Languages are always changing . 1 English of today is very different from 2 of 500 years ago. In time, some languages become more 3 and others become less important.4 　　　even die out completely. About 1,000 years ago English was a little 5 language.

If a language has a large 6 of speakers, or 7 it is very old, there may be difference 8 the way it is spoken in different areas. 9 , the language may have 10 dialects (方言). Chinese is a good example of dialect differences. Chinese 11 for thousands of years by many millions of 12 . The differences between the dialects of Chinese are 13 great that speakers of Chinese from some parts of China cannot understand each other.

There are other kinds of dialects. In some languages we find words or expressions and even grammatical forms, which are used 14 by men and others used by women. What’s more, each generation 15 its own expressions and grandparents and grandparents and grandchildren may sometimes have difficulty in understanding each other.

1. A. An　　　　　 B. The　　　　 C. /　　　　 D. A

2. A. that　　　　　　 B. it　　　　　　　　 C. this　　　　　 D. one

3. A. important　 B. simple　 　 C. easy　　　　 　 D. impossible

4. A. Anyone　　　　　 B. None　　　　　　 C. Any　　　　　 D. Some

5. A. known　　　　　 B. to know　　　　　 C. knowing　　　 D. knew

6. A. amount　　　　 B. deal　　　　　　　 C. number　　　　 D. numbers

7. A. if　　　　　　　 B. as　　　　　　　 C. as if 　　　　　 D. even if

8. A. on　　　　　　 B. in　　　　　　　　 C. at　　　　　　 D. by

9. A. However　　　　 B. That is　　　　　 C. But　　　　　 D. So

10. A. few　　　　　 B. several　　　　　　 C. no　　　　　 D. little

11. A. has been spoken B. has spoken　　　　 C. is spoken　　　 D. have been spoken

12. A. speakers　　　　 B. talkers　　　　　　 C. tellers　　　　 D. writers

13. A. very　　　　　 B. too　　　　　　　 C. such　　　　　 D. so

14. A. both　　　　　 B. only　　　　　　　 C. neither　　　　 D. either

15. A. studies　　　　 B. uses　　　　　　　 C. produces　　　 D. makes

Tom was about to close the window　　　　his attention was caught by a bird.

　　It is difficult for parents of nearly every family to teach their children to be responsible （有责任的）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 （评价）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（过程）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.

　　The whole passage deals with ________.

　　A. social education　　　　　　　　B. school education

　　C. family education　　　　　　　　D. pre - school education

　　The author thinks that________.

　　A. there is no way to get children to help at home

　　B. the more encouragement and praise you give, the more responsible and helpful children will become

　　C. it is very difficult to make children responsible for housework

　　D. children can be forced to help with housework

　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

　　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

B
While still in its early stages, welfare reform has already been judged a great success in many states — at least in getting people off welfare. It’s estimated that more than 2 million people have left the rolls（名册） since 1994.
　　In the past four years, welfare rolls in Athens Country have been cut in half. But 70 percent of the people who left in the past two years took jobs that paid less than $6 an hour. The result: The Athens Country poverty rate still remains at more than 30 percent — twice the national average.
　　For advocates（代言人）for the poor, that’s an indication much more needs to be done.
　　“More people are getting jobs, but it’s not making their lives any better,” says Kathy Lairn, a  policy analyst at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities in Washington.
　　A center analysis of US Census data nationwide found that between 1995 and 1996, a greater percentage of single, female-headed households were earning money on their own, but that average income for these households actually went down.
　　But for many, the fact that poor people are able to support themselves almost as well without government aid as they did with it is in itself a huge victory.
　　“Welfare was a poison. It was a toxin（毒素）that was poisoning the family,” says
Robert Rector, a welfare-reform policy analyst. “The reform is changing the moral climate in low-income communities. It’s beginning to rebuild the work ethic（道德观）, which is much more important.”
　　Mr. Rector and others argued that once “the habit of dependency is cracked,” then the country can make other policy changes aimed at improving living standards.
45. From the passage, it can be seen that the author _______.
　　A. believes the reform has reduced the government’s burden
　　B. insists that welfare reform is doing little good for the poor
　　C. is overenthusiastic about the success of welfare reform
　　D. considers welfare reform to be basically successful
46. Why aren’t people enjoying better lives when they have jobs?
　　A. Because many families are divorced.
　　B. Because government aid is now rare.
　　C. Because their wages are low.
　　D. Because the cost of living is rising.
47. From the passage we know that welfare reform aims at _______.
　　A. saving welfare funds
　　B. rebuilding the work ethic
　　C. providing more jobs
　　D. cutting government expenses
48. According to the passage before the welfare reform was carried out, _______.
　　A. the poverty rate was lower
　　B. average living standards were higher
　　C. the average worker was paid higher wages
　　D. the poor used to rely on government aid

There was a small boy living on a farm which seemed like so far away from everywhere. He needed to get up before sunrise every morning to start his everyday jobs and go out again later in the evening to do the same 　36　.

During sunrise he would 　37　a break and climb up the fence so that he could see the house with golden windows 　38　 the distance. He thought 　39　 great it would be to live there and his 　40　 would wander to imagine the modern equipment and electric devices that might 　41　 in the house. “If they could 　42　 the golden windows, they 　43　 have other nice things.” He then 　44　 himself, “Some day I will go there and see that wonderful place.”

Then one morning his father told him to stay at home and he would do the everyday jobs. 　45　 that this was his chance, he packed a sandwich and　46　 the field towards the house with golden windows.

He walked and walked. As the afternoon went on, he began to realize how he misjudged the long 　47　 and something else was very wrong. As he 　48　 the house, he saw no golden windows but instead a place in bad 　49　 of a painting surrounded by a broken-down fence. He went to the tattered (破烂的) door and 　50　. A small boy very 　51　 his age opened the door.

He asked him if he had seen the house with 　52　 windows. The boy said “Sure, I know” and 　53　 him to sit on the porch (门廊). As he sat there, he looked back from 　54　 he just came; the sunset 　55　 the windows of his house to gold there.

1.                A．homework      B．classes          C．cleaning D．ones

2.                A．take           B．give            C．do   D．start

3.                A．from           B．in             C．over     D．across

4.                A．much          B．even           C．very D．how

5.                A．feet           B．eyes           C．mind     D．heart

6.                A．sit             B．exist           C．stand     D．disappear

7.                A．change         B．share           C．provide   D．afford

8.                A．can’t         B．must           C．have to   D．need to

9.                A．promised       B．supported       C．pitied    D．encouraged

10.               A．Hearing        B．Imaging         C．Realizing   D．Ignoring

11.               A．crossed        B．found          C．planted   D．chose

12.               A．situation        B．thought         C．distance   D．opinion

13.               A．approached     B．considered      C．enjoyed   D．noticed

14.               A．case           B．memory        C．part D．need

15.               A．listened        B．knocked        C．waited    D．leaned

16.               A．satisfied with    B．familiar with     C．fond of    D．close to

17.               A．worn          B．golden         C．favorite   D．beautiful

18.               A．invited         B．persuaded      C．helped    D．managed

19.               A．when          B．why           C．where D．what

20.               A．made          B．drove          C．turned    D．put