Learners report two main difficulties in reading, which may be linked. There are too many unknown words and as a result reading is simply not a pleasure. For some students, even reading in their own language is a chore.

　　Having a wide vocabulary is essential to making sense of written language. Of course, this is a circular argument, because the more you read the more vocabulary you learn and the more words you know the more easily you can read. Don’t make the mistake of reading with your dictionary beside you, looking up every single new or doubtful word. This is laborious and prevents you from practicing the skill of prediction.

　　Sometimes in reading you find a word you know but the sense doesn’t seem to fit in. This is not surprising because words have so many meanings and degrees of meaning. What is more, part of their meaning is shaped by the words around them. Keep looking at the surrounding words and asking yourself “what sort of meaning would make sense here?”

　　The more that people study the reading process, the better they can pass on to language learners a range of advice to choose from. People have learned to read in all kinds of ways. Here is some information that could help you plan to be a better reader in the foreign language you are studying.

　　1）Work out the general meaning first

　　When people read in a new language they often feel they must take a detailed approach, focusing on every word, particularly those they don’t know. They read as if they were using a microscope, looking carefully at each of the small pieces（the individual words）, but not necessarily seeing the whole picture at first. This is called the “bottom-up” approach. Other readers try to look first at the big picture（the “top-down” approach）, attending to individual bricks only as necessary, a process that involves some intelligent guesswork. Generally this second approach is recommended by successful learners.

　　2）Interactive reading

　　Another way of thinking about reading is to describe it as an interactive process, where the text brings something to you and you bring something to the text. Readers bring together all their knowledge of the world with what they see on the page in front of them. That is why, when reading in our own language, we don’t need to read every word. We add meaning which is not actually stated.

　　3）From supported reading to independent reading

　　Language learners start by needing considerable support as they read. Textbooks supply this support in the form of introductions that summaries the contents, glossaries, pictures, explanations of new grammar points. In your reading you need to move gradually from this support to reading more the text itself.

1. According to the author, ________.

A. looking up the dictionary is of great help for the understanding

B. reading more promotes the gaining of vocabulary

         C. the more you read, the less useful the dictionary will be

         D. the amount of vocabulary is the key to reading

2. Successful learners recommend ________.

A. trying to look first at the big picture   B. looking carefully at each of the small pieces

C. focusing on every word                 D. “bottom-up” approach

3. The word “chore” in the first paragraph maybe means ________.

A. an important aspect             B. a difficult and tiring thing

C. an easy question          D. something special

4. You come across a new or doubtful word when you are reading, you can ________.

A. just miss it and let it be                 B. keep looking at the surrounding words

C. look it up in the dictionary each time  D. make sense of it with the help of dictionary

 

阅读理解

阅读下列短文，从每题所给四个选项(A，B，C和D)中，选出最佳选项．

　　Every day millions of letters go from one country to another. Letters mailed in Italy are received in Japan. Letters mailed in Canada are received in Africa. On the letters are many different kinds of stamps, bought in different countries.

　　The Universal Postal Union helps each letter get to the right place as quickly as possible. It sets up roles about the size and weight of letters, postcards and small packages (包裹). It has rules that all countries must follow about international postal rates(费用).

　　One hundred years ago, international mail did not move so smoothly. One country did not always accept another country's letters. Letters from some countries were too large to fit into the mailboxes of other countries. Letters traveled by many different routes(路线). Some were lost along the way.

　　Sometimes the person who sent the letter could pay only part of the postage. The person receiving the letter had to pay the rest.

　　The United States was the first to suggest that all countries work together to settle the questions of international mail. In 1947, men from twenty-four countries met in Switzerland to form the Universal Postal Union. Today, more than 120 nations belong to this union. From its office in Switzerland, the union helps the mail to move safely and quickly around the world.

1．From the story we can infer that ________.

[　　]

A．mail is important to all countries

B．not enough letters are sent all over the world

C．all the letters must go to Switzerland first

D．all stamps look exactly the same

2．The Universal Postal Union was formed ________.

[　　]

A．to help move mail quickly around the world

B．to give many men a chance to work

C．to help men meet in Switzerland

D．to look for the lost letters along the way

3．Which statement does this passage lead you to believe?

