Do you ever wonder why the English have one word for some animals and a different one for their meat?
Why do they use pig and pork, cow and beef, and sheep and mutton?
To find out, we have to go back to 1066, when the Norman French invaded England and put a French king on the English throne (王位), which not only changed the government but also changed the language. French became the language of the upper classes of society. And it remained that way for 300 years. Only these high society people could afford to eat meat. As a result, French words like porc（pork）and beouf （beef） came into the English language. However, poor English farmers raised the animals. So the English language retained the words pig and cow from the Native Anglo-Saxon．
The Norman French added about 10,000 French words to the English language. Seventy-five percent of them are still in use today.
According to language experts, English speakers who have never studied French may already know 15,000 French words! Between one-third and two-thirds of all English words have French origins. Some words such as “possible” and “avenue” are the same in French and English; only the pronunciations change. Other words such as “ballet” keep their French pronunciations in both languages.
In French grammar, nouns have either a male or female gender (性别), so adjectives take different forms for each. English has only one adjective that does this, and it came from French. The word “blond” describes someone with light-colored hair. “Blond” is used for men, and “blonde” describes women. And they are also nouns.
Some French words that entered the English language have completely different meanings. The French phrase “a la mode” means “in style”. In English, the phrase means “with the ice cream”. Someone must have decided something eaten with ice cream was in style!
Now, as you learn English, you’re on your way to learning French!
1.French was once popular among the upper classes of the UK because __________.
A. too many French moved to Britain
B. French brought animals with them
C. the king and his officials spoke French
D. the king allowed French to be spoken
2.Why does an English speaker find French easy to learn?
A. Because English and French share similar pronunciations．
B. Because English grammar and French grammar are similar．
C. Because a large number of English words have French origins．
D. Because English has great influences on the French language．
3.What conclusion can we draw from the text?
A. Language is closely related to history and culture.
B. French and English words have little in common.
C. Language is controlled by the upper classes of society.
D. French combines English and the Native Anglo-Saxon.
I was aged 9 the moment I discovered my father was seriously sick. It was 1994, but I can well remember my mother’s words as though it were yesterday: “Maggie, I don’t want you to take ______ from your father, because he has AIDS. Be very cautious when you are around him.”
AIDS wasn’t something we talked about in my country when I was growing up. From then on, I knew that this would be a family ______. My parents were not together anymore, and my dad lived alone. For a while, he could attend to himself. But when I was 12, his condition worsened. My father’s other children lived far away, so it ______ to me to look after him.
We couldn’t _____ all the necessary medication for him, and because Dad was unable to work, I had no money for school supplies and often couldn’t ______ buy food for dinner. I ______ sit in class feeling completely ______. The teacher’s words were ________ as I tried to figure out how I was going to manage.
I did not ______ my burden with anyone. I had seen how people ______ to AIDS. Kids laughed at classmates who had parents with the disease. And even adults could be _____. When my father was ______ to the hospital, the nurses would leave his food on the bedside table even though he was too fragile to feed himself.
I had known that he was going to die, but after so many years of keeping his ______ a secret, I was truly ______ when he reached his final days. ______ and down, I called a woman at the non-profit National AIDS Support. That day, she ______ me on the phone for hours. I was so lucky to find someone who cared. She saved my life. I was 15 when my father ______ on. He took his secret away with him, having never spoken about AIDS to anyone, even me. He didn’t want to call ______ to AIDS. I do.
1.A. trust B. joke C. food D. fun
2.A. disease B. project C. challenge D. secret
3.A. fell B. sent C. chose D. left
4.A. afford B. offer C. select D. prepare
5.A. only B. even C. yet D. still
6.A. might B. should C. could D. would
7.A. moved B. lost C. bored D. nervous
8.A. rolled B. eaten C. proved D. drowned
9.A. pack B. compare C. share D. affect
10.A. applied B. escaped C. reacted D. referred
11.A. cruel B. curious C. considerate D. confused
12.A. admitted B. concerned C. removed D. sentenced
13.A. dream B. promise C. instruction D. condition
14.A. calm B. religious C. unprepared D. devoted
15.A. Red B. Black C. Green D. Blue
16.A. kept B. talked C. reminded D. replied
17.A. died B. hid C. passed D. sighed
18.A. relief B. attention C. support D. Trouble
----As a newspaper ________ it, "See You Again" from the box-office hit "Furious7" was in remembrance of Paul Walker. When did he die?
----Well, it was in November, 2013 ________ he sat in the passenger seat of a Porsche travelling at 90mph in a 45 limit zone.
A. said; that B. put; when
C. told; that D. wrote; when
________ running a major campaign against corruption (腐败), discipline watchdogs across China have been on a drive against unprofessional behavior among local officials.
A. In addition B. Thanks to
C. In spite of D. As well as
----I would describe Mum’s menu of steaks, smoked chicken and roast beef as ________.
----I am ________ you. A healthy diet is basic necessity.
A. heavy; with B. energetic; for
C. protective; on D. body-building; by
----Maybe they will let us in without tickets.
----A ________ chance of that! We will probably have to pay.
A. slim B. distant C. cool D. Raw
