If English is not your first language, it is a good idea to take English language classes to improve your written and spoken communication skills. There are many ways to learn English. You can learn from a book, a DVD, on the Internet or by attending classes. One of the most successful ways to improve your English is to join a course in a country where English is widely spoken. The more you practice, the more you will learn. But why learn the English language? English is an important language for anyone who is planning to travel or become involved in business.
Many people love travelling, but if their English is poor, it can be difficult to understand signs, read directions and make themselves understood. Before travelling, it is important to understand the culture and customs of the places you visit. Learning basic English before you travel will help you to understand these customs and avoid mistakes that could be embarrassing. When you are travelling, you will also enjoy meeting new people. If you can speak English, you will have a better chance of being able to communicate with the people you meet. Many of your new friends will speak English and others will have English as a second language. Without English, your friendships will be limited as you travel around the world.
If you are involved in business, it is important to be able to communicate in English. The Internet, world travel and modern communication systems have made the world seem like a much smaller place. These days business people interact with customers and other business people from all over the world. That makes your English language skills more important than ever. There are many English language courses that major in business communications. Improving your English skills is one of the best things you could ever do to increase your chances of business success.
1. What kind of people is English important to according to the passage?
A. Travelers. B. Teachers. C. Students. D. Language experts.
2.Which of the following is the best way to learn English well?
A. Travelling around the world with English-speakers.
B. Taking a course in an English-speaking country.
C. Learning from all kinds of books or DVDs.
D. Learning on the Internet by yourselves.
3.According to the passage, which of the following is NOT the aim of learning basic English?
A. To research the causes of cultural differences.
B. To understand the customs of your destination.
C. To avoid embarrassing mistakes on your journey.
D. To have more opportunities to communicate with others.
4. What is the main idea of the third paragraph?
A. The more you practice, the more you will learn.
B. Doing business helps to improve your communication skills.
C. English is important for anyone who is involved in business.
D. The Internet has made the world become smaller and smaller.
5.We can infer from the passage that _____.
A. learning English well will make you achieve goals more easily
B. learning English only aims at achieving business success
C. without learning English, your friendships will be limited wherever you are
D. you needn’t learn English if you don’t want to travel
A 34-year-old mother has spoken of how she woke up thinking she was 15 years old and living in 1992.
Naomi Jacobs, from Manchester, was convinced she was still a teenager. In her mind, John Major was Prime Minister and George Bush Sr. was running the White House. She also showed how she screamed when a boy appeared and called her “Mum”. Mobile phones and e-mails were puzzling and Google, Facebook and YouTube sounded like made-up words, she said.
Ms. Jacobs, who had no memory of the years, was told by doctors that she had Transient Global Amnesia (TGA). She has now written a book about the experience which happened in 2008.
“I fell asleep in 1992 as a brave, very confident know-it-all-15-year-old, and woke up as a 32-year-old single mum living in a rented house,” Ms. Jacobs said. “The last thing I remember was falling asleep in my bed, dreaming about a boy in my class. When I woke up, I looked in the mirror and had the fright of my life when I saw an old woman with wrinkles staring back at me. Then a little boy appeared and started calling me Mum. That’s when I started to scream. I didn’t know who he was. I didn’t think he was much younger than I was, and I certainly didn’t remember giving birth to him. I began sobbing uncontrollably. I just wanted my mum. I couldn’t get my head around going to bed one night and waking up in a different century.”
TGA is a rare type of amnesia which can occur suddenly, affecting around three people per 100,000 each year. Fortunately, permanent memory loss is rare. Ms. Jacobs’ memory started to return after eight weeks.
Some people who often suffer from migraines (偏头痛) also appear to be more likely to have TGA. The cause of TGA is unknown. Some think that it may be caused by a temporary cut of blood flow to parts of the brain involved in memory.
1. When a little boy came to call her “Mum”, Naomi Jacobs was _____.
A. excited B. frightened C. worried D. embarrassed
2.What was the last thing Naomi Jacobs could remember?
