One is not born able to speak a language. One is born able to make a noise. I have heard babies cry in America and in China. I can’t tell any difference. But when I hear someone from America speak English and hear someone speak Chinese, I can tell you there are a lot of differences.
I believe a common(普遍的) problem with Chinese students’ learning English is that they were not taught to think in English. They have an idea spoken in English and want to translate the idea into Chinese, then they think in Chinese of the proper reply and translate it into English. After a long period of speaking the language, one begins to think in the foreign language naturally. You will learn faster if you begin to think in English at the very beginning of your study. Many students ask me: What can I do to improve my spoken English?
My reply is: The more English you speak, the better English you will speak. There are many things you can do to improve your spoken English. Of course, the best way is to live where English is spoken as a language of the country.
【小题1】The cries of American and Chinese babies are _______.

A．different	B．the same
C．not like each other	D．like each other

【小题2】The underlined sentence (in Paragraph 2) means that______.

A．some teachers didn’t teach students to think in English

B．teachers never gave the students the way of learning English

C．students didn’t remember the way teachers taught them

D．teachers didn’t want their students to think in English

【小题3】The underlined word “they” (in Paragraph 2) refers to “_____”.

A．Chinese students	B．English students
C．Chinese teachers	D．English teachers

【小题4】According to the article, which of the following is TRUE?

A．You must think in English all the time.

B．You should always translate English into Chinese.

C．After speaking English for a long time, you may probably think in English naturally(自然地).

D．The best way of learning English is to live in America.

Many teenagers feel that the most important people in their lives are their
friends. They believe that their family members,  especially their parents,  don’t
know them as well as their friends do. In large families,  it is often for brothers and sisters to fight with each other and then they can only turn to their friends for advice.
It is very important for teenagers to have one good friend or many friends. Even when they are not with their friends,  they usually spend a lot of time talking among themselves on the phone. This communication is very important in children’s growing up,  because friends can discuss something difficult to say to their family members.
However,  parents often try to choose their children’s friends for them. Some parents may even stop their children from meeting their good friends. The question of “choice” is an interesting one. Have you ever thought of the following questions?
　　Who choose your friends?
　　Do you choose your friends or your friends choose you? 　　
　　Have you got a good friend your parents don’t like?
【小题1】 Many teenagers think their＿＿＿＿ know them better than their parents do.

A．friends	B．teachers
C．brothers and sisters	D．classmates

【小题2】When teenagers stay alone, the usual way of communication is to＿＿＿.

A．turn to their friends

B．talk with their parents

C．have a discussion with their family

D．talk with their friends on the phone

【小题3】The passage suggests (暗示) that＿＿＿ .

A．parents cannot choose friends for their children successfully

B．perhaps some children’s friends are chosen by their parents

C．children won’t let their parents choose friends for them

D．parents often try to choose their children’s friends for them

【小题4】Which of the following do you think is RIGHT according to the passage?

A．Parents should like everything their children enjoy.

B．In all families, children can choose everything they like.

C．Parents should try their best to understand their children better.

D．Teenagers can only turn to their friends for help.

Now let us look at how we read. When we read a printed text, our eyes move across a page in short, jerky （急动的）movement. We recognize words usually when our eyes are still when they fixate. Each time they fixate, we see a group of words. This is known as the recognition span(范围)or the visual span. The length of time of which the eyes stop ---the duration of the fixation (定位)----varies considerably from person to person. It also varies within any one person according to his purpose in reading and his familiarity with the text. Furthermore, it can be affected by such factors as lighting and tiredness.
　　Unfortunately, in the past, many reading improvement courses have concentrated too much on how our eyes move across the printed page. As a result of this misleading emphasis on the purely visual aspects of reading, numerous exercises have been devised to train the eyes to see more words at one fixation. For instance, in some exercises, words are flashed on to a screen for, say, a tenth or a twentieth of a second. One of the exercises has required students to fix their eyes on some central point, taking in the words on either side. Such word patterns are often constructed in the shape of rather steep pyramids so the reader takes in more and more words at each successive (连续的) fixation. All these exercises are very clever, but it’s one thing to improve a person’s ability to see words and quite another thing to improve his ability to read a text efficiently. Reading requires the ability to understand the relationship between words. Consequently (因此), for these reasons, many experts have now begun to question the usefulness of eye training, especially since any approach which trains a person to read isolated (孤立的) words and phrases would seem unlikely to help him in reading a continuous text.
【小题1】The time of the recognition span can be affected by the following facts except ________ .

