A student is learning to speak British English. He wonders (想知道): Can I communicate with Americans? Can they understand me? Learners of English often ask: What are the differences between British and American English? How important are these differences? Certainly! there are some differences between British and American English. „There are a few differences in grammar. For example, speakers of British English say “in hospital” and “Have you a pen?” Americans say “in the hospital!” and “Do you have a pen?”. Pronunciation is sometimes different. Americans usually sound theirs in words like “bird” and “hurt”. Speakers of British English do not sound theirs in these words. There are differences between British and American English in spelling and vocabulary. For example, “colour” and “honour” are British, “color” and honor” are American. These differences in grammar, pronunciation, spelling and vocabulary are not important, however. For the most part, British and American English are the same language.
1.American English and British English are different in ___ _____.
A.spelling B.pronunciation
C.grammar D.all of the above
2.What is not mentioned (提及) in the passage?
A.Whether there are differences between British English and American English.
B.Whether British English and American English are one language or two.
C.How the differences between British English and American English came about.
D.How important the differences are.
3.Most _____ say “Do you have a watch?”
A.British people B.Americans
C.children D.teachers
4.According to this passage, British people and Americans have _______ difficulty in understanding each other.
A.little B.much C.some D.great
语法填空
Last Christmas, I wanted to give the woman 1. cleans my apartment a nice gift in 2. (appreciate). Since I know she doesn’t have much money, I decided 3. (write) her a generous check so she could use it however she wanted. I put it in an attractive card with a photo of a cat and a dog on 4. (it) cover because she loves animals.
The card came with a nice message, and I also added a personal message in which I thanked her 5. her good services, wishing her the best for the coming year and for her dreams coming true.
6. (tear) of gratitude rolled down her face when she saw my message, before she even saw the check! She said, “You took the time to write me a personal message; now I feel really 7. (love). I’m going to save this card for 8. rest of my life!”
This reminds me that what people really want is to be acknowledged and appreciated, and to know that they matter. This is what’s really important when 9. (give) a gift. In this case it 10. (obvious) was not about the money, but about making a sincere heart connection.
Every Friday and Saturday night I deliver food for a local food delivery company. I need this second job to pay off the _______ that resulted from an accident a few years ago.
Last night I got a(n) _______ in which the restaurant and the customer's house were pretty far away from each other. This was actually a _______ thing. The customer got charged a higher delivery fee, which would be paid to me.
I _______ the customer's food and drove to his house. Though I used Google Maps, I still had problems_______ his house. I called the customer and he told me that the address on the order was _______. When I knew this, I became very _______. By this time I had already _______ half an hour on this order. What's more, I had_______ another order which got reassigned (再分配) to another person during the time.
Another 30 minutes later I got to the customer's door. I ________ him to be in a bad mood because his delivery had taken so long. ________ I was greeted by a very pleasant customer. He________ to me that his wife's eyesight was not that great so she had put in the wrong address in the order ________, so the whole thing was their ________
Knowing the________, I didn't complain to the customer. I________ my anger towards the couple. But he said he felt so ________ for me and decided to give me an additional ＄30 cash for my ________. I knew I needed money, but I also knew forgiving was a virtue. So I ________
Later the company ________ me for what I had done and I was given an extra amount of money as a reward. You can't imagine how happy I was!
1.A.debt B.ticket C.product D.tax
2.A.form B.reply C.order D.position
3.A.clear B.difficult C.dull D.good
4.A.picked up B.cut up C.paid for D.waited for
5.A.fixing B.finding C.designing D.judging
6.A.common B.strange C.wrong D.secret
7.A.worried B.relieved C.nervous D.angry
8.A.got B.saved C.enjoyed D.wasted
9.A.lost B.finished C.signed D.forgotten
10.A.needed B.wanted C.expected D.proved
11.A.Anyhow B.Besides C.Therefore D.However
12.A.admitted B.explained C.complained D.suggested
13.A.in return B.with pleasure C.by accident D.on purpose
14.A.excuse B.fault C.choice D.request
15.A.truth B.goal C.decision D.opinion
16.A.understood B.regretted C.expressed D.canceled
17.A.anxious B.ashamed C.sorry D.afraid
18.A.trouble B.courage C.progress D.patience
19.A.changed B.refused C.accepted D.agreed
20.A.employed B.fired C.charged D.praised
How to support your friends when they are down
One of the greatest things about having friends is that they can be there for you when you’re feeling down. 1. Here’s how to be a good friend when you’re needed.
2. Therefore, you’ll be able to tell what your friend is upset about, and thus avoid awkwardly sitting with no idea what is going on or what to say. It will also give you an advantage because it’ll make it easier for you to know what are the right and wrong statements to make.
Be an active listener. When your friends pause and look to you for a response, repeat what they just said. 3.
Give your friend a hug, whether he or she shared anything with you or not. 4. You could also pat (轻拍) him or her gently on the shoulder or back.
