A company has just launched what it calls “the world’s first free standardized English test” recently. Anyone can take the test for free. The new exam is called the EFSET, which is short for Education First Standardized English Test. The company, Education First, is known by the letters EF.
It is estimated that there are two billion English language learners worldwide. Many of them are interested in attending an American college or university. To do so, foreign students need to take the Test of English as a Foreign Language — better known as TOEFL. However, many foreigners are not wealthy enough to take the TOEFL. In addition, test-takers often have to travel overnight to reach an official testing site. The World Bank says an average Cambodian worker earns only about $1,000 per year. Approximately the cost of taking the TOEFL is 17.5 percent of the average worker’s yearly wage.
It is not just individuals who find the test pricey. Some governments also find it prohibitive. What’s more, not everyone needs official results from the TOEFL or IELTS — the International English Language Testing System. In the future, it’s likely that the government may use the EFSET to test millions of employees and students.
Experts believe that the EFSET meets the highest value in language testing. It uses special computer software that makes the questions easier or harder, depending on one’s performance. The EFSET measures all the English learners’ levels while the IELTS and TOEFL only measure learners’ levels from moderate (中等的) to advanced. The EFSET is unique in the sense that it gives free online access to anyone interested in measuring their English level.
There is a 50-minute and a two-hour version of the test, which its developers are calling the EFSET Plus. Both versions test only reading and listening skills. It’s hopeful that speaking and writing skills will be tested in the future. The IELTS and the TOEFL still use humans to rate the speaking and writing sections. It’s a huge deal for students who are in areas where they can’t get to the TOEFL or the IELTS. However, it is too early to know whether the EFSET results are acceptable for colleges and universities in America.
1.Why do many foreign students take the TOEFL?
A. To learn English well.
B. To be admitted to key universities.
C. To receive further education in America.
D. To find good jobs and earn much money.
2.What can we infer from Paragraph 2?
A. Only wealthy people can take the TOEFL.
B. The cost of taking the TOEFL is very high.
C. There are many official testing sites for the TOEFL around the world.
D. Few of the students in Cambodia can afford to take the TOEFL.
3. What can we learn about the EFSET?
A. It is similar to the TOEFL and the IELTS.
B. Everybody with different English levels can take it for free.
C. It tests the skills of reading, listening, writing and speaking.
D. American universities accept the EFSET results for admission.
4.What’s the best title for the passage?
A. How to get ready for the EFSET
B. Different ways to test English learners in the world
C. The new software developed by Education First
D. The free EFSET— an online test for English learners
Anyone who has experienced the joy of driving through a rainstorm with the sunroof (天窗) open understands how airflow around the moving vehicles can keep him dry despite the exposure. Now a similar principle is being employed to create an umbrella that protects people from the rain using nothing more than an invisible air force field.
Air Umbrella, developed by a Chinese company and recently funded by Kickstarter, uses forced air rather than fabric to create a protective canopy that keeps people from getting wet in the rain.
It’s a clever concept and designers have done a good job of answering several questions about the product. For instance, the sound generated by the device is minimal, especially when compared to the pitter-patter of the falling rain. It can create a protective canopy wide enough for two people to fit under and it performs well even in the heavy rain. The air shield (防护) can be cut through by high winds, but given that regular umbrellas typically fold over in similar windy conditions, the air umbrella is still an upgrade.
A few concerns do remain, however. For instance, the battery life is only about 15-30 minutes depending on the model, so you’ll still want to walk briskly to your next destination when it’s raining. Also, while the air shield might keep the rain away from you, it’s likely to splash all that blown-away water onto anyone else like a sprinkler (洒水车). So the device might draw the ire of anyone else walking with you, or any helpless bystanders.
There are currently three different types to choose from if you’re interested in investing. Air Umbrella-A is the lightest model, and is apparently designed specifically for females, according to the Chinese developers. It is about 12 inches in length and weighs a little over a pound, and it runs for 15 minutes per charge. Air Umbrella-B measures nearly 20 inches long and weighs 1.7 pounds, and lasts 30 minutes per charge. Finally, Air Umbrella-C also lasts 30 minutes, but is scalable between 20 and 32 inches depending on your needs.
1.Why does the author mention a special driving experience in the first paragraph?
A. To introduce the topic of the passage.
B. To explain the need for an umbrella.
C. To share a feeling with the readers.
D. To prove a theory to the readers.
2. The Air Umbrella fails to work when ______.
A. there is little rain B. there is no wind
C. it rains heavily D. the wind is strong
3.How does the author present concerns about the Air Umbrella?
A. By giving figures.
B. By giving examples.
C. By making experiments.
D. By making comparisons.
4.The underlined word “ire” in the 4th paragraph probably means ______.
A. attention B. doubt
C. curiosity D. anger
Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald was born on September 24, 1896. He was an American writer of novels and short stories, whose works are the typical writings of the Jazz Age, a term he created himself.