A．one’s familiarity with the text

B．one’s purpose in reading

C．the length of a group of words

D．lighting and tiredness

【小题2】The author may believe that reading ______.

A．requires a reader to take in more words at each fixation

B．requires a reader to see words more quickly

C．demands an deeply-participating mind

D．demands more mind than eyes

【小题3】What does the author mean by saying “but it’s one thing to improve a person’s ability to see words and quite another thing to improve his ability to read a text efficiently.” in the second paragraph?

A．The ability to see words is not needed when an efficient reading is conducted.

B．The reading exercises mentioned can’t help to improve both the ability to see and to comprehend words.

C．The reading exercises mentioned can’t help to improve an efficient reading.

D．The reading exercises mentioned has done a great job to improve one’s ability to see words.

【小题4】Which of the following is NOT true?

A．The visual span is a word or a group of words we see each time.

B．Many experts began to question the efficiency of eye training.

C．The emphasis on the purely visual aspects is misleading.

D．The eye training will help readers in reading a continuous text.

【小题5】The tune of the author in writing this article is ________

A．critical (批评的)	B．neutral (中立的)
C． pessimistic （悲观的 ）	D．optimistic

Language-learners who say they never or hardly ever use dictionaries often speak English well but usually write poorly, because they make many mistakes.
The students who use dictionaries most do not learn especially well either. The ones who look up every new word do not read fast. So they do not have time to read much. Those who use small two-language dictionaries have the worst problems. Their dictionaries often give only one or two words as translations (翻译) of English. But one English word often has many translations in a foreign language and one foreign word has many translations in English.
The most successful students are those who use large college edition dictionaries with about 100,000 words but do not use them too often. When they are reading, these students first try to get the general idea and understand new words from the context. Then they reread and use the dictionary to look up only key words that they still do not understand. They use dictionaries more for writing. If they are not sure how to spell a word, or divide it into syllables (音节), they always use a dictionary. Also, if they think a noun might have an unusual plural form, they check these in a dictionary.
【小题1】Students who never use dictionary speak well but write poor, because_______

A．They can’t remember words.

B．They may make mistakes.

C．They are not interested in writing.

D．They are afraid of writing.

【小题2】According to the passage, which of the following is right?

A．Students who never use dictionary can speak well and write well.

B．Whatever new words you meet while reading, just look them up in the dictionary.

C．Small two-language dictionaries are bad for learning English.

D．An English word only has one translation.

【小题3】When does the writer advise students to use a good dictionary in reading?

A．At the beginning of the reading

B．At the end of the reading

C．During the first reading

D．After the first reading

【小题4】This passage mainly tells us        .

A．that students shouldn’t use small two-language dictionaries

B．what were the defects (缺点) of small two-language dictionaries

C．why students should use large college edition dictionaries

D．what dictionary students should choose and how to use it

【小题5】Which is not mentioned in this passage?

A．How to make good use of a dictionary.

B．When to use a dictionary.

C．How to improve spoken English.

D．How to practice reading fast.

