pardon me." to each other when they are talking

D.get uncomfortable when you sit close to them

47.If you talk with an American friend,it's polite to_________.

A.look up and down at your friend

B.look at the other person in the eyes

C.hide your opinion

D.look at your watch now and then

48.When your friend gives you the thumbs-up,he,in fact,_________.

A.shows his rudeness to you

B.shows his anger to you

C.expresses his satisfaction to you

D.expresses his worries about you

高一英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析

The drivers on the highway have to stop because the thick fog makes ____difficult to see.

A,them    B,it     C,that   D,this

高一英语单项填空简单题查看答案及解析