Learning a foreign language is difficult for many learners, but the following tips may help you learn a
foreign language quickly.
    Reading aloud
     When you  start  learning  a  foreign language,  read  aloud. It  will  help  you  increase  (增加)  your
vocabulary. Studies have shown that reading aloud instead  of  reading  lowly  only to yourself  helps  in
remembering. It helps with pronunciation, too.
    Building your vocabulary
    You'll have to make a few word lists, have to memorize and review them regularly. You may have to
review the word  lists at  least once a day  for two weeks. Later you may need to  review the word  lists
once a week for the next four to five weeks.
    Learning grammar
    Learning the  grammar of a  foreign  language is a  dry and  boring  task. But it  can speed  (加速)  your
language learning. Don't jump to learn tenses (时态); it's better to be done after you've learned some of
the language. The most important thing is that you shouldn't worry about the mistakes you'll make when
you start speaking the language. It's from these mistakes that you'll learn  the language  better.
    Watching TV and movies
    This is a wonderful way to learn a foreign language quickly. You can watch TV shows in the language
you're learning. They'll help you a great deal with the vocabulary as well as catching what others say and
 also your pronunciation.

1. Reading aloud when learning a foreign language helps in _____.  

A. talking to people
B. understanding words
C. learning grammar quickly 
D. pronouncing words correctly

2. Which of the following is important in building one's vocabulary of a foreign language?  

A. Writing the words again and again.
B. Listening to tapes in the language.
C. Reviewing words from time to time.
D. Reading more articles in the language.

3. When learning the grammar of a foreign language, you should _____. 

A. learn tenses first            
B. try not to make mistakes
C. make at least one word list    
D. learn from the mistakes you make

4. The underlined phrase "a great deal" means "_____".  

A. much      
B. little      
C. a few      
D. never

5. Which is the BEST title for the passage?  

A. Traditional ways of learning English
B. Some advice on learning a foreign language
C. The importance of learning a foreign language
D. How to deal with the difficulties in learning English

     The United States has many different kinds of climates (气候). On the northwest coast (海岸), the
 temperature changes very little between summer and winter, but the north central (中部的) states have a
  very different kind of climate. In those states, people wear light clothes in summer, and they need heavy
  woolen clothes in winter.
     In the southwest coast, the climate is rainy and warm during the winter, but the summer is dry and hot.
     In the northeast of the United States, summer temperatures are very different from winter temperatures.
  Summer is usually hot, and winter is usually cold. Spring temperatures are warm, and fall temperatures
 are cool.
     Years ago, people in the cold parts of the United States didn't often get fresh (新鲜的) vegetables and
 fresh fruits during the summer. Today, however (然而),trucks and trains carry fruits and vegetables very
 quickly to all parts of the United States. In this way, Americans "send their climates" to people in other
 states.                          

1. The summer and winter temperatures are almost the same _____.

    A. in the northeastern states
    B. on the north central states
    C. in the western states
    D. on the northwest coast 

2. The word"fall"in this passage means _____.

    A. drop
    B. down
    C. autumn
    D. spring

3. Today people _____ can get fresh vegetables and fruits. 

    A. in the north central states
    B. in every part of the U.S.A.
    C. in the cold parts of the U.S.A.
    D. in the southwest part of the U.S.A. 

 4. From this passage we know that the climate of the United States _____.

    A. is always very cold
    B. is warm in winter
    C. is widely different
    D. changes very little between summer and winter 

5. From Paragraph 2 we know that the climate of the southwest coast is _____.

    A. Maritime (海洋性) climate
    B. Savanna (热带草原) climate
    C. Mediterranean (地中海) climate
    D. Tropical rainforest (热带雨林) climate

                                                                         The Inventions
    Paper was first made in the year 105. It was made by a Chinese named Cai Lun.
    For over 500 years paper was made only in China. People in Japan learned of paper around the year
  600. As years went by, people in other places began to make paper.
    The lead (铅) pencil is not made of lead. It is made of graphite (石墨). People found graphite in 1564.
 They thought it was a kind of lead. Today we still call pencils "lead pencils". The first pencils were made
 by putting strings (线) around sticks of graphite.
    The first wooden pencils were made by Kasper Faber in Germany in 1761.
    Erasers (橡皮) like those we use today were first made in France by a man named Magellan in 1752. It
  was Hyman L. Lipman who first put eraser on the ends of pencils. And that is how the pencils came to
 be.                            

1. How many years earlier was paper made in China than in Japan? 

    A. About 100 years.                
    B. About 400 years.
    C. More than 500 years.            
    D. 495 years 

2. Germans made paper _____.

    A. earlier than Japan                
    B. later than Japan
    C. as early as Japan                
     D. as late as Japan 

3. At first pencils were made of _____.

    A. wood
    B. lead          
    C. sticks
    D. string and graphite

4. Kasper Faber was _____.

    A. an Englishman
    B. a Frenchman
    C. a German
    D. an American 

5. Which of the following statements is NOT true? 

    A. Paper was first made in China.
    B. Graphite isn't a kind of lead.
    C. The first wooden pencils were made in Germany.
    D. Hyman L. Lipman made the first erasers.

    Children's education is very important in England. Children begin with primary education at the age of
five, and this usually lasts until they are eleven. Then  they move to  middle schools. They stay there  until
they reach sixteen, seventeen or eighteen years old. After that, they can have higher education.
    The main kinds of school are: 
State Schools (公立学校)
    Parents don't need to pay for their children's schooling. 
Private Schools (私立学校)
    Parents pay for their children's education.
Primary Schools
    In the UK, primary schools are always close to children's houses. Children stay with the same group
throughout the day.
Middle Schools
    Most children go to the middle school nearest to their houses at the age of 11.
Public Schools (Private Schools)
    A public school is also called a private school. The most famous public schools are Eton, Harrow and
 Winchester. 7% of the children in England go to private schools. Parents pay for their children to go to
these schools.
Prep Schools
    A prep school is a school to prepare pupils to go to a public school. They are for kids between seven
and eleven or thirteen years old.

