The most awful words in the English language ...

The most awful words in the English language are, "Our computer is down." You hear it more and more when you are on business. The other day I was at the airport waiting for a ticket to Washington and the girl in the ticket office said, "I'm sorry, I can't sell you a ticket. Our computer is down."

"If your computer is down, just write me out a ticket."

"I can't write you out a ticket. The computer is the only one allowed to do so."

I looked down on the computer and every passenger was just standing there drinking coffee and looking at the black screen. Then I asked her, "What do all you people do?"

"We give the computer the information about your trip, and then it tells us whether you can fly with us or not."

"So when it goes down, you go down with it."

"That's good, sir."

"How long will the computer be down?" I wanted to know.

"I have no idea. Sometimes it's down for 10 minutes, sometimes for two hours. There's no way we can find out without asking the computer, and since it's down it won't answer us."

After the girl told me they had no backup (备用) computer, I said. "Let's forget the computer. What about your planes? They're still flying, aren't they?"

"I couldn't tell without asking the computer."

"Maybe I could just go to the gate and ask the pilot if he's flying to Washington," I suggested.

"I wouldn't know what gate to send you to. Even if the pilot was going to Washington, he couldn't take you if you didn't have a ticket."

"Is there any other airline(航空公司) flying to Washington within the next few hours?"

"I wouldn't know," she said, pointing at the dark screen. "Only 'IT' knows. 'It' can't tell me."

By this time there were quite a few people standing in lines. The word soon spread to other travelers that the computer was down. Some people went white, some people started to cry and still others kicked their luggage (行李).

1.The best title for the article is _____.

A. The Most Awful Words　　 B. When the Computer Is Down

C. The Computer of the Airport　　 D. Asking the Computer

2.What could the girl in the ticket office do for the passengers without asking the computer?

A. She could sell a ticket.

B. She could write out a ticket.

C. She could answer the passengers' questions.

D. She could do nothing.

3.What did passengers do when the computer was down?

A. They left the airport and went home.

B. They drank coffee and watched the black screen.

C. They began to talk to each other.

D. None above.

4.The last paragraph suggests that _____.

A. a modern computer won't be down

B. computers can take the place of humans

C. sometimes a computer may drive people mad

D. People can do more things without a computer

九年级英语阅读单选中等难度题查看答案及解析

“I love you” might be one of the most important combinations of three words in the English language. It’s the 　　 that a romantic relationship is serious. Besides, it also shows the closeness for parents, children or the ones who you love.

In Putonghua, “I love you” 　　 as “Wo ai ni”, but the way it’s used in China might be a little different, and most Chinese people are wondering 　　 .

The Global Times reports that some online videos showing children telling their parents “I love you” have become 　　 　　 in China. One of them, filmed by an Anhui TV station, shows a number of college students telling their parents they love them. “Are you drunk?” asked a parent. In another 　　 video, shot by a Shanxi TV station, the parents’ responses (反应) are still mixed. For example, a father responded 　　 bluntly (率直地) — “I am going to a meeting, so much for that.”

Why don’t Chinese families use those words? “The parents’ responses show that many Chinese are not good at 　　 their feelings like that,” Xia Xueluan, a sociologist from Peking University, told the Global Times, “They are used to educating children with negative (否定的) language.”

Still, that doesn’t 　　 　　 that love can’t be shown. In another article, Zhao Mengmeng, a 31-year-old woman, said she had never told her father she loved him face-to-face 　　 　　 she found it a bit strange. Sometimes actions speak louder than words. However, Zhao gave her father a photo album recording photographs of them together on every one of her birthdays. The pictures were 　　 on the Internet later, being forwarded (转发) hundreds of thousands of times on Weibo.

1.A. value　　 　　 B. symbol　　 　　 C. clue　　 　　　　 D. reason

2.A. includes　　 B. practises　　 C. translates　　 D. recommends

3.A. why　　　　　　 B. what　　　　　 C. how　　　　　　 D. when

4.A. humorous　　 B. dangerous　　 C. boring　　　　 D. popular

5.A. different　　 B. nervous　　　　 C. similar　　　　 D. fixed

6.A. more　　　　 B. much　　　　　 C. little　　　　　 D. many

7.A. explaining B. creating　　　 C. expressing　 　 D. discovering

8.A. mean　　　　 B. doubt　　　　 　 C. allow　　　　　 D. know

9.A. if　　　 　　 B. until　　　　 C. but　　　　　 　 D. because

10.A. cost　　　　 B. put　　　　　　 C. solved　　　　 D. dropped

九年级英语完形填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

English is the most widely used language in the history of our planet. One in every seven human beings can speak it. More than half of the world’s books and three quarters of international mail are in English. Of all languages, English has the largest vocabulary — perhaps as many as two million words.

However, let’s face it: English is a crazy language. There is no egg in an eggplant, neither pine nor apple in a pineapple and no ham in a hamburger. Sweet-meats are candy, while sweetbreads, which aren’t sweet, are meat.

