Have you ever heard of tandem? The word itself means a bicycle built with saddles for two riders sitting one behind the other. However, when we learn a foreign language, we can find a native speaker
who wishes to learn our languages. So we both get a chance to practice. This is the tandem exchange.
For example, I’m a native English speaker but I want to learn Spanish. So I go to a tandem meeting. There I can find a native Spanish speaker who wants to improve his or her English. Then we become “tandem” partners. I speak English with my Spanish tandem partner for about an hour and help him or her with some English problems. After that, we speak Spanish for an hour, too. The idea of this language exchange is great because we can learn something about a language that we may not learn in class. This is the main reason why we can choose the tandem exchange as a way to learn a new language.
In the tandem exchange, we can also read passages with our partner. This way we can not only practice our pronunciation but also understand the meaning of difficult words in other languages. We can then have conversations about the passages in order to practice our speaking and listening.
So I advise you to participate in the tandem exchange. If there’s no foreigner around you, online tandem exchange is also a good choice. Join in the tandem exchange and enjoy the opportunity of learning new languages and understanding the cultures of other countries!
1.Which of the following is a tandem bicycle?
A. 
B. 
C.
D.
2.What is the main reason for choosing the tandem exchange?
A. We can make more friends.
B. We can learn something about a language that we may not learn in class.
C. We can improve our pronunciation.
D. We can learn Spanish in the tandem exchange.
3.Which language skill is NOT practiced in the tandem exchange according to the passage?
A. Speaking. B. Writing. C. Reading. D. Listening.
4.The underlined phrase “participate in” means “ ”.
A. take in B. make up C. take part in D. give up
A
1. How old was King when he died?
A. 29. B. 39. C. 65. D. 68.
2.Which of the following is RIGHT?
A. King was born in Tennessee.
B. King led a bus boycott in Alabama.
C. King received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1963.
D. King gave his “I Have a Dream” speech in 1963 in Atlanta, Georgia.
3.What’s the purpose of the time line in this article?
A. To teach the students to draw a time line.
B. To introduce Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
C. To tell more about Martin Luther King Jr.
D. To explain why whites and blacks were separated.
完形填空。
I enjoy telling stories. To those parents and teachers who telling children’s stories, I have an important — tell your story seriously. No matter how silly you think it is, ________ it is good enough to tell, you should tell it seriously. You should tell the story ________ the attitude (态度) of the children towards it. Perhaps I can make it by telling a story.
A few students of a class had prepared the story of “The Fisherman and His Wife”. The first girl felt that it was a silly story. She tried to tell it ________ , but some parts of it ________ her feel ashamed. When she came to the words, “Oh, man of the sea, come, listen to me. For Alice, my wife …” she said them very ________ . The next time she came to the same words, she said them so fast and so low that they ________ be heard. And when she tried to repeat the words the last time, she could ________ go on.
Of course everybody laughed, but the flavor (意味) of the story was broken.
Now, it was Kate’s turn to tell the ________ story. Each of her rising and falling tones (声调) showed her ________ attitude to the story. When she repeated the words, “Oh, man of the sea, come …”, the whole class could ________ the fisherman’s feeling.
Those words may ________ silly, but they are important for expressing the fisherman’s feeling. If the person who tells the story thinks they are silly, ________ can see no flavor at all! So please tell your story seriously.
1.A. forget B. finish C. prefer D. hate
2.A. mistake B. trouble C. decision D. suggestion
3.A. so B. until C. if D. although
4.A. in B. with C. about D. without
5.A. clearer B. louder C. more important D. more successful
6.A. simply B. well C. badly D. quietly
7.A. left B. got C. watched D. made
8.A. slowly B. easily C. quickly D. impolitely
9.A. need B. needn’t C. could D. couldn’t
10.A. hardly B. still C. always D. mostly
11.A. latest B. oldest C. same D. different
12.A. negative B. serious C. general D. strange
13.A. hide B. change C. invent D. imagine
14.A. sound B. taste C. smell D. feel
15.A. tellers B. listeners C. singers D. Members
—I’ll be away on a business trip. Would you mind looking after my cat?
—Not at all. ________________.
A. I have no time. B. I’d rather not.
C. I’d like it. D. With pleasure.
—Do you know ____________? —Let me have a guess. Is that Ms Luo?
A. whom we can ask for help
B. who go with us
C. whose the bicycle belongs to
D. how to call the woman in white
Your parents care______ about your marks that you always feel stressed.
A. too much B. much too C. very much D. so much
