(2009.湖北卷):短文写作(共1题;满分25分,
假设你是华华,与英国网友汤姆约定用对方的母语通信,以提高各自的外语水平。最近你收到汤姆的电子邮件(附后),发现有一个成语使用不当。请根据下列要点,用英文回一封电子邮件。
要点:
1.不应使用 “无所不为”,应使用 “无所事事”;
2.说明这两个成语的用法;
3.给予鼓励。
注意: 1.词数为1叨左右;
2.参考释义:无所不为一do all kinds of bad things
无所事事一have nothing to do
3.除以上两个成语外,邮件中不得使用其它汉字或拼音;
4. 电子邮件的开头和结尾已为你写好(不计人你所写词数),但不得抄人答题卡。
附(汤姆的邮件):
华华,你好!
近几天在忙什么事?有什么有意思的事吗?我们的学校放假了,所以这几天在家无所不为,饱食终日,只好上网发伊妹儿。没意思。我决定找份工作,做个自食其力的人。祝好!
汤姆
(以下所给内容不得抄入答题卡)
Hi! Tom
Nice to read your e-mail today. I noticed you’ve begun to use Chinese idioms and used most of them correctly.
…
Hop you’ll find a good job soon.
Huahua
阅读下面短文,并按照题目要求用英语回答问题.
Almost everybody in America will spend a part of his or her life behind a shopping cart(购物手推车). They will, in a lifetime, push the chrome-plated contraptions many miles. But few will know—or even think to ask—who it was that invented them.
Sylvan N. Goldman invented the shopping cart in 1937. At that time he was in the supermarket business. Every day he would see shoppers lugging(吃力地携带) groceries around in baskets they had to carry.
One day Goldman suddenly had the idea of putting baskets on wheels. The wheeled baskets would make shopping much easier for his customers, and would help to attract more business.
On June 4, 1937, Goldman’s first carts were ready for use in his market. He was terribly excited on the morning of that day as customers began arriving. He couldn’t wait to see them using his invention.
But Goldman was disappointed. Most shoppers gave the carts a long look, but hardly anybody would give them a try.
After a while, Goldman decided to ask customers why they weren’t using his carts. “Don’t you think this arm is strong enough to carry a shopping basket?” one shopper replied.
But Goldman wasn’t beaten yet. He knew his carts would be a great success if only he could persuade people to give them a try. To this end, Goldman hired a group of people to push carts around his market and pretend they were shopping! Seeing this, the real customers gradually began copying the phony(假冒的) customers.
As Goldman had hoped, the carts were soon attracting larger and larger numbers of customers to his market. But not only did more people come—those who came bought more. With larger, easier-to-handle baskets, customers unconsciously bought a greater number of items than before.
Today’s shopping carts are five times larger than Goldman’s original model. Perhaps that’s one reason Americans today spend more than five times as much money on food each year as they did before 1937—before the coming of the shopping cart.
1.The underlined words “chrome-plate contraptions” in Paragraph 1 refer to ______.
(No more than 3 words)
2.What was the purpose of Goldman’s invention? (No more than 10 words)
3.Why was Goldman disappointed at first? (No more than 10 words)
4.Why did Goldman hire people to push carts around his market? (No more than 10 words)
5.What do you think of Goldman? Please give your reasons. (No more than 20 words)
The first time I remember noticing I remember noticing the crossing guard was when he waved to me as I drove my son to school. He 16 me with a puzzle ---- all because he waved to me like someone does 17 seeing a close friend. A big, 18 smile accompanied his wave. For the next few days I tried to 19 his face to see if I knew him. I didn’t. Perhaps he had 20 me for someone else. By the time I contented myself with the 21 that he and I were strangers, we were greeting each other warmly every morning like old friends.
Then one day the 22 was solved. As I 23 the school he was standing in the middle of the road 24 his stop sign. I was in live behind four cars. 25 the kids had reached the safety of the sidewalk, he lowered his sign and let the cars 26. To the first he waved and 27 in just the same way he had done to me over the last few days. The kids already had the window down and were happily waving their reply. The second car got the same 28 from the crossing guard, and the driver, a stiff-looking(表情刻板的) businessman, gave a brief, almost 29 wave back. Each following car of kids on their way to school 30 more heartily.
Every morning I continued to watch the man with 31. So far I haven’t seen anyone 32 to wave back. I find it interesting that one person can make such a(n) 33 to so many people’s lives by doing one simple thing like waving and smiling warmly. His 34 armed the start of my day. With a friendly wave and smiling face he had changed the 35 of the whole neighbourhood.