We take English for granted. But when we explore its paradoxes (探讨它的矛盾), we find that quicksand can work slowly, boxing rings are square, public bathrooms have no baths in them.

And why is it that a writer writes, but fingers don’t fing, grocers don’t groce, and hammers don’t ham? If the plural of tooth is teeth, shouldn’t the plural of booth be beeth? One goose, two geese — so one moose, two meese?

How can a slim chance and a fat chance be the same, while a wise man and a wise guy are opposites? How can overlook and oversee be opposites, while quite a lot and quite a few are alike? How can the weather be hot as hell one day and cold as hell the next?

English was invented by people, not computers, and it reflects (反映) the creativity of human beings. That’s why, when stars are out, they are visible (能看见的); but when the lights are out, they are invisible. And why, when I wind up my watch, I start it; but when I wind up this essay, I end it.

1.Through the many paradoxes in the English language, the writer wants to show that human beings are

______.

A. clever　　 B. crazy　　 C. azy　　 D. dull

2.According to the passage ______.

A. pineapples are the apples on the pine tree

B. there should be egg in an eggplant

C. sweet-meats and sweetbreads are different

D. boxing rings should be round

3.Which of the following is the correct plural?

A. Beeth.　　 B. Geese.　　 C. Meese.　　 D. Tooth.

4.Which of the following includes two items which have the similar meaning?

A. A wise man and a wise guy.

B. Overlook and oversee.

C. Quite a lot and quite a few.

D. Hot as hell and cold as hell.

九年级英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析

More than 3,000 languages are spoken in the world. Of all these languages, English is the most widely used. When English is used, it has also ________many new words from other languages. For example, Americans borrowed “cookbook” from German(德语). They ______ borrowed “tofu” and “kowtow” from Chinese.

As we all know, there are _____ between western culture and Chinese culture. We can learn about those words by comparing how certain words are used. _____, “you are a lucky dog” means you are a lucky person. To describe a person who is _____, they say, “sick as a dog”. On the other hand, Chinese people love cats very much. But in western culture, “cat” is sometimes used to describe a woman that is ____. The rose is considered as a symbol of love in both China and some western countries. People think the rose stands for love and _____.

China, a country with the largest population in the world, has _____ more people to learn English. By the 1990s, English learning has been very ____with Chinese people. Many of them have done quite well in English.

Now students are required to learn English and people think the study of English is a very important industry in China _____ in the rest of the world. The English language has played an important part in our lives.

1.A. taken back　　 B. taken out　　 C. taken off　　 D. taken in

2.A. even　　 B. also　　 C. perhaps　　 D. probably

3.A. advantages　　 B. records　　 C. effects　　 D. differences

4.A. In fact　　 B. In some ways　　 C. For example　　 D. As a result

5.A. ill　　 B. lazy　　 C. afraid　　 D. selfish

6.A. kind-hearted　　 B. pretty　　 C. cruel　　 D. helpful

7.A. sadness　　 B. attraction　　 C. disappointment　　 D. friendship

8.A. ordered　　 B. encouraged　　 C. told　　 D. taught

9.A. interested　　 B. tired　　 C. popular　　 D. enjoyed

10.A. as far as　　 B. as well as　　 C. as much as　　 D. as long as

九年级英语完型填空困难题查看答案及解析

任务型阅读，根据短文内容，回答下列问题。

The English language is changing all the time. New words are created, like DIY, SDA and e-mail. How do words come into English? Many words are borrowed from other languages. From Chinese, for example, English has borrowed words like kowtow and kung fu.

Words have also come into English in unusual ways. Words like classroom and mooncake are two short words which are put together. Also, parts of two words are put together and become a new word. For example, smog comes from smoke and fog. Some words come from longer words, like TV from television, and math from mathematics. Don’t you think all these make English an interesting language?

根据短文内容，完成下列问题。

1.Is the English language changing all the time?

________

2. Are many English words borrowed from other languages?

________

3.Which language does the English word kung fu come from?

________

4. What does somg come from?

________

5. What is short form television?

________

九年级英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

“Underground” is the only word in the English language 　　　 begins and ends with the letters “und”

A. whom　　　　　　 B. who　　　　　　 C. which　　　　　　 D. that

九年级英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

“Underground” is the only word in the English language _____ begins and ends with the letters “und”.

A. what　　　 B. that　　　　　 C. who　　　　 D. whom

九年级英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

“Underground” is the only word in the English language _____ begins and ends with the letters “und”.

A.what B.that C.who D.whom

九年级英语单选题中等难度题查看答案及解析

“Underground” is the only word in the English language _______ begins and ends

with the letters “und”.

A. what　　　　　　　　　　 B. who　　　　　　　　　 C. that　　　　　　　　 D. Whom

九年级英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

Underground is the only word in the English language ___ begins and ends with the　 letters “und”.

A. what　　 B. that　　 C. who

九年级英语单选题中等难度题查看答案及解析