"Colour" and "color"，"favourite" and "favorite"... Have you ever wondered why Americans spell those words without a "u"? Is it because they are lazy?
Of course not. In fact，the difference in spelling was created by Noah Webster (1758-1843). He is a teacher who reformed English to make American identity stronger. Linguists (语言学家) celebrated his 250th birthday on October 16. After the Revolutionary War (1775~ 1783)，Webster believed that Americans should have their own dictionary，rather than rely on British versions (版本). He dropped the British "u" in some words. And he changed "centre" into "center" for children to learn English by spelling words more like they sounded.
Webster wasn't shy about expressing his opinions. In defining (定义) preposterous (unreasonable)，he wrote: "A republican government in the hands of females is preposterous."
Webster spent 28 years on the project before completing the 70,000-word dictionary in 1828 with his American-style spellings. He also added local words. His dictionary was widely used in schools. Linguists believed it helped a new nation achieve unity and cultural independence at a time when most were focused on political freedom.
"He was the shaper of our language and the shaper of American identity，"said Joshua Kendall，who is working on a biography (传记) about Webster. "He at last bonded (联合)us through our language."
1.Which of the following would probably be the best title for the passage?
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A．The shaper of American English. |
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B．American identity. |
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C．Webster's dictionary. |
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D．Spelling differences between American and British English. |
2.According to the passage，when he worked on his dictionary, Noah Webster did all of the following EXCEPT .
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A．voicing his opinion |
B．changing "centre" into "center" |
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C．adding local words |
D．dropping "u" in all the British words |
3.Which of the following word can best describe Noah Webster’s work?
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A．Interesting. |
B．Meaningful. |
C．Unfinished. |
D．Boring. |
4.Why did Noah Webster create these differences in his dictionary?
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A．Because he wanted to make English simple and easy. |
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B．Because he wanted to show that the USA is stronger than the UK. |
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C．Because he wanted to achieve political freedom. |
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D．Because he wanted American English to have its own characteristics. |
5.When did Noah Webster probably begin his project of the dictionary?
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A．In 1758. |
B．In 1783. |
C．In 1800. |
D．In 1828. |
Started in 1636, Harvard University is the oldest of all the many colleges and universities in the United States. Yale, Princeton, Columbia and Dartmouth were opened soon after Harvard.
In the early years, these schools were much alike. Only young men went to college. All the students studied the same subjects, and everyone learned Latin, Greek and Hebrew. Little was known about science then, and one kind of school could teach everything that was known about the world. When the students graduated, most of them became ministers or teachers.
In 1782, Harvard started a medical school for young men who wanted to become doctors. Later, lawyers could receive their training in Harvard's law school. In 1825, besides Latin and Greek, Harvard began teaching modern languages, such as French and German. Soon it began teaching American history.
As knowledge increased, Harvard and other colleges began to teach many new subjects. Students were allowed to choose the subjects that interested them.
Today, there are many different kinds of colleges and universities. Most of them are made up of smaller schools that deal with（涉及）special fields of learning. There's so much to learn that one kind of school can't offer it all.
1.The oldest university in the US is _________.
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A．Yale |
B．Harvard |
C．Princeton |
D．Columbia |
2.From the second paragraph, we can see that in the early years,______.
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A．those colleges and universities were the same |
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B．people, young or old, might study in the colleges |
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C．students studied only some languages and science |
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D．when the students finished their school, they became lawyers or teachers |
3.Modern languages the Harvard taught in 1825 were ________.
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A．Latin and Greek |
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B．Latin, Green, French and German |
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C．American history and German |
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D．French and German |
4.As knowledge increased, colleges began to teach_______.
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A．everything that was known |
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B．law and something about medicine |
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C．many new subjects |
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D．the subjects that interested students |
5.On the whole, the passage is about___________.
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A．how to start a university |
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B．the world-famous colleges in America |
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C．how colleges have changed |
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D．what kind of lesson each college teaches |
“Can I see my baby？” the happy new mother asked. When the bundle was in her arms and she moved the fold of cloth to look upon his tiny face, she gasped. The doctor turned quickly and looked out of the tall hospital window. The baby had been born without ears.
