Can you remember the day when you spoke your first word? If you can, you are unusual. Try to imagine what first few months of your life were like. I am sure you just spent most of your time eating, sleeping and crying. As you grow older, you were awake more of the time. It took your parents more time to play with you and talk to you. You watched and listened curiously. You began to know that people made certain sounds to go with certain things.
Then you began to try making the sounds you heard. And step by step you were able to make the right sound for one thing.
On that day you came to understand the secret of language. The secret is that a certain sound means a certain thing. One sound might be as good as another. But it is no good as a word unless everybody agrees on its meaning. Only when a group of people use the same set of sounds of things, can they understand each other. Then, and only then do these people have a LANGUAGE.
After you found the secret of language, you learned words. Some of the words meant things, such as BOOKS, CHAIRS and SHOES. Some words meant doing things, such as GO and SWIM. And other words describe things, such as GOOD and DIRTY. Soon you learned to put words together to express one's idea, such as "1 want to go out and play with my friends." This is language. By means of language people can communicate. So we say languages are means of communication.
1. can remember the day when___________.
A. One; he spoke his first word
B. No one; he spoke his first word
C. Most people; they spoke their first words
D. None; they spoke their first words
2.When you were a little baby, you_________.
A. made sounds to let people know that you wanted to eat
B. spent most of your time playing with your parents
C. could not hear any sound around you
D. spent most of your time eating, playing and crying
3.The secret of language is that____________.
A. one sound might be as good as another
B. people can understand each other
C. a certain sound is for a certain thing
D. there is a special sound for each person
4.You could learn words_____________.
A. before you knew what the language was
B. after you knew what the language was
C. if you knew the secret of the language
D. when you were a baby
5.The aim in using language is .
A. to get everything one wants from others
B. to say what one wants to know
C. to share ideas, opinions, news, etc with one another
D. to make oneself understood by others
The best way of learning a language is using it. The best way of learning English is talking in English as much as possible. Sometimes you'll get your words mixed up (混合) and people will not understand you. Sometimes people will say things too quickly and you can't understand them. But if you keep your sense of humor , you can always have a good laugh at the mistakes you make. Don't be unhappy if people seem to be laughing at your mistakes. It's better for people to laugh at your mistakes than to be angry with you, because they don't understand what you are saying. The most important thing for learning English is: "Don't be afraid of making mistakes because everyone makes mistakes."
1.The writer thinks that the most important thing for you to learn a language is___________.
A. reading B. practicing
C. talking about it D. listening
2.What should you do in learning English?
A. Try to make some mistakes.
B. Avoid making any mistakes.
C. Remember as many new words as you can.
D. Use it as often as you cam
3.If people laugh at the mistakes you make, you should ___________.
A. be angry with them B. be angry with yourself
C. not care D. believe you are right
4.When you make a mistake, you should___________.
A. never make any mistakes again
B. tell others not to make the same mistake
C. punish yourself for making it
D. keep your sense of humor
5.The story tell us:" ___________."
A. It is normal that we make some mistakes in learning English
B. Everyone must make mistakes
C. We can avoid making mistakes in learning a language
D. Laughing can help one learn English well
Everyone needs friends. We all like to feel close to someone. It is nice to have a friend to talk, laugh and do things with. Surely, there are times when we need to be alone. We don't always want people around. But we would feel lonely if we never had a friend.
No two people are the same. Sometimes friends don't get along well, which doesn't mean that they no longer like each other. Most of the time they will go on being friends. Sometimes friends move away, then we feel very sad. We miss them much, but we can call them and write to them. Maybe we would never see them again, and we can make new friends. It is surprising to find out how much we like new people when we get to know them. Families sometimes name their children after a close friend. Many places are named after men and women, if they are friendly to people in a town. Some libraries are named this way. So are some schools. We think of these people when we go to these places.
There's more good news for people, if they have friends. These people live longer than those people if those don't have friends. Why? It could be that they are happier. Being happy helps you stay well. Or it could be just knowing that someone cares, if someone cares about you, you take better care of yourself.
1.The first paragraph tells us __________.
A. none needs friends
B. we always need friends around us
C. making friends is the need in people's life
D. we need to be alone
2.Which of the following is what the writer doesn't say in the passage?
A. People are happy when their friends leave them.
B. People may never see their friends after their friends move away.
C. People can know their friends in different ways.
D. People like their friends very much if they get to know them.
3.Which of the following is the most probable place people name after friendly people?
A. A house. B. A room.
C. A library. D. A village.
4.If people have friends, they would live longer, because __________.
A. they feel happier and healthier
B. they get a lot of help from their friends
C. they take better care of themselves
D. both A and C
5. This passage tells us __________.
A. that people are all friends
B. that people need friends
C. how to get to know friends
D. how to name a place
Billy，a hardworking student，is fourteen years old and in the ninth grade. He has a parttime job that ____ him up every morning at five o’clock，when most people are still sound ____ .He is a newspaper boy.
Each morning，Billy leaves the house at 5∶15 to go to the ____ where the newspapers always are. The newspapers were ____ to the corner by truck at midnight. He always takes a wagon(小推车) to ____ them.
In the winter it is still dark ____ he gets up every day，but during the rest of the year it is ____.Billy must send the newspapers to the houses of people on his___ in all kinds of weather. He tries to put each paper on the porch(门廊) where it will be ____ from wind，rain or snow. Sometimes his customers give him tips，____ him very excited.
Billy earns about $70 per month through hard ____，and he is saving some of the money to go to ____，where he has always been longing to go. Besides that，he ____ the rest of the earnings on records and clothes. Once a month，he has to collect the ____at night since many of them work during the day. That is when he is ___ so that he is full of excitement. Luckily，he gets ____ supported by his family. Sometimes，when Billy is sick，his brother offers to deliver(递送) the newspapers for him. Once，his father was too ____ to help.
Billy has seventy customers now，but he doesn`t feel ____ about the number.
He dreams that he will get ____ customers as possible some day.____，he might win a prize for being an outstanding newspaper boy. He wants to win a trip to Europe，but he will be happy if he wins a new bicycle.
1.A. wakes B．takes C．gets D．picks
2.A. asleep B．awake C．wake up D．sleepy
3.A. corner B．street C．room D．department
4.A. given B．addressed C．handed D．delivered
5.A. carry B．bring C．send D．load
6.A. which B．while C．that D．when
7.A. short B．black C．light D．long
8.A. road B．way C．route(投递路线)D．path
9.A. protected B．stopped C．kept D．prevented
10.A. making B．letting C．leading D．causing
11.A. attempt B．job C．work D．struggle
12.A. abroad B．school C．college D．hospital
13.A. costs B．spends C．pays D．uses
14.A. paper B．money C．newspapers D．records
15.A. depressed B．energetic C．satisfied D．moved
16.A.very B．great C．greatly D．a lot of
17.A. likely B．reluctant C．tried D．willing
18.A. satisfied B．pleasant C．contented D．happy
19.A. many more B．as much C．as many D．much more
20.A. If that B．If so C．Besides D．What’s more
— Let’s go to a movie after work, OK?
— _____________
A. Not at all. B. Why not?
C. Never mind. D. What of it?
He is said to be very rich, but I don’t understand why he is always _______.
A. in uniform B. in fashion
C. in trouble D. in rags
