Lie in bed, by an open window, and listen…
“No air conditioning? How can you sleep?” a friend asks, horrified. I tell her my family has decided to shut the air conditioner off and reduce our electric bill.
On this first night of our cost-cutting adventure, it's only 85 degrees. We're not going to suffer, but the three kids complain anyway.
They've grown up in 72-degree comfort, protected from the world outside.
“How do you open these windows?” my husband asks. Shaking the metal ribs(插销), he finally releases one. Bug bodies decorate the window shelf. As we spring the windows one by one, the night noises howl outside---and in.
“It's too hot to sleep,” my 13-year-old daughter complains. “I’m about to die from this heat,” her brother complains down the hall. “Just try it tonight,” I tell them. In truth I'm too tired to argue for long. My face is sweaty, but I lie quietly listening to the cricket choirs(合唱) outside that remind me of childhood.
The neighbor's dog howls. Probably a passing squirrel. It's been years since I've taken the time to really listen to the night.
I think about Grandma, who lived to 92 and still helped with my Mom's gardening until just a few weeks before she died. And then, I'm back there at her house in the summer heat of my childhood. I move my pillow to the foot of Grandma's bed and angle my face toward the open window. I turn the pillow, hunting for the cooler side.
Grandma sees me turn over and over. “If you'll just watch for the breeze(清风),” she says,“you'll cool off and fall asleep.” She cranks up the Venetian blinds(百叶窗). I stare at the filmy white curtain, willing it to move. Lying still, waiting, I suddenly notice the life outside the window. The bug chorus. Neighbors, porch-sitting late, speak in unclear words that calm me.“Mom, did you hear that?” my seven-year-old son cries. “I think it was an owl family.” “Probably,” I tell him. “Just keep listening…”
Without the working air conditioner, the house is oddly peaceful, and the unfiltered(未过滤的) night noises seem close enough to touch. I hope I'm awake tonight when the first breeze sneaks in.
1.What is the point the writer wants to make in the passage?
A. We should learn to save electricity.
B. A peaceful mind is important in modern life.
C. We should care about the outside world rather than one’s inner world.
D. Modern men live too comfortable a life.
2.The author talks about her grandmother and her childhood to show that _____
A. people used to live a hard life.
B. people at that time were hardworking.
C. she has learned a great deal from her grandma
D. it’s OK for people to live a simple life.
3.In the writer’s eyes, her children are _________________.
A. independent from parents’ protection
B. reliable because of parents’ love
C. lacking in real test of hardships in life
D. full of complaints against life
4.Which of the following title best suits the passage?
A. Waiting for the Breeze
B. An interesting Experience
C. Life at Present and Life in the Past
D. Different Times, Different Children
I’ve been living in China for a while — long enough to observe the long-term deterioration (退化)of my own native language abilities, as well as those of my fellow English speakers. This deterioration can take different forms, one of which is the non-standard usage of the words. Its source is, specifically, Chinese culture, and its target is native English speakers. Below I give some of the common ways that the Chinese environment strikes down the native speaker’s linguistic competence (语言能力) .
Net bar: In Chinese, they’re called “网吧”, This is fine. We generally call them “Internet café” in English. The Chinese seem to think that “网吧” should be translated as “net bar” in English, and many careless foreigners have even been misled by this idea.
Name card: In the English-speaking world, business people have lots of business meetings to discuss business. On these occasions, business people exchange specially printed pieces of paper known as business cards. In China everyone calls them “name cards”, because in Chinese they are called “名片” and “name card” is a more direct translation .
Bean curd. It’s called “tofu,” OK! This English word comes from Chinese. I know all dictionaries sold in China will tell you “豆腐” is “bean curd” in English and that may represent the two characters nicely, but “bean curd” is more a definition than a comfortable translation. And yet some foreigners start saying “bean curd” rather than tofu. Deplorable (可悲的)！
I think you see the pattern. The normal native way of saying something is replaced by a more unnatural way of saying it using other English words.
If you’ve been living in China for a while and find yourself using all of these, you might be on dangerous ground. You’re going to start making a fool of yourself back home. Look out! Resist Chinglish attempts at destroying your own command of your mother tongue!
1.Which of the following expressions is more native?
A．Bean curd B．Tofu C．Name card D．Net bar
2.How does the writer support his main idea?
A．By comparison B．By examples
C．By reasoning D．By refutation (反驳)
3.What is the main cause of the non-standard usage of the words by native English speakers?
A．Chinese culture
B．Chinese tradition
C．English flexibility(灵活性)
D．Chinese polluted environment
4.The mentioned Chinglish words are created in the way ________.
A．that is generally accepted by native English speakers
B．that is often misunderstood by native English speakers
C．that sounds reasonable to native English speakers
D．that sounds natural to some Chinese
完形填空,阅读下面短文，从短文后各题所给的四个选项(A、B、C 和D)中，选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该选项涂黑。
John’s parents acquired the washer when he was a small boy. It happened during World War II.