1. Steven is 12 years old. He wants to be a student in Eton School. _____________
2. Susan is 11 years old. She wants to go to the school nearest to her home.  ___________
3. John is 13 years old and his father is very poor. _____________
4. Lily is 5 years old. She lives with her mother, and her mother is very poor. ____________
5. Jack is 9 years old. He wants to pass the exam and go to a private school. ____________

       A good way to fight against summer heat is to have a cold drink. ①However, a more interesting way
is a kind of sport called kite surfing.
       Kite surfing is a kind of water sport, which uses wind to pull a rider through the water on a small
kiteboard. It started in Hawaii in 1998. ②With kite surfing, one can feel the cool water and get much
excitement. Recently, kite surfing has become more popular. The following are mostly the reasons for the
growing popularity of kite surfing: 
       ◎Easy to learn
       Compared with other water sports, kite surfing is easier to learn. A beginner can understand how to
control (控制) the kite with 5-10 hours of training. In a short time anyone can exercise the skill to
experience kite surfing. Anybody aged from 13 to 65 can learn.
       ◎Low cost  
       Compared with other water sports, the equipment (设备) for kite surfing is cheaper. One can pay
around 1,500 dollars for a full set of kite surfing equipment.
       ◎Safe and exciting
       Kite surfing is becoming even safer than before. ③人们就能享受风筝冲浪的兴奋。
       Our club provides excellent kite surfing training and equipment. If you are interested in this, please
visit www.whatsonxiamen.com

根据短文内容，完成下列任务。

任务一：将文中划线的句子①②翻译成汉语。

1.  _________________________________________

2. _________________________________________

任务二：将文中划线的句子③翻译成英语。

3. ________________________________________

任务三：完成下列句子，每空一词。

4. Kite surfing is a kind of sport using ________ to pull a rider through the ________.

5. Kite surfing is a cool sport with about _________ years of history.

     When you are learning a language, listening, speaking and writing are important, but reading can also
 be very helpful. When you read, you can not only learn some new words, but also learn how to use them.
  When you read a passage, it gives you a good example for writing.
     Here are some good reading tips.
     Firstly, try to read at the right level (水平). Read something that you can understand. If it is too hard for
  you, it is not interesting.
     Secondly, try to understand the new words. If there are four or five new words on a page, don't use a
  dictionary. Instead, try to guess their meanings as you read. Mark (作标记) them with a pencil. Then
  look them up in a dictionary when you finish reading, and write them in your own vocabulary book. Try
 to remember them.
     Thirdly, try to read for a short time once a day. Fifteen minutes or half an hour every day is better than
 two hours every Sunday. For example, you can read before you go to bed, or after you get up or at
 lunchtime.
     Lastly, read something that interests you. Choose a newspaper, a book or a magazine about a subject that you like. It will be easy enough for you to understand.

1. The underlined word "tips" in the passage means " _____ " in Chinese.

    A. 末端        
    B. 小费        
    C. 处所      
    D. 建议

2. How many reading tips does the writer give us?

    A. Six.          
    B. Five.        
    C. Four.      
    D. Three.

3. If you meet a few new words on a page while reading, you can  _____  .

    A. stop reading
    B. guess the meanings at first
    C. write them down at once
    D. look them up right away

4. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

    A. Reading a lot can help you write better.
    B. It is useful for you to read for long once a week.
    C. When you read, you can only learn some new words.
    D. Try to read something hard to make your English better.

5. Which is the BEST title for the passage?

    A. How to look up a new word    
    B. How to make reading better    
    C. How to remember new words
    D. How to choose something to read

     Overcoming(克服) shyness is not impossible. The following steps may be helpful.
Step 1
     Overcoming shyness is mainly a case of mind over matter. If you're afraid to do it, you will get much shyer when
doing it. The more you come to talk with people, the easier it will become. You may also find that it's not as difficult
as you thought anyway. Just talk to people a little more every day.
Step 2
     It sometimes helps to try to imagine you as another person. Think about this: Do you get shy when someone else
walks up to talk to   another? Of course you don't.   Think of   yourself as just somebody else and it'll  make it a little
easier.
Step 3
     Dress to impress. The better you look, the more confident you'll feel. Feeling good about your appearance can
greatly reduce shyness.
Step 4
     If you're up on stage, try to imagine that you're somewhere else. Maybe in your own comfortable living room. Tell
yourself that the audiences are really no big deal. They're ONLY people.

1. The first step mainly tells us   .

A. we should talk to people as much as possible
B. it's difficult to get over shyness
C. we'll be shy when talking to more people
D. we are shy because we don't think carefully

2. The second step tells us it's    to think of yourself as another person.

A. unnecessary            
B. interesting
C. useful                  
D. difficult

3. What does the underlined word "reduce" mean in this passage?

A. 喜欢      
B. 减少    
C. 增大    
D. 防治

4. We can learn from the fourth step that   .

A. it's easy to speak in our living room
B. it's easy to speak to only people
C. what to think of when speaking on stage
D. when you can speak on stage

5. What's the best title of this passage?

A. How to get over shyness
B. How to speak in public
C. Don't look on you as yourself
D. How to feel good about yourself