[　　]

A．Countries around the world need each other's help.

B．Most people do not put enough postage on letters.

C．It is not possible for letters to get lost on the way.

D．Some of the letters are too large to be put into the mailbox.

4．The underlined word“postage”in this passage means ________.

[　　]

A．money paid when you buy a stamp

B．money spent on an envelope

C．the charge for carrying a letter by post

D．the pay postman receives for his work

5．This passage is mainly about ________.

[　　]

A．different kinds of stamps in different countries

B．an organization that makes rules

C．international mail

D．the size and weight of letters

完形填空

　　Music forms an important part of many cultural and social activities. People use music to 1 feelings and ideas. Music also serves to entertain and relax.

　　Music is a performing 2 . It differs from such arts as painting and poetry, in which artists create works and then display or publish them. Music composers need musicians to explain the meaning of their 3 and perform it. So musical performances are partnerships between composers and 4 .

　　Music is one of the oldest arts. People 5 started to sing as soon as language 6 Hunting tools struck 7 may have been the first musical instruments. By about 10000 BC, people had 8 how to make flutes （长笛） out of hollow（空的） bones. Many ancient people, 9 the Egyptians, Chinese, and Babylonians, and the people of India, used 10 in court and religious ceremonies （宫廷与宗教庆典）. The first written music dates from about 2500 BC.

　　Classical music, also called art music, is composed according to certain

11 and performed by musicians from 12 music. It includes symphonies （交响乐） and music for opera and ballet. Classical composers have written 13 styles of music during different periods of history.

　　 14 music includes many kinds of music, such as 15 music, jazz, rock music, and music from films. Popular music is generally much

16 than classical music.

　　 17 music is made up of the old 18 of a people. Most folk songs begin in distant areas. One person makes up a song, and other people

19 it and learn to sing it. Some folk songs have been passed on in this way for hundreds of years. Many 20 of classical music have used folk music in their works.

阅读理解

　　In order to communicate thoughts and feelings, there must be a conventional system of signs or symbols which mean the same to the sender and the receiver.

　　The means of sending communications are too numerous and varied for systematic classification; therefore, the analysis must begin with the means of receiving communication. Reception of communication is achieved by our senses. Sight. hearing and touch play the most important roles.

　　Examples of visual communication are gesture and mimicry. Although both frequently accompany speech, there are systems that rely solely on sight, such as those used by deaf and dumb persons. Another means of communicating visually is by signals of fire, smoke, flags, or flashing lights. Feelings may be simply communicated by touch, such as handshaking or backslapping, although a highly developed system of handshaking has enabled blind, deaf, and dumb persons to communicate intelligently. Whistling to someone, applauding in a theater and other forms of communication by sound rely upon the ear as a receiver. The most fully developed form of auditory communication is, of course, the spoken language.

　　The means of communication mentioned so far have two features(特点)in common; they last only a short time, and the persons involved must be relatively close to each other. Therefore, all are restricted in time and space.

1．Why does the author explain that he will deal with reception of communication first?

[　　]

A．communication actually takes place when the message is received

B．there are more means of receiving than sending communications

C．it is difficult to organize by type the means of sending communications

D．reception of communications involved use of the senses

2．Applauding is specifically mentioned as an example of ________.

[　　]

A．a simple system of visual communication

B．communication by touch

C．gesture and mimicry

D．communication by sound

3．Which of the following statements about communication by touch is true?

[　　]

A．It is possible to communicate intelligently by touch alone

B．Touch must accompany visual communication

C．Touch is not important as a means of communication

D．There is no well－developed system of communication based on touch

4．Which of the following statements about the ways of communicating ideas and feelings mentioned in the passage is false?

[　　]

A．They can be used to communicate over long distances

B．They require both a sender and a receiver

C．They involve use of conventional signs and symbols

D．They utilize the senses for reception

5．The author specifically mentions that speech is ________.

[　　]

A．necessary for satisfactory communication by gesture

B．the only highly developed form system of communication

C．often used when communicating by touch

D．the mast developed form of communication based on hearing