The word for milk in German is "Milch", In french it is "lait". Usually, you don't find the same words in every language. But there is an exception for the word OK! The word OK is the most frequently(频繁地) spoken expression in the world, and it turned 175 years old on March 23, New York Daily News reported. “OK” was first introduced to the world in the Boston Morning Post on March 23, 1839. It read : o.k. —oll correct (all correct). Although it was only a joke at that time, later people began marking OK on documents and using OK on the telegraph (电报) to say that all was well. Today, we use this expression every day. “How about 2 o’ clock? OK?” “OK.” “OK, then.” The word OK is easy to say and write, and clear enough to be understood. Besides, it offers neutrality (中性) that other words don’t have. If you say something is great, some people may say it isn’t. But with “OK” everyone generally agrees.
Are these any other words that can cross countries and cultures? “Huh” is another universal word. Researchers found that “huh” means surprise or disbelief in 10 different languages, Los Angeles Times reported. Sometimes, people need a word to express many meanings at once. For example, sometimes there is a problem of understanding, or you want to ask somebody for response(反应). Saying “huh” is short and easy to say and hear. Also, you don’t need to learn this word, just like you don’t need to learn to cry or laugh. “Huh” just comes out naturally.
Other widely used words include “mama”, which is considered to be the easiest word for babies to pronounce. Don’t forget “game over”. It is not only used by game fans but also a hot word to describe the end of an event in real life.
Did you know?
1. The longest word in the English language, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, is pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanokoniosis. It’s a kind of lung (肺) disease.
2. The word “set” has more definitions than any other word in English language. It probably has 424 definitions.
3. The most common noun is “time”, the adjective is “good” and the verb is “be”. According to the dictionary.
回答以下问题：
1.Can we find the same words in a language?
2.When was OK introduced to the word first?
3.Which word means surprise and disbelief in 10 different language according to Los Angeles Times?
4.When is “game over” used according to this passage?
5.How many definitions does “set” have?
Sep.30
I moved into the dormitory today－an ugly building and near a busy main road too.My room is small but quite pleasant.I must get some posters for the walls, though.I met a few fellow students at supper(the food was awful!)They all look much younger than me.They are, of course!
Oct.07
Lectures began last Monday.So far they haven't been very interesting(except for the man who lectures on drama.He's first class).Personally, I'd much rather go to the library and read, but I have to attend ten lectures a week.Those are the "rules"!Well, at least you meet people there.
Oct 12
I realiy don't like life in the dormitory at all.The food is bad and the students are
noisy.They stay up half the night and play games just outside my room.When on earth do they sleep?When do they work?Besides, I don't like my room.It's just like living in a box!It looks even smaller now, with the posters on the wall. I am wondering how long it will he before I can feel as comfortable as I did living in my high school dormitory.
Oct.26
I tried to explain some of my problems to my supervisor today.She listened－but that was about all."You have to go to lectures, you know, Ann, "she lold me.''And the dormitory is cheap and convenient.""Cheap and convenient"!Well.il isn't "cheap"if you can't eat the food and it isn't "convenient"if you can't sleep at night!
Oct.30
I can't believe it!Three other students－I met them at a lecture and they' re all about my own age－have invited me to share a flat with them.It's in an old house and it has its own kitchen, so we can cook for ourselves.And my room－righy at the top of the house－is fantastic!
Nov.10
I moved into my new room last Sunday.I feel really happy.Life is going to be so much more fun from now on!
1.Ann’s diary is main about ________.
A.food B.her dormitory life C.the lecture
2.Ann complained(抱怨) the students because ________.
A.they disturb her B.they did not work C.they did not sleep
3.In her new room, Ann was __________.
A.interested B.sorry C.excited
Cervantes was born to poor parents. His future looked dark as he grew to see a life of sadness and poverty before him. He joined the army as a common soldier and was hurt so badly that he could not use his left arm.
He later failed to find a job and, on two occasions, was sent to prison. He continued to have brushes with the law and struggled just to survive.
But, despite these troubles of his life, he never let go of his dream - to write a book. He realized his dream and he wrote a book. In the book he told of a beautiful story which came from his heart’s deepest dreams. It is about a man who saw the world differently than everyone else. Though created in suffering, the book is an inspiring (鼓舞人的) story of hope. This man’s story has been put to music and film, translated into many languages and remains a literary classic after some 400 years. It has moved many people in the world. The author was Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra and the book is Don Quijote de la Mancha (《唐吉可德》). Perhaps Cervantes himself believed that “the world sees people as they are - I see them as they can be! Cervantes may never have written such a wonderful work if he had not seen some potential（潜能） within himself. He knew, and has taught others ever since, that great truth: What we see will come to be. Some see situations as they are, others as they can be.
