Whether you're learning English as a second language or are a native speaker who's never had the habit of writing, improving your English composition skills is very important. Knowing your shortcomings and practicing will allow you to write essay that is at first simply grammatically correct, and eventually sparkling with style.1.
2.Look up the definitions of words with which you are unfamiliar. The more words you can use successfully, the more often you'll be able to find the right one for the task at hand -- and the less likely your writing will be simplistic and repetitive.
Ask a friend with good English skills to criticize and correct your writing.3.Rewrite your paper or letter after listening to her advice, making the necessary changes.
Use your word processing software spelling and grammar-check tools to fix simple errors. Whenever you misspell a word, replace it with the correct suggestion and then look at it carefully, noting the differences from how you thought it was spelled.4.Use them.
Think in English while writing if you're a native speaker of a different language. Having to translate in your head slows you down, and can easily lead to errors. Study English grammar if you are having difficulties. Look up the rules whenever you're having difficulties or read a grammar book all the way through. It may be boring, but it's extremely helpful.
Practice writing!5.Every skill requires regular repetition to achieve mastery, whether playing a musical instrument, flying a jet or writing good English prose.
A.The more you write, the better writer you'll become.
B.Broaden your vocabulary by reading as much as possible.
C.Most modern Web browsers also include spell-checking tools.
D.Knowing what you're doing wrong is necessary before you can improve.
E.The more aware you are of your writing, the better your handwriting will be.
F.To achieve this you'll need to read more, ask friends for help, and continually write.
G.Put the symbols on flashcards and memorize them, then write them again and again.
“Shine in the dark” dolphins may seem like something straight out of a science fiction movie. However, that is precisely what Newport Coastal Adventures' Captain Ryan Lawler and professional videographer Patrick Coyne witnessed, when they set out to explore the spectacular blue tides that have been lighting up the waters off Southern California's coast since mid-April.
The partner scanned the ocean for hours and was returning to shore when they spotted the “electric” dolphins swimming through the bloom of shining plankton(浮游生物). The videographer, who had seen the phenomenon only once before in a Netflix show, says catching the scenes proved to be a lot harder than he had expected. “For starters, the shining plankton has sweet spots to where it shows up and then fades away, so while on the water, it's impossible to just find it,” Coyne says. “Also, conditions have to be absolutely perfect for the shining plankton to show and for animals to swim through it so we can film it.”
Though witnessing shining sea life is rare, the electrifying blue ocean scenery is a fairly common sight around Southern California between February and September. The phenomenon can be attributed to the presence of millions of plankton, which tend to gather and reproduce in large quantities in the warm coastal waters during this time.
Though a majority of California's red tides are caused by plankton species that do not produce deadly poison, some algal blooms(藻花)can be dangerous for sea animals, especially when they stay for long periods of time. In 2018, an almost year-long “red tide” along Florida's Gulf coast caused by the excessive growth of microalgae Karenia Brevis, killed hundreds of fish and other sea animals.
1.What does the underlined phrase “sweet spots” in paragraph 2 mean?
A.A sea plant. B.A lost world.
C.A perfect moment. D.A missing camera.
2.What is the main reason for the sea life shining?
A.They absorb the light in the ocean and then reflect it.
B.They are surrounded by millions of shining plankton.
C.They swim through the ocean with electricity in large quantities.
D.They benefit from the warm water to power themselves.
3.What caused the death of some sea animals according to the text?
A.Red tides. B.Human exploration. C.Warm water. D.Algal blooms.
4.In which section of a newspaper may this text appear?
A.Science. B.Health. C.Entertainment. D.Education.
If you cut in line, you might just be a bad person. The queue is a regulation where the reward (the ice-cream stand/dining room/ticket booth) is earned through patience. Your choice to avoid this time-honored process will be bound to draw the anger of those you pass by, drawing remarks like “Whoa there, Chief,” the passive-aggressive “There’s a line, you know!” and of course, the incredibly common “Hey, Copernicus, why don’t you guide yourself to the back of the line?”
But, in the moment in which you really cannot wait, for example, the entire royal family has prepared a dinner party upon you last minute, then there is a way to cut the line correctly.
There are a few different ways to consider and a few different methods to employ. The regularity of the situation is very important. If you’re waiting to use the photocopier at work, you might be more likely to manage a successful cut than if you were waiting for a lifeboat on the Titanic. Sure, that might be an extreme example. But the importance of the event does matter.