According to US research, it can take up to ten years to become a near-native English speaker. Asian and Spanish students took between five and ten years to reach native speaker performance in English-only schools. Fluency obviously doesn’t happen overnight. But time can definitely make you a better speaker.
After testing his own memory, German psychologist Hermann Ebbinghaus discovered that humans forget most of what they learn in the first 20 minutes.
So cramming right before a speaking exam is not likely to be as effective as practicing regularly over time. The more you practice, the more familiar new words will become. In the classroom, studies have also shown that repeating oral tasks improves a speaker’s performance.
One of the best repetition exercises is the 4/3/2 technique. Speakers give the same talk to three different listeners with a progressive decrease in delivery time, starting at four minutes, then three, and finally two minutes. This exercise has been proven to help learners speak faster. It can also result in less hesitation and more grammatical accuracy. While time dose make a difference when it comes to speaking perfect English, it would not hurt to brush up on your other language skills.
Studies have also shown that reading can increase your speaking vocabulary. After one month of an extensive reading program, a 27-year-old student of French became more familiar with 65 percent of the new words.
Aside from choosing the right learning methods, having certain personality traits may also help. US linguistics expert Stephen Krashen believes those with high motivation, self-confidence and a low level of anxiety are better equipped for speaking success.
Krashen says students who don’t have these qualities are more likely to have a “mental block”. “Even if they understand the message, the input will not reach the part of the brain responsible for language acquisition,” he writes in his book Principles and Practice in second Language Acquisition.
【小题1】According to the passage, if you want to be a near-native speaker, you need _____.

A．long-term speaking practice and much reading

B．speaking practice for ten years only

C．long-term speaking practice, much reading and certain qualities

D．cramming new words every day

【小题2】The author put forward the 4/3/2 technique just to show that _____.

A．you should speak to 3 different people

B．you should speak to 3 different people at 3 different times

C．it can prevent you from making grammar mistakes

D．it is really a good way to make you a better speaker

【小题3】The example of a 27-year-old student of French in the passage mainly means that _____.

A．reading can enlarge your vocabulary for your speaking

B．reading can make you memorize just 65 percent of the new words

C．the 27-year-old student of French is very clever

D．in one month, you can improve your speaking ability

【小题4】The underlined phrase “linguistics expert” means a person who is quite expert at _____.

A．languages	B．spoken language
C．scientific research	D．teaching English

Parents are a child’s first teachers. But some parents never learned from good examples. In New York City, a nonprofit agency called Covenant House tries to help homeless young mothers become good parents.
The twelve or so teenagers who live at the shelter attend parenting classes four days a week. The class is called Mommy and Me. Teacher Delores Clemens is a mother of five and a grandmother. She teaches basic skills, like how to give a baby a bath and how to dress a baby depending on the season.
She remembers one student who learned from her mother not to pick up a crying baby. The mother said that would only make the child needy and overly demanding. Delores Clemens says, “that's not true. You have to hold your baby! He is crying for a reason. If you never pick him up, he's going to keep crying. Pick your baby up. Cuddle your baby. Hug him! And she started to do that. They just want a little cuddling and a little love. And it works!”
Delores Clemens says her students also learn how to be good mothers by letting themselves be mothered. Around three hundred fifty teenage mothers graduate from Covenant House's Mommy and Me class every year.
In class, with her baby son is Natasha. She lived on the streets. She is glad not only for the warmth and shelter of Covenant House. As she told reporter Adam Phillips, she is also glad for the help they offer in seeking a more secure life.
The World Health Organization says the United States has forty-one births for every one thousand girls age fifteen to nineteen. That is higher than other developed countries, as well as some developing ones. By comparison, northern neighbor Canada has fourteen births and southern neighbor Mexico has eighty-two.
【小题1】What is the text mainly about?

A．Parents who are a child’s first teachers.

B．A class where teens learn mothering and are mothered.

C．A nonprofit agency that offers a more secure life.

D．A kind teacher who help homeless young mothers.

【小题2】Covenant Houses’ Mommy and Me class is intended to _____.

A．help homeless young mothers become good parents

B．provide homeless young mothers with a warm shelter

C．help mothers in New York be good parents

D．teach some parents how to love their children

【小题3】What can we know about Delores Clemens from the text?

A．She has a mother of five and a grandmother.

B．She thinks a crying baby should be picked up and hugged.

C．She teaches advanced skills on how to be good mothers.

D．She is very glad for the warmth and shelter of Covenant House.

【小题4】According to the World Health Organization, which country has the highest births for girls age fifteen to nineteen?

