Speaking is different among the four skills in learning English．The other three you can do alone on your own，but you can’t really speak alone．Speaking to yourself can be "dangerous" because men in white coats may come and take you away！Then how can you practice speaking？ Where can you find people to speak English with？

At school-If you pay to go to a language school，you should use the chance to speak．If your teacher asks you to speak in pairs with other students，try to say as much as possible．Don’t worry about your mistakes．Just speak！

Cafes and bars-There are American，British，Irish and Australian bars in many big cities．If you can find one，you will probably meet many people speaking English as their first or second language．

Songs and videos-Repeat the words of an English song singing with the music until it becomes automatic（不假思索）．It’s good practice for your memory and for the mouth muscles（肌肉） that you need for English．

Language is all around you--Everywhere you go，you will find language．Shop names，notices，and car numbers……When you walk down the street，practice reading the words and numbers that you see．Say them to yourself．It’s not exactly a conversation，but it will help you to "think" in English．

1．The purpose of this passage is to

    A．tell us that you can speak English alone

    B．tell us that English is all around you

    C．give us some advice on how to practice speaking

    D．tell us speaking is the easiest of the four skills in learning English

2．What does the writer mean by saying "Speaking to yourself can be dangerous"？

    A．The writer is joking- perhaps a doctor will come and take you to the hospital．

    B．It’s dangerous to practice speaking with foreigners．

    C．When you speak alone， you have to put on a white coat．

    D．Men in white coats will cause an accident．

3．The writer advises you to go to cafes and bars because

    A．you can enjoy yourself there

    B．you can listen to English songs there

    C．it will not be dangerous if you speak to yourself there

    D．you will meet many English speakers there

4．Why does the writer give the advice "Songs and videos"？

    A．It’s good practice for your memory．

    B．It’s good for the mouth muscles that you need for English．

    C．It’s good for you to sing well．

    D．Both A and B．

It was Sunday morning. A butcher(屠夫) heard the doorbell(门铃) and       thought it must be a customer. But he was surprised to see that a dog was

coming into his shop. The dog had $10 and a note in its mouth. The butcher

took the note and read it. It said,“10 pork chops(排骨), please.”So the butcher took the money and put a bag of chops in the dog’s mouth.

Then he quickly closed the shop because he decided to follow the dog. He found the dog on the street. The dog was waiting for a green light. Then the dog walked across the road. The dog went to a bus stop. When a bus arrived, the dog checked the number and then got on the bus.

After a while, the dog stood up on his back paws(爪子) to push the “stop” button(按钮). The bus stopped and the dog got off. Then the butcher followed it to get off the bus.

The dog ran to a house and dropped the bag in front of the front door. It then began to beat its head against the front door. After a while, a big man opened the door and began shouting at the dog. The butcher ran up and shouted at the man, “What are you doing? Your dog is a genius(天才).”

The owner of the dog said, “Genius? No way! I always tell him to take the keys when he goes to the stores. But he never listens to me!”

1 Who was the customer that Sunday morning?

A. A big man.           B. A butcher.    C. A dog.           D. A little boy.

2  How much did the dog pay for the pork chops?

      A. $20.      B. $10.               C. $5.               D. $62.

3 How did the dog take the note?

A. In the bag.             B. On its back.       

C. In its mouth.           D. Around its neck.  

4 Which is NOT right according to the story?

A. The dog stood up on its back paws to push the “stop”

B. The butcher quickly closed the shop to follow the dog.

C. The big man was pleased with his do

D. The butcher thought the dog was a genius.

5 What is the story mainly about?

      A. A customer.        B. A smart dog.    C. A butcher.  D. A big man.

Mo Yan, a well-known Chinese writer, won the Nobel Prize for literature(文学) in 2012. He was also the first Chinese writer who got this prize in history. When he was interviewed, he said he was only a normal person who could tell stories. He especially thanked his mother. He thought his mother had a strong influence on him.

Mo Yan was born in a poor family in China’s rural area. When he was young, he was a little bit shy because he thought he wasn’t good-looking. His classmates often played jokes on his look. That made him very upset. His mother encouraged him to face the fact bravely. She told him not to look down on(看不起) himself. She said it didn’t matter if a person didn’t have a good look and it was important to work hard and never give up. She hoped that his son would be a useful person in society.

Mo Yan didn’t let her mother down. He worked hard at writing. He wrote many famous novels, such as Hong Gao Liang(《红高粱》)and Wa(《娃》). His success tells us a truth,“Nobody can beat you unless you beat yourself.”Hold on to your dream and your dream will come true in the end.

6What does Mo Yan do?

A. He is a famous singer.                  B. He is a famous actor.

C. He is a famous writer.            D. He is a famous doctor.

7 When did Mo Yan win the Nobel Prize?

A. In 2010.          B. Last year.               C. In 2013.        D. Last month.

8Why did Mo Yan feel upset when he was a little boy?

A. Because he was poor.

B. Because he couldn’t tell stories.

C. Because his classmates often laughed at his look.

D. Because he didn’t work hard.

9 What is the most important for a person according to the article?

A. Working hard.      B. Money.      C. A good job.        D. A good look.

10 What can we learn from the story?

A. Mo Yan’s classmates were friendly to him.   

B. Mo Yan was born in a rich family.

C. Mo Yan won the Nobel Prize for peace.

D. Mo Yan’s mother helped him a lot.