16. A. hit B. disappointed C. presented D. bored
17. A. on B. from C. during D. about
18. A. false B. shy C. apologetic D. bright
19. A. research B. study C. recognize D. explore
20. A. praised B. blamed C. mistaken D. respected
21. A. conclusion B. description C. evaluation D. introduction
22. A. argument B. disagreement C. mystery D. task
23. A. visited B. approached C. passed D. left
24. A. drawing back B. putting on C. handing in D. holding out
25. A. Once B. Before C. Unless D. While
26. A. in B. through C. out D. down
27. A. cried B. cheered C. smiled D. gestured
28. A. idea B. reply C. notice D. greeting
29. A. awkward B. angry C. elegant D. patient
30. A. came B. responded C. hurried D. appeared
31. A. surprise B. frustration C. interest D. doubt
32. A. fail B. try C. wish D. bother
33. A. offer B. sacrifice C. promise D. difference
34. A. effectiveness B. cheerfulness C. carefulness D. seriousness
35. A. trends B. observations C. regulations D. feelings
D
Next time a customer comes to your office, offer him a cup of coffee. And when you’re doing your holiday shopping online, make sure you’re holding a large glass of iced tea. The physical sensation(感觉) of warmth encourages emotional warmth, while a cold drink in hand prevents you from making unwise decisions—those are the practical lesson being drawn from recent research by psychologist John A. Bargh.
Psychologists have known that one person’s perception(感知) of another’s “warmth” is a powerful determiner in social relationships. Judging someone to be either “warm” or “cold” is a primary consideration, even trumping evidence that a “cold” person may be more capable. Much of this is rooted in very early childhood experiences, Bargh argues, when babies’ conceptual sense of the world around them is shaped by physical sensations, particularly warmth and coldness. Classic studies by Harry Harlow, published in 1958, showed monkeys preferred to stay close to a cloth “mother” rather than one made of wire, even when the wire “mother” carried a food bottle. Harlow’s work and later studies have led psychologists to stress the need for warm physical contact from caregivers to help young children grow into healthy adults with normal social skills.
Feelings of “warmth” and “coldness” in social judgments appear to be universal. Although no worldwide study has been done, Bargh says that describing people as “warm” or “cold” is common to many cultures, and studies have found those perceptions influence judgment in dozens of countries.
To test the relationship between physical and psychological warmth, Bargh conducted an experiment which involved 41 college students. A research assistant who was unaware of the study’s hypotheses(假设), handed the students either a hot cup of coffee, or a cold drink, to hold while the researcher filled out a short information form: The drink was then handed back. After that, the students were asked to rate the personality of “Person A” based on a particular description. Those who had briefly held the warm drink regarded Person A as warmer than those who had held the iced drink.
“We are grounded in our physical experiences even when we think abstractly,” says Bargh.
1.According to Paragraph 1, a person’s emotion may be affected by ______.
A.the visitors to his office |
B.the psychology lessons he has |
C.his physical feeling of coldness |
D.the things he has bought online |
2.The author mentions Harlow’s experiment to show that ______.
A.adults should develop social skills |
B.babies need warm physical contact |
C.caregivers should be healthy adults |
D.monkeys have social relationships |
3.In Bargh’s experiment, the students were asked to ______.
A.evaluate someone’s personality |
B.write down their hypotheses |
C.fill out a personal information form |
|
D.hold coffee and cold drink alternatively |
4.We can infer from the passage that ______.
A.abstract thinking does not come from physical experiences |
B.feelings of warmth and coldness are studied worldwide |
C.physical temperature affects how we see others |
D.capable persons are often cold to others |
5.What would be the best title for the passage?
A.Drinking for Better Social Relationships. |
B.Experiments of Personality Evaluation. |
C.Developing Better Drinking Habits. |
D.Physical Sensations and Emotions. |
Tens of thousands of theatre tickets will be given away to young people next year as part of a government campaign to inspire a lifelong love for theatre.
The plan to offer free seats to people aged between 18 to 26—funded with £2.5 million of taxpayers’ money—was announced yesterday by Andy Burnham, the Culture Secretary. It received a cautious welcome from some in the arts world, who expressed concern that the tickets may not reach the most underprivileged.
The plan comes as West End theatres are enjoying record audiences, thanks largely to musicals teaming up with television talent shows. Attendances reached. 13.6 million in 2007, up 10 percent on 2006, itself a record year. Total sales were up 18 percent on 2006 to almost £470 million.
