When I was growing up in America, I was ashamed of my mother’s Chinese English. Because of her English, she was often treated unfairly. People in department stores, at banks, and at restaurants did not take her seriously, pretended not to understand her, or even acted as if they did not hear her.
My mother has realized the disadvantages of her English as well. When I was fifteen, she used to have me call people on phone to pretend I was she. I was forced to ask for information or even to yell at people who had been rude to her. One time I had to call her stockbroker. I said in a voice that was not very convincing, “This is Mrs. Tan.” And my mother was standing beside me, whispering loudly, “Why he doesn’t send me the cheek. It’s already two weeks late.”
And then, in perfect English I said: “I’m getting rather anxious .You agreed to send the check two weeks ago, but it hasn’t arrived.” Then she talked more loudly. “What does he want? I’ll come to New York and say it in front of his boss.” And so I turned to the stockbroker again, “I can’t accept any more excuses. If I don’t receive the check immediately, I have to speak to your manager when I am in New York next week.”
The next week we ended up in New York. While I was sitting there red-faced, my mother, the real Mrs. Tan, was shouting to his boss in her broken English. When I was a teenager, my mother’s broken English embarrassed me. But now, I see it differently. To me, my mother’s English is perfectly clear, perfectly natural. It is my mother tongue. Her language, as I hear it, is clear and direct. It was the language that helped me form the way I saw things, expressed ideas, and made sense of the world.
1.Why was the author’s mother poorly treated?
A. She couldn’t speak English well.
B. Her English was very good.
C. She was not clearly heard.
D. She was not very polite.
2.From Paragraph 2, what can we know about the author?
A. She was good at pretending.
B. She was rude to the stockbroker.
C. She was ready to help her mother.
D. She was unwilling to phone for her mother
3.What does the author think of her mother’s English now?
A. It confuses her.
B. It embarrasses her.
C. It helps her understand the world.
D. It helps her forgive rude people.
4.What can we infer from the passage?
A. Chinese English is clear and natural to native speakers.
B. Chinese English may bring inconvenience in America.
C. Chinese English has a very bad name in America.
D. Chinese English is impolite to native speakers.
5.What is the best title of the passage?
A. Great Mother B. A Chance
C. Mother’s Chinese English D. Perfect English
Every year landslides cause 25 to 50 deaths and $2 billion in damage in the United States. And in December, a single event killed more than 2000 people in the Philippines. Sending workers to stabilize mountainsides using steel bars can help a lot, but it introduces new difficulties because of dust and loosen heavy, dangerous debris from the work. “It’s a quite dangerous job,” says Giorgio Pezzuto of D’ Appolonia, working with eight other companies. Now there may be an answer: a three-ton robot called Roboclimber.
“The idea is to operate a machine far away that can do the stabilizing job without a human being near,”says Pezzuto, manager for the project, which is supported by a European organization. Engineers say that the machine will be faster and cheaper than manual labor. The robot, a large radio-controlled four-legged spider, has cost at least $2 million so far. It should be able to climb mountainsides, drill holes and insert steel bars there. Testing should begin in May.
1.The underlined word “event” refers to_____
A. earthquake B. debris C. dust D. landslide
2.The purpose in writing this text is _____
A. to tell people how serious the damage caused by landslides is
B. to tell people that sending workers to stabilize mountainsides is a dangerous job
C. to show people how to use a new robot
D. to introduce a new robot that can be used to stabilize mountainsides
3.What does the robot look like?
A. human being B. spider C. steel bar D. a drill
4.A landslides cause _____________in damage in the United States Every year .
A. 25 to 50 deaths B. more than 2000 people died
C. $2 billion D. both A and C
5.The biggest advantage of this product is that____
A. it will be faster and cheaper than manual labor
B. it can climb mountainsides, drill holes and insert steel bars there.
C. it can do the stabilizing job without human beings near
D. it is like a spider
Andy was still traveling in Spain when he realized he had to confirm his flight home with the airline company. He was visiting Spain in order to improve his Spanish. When he was speaking to people face to face, he had no difficulty understanding what they said. However, when he was speaking on the phone, he still had a problem. Andy called the airline. And the clerk confirmed that his plane was leaving at nine o'clock three days from that day. She also told Andy to be at the airport two hours earlier in order to check in his luggage and get a seat.