A. She was a brave and confident girl.
B. She met an old woman with wrinkles.
C. George Bush Sr. was elected President.
D. She fell asleep dreaming of a boy in her class.
3.According to the text, TGA _____.
A. is quite common
B. is caused by brain injuries
C. results in permanent memory loss
D. causes people to lose part of their memory
4.What’s the main idea of the text?
A. Naomi Jacobs has a poor memory.
B. Naomi Jacobs gets an amazing career after TGA.
C. Naomi Jacobs wakes up with the memory of her youth.
D. Naomi Jacobs succeeds in overcoming the disease.
5.According to the passage, we know _______.
A. Ms. Jacobs’ memory returned to normal now
B. Ms. Jacobs often doesn’t remember things
C. Ms. Jacobs has not got married yet
D. Ms. Jacobs is very young now in deed
Complete the following passage by filling in each blank with one word that best fits the context.
Now it is becoming more and more popular to chat over the Internet, because you can find it 1.______ expensive to do that than to make a long distance call. This makes Internet chatting2.______ attractive option if you live far away from family and friends, 3.____ you are on a budget.
You can also complete 4.______ tasks while chatting over the Internet. For example, you can read and reply to emails, finish typing a document, or have a conversation 5._____ someone who is in the room. This can be an advantage 6._____ you are busy and don’t have much time for personal chatting. This can also be a disadvantage because you aren’t giving the other person or task your full attention.
Because you can do kinds of tasks 7.______ chatting on the Internet, it can become easy to lose track of time. You can end up chatting longer than you intended to, 8._____ can make it difficult to complete other tasks.
As a teaching student, I was sent on my first practice at a high school．During my practice, I realized high school hadn't changed since I was there and still an awful place of Cliques（派系）．
Jess, a Year 8 student, always respected her classmates, the lack of respect she usually received in return．Kids constantly laughed at her behind her back．As a teacher, your instinct（本能） is to students like Jess, but you soon realize that there's only so much you can actually do．
Tyson was at the end of the scale（等级）．A handsome Year 12 student, and always surrounded by mates, it was clear that he was a confident and popular young man．
When Jess asked to perform a solo act （独唱）in the school talent show, I to allow her to take the stage, fearing that she might face teasing．However, I knew that it would be unfair to say no on these grounds, so her name made it onto the list of ．
The day of the show, the whole school in the auditorium（礼堂）．Shortly after the acts began, it was Jess's ．Smiling, she stepped onto stage．The music started and, to my horror, she the first line of the song．She became confused , sang in the wrong key and forgot her lyrics （歌词）．As she struggled through the song, kids whispered and laughed．
Jess looked and was about to give up when the sound of somebody clapping along to the of the song began to rise above the crowd．It was Tyson．
He was clapping proudly and urged his friends to join in and, surprisingly, they did．
Slowly, from Tyson's group to the rest of Year 12, finally throughout the auditorium, the claps spread．
The smile on Jess's face that day is one that I'll never forget．Tyson changed my life by restoring my in the goodness of youth．
1.A．excitedly B．disappointedly C．gratefully D．curiously
2.A．in spite of B．owing to C．Apart from D．In addition to
3.A．dislike B．praise C．forgive D．protect
4.A．same B．right C．opposite D．general
5.A．agreed B．decided C．demanded D．hesitated
6.A．teachers B．classmates C．performers D．partners
7.A．watched B．collected C．marched D．celebrated
8.A．turn B．role C．step D．choice
9.A．passed B．sang C．remembered D．missed
10.A．hopeless B．guilty C．bored D．unprepared
11.A．sound B．meaning C．beat D．ring
12.A．touch B．faith C．strength D．power
Is it He Long Sports Centre you are going to watch the football match?
A. where B. that C. which D. when
I lunch when I learned that former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher had passed away.
A. ate B. had eaten C. was eating D. were eating