A．Canada

B．the United States of America

C．Mexico

D．Britain

It is difficult for parents of nearly every family to teach their children to be responsible for housework, but with one of the following suggestions, you really can get your children to help at home.
If you give your children the impression that they can never do anything quite right, then they will regard themselves as unfit or unable persons. Unless children believe they can succeed, they will never become totally independent.
My daughter Carla’s fifth grade teacher made every child in her class feel special. When students received less than a prefect test score, she would point out what they had mastered and declared firmly they could learn what they had missed.
You can use the same technique when you evaluate your child’s work at home. Don’t always scold and give lots of praise instead. Talk about what he has done right, not about what he hasn’t done. If your child completes a difficult task, promise him a Sunday trip or a ball game with Dad.
Learning is a process of trying and failing and trying and succeeding. If you teach your children not to fear a mistake of failure, they will learn faster and achieve success at last.
【小题1】The whole passage deals with ________.

A．social education

B．school education

C．family education

D．pre - school education

【小题2】The article gives us a good suggestion about how to evaluate（评价）your child’s work at home. That is to ________.

A．praise his success	B．promise him a trip
C．give him a punishment	D．promise him a ball game

【小题3】The author advises readers to________.

A．learn from himself, for he has a good way of teaching

B．take pride in Carla’s fifth - grade teacher

C．do as what Carla’s teacher did in educating children

D．follow Carla’s example because she never fails in the test

【小题4】Having read the last paragraph, we can conclude that ________.

A．pride goes before a fall	B．practice makes perfect
C．no pains, no gains	D．failure is the mother of success

Egypt: Bridging the Gap between School English and Real English
Teaching English in Egypt in general and in my town Damietta in particular, is mainly directed towards helping students to pass their final exams. Unfortunately, most teachers do not adopt a long -term approach that guarantees that their students will be able to use English outside the classroom. So students only concentrate on one skill which is writing. Thus their listening and speaking skills are disabled. What is important to them is to pass the exam which is primarily based on writing .Teachers are not only concentrated with providing their students with questions that are similar to those of the final exam, particularly General Secondary Education Certificate (GSEC) Examination, so students spend most of their time answering typical exam questions.
Most students' scores are high; a lot of students get full marks. However, few students are able to communicate in English because their role plays. As a result, a lot of students complain that they are unable to understand and talk fluently with native speakers of English.
To enable students to communicate freely and spontaneously(自然地) in English, I bring features of real communication into language practice, I always ask students about their own experiences, and suggest groups of students practice what they have learned outside the classroom. This helps lower-achieving students absorb language. Furthermore, role play is a very effective way to improve speaking skills particularly if it is connected to the experience of the students.
【小题1】Who probably write this passage?

A．a teacher

B．a governor

C．a student

D．a reporter

【小题2】In Egypt, the students only concentrate on ------

A．listening skill

B．speaking skill

C．reading skill

D．writing skill

【小题3】The teachers question their students based on -------

A．what they learn in the class

B．What their parents expect

C．The questions that are similar to those of GSEC

D．The ability that will be used outside the classroom

【小题4】Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?

A．Most of the students can't get high marks but can communicate with the native speakers of English.

B． Communicating skill is more important than writing skill.

C．Role play connected to the speaker's experience is more effective in improving his skill.

D．The lower--achieving students can do better in speaking skill than the upper achieving students.

【小题5】Who will responsible for the gap between school English and real English?

