Can you understand the beginning of this article?
“My smmr hols wr CWOT. B4, we usd 2go2 NY 2C my bro, his GF & 3 kds FTF.”
The Scottish teacher who received it in class had no idea what the girl who wrote it meant. The essay was written in a form of English used in cell phone text messages. Text messages (also called SMS2) through cell phones became very popular in the late 1990s. At first, mobile phone companies thought that text messaging would be a good way to send messages to customers, but customers quickly began to use the text messaging service to send messages to each other. Teenagers in particular enjoyed using text messaging, and they began to create a new language for messages called texting.
A text message is limited to 160 characters, including letters, spaces, and numbers, so messages must be kept short. In addition, typing on the small keypad of a cell phone is difficult, so it’s common to make words shorter. In texting, a single letter or number can represent a word, like “r” for “are,” “u” for “you,” and “2” for “to.” Several letters can also represent a phrase, like “lol” for “laughing out loud.” Another characteristic of texting is the leaving out of letters in a word, like spelling “please” as “pls.”
Some parents and teachers worry that texting will make children bad spellers and bad writers. The student who wrote the essay at the top of this page said writing that way was more comfortable for her. (The essay said, “My summer holidays were a complete waste of time. Before, we used to go to New York to see my brother, his girlfriend, and their three kids face to face.”)
Not everyone agrees that texting is a bad thing. Some experts say languages always evolve, and this is just another way for English to change. Other people believe texting will disappear soon. New technology for voice messages may soon make text messages a thing of the past.
1.What is the writer’s opinion of text messaging?
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A．It is fun and easy to do. |
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B．It is not bad for children. |
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C．It will make children bad writers. |
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D．The writer does not give an opinion. |
2.Which way of texting is NOT described in the passage?
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A．Using phrases to represent essays |
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B．Using numbers to represent words |
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C．Using letters to represent phrases |
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D．Using letters to represent words |
3.Which of the following was most probably the title of the student’s essay?
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A．My Gr8 Tchr |
B．CU in LA |
C．My GF |
D．My Smmr Hols |
4.Why do some people think that texting is bad?
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A．It has been replaced by voice message |
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B．It’s too difficult to type. |
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C．Teenagers won’t learn to write correctly. |
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D．It’s not comfortable. |
5.Why aren’t some people worried about the effect of texting?
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A．Not many people use texting. |
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B．Spelling in English is too difficult. |
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C．Teenagers quickly become bored with texting. |
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D．Texting will disappear because of new technology. |
Some people argue that the pressures on international sportsmen and sportswomen kill the essence(本质) of sport-seeking for personal excellence. Children kick a football around for fun. When they get older and play for local school teams, they become competitive but they still enjoy playing. A single person’s representing his country cannot afford to think about enjoying himself; he has to think only about winning. He is responsible for an entire nation’s hopes, dreams and fame.
A good example is the football World Cup. Football is the world’s most important sport. It is even more important now that the United States is seriously taking it up. Winning the World Cup is perhaps the greatest of international sporting success. Mention “Argentina” to someone and the chances are that he’ll think of football. In a sense, winning the World Cup “put Argentina on the map”.
Sports fans and supporters get quite irrational(失去理性的) about the World Cup. People in England felt that their country was somehow important after they won in 1996. Last year thousands of Scots sold their cars, and even their houses and spent all their money traveling to Argentina where the finals were played.
So am I arguing that international competition kills the idea of sports? Certainly not! Do the Argentineans really believe that because eleven of their men proved that most skillful at football, their nation is in every way better than all others? Not really. But it’s known that you won, and that in one way at least your country is best.
1.What is the writer’s main purpose in the passage?
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A．To explain the role of sport |
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B．To compare Scotland with Argentina |
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C．To show that Argentina is better than all others. |
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D．To prove that football is the world’s most important sport. |
2.According to the passage, Argentina is world famous because of its ____.
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A． clear position on the map |
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B． successes in the football World Cup |
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C． excellence at all important sports |
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D．large number of sports fans and supporters |
3.According to the passage, if a sportsman thinks about winning, he will ____.
