If you ask people to name the one person who had the greatest effect on the English language, you will get answers like “Shakespeare,” “Samuel Johnson,” and “Webster,” but none of these men had any effect at all compared to a man who didn’t even speak English – William the Conqueror.
Before 1066, in the land we now call Great Britain lived peoples belonging to two major language groups. In the west-central region lived the Welsh, who spoke a Celtic language, and in the north lived the Scots, whose language, though not the same as Welsh, was also Celtic. In the rest of the country lived the Saxons, actually a mixture of Anglos, Saxons, and other Germanic and Nordic peoples, who spoke what we now call Anglo-Saxon (or Old English), a Germanic language. If this state of affairs had lasted, English today would be close to German.
But this state of affairs did not last. In 1066 the Normans led by William defeated the Saxons and began their rule over England. For about a century, French became the official language of England while Old English became the language of peasants. As a result, English words of politics and the law come from French rather than German. In some cases, modern English even shows a distinction between upper-class French and lower-class Anglo-Saxon in its words. We even have different words for some foods, meat in particular, depending on whether it is still out in the fields or at home ready to be cooked, which shows the fact that the Saxon peasants were doing the farming, while the upper-class Normans were doing most of the eating.
When Americans visit Europe for the first time, they usually find Germany more “foreign” than France because the German they see on signs and advertisements seems much more different from English than French does. Few realize that the English language is actually Germanic in its beginning and that the French influences are all the result of one man’s ambition.
36. The two major languages spoken in what is now called Great Britain before 1066 were _________.
A. Welsh and Scottish B. Nordic and Germanic
C. Celtic and Old English D. Anglo-Saxon and Germanic
37. Which of the following groups of words are, by inference, rooted in French?
A. president, lawyer, beef B. president, bread, water
C. bread, field, sheep D. folk, field, cow
38. Why does France appear less foreign than Germany to Americans on their first visit to Europe?
A. Most advertisements in France appear in English.
B. They know little of the history of the English language.
C. Many French words are similar to English ones.
D. They know French better than German.
39. What is the subject discussed in the text?
A. The history of Great Britain.
B. The similarity between English and French.
C. The rule of England by William the Conqueror.
D. The French influences on the English language.
40. Which of the following statements is NOT true?
A. The Old English was originated from Germanic language.
B. William the Conqueror invaded England and conquered the whole country in 1066.
C. William the conqueror’s great ambition was to introduce French words into the English language.
D. According to the text, Shakespeare’ contribution to the development of the English language is less than that William the conqueror made.
The United Nations says forty million people or so around the world went hungry in 2008,mainly because of higher food prices. Early estimates from the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) show that 963 million people did not get enough to eat.
World food prices have dropped since early 2008.Prices of major crops have decreased by more than half from their height earlier last year. But they remain high compared to earlier years.
But FAO official Hafez Ghana says lower prices have failed to end the food crisis(危机)in many poor countries."For millions in developing countries," he says, "getting enough food every day to live an active and healthy life is a distant dream.”
The FAO says food shortage is a threat to people's health.Today, two-thirds of the world's undernourished people live in just a few countries. These are India, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Pakistan, Ethiopia and so on.
A report on food insecurity warns that the current economic crisis could send even more people into hunger and poverty.
In sub-Saharan Africa, the percentage of the people who continually go hungry fell from 34% in 1997 to 30% in 2008.But the FAO says Ghana is the only country that has reached two sets of hunger reduction targets.These were set by the 1996 World Food Summit and the Millennium Development Goals.The main reason is the growth in agricultural production in Ghana.
The FAO says some countries in Southeast Asia like Thailand and Vietnam have made progress in hunger reduction goals.But South Asia and Central Asia haven't, and North Korea is still in hot water.
31. What FAO official Hafez Ghana says implies _.
A. it's easy but takes long to provide people with enough food
B. enough food can make people more active and healthier
C. there is difficulty solving the food shortage in a short time
D. people in developing countries will never get enough food
32. Ghana has reached the targets of hunger reduction mainly because of _.
A. the still high food prices
B. the donation of developed countries
C. the two targets of hunger reduction
D. the growth in agricultural production
33. The underlined word "undernourished" in Para. 4 probably means _.
A. hungry and unhappy B. unhealthy for lack of food
C. not fat because of poverty D. undeveloped and poor
34. Which country has not made progress in hunger reduction?
A. North Korea B. Thailand C. Vietnam D. Ghana
35. What is the best title of this passage?
A. The food production of the world
B. The hunger reduction target of the FAO
C. The food shortage around the world
D. The solution to the global food shortage
第二节:语法填空(共10小题;每小题1.5分, 满分15分)
If you walked past the supermarket, you would find many foods that have been treated ____16______ (kill) any harmful germs that might have been in them. Milk is a good example. Raw milk --- that is, milk just as it comes from the cow --- may be _____17_____ (safe) to drink. But ____18______ the milk is heated and then cooled, the harmful germs are killed. The man ____19______discovered this way of treating milk was a Frenchman by the name of Louis Pasteur.
In the supermarket you would also find many frozen foods --- frozen fruits, vegetables, meat and fish. As techniques for ____20______ (freeze) food are being improved, more frozen foods are appearing on the market, and more people are buying them. Fruits and vegetables to be sold in the supermarket are often frozen the moment ____21______are picked. The ____22_____(soon) fruits and vegetables are frozen, the better. _______23_____, machines are often taken into the fields where____24______food grows, so that little time is lost _____25_____picking and freezing.