Since he was leaving in three days, Andy didn't lose any time. He visited as many places as he could. He thought that it would probably be a while before he had enough money again. He wished he could come back and spend a year in Spain.
Too quickly, the final day arrived. Andy left early for the airport to arrive two hours before take-off. He hated to rush. He went to the clerk to show his ticket. The clerk looked at the ticket in surprise. "Why, sir, but your flight was at nine o'clock in the morning, and now it is eight in the evening." "But I confirmed my flight," insisted Andy. "Will I have to pay for another ticket?"
"No, Sir. However, the next flight out will be three days from now."
Andy's look of shock turned to pleasure as he realized that now he could continue his vacation.
1.Why was Andy in Spain?
A. He was there on a business trip.
B. He hoped to learn Spanish better.
C. He liked to visit places of interest in Spain.
D. He was visiting friends there
2.Andy missed his flight because________
A. he forgot his flight time
B. the clerk gave him the wrong time of his flight
C. the clerk misunderstood him
D. he misunderstood the clerk
3.Which word can best describe the feeling of Andy when he came to know that his stay in Spain would be longer?
A. happy B. shocked C. upset D. angry
4.What would Andy do next?
A. He would stay in Spain for another three days.
B. He would go to another country.
C. He would stay at the airport.
D. He would pay for another ticket.
5.What can we know from the passage?
A. Travelers always have to confirm the time of flight with airline companies by phone call
B. It’s more difficult for Andy to understand others in Spanish face to face than on the phone
C. Andy was enjoying himself when visiting places in Spain.
D. Andy would be worried.
Adults usually do not remember most of the things that are taught by their teachers at school. But this story is one such 16 that I will never forget. Every time I drift off course, I think of this story.
It was a normal Monday morning, and my teacher was teaching us on 17 things in life and about devoting ourselves to 18 is important to us. This is how the story went:
An old man lived in a certain part of London, and he would wake up every morning and go to the sub-way. He would 19 the train right to Central London, and then sit at the street corner and 20 . He would do this every single day of his life. He sat at 21 street corner and begged for almost 20 years.
His 22 was dirty, and a stench came out and it smelled terrible. The neighbors could not stand the smell any more, so they called for the police officers to clear the place. The officers knocked down the door and cleaned the house. There were small bags of 23 all over the house 24 he had collected over the years.
The police counted the money, and they soon 25 that the old man was a millionaire. They waited outside his house expecting to ___26__ the good news with him. When the old man arrived home that evening, one of the officers told him that there was no need for him to beg any more as he was a 27 man now, a millionaire.
But the old man said 28 ; he went into his house and locked the door. The next morning he woke up 29 , went to the subway, sat at the street corner and continued to beg.
Clearly, this old man had no great plans, 30 or anything significant for his life. We learn nothing from this story other than staying focused on the things we enjoy doing.
1.A. class B. teacher C. lesson D. study
2.A. interesting B. special C. important D. necessary
3.A. what B. that C. how D. where
4.A. get up B. get onto C. get from D. get to
5.A. sing B. sleep C. think D. beg
6.A. a different B. another C. the same D. a strange
7.A. house B. coat C. cap D. bag
8.A. food B. money C. books D. clothes
9.A. that B. where C. whose D. who
10.A. recognized B. said C. realized D. thought
11.A. tell B. share C. cover D. discuss
12.A. rich B. poor C nice D. bad
13.A. thanks B. something C. nothing D. much
14.A. much later B. much earlier C. so quickly D. as usual
15.A. friends B. jobs C. chances D. dreams
—Would you mind me________ the door ?
—______________. Please do it now.
A. closing, Of course B. to close, Of course not
C. closing, Certainly not D. close, Certainly
— Have all the students know that our class will visit the factory this afternoon.
— Yes , Every student ________ about it.
A. have told B. have been told C. has told D. has been told
