Many Chinese students who have learnt English for more than ten years are still unable to speak English very well when they meet a foreigner. They seem to have mastered the basic language structure(结构), but a conversation in English will make them feel uneasy. They are afraid that other people might find out their mistakes.
It's uncommon that many students who are bad speakers of English can write English perfectly. This proves that they are unable to organize their idea in English. The center of the problem is that they lack practice and confidence (自信).
Why should you be afraid? Do you fear those foreigners with whom you are speaking? Don't be shy, they will not laugh at you just for a little mistake you make. The best way to get rid of trouble is to learn to speak by speaking more. I am sure that constant practice will help you succeed.
【小题1】What's the best topic for the passage?

A．How to Speak to Foreigners	B．How to Study English Well
C．How to Organize the Idea in English	D．Practice Speaking English All the Time

【小题2】 Many Chinese students can write English very well, but they cannot speak English fluently because _______________.

A．they seldom meet foreigners

B．they seldom practice speaking English

C．they had no chance to speak English

D．they think it's enough to master the basic language structure only

【小题3】So many Chinese students are afraid to speak to foreigners because __.

A．they are afraid they can't understand foreigners

B．they don't think their English is poor

C．they worry about making mistakes in their speaking

D．they didn't like speaking to foreigners

【小题4】According to the passage, which of the following is NOT true?

A．We can speak English fluently by doing more speaking.

B．If you can write English perfectly, you are able to organize your idea in English.

C．If you can write good English composition, you can speak English very well.

D．Any Chinese students can't speak English fluently because they are afraid of making mistakes.

【小题5】In the last paragraph, the expression "get rid of" means_______.  

A．throw away

B．free oneself from

C．give up

D．do with

 

Country music is one of the most popular kinds of music in the United States today because it is about simple but strong human feelings and events------love, sadness, good times, and bad times. It tells real-life, stories and sounds the way people really talk. As life becomes more complicated(复杂), it is good to hear music about ordinary people.

Country music, sometimes called country-western, comes from two kinds of music. One is the traditional music of the people in the Appalachian Mountains in the eastern Unite States. The other is traditional cowboy music from the west. The singers usually play guitars, and in the 1920s they started using electric guitars. At first city people said country music was low class. It was popular mostly in the South. But during World War II, thousands of Southerners went to the Northeast and Midwest to work in the factories. They took their music with them. Soldiers from the rest of the country went to army camps in the South. They learned country music. Slowly it became popular all over the country.

Today country music is also popular everywhere in the United States and Canada-------in small towns and in New York City, among black and white, and among educated and uneducated people. About 1, 200 radio stations broadcast country music twenty-four hours a day. English stars sing it in British English, and people in other countries sing it in their own languages. The music that started with cowboys and poor southerners is now popular all over the world.

77. It can be learned from the passage that country music comes from          .

    A. the Northeast and Midwest

    B. factories and army camps in the South

    C. the Appalachian Mountains and the West

    D. real-life stories in small towns

78. Before World War II country music was popular mainly in            .

    A. the south       B. the north      C. the Midwest      D. the Northeast

79. Country music is one of the most popular kinds of music in the world

today because               .

    A. city people said it was low class

    B. people could sing it in many different languages

    C. it started with cowboys and poor Southerners

    D. it is loved by different kinds of people in the world

80. Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?

    A. Country music is about human feelings and events.

    B. Country music is sung by stars all in English.

    C. Country music is popular among city people today.

    D. City people didn’t like country music at first.

 

It feels like every time my mother and I start to have a conversation, it turns into an argument. We talk about something as simple as dinner plans and suddenly, my mother will push the conversation into World War 3. She’ll talk about my lack of bright future because I don’t plan to be a doctor. And much to her disappointment, I don’t want to do any job related to science, either. In fact, when I was pushed to say that I planned to major(主修) in English and communications, she nearly had a heart attack.
“Why can’t you be like my co-worker’s son?” she bemoans all the time. Her coworker’s son received a four-year scholarship and is now earning 70,000 dollars a year as an engineer. I don’t know what to answer except that I simply can’t be like Mr. Perfect as I’ve called the unnamed co-worker’s son. I can’t be like him. I am the type of the person who loved to help out in the community, write until the sun goes down, and most of all, wants to achieve a career because I love it, not because of a fame or salary.
I understand why my mother is worried about my future major. I’ve seen my mother struggle to raise me on her small salary and work long hours. She leaves the house around 6:30 am and usually comes home around 5 pm or even 6pm. However, I want her to know that by becoming a doctor, it doesn’t mean I’ll be successful. I’d rather follow my dreams and create my own future.
【小题1】Which of the following topics do the writer and his mother often talk about?