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A．be irrational |
B．be successful |
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C．fail to succeed |
D．lose enjoyment |
4.What is the writer’s attitude towards international games?
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A．Nations that meet on football are unlikely to meet on a battle field. |
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B．Nations that win in international games prove best on the sports field at least. |
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C．Nations that win the football World Cup are considered as best in all ways. |
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D．Nations that give much attention to international competitions are world-famous in many ways. |
5. From this passage, we can infer that ____.
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A．We should learn from England |
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B．We should play football only for fun, not for fame |
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C．We should learn from Argentina |
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D．We should give chances for other countries to win the World Cup |
It feels like every time my mother and I start to have a conversation, it turns into an argument. We talk about something as simple as dinner plans and suddenly, my mother will push the conversation into World War 3. She’ll talk about my lack of bright future because I don’t plan to be a doctor. And much to her disappointment, I don’t want to do any job related to science, either. In fact, when I was pushed to say that I planned to major(主修) in English and communications, she nearly had a heart attack.
“Why can’t you be like my co-worker’s son?” she bemoans all the time. Her coworker’s son received a four-year scholarship and is now earning 70,000 dollars a year as an engineer. I don’t know what to answer except that I simply can’t be like Mr. Perfect as I’ve called the unnamed co-worker’s son. I can’t be like him. I am the type of the person who loved to help out in the community, write until the sun goes down, and most of all, wants to achieve a career because I love it, not because of a fame or salary.
I understand why my mother is worried about my future major. I’ve seen my mother struggle to raise me on her small salary and work long hours. She leaves the house around 6:30 am and usually comes home around 5 pm or even 6pm. However, I want her to know that by becoming a doctor, it doesn’t mean I’ll be successful. I’d rather follow my dreams and create my own future.
1.Which of the following topics do the writer and his mother often talk about?
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A．the writer’s studies |
B．wars around the world |
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C．dinner plans |
D．the writer’s future job |
2.We can infer from Paragraph 1 that the writer’s mother _____.
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A．doesn’t think the writer should be a doctor |
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B．doesn’t want the writer to major in English |
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C．gets along very well with the writer |
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D．doesn’t think working in the scientific field is a good idea |
3.The underlined word “bemoans” in Paragraph 2 most probably means “________”.
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A．disagrees |
B．shouts |
C．smiles |
D．complains |
4.Which of the following statements is probably TRUE about the writer?
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A．He wants to be like his mother’s co-worker’s son. |
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B．He wants to find a job in his community in the future. |
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C．He wants to do something he really likes in the future. |
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D．He doesn’t think his mother’s co-worker’s son is perfect. |
5.We can know from the last paragraph that ____.
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A．the writer’s mother works very hard for the family |
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B．the writer doesn’t know what his future will be like |
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C．the writer doesn’t think being a doctor is a good job |
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D．the writer sometimes thinks his mother’s advice is very good |
Some people live in the world for body while others for dignity(尊严).
I once took a walk along the street on a Saturday dusk, with a Pepsi can in my hand. An old woman in ragged clothes, 16 was living on collecting used cans, jars and tins, moved slowly towards me, with a bag on the back! _17 (walk) nearer, she looked up at me and then fixed her eyes 18 my can. At that time, I hadn’t finished my cola, so I gave 19 several coins instead.
20 , staring at me for a few seconds, she handed back the money. Quite confused, I asked: “Why not? Isn’t that 21 you want?”
“I am not a beggar,” she said 22 (serious), word by word.
Instantly, I felt so sorry. I ___23___ (plan) to help her, completely misunderstanding her. Thus I hurt her. What I could do at that moment was only to drink up the cola and handed her _24__ emptied can. This time, she gave me a smile with satisfaction and gratitude in her eyes. The woman is poor in material life but is so __25 (respect) as a great person. I am not only moved but also have learned a good lesson.