第三节:基础写作(共1小题,满分15分)
假如你是李丽,在加拿大旅游过,你的笔友李华想留学,要了解加拿大的情况,请你用写信告诉他关于加拿大的情况。
【写作内容】
地理 |
世界第二大国,面积约为998万平方公里,是世界上湖泊和淡水最多的国家; |
气候 |
气候地区差异大,比较冷,冬季长; |
留学生活 |
建议选择西部留学,留学生比较少,学费(tuition)较低; |
建议城市 |
Vancouver,加拿大最美、最暖的城市,被大山和太平洋环抱。 |
【写作要求】1、只能用5个句子表达全部内容。
2、开头和结尾已给出,不计入总句数
【评分标准】句子结构准确,信息内容完整,篇章结构连贯。
Dear Li Hua,
I am glad to know that you are going to study in Canada, so I am writing to tell you something about this country.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Best wishes.
Yours,
Li Li
第四部分:写作(共三节,满分45分)
第一节:课文回放:根据课文内容将下面短文补充完整,单词的首字母已经为你写出(注意:在答卷上要写出所填单词的首字母及其它字母的正确形式,否则不给分)。(15分)
☆A (Unit 1 Book 4 Women of Achievements) ★
Jane Goodall, who had intended to work with animals in their own environment since her (66) c_________, went to (67) A________ and devoted herself to (68) _________ (study) the behavior of chimps. It was tough but she considered it as a (69) w_________ career. Through her study, we learned much more about chimps. She argues that the life of these animals should be (70) r_________ and that they should be left in the wild and not used for (71) e_________ or advertisements. Besides, she was very (72) c__________ of these animals. Now, she has achieved everything she wanted to do, which inspired those who want to cheer the achievements of women.
☆B (Unit 2 Book 4 Working the Land) ★
Yuan Longping, a man who graduated from Southwest Agricultural College in 1953 and now works the land, does his research and grows hybrid rice. He is an agricultural (73) p_________ to have a high output of rice without (74) e_________ the area of fields. He devotes his whole life to finding ways to increase the rice output, to (75) f_________ the Chinese and the world people. He is (76) c_________ his knowledge so that more farmers can be free from (77) h_______ and satisfied with their lives. Yuan cares little about his money and fame, devoting a great deal of time and money helping others doing agricultural research. He wishes for more cheap rice for all the people. Yuan Longping is a great (78) p_________.
☆B (Unit 3 Book 4 A Taste of English Humour) ★
Chaplin’s parents were poor music hall performers. It was (79) a__________ that Chaplin was brought up successfully when he was very young. Unfortunately, his parents died, leaving the family even worse off. Chaplin could act the fool doing ordinary everyday tasks. Nobody was ever bored watching him, for he made everything entertaining.
He became known (80) t__________ the world later. He wrote, directed and produced the films he starred in. In 1972, he was given a special Oscar for his outstanding work in films. He spent his last years in Switzerland, where he was buried in 1977.
信息匹配(共5小题;每小题2分,满分10分)
请阅读下列应用文和相关信息,并按照要求匹配信息。请在答题卡上将对应题号的相应选项字母涂黑 (若选择E,请涂AB;若选择F,请涂CD)。
以下是各个电视节目的简介:
Wild World——this exciting show takes you around the world to places of unimaginable natural beauty and danger. Learn more about our world and see animals as they live in nature.
Time:Friday 8.30-9.30 pm
Sports Sunday—learn what’s happening in the world of sport. See how your team performed, find out who is playing and watch interviews with all your favourite sports stars.
Time:Sunday 1-5 pm
The Music Man——John Rogers is a musician by day but a secret superhero crime fighter by night in this long—running television action drama.
Time:Weekdays 3.00-4.00 pm
Lateline——All the latest news and opinions from around the world. If you want to know where there is trouble in the world or the reasons behind the global economic crisis,join our team of award winning journalists.
Time:Weekdays 9—10 pm
Entertainment This Week—Covers the world of entertainment. Hear this week’s number one song, watch the newest movie reviews and listen to all the latest gossip about the stars.
Time:Saturday 6 pm
Pop Star—Hundreds of young and (sometimes) talented performers sing the latest songs and compete to see who will become the nation’s newest Pop Star.
Time:Thursday 7.30 pm
以下是每个人的情况介绍,请匹配每个人与其拟选择的电视节目:
Sarah O’connor. Sarah is trying to decide where she will spend her summer vacation. She has a number of different places in mind but is worried about terrorism and her safety so she doesn’t want to go anywhere that is dangerous or may become dangerous soon.
John Smith. John loves football and as a senior company manager needs to know the latest economic news. He seldom gets home before 10 o’clock at night during the week so he likes to relax in front of TV on the weekend.
Robert Wise. Robert is a fan of action. He loves to watch exciting TV shows whether they are fictional or real. He usually only has time to watch TV on weekday evenings as he works during the day and on weekends he likes to go hiking and camping.
Joan Johnson. Joan is a housewife who sometimes feels bored at home so she enjoys watching exciting TV shows. When the kids are home on the weekends and after school she never gets a chance to watch TV as they want to watch the shows they like.
Bill West. Bill is a music fan and a musician. He is always trying to hear the newest and most popular songs and learn more about his competitors. He is usually free after he finishes work at 5 pm except on weekends when he plays with his musical group in a local club.