His family never ________ a washing machine and, since gasoline was expensive, they could not ________ trips to the laundry(洗衣店) several miles away. Keeping clothe________ became a problem for young John’s household.
A family friend joined the army, and his wife ________ to go with him. John’s family________ to store their furniture while they were away. To the family’s________ , the friends suggested they use their Bendix. So this is how they ________ the washer.
Young John helped with the washing, and across the years he ________ a love for the old, green Bendix. But ________ the war ended. When the friends came to take it back, John grew terribly ________ . His mother ________ him and said, “You must remember, that machine________ belonged to us in the first place. That we ever got to use it at all was a gift. So, instead of being mad at it being taken ________ , let’s use this ________ to be grateful that we had it at all.”
The lesson turned out ________ .Years later, John watched his eight-year-old daughter die a slow and painful death of leukemia(白血病). Though he ________ for months with her death, John could not begin getting over from the ________ until he remembered the old Bendix.
His daughter was a ________ . When he realized that simple fact, everything changed. He could now begin recovering from the death of his daughter. He started to see her as a marvelous gift that he was fortunate enough to ________ for a time. He felt________ . He found strength and recovery. He knew he could get through the valley of loss.
1.A. required B. owned C. repaired D. saw
2.A. take B. have C. afford D. ride
3.A. clean B. warm C. nice D. good
4.A. agreed B. managed C. desired D. prepared
5.A. offered B. decided C. expected D. promised
6.A. disappointment B. astonishment C. sadness D. regret
7.A. bought B. got C. borrowed D. used
8.A. achieved B. produced C. developed D. reduced
9.A. finally B. obviously C. immediately D. peacefully
10.A. frightened B. upset C. hopeless D. confused
11.A. explained B. encouraged C. comforted D. taught
12.A. once B. already C. hardly D. never
13.A. out B. down C. away D. up
14.A. chance B. success C. event D. treasure
15.A. important B. necessary C. reasonable D. invaluable
16.A. thought B. missed C. struggled D. forgot
17.A. lesson B. loss C. illness D. difficulty
18.A. death B. washer C. gift D. loser
19.A. share B. spend C. live D. earn
20.A. grateful B. energetic C. relaxed D. happy
书面表达
2013年以来，雾霾多次袭击华北的一些城市，引起人们对空气质量的广泛关注。
假如你是李华，是校学生会主席。你打算倡议全校学生积极行动起来，自觉抵制空气污染。请根据下面的写作要点，写一篇英语倡议书。
1． 陈述空气污染的现状；
2． 分析空气污染的原因；
3． 提出几点倡议。
注意：1.词数120左右，开头和结尾已经给出，不计入总词数；
2.可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
3.参考词汇：fossil fuel 化石燃料 carbon dioxide 二氧化碳
Dear fellow students，
The foggy weather these days has caused widespread concern about air pollution.
Let us take immediate action to fight against air pollution.
Li Hua
短文改错
文中共有10处语言错误。每处错误仅涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。
增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号(∧)，并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除：把多余的词用斜线(﹨)划掉。
修改：在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意：1. 每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；
2. 只允许修改10处，多者(从第11处起)不计分。
Dear Sally，
Now I’d like to tell you something about my part-time job this summer vacation, of which I worked like a guide in a travel agency. The work was interesting but tired. I think it was helpful to work this holiday. It was the first time that I have earned money on my own. I’ve come to understand how hard my parents work to support for the family. I used to keep on ask them for money, but now I’ll never waste money and learn to share worry to my parents. I’ve learnt how to get along well with others. What’s worse, I’ve gained some working and social experience and I have learnt something can’t be learnt from textbooks. All these will be good for my future. In the word, I had a wonderful and valuable summer vacation.
课文填空,有些单词首字母已给出
It was an 1. fantastic sight, the 2. itself is really exciting to watch and I shall never forget my first of one, 3.hard all day, I went to bed early. I was fast asleep when 4. my bed began shaking and I heard a strange sound, like a railway train 5. my window.
The attitudes of scientists towards this rise are different, and any 6. which increase the temperature would lead to a catastrophe. A scientist, George Hambley, 7.that any warming will be mild with few bad environmental 8. . He 9. that more carbon dioxide will make plants grow quicker, crops will produce more, It will encourage a greater 10. of animal, all of 11. will make life for human beings better.
You may become physically addicted to nicotine, then you may develop the habit of smoking and finally become 12. addicted to it, smoking may have all kinds of 13. on the health of the smokers, it not only affects your physical fitness, but also does 14. to your heart and lungs and causes a range of diseases. So it is important for one to 15. smoking and live a healthier life.