Time proved that the baby’ s hearing was perfect. It was only his appearance that was imperfect. When he rushed home from school one day and threw himself into his mother’s arms, she sighed(叹息), knowing that his life was to be unfortunate. He cried to his mum “A boy, a big boy... called me a freak (怪人)．”
He grew up, handsome. A favorite with his fellow students, he might have been class president, but for that. He developed a gift, a talent for literature and music. “But you might communicate with other young people，” his mother blamed him, but felt a kindness in her heart.
Two years went by. One day, his father said to the son, “You’ re going to the hospital, son. Mother and I have someone who will donate the ears you need. But it’ s a secret.” The operation was a great success, and a new person appeared.
Later he married and became a lawyer. One day, he asked his father, “Who gave me the ears? Who gave me so much? I could never do enough for him or her.” “I do not believe you could，” said the father, “but the agreement was that you are not to know... not yet.”
The years kept their secret, but the day did come. He stood with his father over his mother’ s casket棺材. Slowly, tenderly, the father stretched forth a hand and raised the thick, reddish brown hair to show the mother had no outer ears.
“Mother said she was glad she never let her hair be cut，” his father whispered gently, “and nobody ever thought Mother less beautiful, did they？”
1.Why did Mother gasp when she saw her newborn baby?
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A．Because her son had a tiny face. |
B．Because she saw her son crying. |
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C．Because her son was born imperfect. |
D．Because her son was in her arms. |
2.Which word can describe Mother’ s feeling when the son threw himself into her arms?
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A．Nervous. |
B．Sympathetic. |
C．Proud. |
D．Angry. |
3.We can infer that the person who donate the ears is_____.
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A．A doctor. |
B．His father. |
C．His mother. |
D．A stranger. |
4.From the passage we know the followings are True except________
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A．the mother felt sorry for the son without ears |
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B．the doctor didn’t like the baby |
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C．the boy meant everything to the mother |
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D．the father kept the secret until mother died |
5.The best title for the passage would be ________.
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A．Mother’s hair |
B．An unforgettable memory |
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C．Who gave me the ears? |
D．Who is my best respectable person? |
I was late for the school bus and rushing to get ready. My dog, Tippy, got to the front door and lay down in front of it – his way of asking to be petted. I___36___his begging for affection (喜爱), hurdled over him and ran for the waiting bus.
___37___, that afternoon, when I came home, Mom said to me___38___, “Honey, I have some___39___news that I need to tell you. This morning, while you were at school, Tippy was hit by a car and___40___. I’m so sorry.”
“No! It’s not true!” I was___41___. I couldn’t believe her. “Tippy, come here! Come on, boy!” I called and called for him. I waited. He didn’t come. Feeling___42___, I wandered into the living room. I didn’t cry that night. I still couldn’t believe that he was___43___.
When I got off the bus the next day, the___44___at home was deafening. Finally, my sobs (哭泣) bubbled up and erupted (喷发) like lava (熔岩) from a volcano. I couldn’t stop___45___. I hadn’t even petted him when I left.___46___could I have known that was my last chance? I cried until I felt empty inside.
Time passed, and against my will, I started to___47___some things. I realized what little control any of us have over what happens ___48___ a dog. We can do everything right, but___49___things can still happen. But good things can happen too. That’s___50___. The best way to deal with the hard times is to___51___what you need to do to get through them when they come, and to remember that hard times always___52___.
I now deeply understand the “circle of life”. Everyone is born, everyone___53___, and that’s the way it is. If dogs never died, there would be no___54___for others like Belle – my new dog.
Best of all, I realized that Tippy___55___all of my good memories of him. And they come to me every time I call!
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I don’t like ____you laugh at her.
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A．the way of which |
B．the way |
C．the way in that |
D．the way by which |
---- What do you think of Tom’s playing football.
------ I think he plays football ______ , if not better than, Jack.
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A．very well |
B．so well |
C．as well as |
D．wonderfully |