Born into an upper middle-class Irish Catholic family, Fitzgerald was named after his famous second cousin, Francis Scott Key. He was also named after his deceased sister Louise Scott, one of two sisters who died shortly before his birth. He spent 1898–1901 in Syracuse and 1903–1908 in Buffalo, New York, where he attended Nardin Academy. When his father was fired from his company, the family returned to Minnesota, where Fitzgerald attended St. Paul Academy from 1908 to1911.
He is widely regarded as one of the 20th century’s greatest writers. Fitzgerald is considered to be a member of the “Lost Generation” of the 1920s. He finished four novels, This Side of Paradise, The Beautiful and Damned, Tender Is the Night and his most famous classic novel, The Great Gatsby. A fifth, unfinished novel, The Love of the Last Tycoon was published after his death. Fitzgerald also wrote many short stories that dealt with themes of youth.
His first literary work, a detective story, was published in a school newspaper when he was 12. When he was 16, he was forced to leave St. Paul Academy for neglecting his studies. He attended Newman School, a prep school in Hackensack, New Jersey, in 1911–1912, and entered Princeton University in 1913 as a member of the Class of 1917. There he became friends with future critics and writers Edmund Wilson (Class of 1916) and John Peale Bishop (Class of 1917), and wrote for the Princeton Triangle Club. He was also a member of the University Cottage Club, which still displays Fitzgerald’s desk and writing materials in its library. A poor student, Fitzgerald left Princeton to enlist (入伍) in the US Army during World War I; however, the war ended shortly after Fitzgerald’s enlistment.
Fitzgerald had been an alcoholic (酒鬼) since his college days, leaving him in poor health by the late 1930s. Fitzgerald suffered a mild attack of tuberculosis in 1919, and died of a heart attack in 1940.
1.What does the passage mainly talk about?
A. The “Lost Generation” of the 1920s.
B. How Fitzgerald got his name.
C. The life and works of Fitzgerald.
D. Fitzgerald and the Jazz Age.
2.What led to Fitzgerald’s early death according to the passage?
A. His poverty.
B. His heavy drinking.
C. The poor working conditions.
D. The pressures of work.
3.Which is the most famous work of Fitzgerald?
A. This Side of Paradise.
B. The Beautiful and Damned.
C. Tender Is the Night.
D. The Great Gatsby.
4.What’s the right order of the events related to Fitzgerald?
a. He attended Nardin Academy.
b. He entered Princeton University.
c. He attended St. Paul Academy.
d. He joined the US Army during World War I.
A. a,c,b,d B. a,d,b,c
C. b,d,a,c D. b,a,c,d
假定你是李华, 你的英国朋友Peter来信向你咨询如何才能学好中文. 请你根据下列要点写回信.
要点: 1. 参加中文学习班;
2. 看中文书刊、电视；
3. 学唱中文歌曲；
4. 交中国朋友。
注意：1.词数100左右；
2. 可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；
Dear Peter,
__________________________________________________________
Best wishes,
Li Hua
短文改错
此题要求改正所给短文中的错误。对标有题号的每一行作出判断：短文中有10处错误，每句中最多有两处。错误涉及一个单词的增加，删除或修改。
此行多一个词：把多余的词用斜线(＼)划掉。
此行缺一个词：在缺词处加一个漏字符号(∧)，在该行下边写出该加的词。
此行错一个词：在错的词下划一横线，在该行下边写出改正后的词。
注意：1.每处错误仅限1词；
2.只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。
I often quarrel about my mother over whether I can watch TV after school. She holds view that senior three students have to make fully use of every minute to work hard at their lessons. It seems to me that once I am allowed to do that, I’ll unable to control myself and forget all about my study. She also thinks it is bad for my eye. But I really can’t accept her ideas. In my opinion, watch TV can set my mind at rest after a day’s hard works. Besides, it is important for us to know what had happened at home and at abroad. Thus, we shouldn’t be forbidden to watch TV.
Last year, my brother and I went to Miami for a vacation. Some of my friends who had been there before said1._____ was a wonderful holiday destination. Before we went, we had planned for months. When the day came, we were ready.
After our plane landed, we went to the hotel. We had made our reservation six months__2.____ （early）, but the man at the front desk said there had been a mistake. We __3.___（tell）that our rooms hadn’t been reserved for that week, __4._ for the week after. I didn’t understand _5._ this would happen and my credit card had already been charged____6.__ the reservation. What’s worse, the hotel had been fully booked. When we were wondering what to do, the manager came out. She was _7.___（surprise）helpful. She apologized for the mistake and gave us a spare VIP room on __8.___ top floor. We had never stayed in such an amazing room, and we weren’t charged extra.
The next day, my brother and I went to the beach __9._ we watched some people play volleyball. We got a little___10._（sunburn），but the day had been so relaxing that we didn’t mind.