Some see people as they are, others as they can be. And some see themselves as they are, others as they can be. But when we set our sights upon the best that is within a situation or a human being, what we see will come to be. And we’ll know the power of hope.
1.The author writes this passage to remind us that .
A.we should be brave to deal with troubles
B.nothing is hard if we put our heart into it
C.we all have great potential inside ourselves
2.What was the dream of Cervantes?
A.To be a writer.
B.To be a solider.
C.To be a banker.
3.Cervantes met the following troubles EXCEPT that________ .
A.he was sent to prison
B.his left arm got hurt
C.he was refused by the army
Americans celebrate Valentine’s Day each year on February 14th. So do candy companies, jewelry stores and people selling flowers. Valentine’s Day is for lovers. It is a good day to ask your boyfriend or girlfriend to marry you. It is also a popular day for marriage. But other couples might celebrate with a dinner at a nice restaurant.
The holiday is named for Saint Valentine. He was an early Christian churchman who was said to have helped young lovers. Valentine was executed for his Christian beliefs on February 14th, more than one thousand seven hundred years ago. But the day is even older than that.
The ancient Romans celebrated a holiday for lovers more than two thousand years ago. As part of the celebration, each girl wrote her name on a piece of paper and put it in a large box. Each boy reached into the box and pulled out the name of a girl. That girl became his girlfriend for a year.
Lovers still put their names on pieces of paper on Valentine’s Day. They send each other cards that express their love. Sometimes they send other gifts, too, like jewelry, flowers, candy, or all three!
It was reported that the average American spent about $134 for Valentine’s Day in 2014. That was up about three dollars from 2013. Men spent about twice as much on their partners as women did. And it is said the total spending for Valentine’s Day in the United States reached about $17.3 billion.
1.Valentine’s Day is named for Saint Valentine mainly because Valentine_____.
A.came up with the idea for Valentine’s Day
B.lost his life because of his Christian beliefs
C.once helped young lovers as a churchman
2.At the ceremony for lovers in ancient Rome, _______.
A.a boy got his girlfriend quite by luck
B.boys and girls exchanged cards to show love
C.a girl had the freedom to choose her boyfriend
3.Which of the following traditions on Valentine’s Day is kept alive from ancient days?
A.Writing lovers’ names on pieces of paper.
B.Sending gifts like candies, flowers and jewelry.
C.Asking your boyfriend or girlfriend to marry you.
4.When was the passage probably written?
A.After Valentine’s Day in 2013.
B.Before Valentine’s Day in 2013.
C.After Valentine’s Day in 2014.
One day last summer, I was waiting for my ride to pick me up at the station. Suddenly I felt the desire to write _______. I opened my bag and found a pen, _______no paper. I sat there helplessly, _______with the sudden desire. Then I went through the bag a little more_______. It_______that I had a dollar bill in my wallet. After I looked at it for a moment, it became_______that there was very little writing surface on the bill. But I could_______write something.
So I took my pen and wrote something like this, “This is a very_______dollar -given to you with love. Do not keep it or_______it. Give it to someone else with love, and watch it________. I then________the bill with hearts, trying to make it________as many good wishes as I could.
Sitting near me was a woman who was also waiting for a________. She seemed a little________. I said to her, “Hi, this is for you. She got a________by my action. But after she took a second________at it, her mood________from worried to warm, and she gave me a big hug and accepted it.
I realized that________this was the reaction from just one stranger, then without doubt this________of warmth would continue on.
My ride came, and we drove off. But I thought this was not the________of the story and that this love wouldn’t stop.
1.A.anything B.nothing C.something
2.A.and B.but C.or
3.A.alone B.busy C.calm
4.A.fluently B.carefully C.sincerely
5.A.took off B.paid off C.turned out
6.A.doubtful B.clear C.uncertain
7.A.as usual B.at most C.at least
8.A.special B.practical C.powerful
9.A.spend B.pay C.take
10.A.cover B.spread C.build
11.A.measured B.repaired C.beautified
12.A.prove B.develop C.show
13.A.performance B.ride C.train
14.A.worried B.sick C.serious
15.A.lesson B.surprise C.touch
16.A.thought B.picture C.look
17.A.traded B.guided C.changed
18.A.because B.for C.if
19.A.wave B.sign C.method
20.A.beginning B.end C.clue
—Could you show me_____?
—Sure.
A.where is the library B.where the library is C.how can I go to the library