There are robots all around us. Some do very complicated jobs like flying airplanes and driving subway trains. and some do one simple job. When an automatic washing machine is switched on, water pours in. The machine waits until the water is warm enough for washing clothes. It does this by “feedback”(反馈). Information about what is happening is feedback into the robot to tell what to do next. Our eyes, ears and other senses are our feedback. They tell us what is going on around us. So robots are like human beings in two ways. They work and they have feedback.
In some ways robots are better than human beings. They work quickly and do not make mistakes. They do not get bored doing the same job over and over again. And they never get tired. So robots are very useful in factories. They can be taught to do many different jobs. First their electronic brain must be shown how the job is done. A person moves the robot’s “arms” and “hands” through each part of the job.
The most intelligent robots can move and see. Their eyes are cameras. Their fingers can feel shapes and sizes of the objects. These robots have computer brains linked to their eyes and fingers, which control their actions. The expensive robots are used in scientific research. They do such job as handling radioactive materials.
1.In this passage the author tells us that ________.
A. robots are very popular
B. there are various kinds of robots
C. we see robots only at certain times
D. robots can be easily controlled
2.What does the author seem to inform you about robots?
A. They should be greatly improved.
B. They will probably take over in the future.
C. They are very helpful and useful to humans.
D. They are machines that break down a lot.
3.The author says that in industry ________.
A. robots break down a lot
B. robots can do many jobs
C. robots only get in the way
D. robots sometimes cause troubles
4.The fact that a robot never gets bored doing the same job means that _______.
A. it is very much like human beings
B. it can do boring jobs for people
C. it will never bore people
D. it will work much better than human beings
5.The robots used for scientific research _______.
A. are not very clever B. are very cheap
C. are very big D. are very costly
For the first time in Hong Kong’s history, an entertainer has been written into middle school textbooks. He is considered one of the best actors in Hong Kong. Yes, he is Chow Yun-fat.
The example of his long hard struggle for success has been used in a chapter in a Hong Kong middle school textbook. Using his experience, students can learn to make the most of their time and to grab every opportunity to succeed．
On hearing about this, Chow said happily, “I really hope that my experiences can make young people understand that one should not be afraid of difficulties and setbacks (挫折), for they are the only way to success.”
Indeed, Chow has travelled a long and difficult path to reach his success. In 1955, he was born into a poor family in Hong Kong. When he was 17, he had to leave school. He worked in a number of jobs—as a postman, camera salesman and taxi driver. These experiences paved (铺路) the way for him to play all kinds of roles later in life.
Chow broke into the film industry in the late 1970s. He was one of the hardest working actors and starred in a number of popular TV dramas and films including “Shanghai Bund”(《上海滩》) and “A Better Tomorrow”. Since 1985, he has won many awards including Taiwan's Golden Horse Awards and Hong Kong Film Awards.
In 1995, he went to Hollywood. Although he was already over 40, he had to learn English. He even put chopsticks in his mouth to practise pronouncing certain sounds. His film, “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon”, began to gain him more fame and recognition around the world. In 1998, the mayor of Chicago set aside January 12 as “Chow Yun-fat Day”.
1.Chow Yun-fat has been written into middle school textbooks mainly because ________.
A. he plays best in Hong Kong
B. he keeps on struggling for success
C. his experiences are very special
D. he is well thought of
2.Chow felt ________ when he learned that he had been written into middle school textbooks.
A. surprised B. shy C. sad D. happy
3.What can we infer from the passage?
A. Chow Yun-fat is proud of his success.
B. Chow Yun-fat prefers to make a living by selling cameras rather than by performing.
C. Chow Yun-fat has won more awards than other actors.
D. Chow Yun-fat is popular both at home and abroad.
4.The underlined sentence (in paragraph 6) suggests ________.
A. chopsticks is of great help to practise English pronunciation
B. Chow Yun-fat is willing to struggle with difficulties
C. Chow Yun-fat has suffered a lot before he went to Hollywood
D. it is hard for a person who is over 40 years old to learn spoken English
5.The author wrote this passage to ________.
A. introduce Chow’s films
B. praise Chow for his excellent performance
C. call on people to learn from Chow
D. show why Chow is popular
