It is widely known that any English conversation begins with The Weather. Such a fixation with the weather finds expression in Dr. Johnson’s famous comment that “When two English meet, their first talk is of weather.” Though Johnson’s observation is as accurate now as it was over two hundred years ago, most commentators(评论员) fail to come up with a convincing explanation for this English weather-speak.
Bill Bryson, for example, concludes that, as the English weather is not at all exciting, the obsession with it can hardly be understood. He argues that” To an outsider, the most striking thing about the English weather is that there is not very much of it.” Simply, the reason is that the unusual and unpredictable weather is almost unknown in the British Isles.
Jeremy Paxman, however, disagrees with Bryson, arguing that the English weather is by nature attractive. Bryson is wrong, he says, “because the English preference for the weather has nothing to do with the natural phenomena(现象).” The interest is less in the phenomena themselves, but in uncertainty.” According to him, the weather in England is very changeable and uncertain and it attracts the English as well as the outsider.
Bryson and Paxman stand for common misconceptions about the weather-speak among the English. Both commentators, somehow, are missing the point. The English weather conversation is not really about the weather at all. English weather-speak is a system of signs ,which is developed to help the speakers overcome the natural reserve and actually talk to each other. Everyone knows conversations starting with weather-speak are not requests for weather data. Rather, they are routine greetings, conversation starters or the blank “fillers”, In other words, English weather-speak is a means of social bonding.
1.The author mentions Dr. Johnson’s comment to show that________.
A.most commentators agree with Dr. Johnson
B.Dr. Johnson is famous for his weather observation
C.the comment was accurate two hundred years ago
D.English conversations usually start with the weather
2.What does the underlined word “obsession” most probably refer to?
A.A social trend. B.An emotional state.
C.A historical concept. D.An unknown phenomenon.
3.According to the passage, Jeremy Paxman believes that________.
A.Bill Bryson has little knowledge of the weather
B.there is nothing special about the English weather
C.the English weather attracts people to the British Isles
D.English people talk about the weather for its uncertainty
4.What is the author’s main purpose of writing the passage?
A.To explain what English weather-speak is about.
B.To analyze misconceptions about the English weather.
C.To find fault with both Bill Bryson and Jeremy Paxman.
D.To convince people that the English weather is changeable.
I was about 5 when I first heard the word “Greenland”, and my interest grew from there. Finally, after decades, I decided to go.
When I finally arrived, the place, at first glance, was clearly misnamed: The east coast of Greenland was an expanse (宽阔的区域) of ice and snow, with no sign of human habitation.
One of my purposes of going to Greenland was to make contact with some native Greenlanders. I didn’t know I would achieve this, but success came in an unexpected way.
When I arrived at the Illunnguujuk Hostel, where I had reserved a bed, a young couple and their baby were out front, enjoying the sun and unusual warmth. Greenlanders speak their own Inuit language and learn Danish in school, and many also speak English well. The young woman, however, was not one of these. Her English turned out to be anticlimactic.
When I identified myself, her eyes widened. Another traveler had arrived earlier and, mistaking him for me, they had given him my bed. There was no more space in the hostel. “But don’t worry,” she said, as she threw herself into cleaning a tiny house the family owned. “This is for you,” she said. And as if that weren’t enough, she invited me to eat supper with her family. That evening I sat down to a dinner of fresh fish with a loving, happy native family.
When I first set foot in Greenland I found myself all but shocked by the emptiness, the vastness, and the silence. I had decided that I would probably never return. And then I was taken into this Greenlandic home. I can now say that even cold, empty, and silent scenery is worth visiting, so long as one has a warm and welcoming place to go to.
1.What did the author intend to do in Greenland?
A.Get a part-time job.
B.Live with a native family.
C.Make some native contact.
D.Do business with the natives.
2.What does the underlined word “anticlimactic” in Paragraph 4 mean?
A.Simple. B.Modem.
C.Outstanding. D.Disappointing.
3.The author lost his bed in the hostel because of .
A.the language barrier B.a misunderstanding
C.a wrong address D.the high price
4.What made the author’s visiting Greenland worthwhile?
A.Tasting the local food. B.Helping a local family.
C.Meeting friendly people. D.Enjoying the great scenery.
Make space in your summer for free fun
You don’t have to go to the moon to meet an astronaut.You can do it at the Air and Space Museum on July 16.
Pioneering pilot Amelia Earhart disappeared on a flight around the globe in 1937.But she’ll be at the National Air and Space Museum on July 16—the museum’s first Family Day of the season—to tell you all about her adventures.(Okay，it’s actually an actress pretending to be Earhart.) NASA astronaut Patrick Forrester will be there to answer your questions，too.Come to learn how space exploration changed the world.
Another Family Day event takes place on July 25.At “Discover the Moon Day！” you can steer (驾驶) a robotic rover (a vehicle for exploring the surface of a planet)，examine meteorites (陨石) that were found on the moon，see the capsule (太空舱) that took the Apollo 11 astronauts there and back and view photos of the lunar surface using 3－D glasses.
You can create lunar art and take a moon quiz.We’ll give you one example:July 20，1969—46 years ago this month.Do you know what happened that day?
National Air and Space Museum
Independence Avenue at Sixth Street SW
Open daily 10 a.m.to 7:30 p.m.through September 1 (with a few early closings at 5:30 p.m.；visit our website for details).
Family Day programs are from 10 a.m.to 3 p.m.Information specialists are available Monday through Friday from 9 a.m.to 5 p.m.and Saturday from 9 a.m.to 4 p.m.
All ages，but best for age 7 and older.
For more information，call 202－633－2214 or go to www.airandspace.si.edu.
1.What can museum visitors do on July 16?
A.Create lunar art.
B.Step into an unusual capsule.
C.See a movie about Earhart’s adventures.
D.Learn about a missing woman pilot’s adventures.
2.What do we know about “Discover the Moon Day！”？
A.It includes a moon quiz competition.
B.It’s the first Family Day at the museum.
C.It features a famous astronaut’s explanations.
D.It gives people first－hand experience of space.
3.What’s the closing time for the Family Day programs?
A.3 p.m. B.4 p.m.
C.5:30 p.m. D.7:30 p.m.
听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1.Who is poor at listening?
A.Ann. B.Tom. C.Kevin.
2.How often does Tom have the English speaking class?
A.Once a week. B.Twice a week. C.Three times a week.
3.What is May’s plan for the future?
A.To go to a British university.
B.To set up a story－telling club.
C.To learn English from Mr.Smith.
4.What is Sarah weak in?
A.Speaking. B.Reading. C.Writing.
听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1.What’s wrong with the man?
A.He is out of work.
B.He is in heavy debt.
C.He is in poor health.
2.How does the man’s wife feel about their situation?
A.Calm. B.Anxious. C.Careless.
3.Who is ill in hospital?
A.The man’s father－in－law.
B.The man’s mother.
C.The man’s father.
4.What does the woman offer to do for the man?
A.lend him some money.
B.Ask her friends to help him.
C.Introduce him to her friends.
听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1.What did the woman buy yesterday?
A.A pair of shoes. B.A dress. C.A house.
2.What color is the woman’s old sofa?
A.Green B.Brown. C.Yellow.
3.What does the woman say about the new sofa?
A.It’s lighter than the old one.
B.It’s longer than the old one.
C.It’s narrower than the old one.