For those requests in normal situations, emphasizing either the urgency of your task or the simplicity of your task proved to be effective: experimenters who said “Excuse me, I have five pages. May I use the photocopier?” had a cut rate of 60 percent and experimenters who said “May I use the photocopier because I need to make copies?” saw a success rate of 90 per cent when queuing for the copy machine.
If you have a couple of extra dollars lying around, bribing members of the line also proved to be effective. And most of the time, the person being bribed didn’t end up accepting the money, because even the offer showed that the briber had a sense of desperation.
1.Why does the author use the remarks about Chief and Copernicus in paragraph 1?
A.To illustrate the reaction from members in line. B.To encourage those who want to cut in line.
C.To praise the behavior of cutting in line. D.To provide advice which helps cut in line.
2.Which of the following is not a wise way to cut in line?
A.Giving the members in line money. B.Stating the emergency of the event.
C.Considering the regularity of the situation. D.Defending the right of cutting in line.
3.What is the best title for the text?
A.Be Patient When Queuing. B.Acceptable Ways to Cut in Line.
C.Time and Tides Waits for No Man. D.Special Rights under Emergency.
Khalifa joined the Roots & Shoots in 2007. But her involvement began much earlier when she was inspired by a video shown in a school classroom of Dr. Jane Goodall doing research in Tanzania. “I think it was the third grade,” she says. “I was like, ‘Wow, I want to be like her.’”
That drive led her to participate in Roots & Shoots and several other youth programs. As a member of the Roots & Shoots in high school, she was involved in many service projects, to make the world a better place for people, animals, and the environment. She travelled to national youth summits, to gatherings with other students from around the world, and to Tanzania where she met youth leaders there and saw Jane’s work in Gombe.
Reflecting on the many Root & Shoots projects she was involved in, Khalifa says a favorite was called Peace Through Art. During the Iraq War, she and her peers made and collected art from students in the United States and sent them to Iraqis. The project tapped into both her passion for expression through art and her commitment to helping others. “Art is very special,” she says, “in that art is kind of a universal language. You don’t have to really speak the same language as someone to get a message across.”
She hopes to be an inspiration to women, to people of color, and to others who “have that little seed”-who want to ask questions, seek answers, have an impact on their communities. “So people pull you up, right, but the idea is that you should pull someone up too,” she says.
“The mountain top, for me at least,” she says, “is making a positive impact in my community, knowing that I helped change not only my life but other people’s lives.” She hopes that her story will motivate others. Ultimately, she says, “I want to do the same for others that Jane has done for me. That’s the long-term goal.”
1.Why did Khalifa join Roots & Shoots?
A.To collect art to help other people in Iraq.
B.To follow Jane Goodall to build a better world.
C.To travel to meet different students and youth leaders.
D.To be an inspirational woman to encourage weak groups.
2.Which of the following best describe Khalifa?
A.Clever and determined. B.Brave and outgoing.
C.Aggressive and strict. D.Caring and ambitious.
3.What can we learn from Khalifa’s words in the last two paragraphs?
A.People should get involved in social activities.
B.People should try their best to change their own life.
C.People should make a difference to others.
D.People should never give up their dreams.
听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1.What does the speaker suggest people do at the beginning of the week?
A.Stay indoors.
B.Put their summer clothes away.
C.Get out to enjoy the beautiful weather.
2.When should the storm be over?
A.By Tuesday evening.
B.By Friday morning.
C.By next Monday.
3.What usually happens in late September and early October?
A.There are a lot of storms.
B.The weather gets hot again.
C.It is always quite cold.
听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1.What do we know about the area?
A.Lightning strikes mostly in December.
B.The people there worry about getting hit.
C.The area is near the Andes Mountains.
2.What did NASA call the area?
A.The Never-Ending Storm of Catatumbo.
B.The Lightning Capital of the World.
C.The Light of Venezuela.
3.How many people are struck by lightning near the Catatumbo River?
A.One in three per year.
B.One in 12,000 per year.
C.80% of people who live there.
4.What does the man say in the end?
A.He’s scared of storms.
B.He’ll never visit Venezuela.
C.He’d be careful if he lived in the area.