One theatre source criticised the Government’s priorities(优先考虑的事) in funding free tickets when pensioners were struggling to buy food and fuel, saying: “I don’t know why the Government’s wasting money on this. The Yong Vic, as The Times reported today, offers excellent performances at cheap prices.”
There was praise for the Government’s plan from Dominic Cooke of the Royal Court Theatre, who said: “I support any move to get young people into theatre, and especially one that aims to do it all over England, not just in London.”
Ninety-five publicly funded theatres could apply for funding under the two-year plan. In return, they will offer free tickets on at least one day each week to 18 to 26-year-olds, first-come, first-served. It is likely to be on Mondays, traditionally a quiet night for the theatre.
Mr. Burnham said: “A young person attending the theatre can find it an exciting experience, and be inspired to explore a new world. But sometimes people miss out on it because they fear it’s ‘not for them’. It’s time to change this perception.”
Jeremy Hunt, the Shadow Culture Secretary, said: “The real issue is not getting enthusiastic children into the theatre, but improving arts education so that more young people want to go in the first place. For too many children theatres are a no-go area.”
1.Critics of the plan argued that ______.
A.the theatres would be overcrowded |
B.it would be a waste of money |
C.pensioners wouldn’t get free tickets |
D.the government wouldn’t be able to afford it |
2.According to the supporters, the plan should ______.
A.benefit the television industry |
B.focus on producing better plays |
C.help increase the sales of tickets |
D.involve all the young people in England |
3.Which of the following is TRUE about the plan?
A.Ninety-five theatres have received funding. |
B.Everyone will get at least one free ticket. |
C.It may not benefit all the young people. |
D.Free tickets are offered once every day. |
4.We can infer from the passage that in England ______.
A.many plays are not for young people |
B.many young people don’t like theatre |
C.people know little about the plan |
D.children used to receive good arts education |
5.According to the passage, the issue to offer free tickets to young people seems ______.
A.controversial |
B.inspiring |
C.exciting |
D.unreasonable |
I am a writer. I spend a great deal of my time thinking about the power of language—the way it can evoke(唤起) an emotion, a visual image, a complex idea, or a simple truth. Language is the tool of my trade. And I use them all—all the Englishes I grew up with.
Born into a Chinese family that had recently arrived in California, I’ve been giving more thought to the kind of English my mother speaks. Like others, I have described it to people as “broken” English. But feel embarrassed to say that. It has always bothered me that I can think of no way to describe it other than “broken”, as if it were damaged and needed to be fixed, as if it lacked a certain wholeness. I’ve heard other terms used, “limited English,” for example. But they seem just as bad, as if everything is limited, including people’s perceptions(认识)of the limited English speaker.
I know this for a fact, because when I was growing up, my mother’s “limited” English limited my perception of her. I was ashamed of her English. I believed that her English reflected the quality of what she had to say. That is ,because she expressed them imperfectly her thoughts were imperfect. And I had plenty of evidence to support me: the fact that people in department stores, at banks, and at restaurants did not take her seriously, did not give her good service, pretended not to understand her, or even acted as if they did not hear her.
I started writing fiction in 1985. And for reasons I won’t get into today, I began to write stories using all the Englishes I grew up with: the English she used with me, which for lack of a better term might be described as “broken”, and what I imagine to be her translation of her Chinese, her internal(内在的) language, and for that I sought to preserve the essence, but neither an English nor a Chinese structure: I wanted to catch what language ability tests can never show; her intention, her feelings, the rhythms of her speech and the nature of her thoughts.
1.By saying “Language is the tool of my trade”, the author means that ______.
A.she uses English in foreign trade |
B.she is fascinated by languages |
C.she works as a translator |
D.she is a writer by profession |
2.The author used to think of her mother’s English as ______.
A.impolite |
B.amusing |
C.imperfect |
D.practical |
3.Which of the following is TRUE according to Paragraph 3?
A.Americans do not understand broken English. |
B.The author’s mother was not respected sometimes. |
C.The author’ mother had positive influence on her. |
D.Broken English always reflects imperfect thoughts. |
4.The author gradually realizes her mother’s English is _____.
A.well structured |
B.in the old style |
C.easy to translate |
D.rich in meaning |
5.What is the passage mainly about?
A.The changes of the author’s attitude to her mother’s English. |
B.The limitation of the author’s perception of her mother. |
C.The author’s misunderstanding of “limited” English. |
D.The author’s experiences of using broken English. |