A．the writer’s studies	B．wars around the world
C．dinner plans	D．the writer’s future job

【小题2】We can infer from Paragraph 1 that the writer’s mother _____.

A．doesn’t think the writer should be a doctor

B．doesn’t want the writer to major in English

C．gets along very well with the writer

D．doesn’t think working in the scientific field is a good idea

【小题3】The underlined word “bemoans” in Paragraph 2 most probably means “________”.

A．disagrees

B．shouts

C．smiles

D．complains

【小题4】Which of the following statements is probably TRUE about the writer?

A．He wants to be like his mother’s co-worker’s son.

B．He wants to find a job in his community in the future.

C．He wants to do something he really likes in the future.

D．He doesn’t think his mother’s co-worker’s son is perfect.

【小题5】We can know from the last paragraph that ____.

A．the writer’s mother works very hard for the family

B．the writer doesn’t know what his future will be like

C．the writer doesn’t think being a doctor is a good job

D．the writer sometimes thinks his mother’s advice is very good

As a senior student, you may have realized the importance of English. But how can you study English well?

I think it necessary that you should try your best to use English. We study English, not study about English. That person knows a set of grammatical rules and a lot of English words does not mean that he has mastered English. A students’ mastery of English is ultimately measured by how well he can use it, not by how much he knows about it. I believe that learning English is just like learning to play the piano. So you should also have such a purpose —you are able to use English.

Using English consists of speaking English and writing compositions in English. In order to improve your spoken English, you’d better take an active part in the teacher’s lectures, answer his questions in English, and try to speak as much English as you can after class.

Writing English journals(日记) is the best way to improve your writing. At the same time, you should listen to and read more English.

1. “We study English, not study about English. ” This sentence implies __________.

A. that we study the English language in order to use English, not only to grasp some grammatical rules

B. that we needn’t study English grammatical rules

C. that we should study English grammatical rules very well

D. that we study the English language in order to grasp some grammatical rules

2. Which is the True statement according to the passage?

A. Mr. Wang has a good mastery of the English language, so we come to the conclusion that he knows a set of grammatical rules and a lot of English words.

B. Mr. Zhang knows a set of grammatical rules and a lot of English words, so he has mastered English.

C. Xiao Wang knows a lot of English words and a set of grammatical rules, so that he speaks English well.

D. Xiao Zhang knows much about English, so he can use English.

3. From the author’s point of view, __________.

A. learning English is very important because of the grammatical rules

B. English is of importance to us Chinese

C. learning English is not like learning to play the piano

D. a student’s mastery of English is not measured by how much he knows about it

4. According to the passage, we__________.

A. want to be able to get good results in English exams

B. should try our best to use English

C. should have the same purpose as a student of the piano lessons

D. should study English well because of its importance

5. __________is the best way to improve your spoken English.

A. Knowing a lot of English words

B. Answering the teacher’s questions in English

C. Trying to speak as much English as you can after class

D. B and C

 

King’s College Summer School
King’s College Summer School is an annual(每年的)training program for high school students at all levels who want to improve their English.Courses are given by the teachers of King’s College and other colleges in New York.Trips to museums and culture centers are also organized.This year’s summer school will be from July 25 to August 15.More information is as follows:

Application(申请)date ●Students in New York should send their applications before July 18,2007. ●Students of other cities should send their applications before July 16,2007. ●Foreign students should send their applications before July 10,2007.	Courses ●English LanguageSpoken English:22 hoursReading and Writing:10 hours ●American History:16 hours ●American Culture:16 hours
Steps ●A letter of self-introduction ●A letter of recommendation(推荐) *The letters should be written in English with all the necessary information.	Cost ●Daily lessons:$200 ●Sports and activities:$100 ●Travels:$200 ●Hotel service:$400 *You may choose to live with your friends or relatives in the same city.
Please write to: Thompson,Sanders1026 King’s StreetNew York,NY 10016,USAE-mail: KC-Summer-School@yahoo.com

【小题1】You can most probably read the text in________.

A．a newspaper	B．a travel guide
C．a textbook	D．a telephone book

【小题2】Which of the following is true about King’s College Summer School?

A．Only top students can take part in the program.

B．King’s College Summer School is run every other year.

C．Visits to museums and culture centers are part of the program.

D．Only the teachers of King’s College give courses.

【小题3】If you are to live with your relatives in New York,you will have to pay the school ________.

A．$200	B．$400
C．$500	D．$900

【小题4】What information can you get from the text?

A．The program will last two months.

B．You can write to Thompson only in English.

C．As a Chinese student,you can send your application on July 14,2007.

D．You can get in touch with the school by e-mail or by telephone.