A．Their parents

B．The students

C．The school

D．The education sys tem

In a growing number of English classes, teachers are leaving the classic novels on the shelf and letting students select the books they read. Supporters say that the new approach, called reader’s workshop, helps develop a love for reading in students who are bored by classic literature. They argue that the best way to motivate students to read more is to offer them more choices.
Not all educators are on the same page, however. They worry that students who choose trendy, less challenging titles over the classics won’t be exposed to the great writing and key themes of important works of literature.Student reporters Donald and Sarah express their ideas about this new approach.
Donald thinks that we should turn the page. Students should be allowed to select the books they read in English class. He says he and his classmates are allowed to pick their own books in class. That makes them more focused, and they look forward to class time. Tristin, a classmate of his at Clinton Middle School agrees. “I’m reading books that I want to read, which makes class more fun and interesting,” he says. Offering students a choice may also improve test scores. Studies by Professor John Guthrie of the University of Maryland found that students in grades 4 through 6 who had some choices in the books they read showed improved reading comprehension skills during testing. Giving students the chance to decide what they read helps build a lifelong love for reading. Isn’t that what we want for our students?
Sarah holds a different view. She thinks teachers know more about books than students do. When an English teacher assigns a book, he or she keeps in mind the reading level of most students in the class. Students who choose their own books might be cheating themselves by picking books that are not up to their reading level or that are too difficult. Furthermore, a whole class can discuss a book it reads together. That makes it easier for some kids to understand what they are reading. “The students wouldn’t be able to hold a meaningful conversation if they were all reading different books,” says Kristin, an English teacher at Fleetwood Area Middle School. “If they read the same book, their conversations would be more in-depth.”
【小题1】What’s the meaning of the underlined sentence “Not all educators are on the same page”?

A．Educators have different opinions.

B．Educators didn’t appear at the same time.

C．Educators wrote in different pages.

D．Educators didn’t agree with the author.

【小题2】Donald thinks that the new approach could __________.

A．helped students be more focused in class

B．draw students to reading classic novels

C．make students less worried in English class

D．encourage students to red more challenging books

【小题3】Sarah thinks that the new approach might __________.

A．help students improve reading comprehension skills

B．help students hold meaningful conversations in class

C．make some students read books not suitable for them

D．make some students ignore the important works of literature

【小题4】Who has the same attitude towards the new approach with Kristin?

A．Donald.

B．Sarah.

C．Tristin.

D．John Guthrie.

【小题5】The author develops the text mainly by __________.

A．listing cases

B．making comparisons

C．following time order

D．explaining causes and effects

When you see homework covering the kitchen table and toys are piling up around the sofa, you probably wish there was a bit more space. You are not alone. Nearly a third of parents say they feel squeezed into their homes but cannot afford to move to a bigger property, a report reveals today.

Twenty-nine percent say "their property is too small to fit the size of their family—rising to 40 percent for those 34 and under". One in four children is 'forced to share' a bedroom, according to the Finda-Property. Com website. Property analyst Samantha Baden said: "Afford-ability remains a key issue for families, with the average cost of a three-bedroom home around ￡193,000."Very few can afford to buy or to rent a property of the size they want and in the area they desire to live in, according to Miss Baden.
A recent report, from investment firm LV, also found that many 'space-starved parents’are pushed into a two-bedroom home which was perfect when they were a young couple, but has no space for three or so children. Grown-up children who cannot afford to leave homo are also adding to the problem facing families in Britain's 'big squeeze'.
For a home to be the correct size, which means it is not overcrowded, parents must have their own bedroom. Children under ten can share, as well as same-sex children between ten and 20.Anyone over 21 also needs their own room.
The report comes as official figures, published yesterday by the Land Registry, revealing house prices are falling sharply in every region except London. The worst – hit area is the North East where average house prices have fallen to below ￡100, 000 for the first time in seven years. However, they remain unaffordable for millions.
【小题1】According to Paragraph 1, the report reveals        .

A．children like to do homework in the kitchen

B．some families can't afford a bigger property

C．only a few families have housing problem

D．people are satisfied with their living condition

【小题2】What Miss Baden said in Paragraph 2 means        .

A．most families don't have enough money yet

B．no family could afford a three - bedroom home

C．it is common to live in a three - bedroom home

D．the price of a bigger property is still acceptable

【小题3】The report from the investment firm LV shows        .

A．young couples should live in a two - bedroom home

B．families with three or so children couldn't afford a home

C．parents should buy houses for their grown - up children

D．some grown - up children couldn't afford a separate home

【小题4】What can we learn from the last paragraph?

A．House prices are falling down everywhere.

B．People are able to buy a home of correct size.

C．The house prices in London has not fallen down.

D．The North East is now an area suitable to live in.