Don’t use this as an opportunity to talk about yourself and your own problems. 5. There is nothing worse than one person adding to the woes (悲痛) by trying to outcompete with the other’s own woes. Drop it and be empathetic (同情的) in more constructive ways.
A.This is about your friend!
B.They can cheer you up, or even help you in a way.
C.Know the situation before you attempt to help your friend.
D.Don’t make your friend do anything he or she doesn’t want to.
E.Then tell them about some problems that have made you sad or angry.
F.But do it in your own words to show that you are really listening to him or her.
G.Sometimes, a friend just needs another friend’s touch to make him/her feel better.
Vitamin B could help lessen the effects of the most dangerous type of air pollution，according to a new study published recently. In the first study of its kind，a team of international researchers looked at the damage caused by one of the pollutants that has the most severe impact on health: PM2.5.
Particulate matter，or PM，is a type of air pollutant consisting of small particles of different sizes. PM2.5 has a diameter of fewer than 2.5 micrometers，about 30 times smaller than a human hair. These particles are so small that they can go into our respiratory system (呼吸系统), resulting in lung and systemic inflammation (炎症) and stress.
The team found that something as simple as a daily vitamin B supplement could potentially reduce the impact of the tiny particles on the human body，although they stressed that the research was in its early stages and the sample size was small.
For this study，10 volunteers were initially exposed to clean air and given a placebo (安慰剂) to check their responses. The group then took another placebo for four weeks before being exposed to heavily polluted air from downtown Toronto，where an estimated 1，000 cars pass every hour. The bad air was delivered to the volunteers through an “oxygen－type” face mask. The experiment was then repeated，with each volunteer taking a vitamin B supplement daily made up of 2.5 mg of folic acid，50 mg of vitamin B6，and 1 mg of vitamin B12. B6 can be found in liver，chicken and nuts，and B12 in fish，meat，eggs，milk and some cereals.
The researchers found that four weeks of vitamin B supplements reduced the damage of PM2.5 exposure by 28%－76%. The results highlight how prevention at an individual level could be used to fight the harmful effects of PM2.5.
1.Why is PM2.5 harmful to our health?
A.It pollutes and poisons the air. B.It is too much to be got rid of.
C.It carries viruses and diseases. D.It is easily breathed in and damages our body.
2.What can we infer from Paragraph 3?
A.The process of the research was not scientific.
B.This kind of research has been done many times.
C.Further studies are needed to confirm their findings.
D.Vitamin B is hard to obtain in people’s daily life.
3.What is the text mainly about?
A.International researchers have a new finding.
B.Vitamin B could reduce the damage of PM2.5.
C.Particulate matter does great harm to our health.
D.Emission control and regulation are badly needed.
4.The new study was probably published ________.
A.in a science journal B.on a government website
C.in a fashion magazine D.in a medical textbook
Leaders shape history and here is a selection of the most remarkable views into these public figures plus first-hand accounts by those with access to them.
Margaret Thatcher by Charles Moore (2013)
Before Moore published the first volume of his biography, there had already been a mountain of books on Thatcher. Moore’s account is different. He shows that far from being fearless, she could often be fearful without cause. The final volume will include her fall from power.
Harold Wilson by Ben Pimlott (1992)
Harold Wilson had become a ghostly figure when this book was published in 1992. The absence heightened a sense of mystery. Who was he? How to explain his seemingly contradictory characteristics? Pimlott solves some of the mysteries; the book is detailed until Wilson’s final phase as prime minister in 1974.
Churchill by Roy Jenkins (2001)
Jenkins writes a politician as well as a historian, analyzing Churchill’s historic moves from the opinions of one who had also spoken in the Commons. Jenkins had resigned from high positions in battles over policy, and as one that changed parties, though not as frequently as Churchill did.
Roy Jenkins by John Campbell (2014)
Campbell calmly narrates the many political and personal dramas, including Jenkins’ intense relationship with Anthony Crosland when they were both students at Oxford. Campbell also addresses Jenkins’ various affairs with women. Like Jenkins’s political heroes, he led many lives. Campbell is sharp in describing each of them.
Diaries, Volumes One to Six by Alastair Campbell (2017)
Love or hate him, Campbell remains the master of the inside story, and not just because of his unusual ideas on the relationship between Tony Blair and Gordon Brown. This is an incredibly detailed book on what it’s like to live inside No. 10: the cruel space of events; and the constant conflict with the media.
1.Which of the following leaders has the largest number of books written about them?
A.Harold Wilson. B.Churchill.
C.Margaret Thatcher. D.Tony Blair.
2.Which writer was once a politician?
A.Ben Pimlott. B.Charles Moore.
C.John Campbell. D.Roy Jenkins.
3.What’s purpose of the author’s writing the passage?
A.To introduce some histories on selections.
B.To recommend some books on leaders.
C.To tell some mysteries about historians.
D.To think highly of some famous leaders.
