The financial crisis will be the top issue at this year’s World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. The five – day meeting starts on Wednesday, January 28. More than two thousand five hundred people from ninety-six countries will discuss ways to solve the crisis.

The event gathers some of the world's most powerful political and business leaders at a small ski village in the Swiss Alps. Organizers this week announced a program built around the theme: “Shaping the Post-Crisis World."

But with the world still in crisis , there was news that no famous people from show business will be at the forum this year. Bona, the social activist and lead singer of the Irish rock group U2, usually attends. But he will not be attending this year.

Organizers expect a record forty-one heads of state or government. They include Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and the prime minister of Kenya, Raila Odinga.

Among those expected from President Obama's new administration is Lawrence Summers, the director of the National Economic Council. Another is Mister Obama's national security adviser, retired general James Jones.

Members of the US Congress are also among the guest list, along with former president Clinten, a favorite at Davos. About sixty percent of those attending are business leaders.

The World Economic Forum will also discuss global warming, investment in low-carbon forms of energy in developing countries and other issues.

Klaus Schwab is the founder and chairman of the forum. He calls this one of the most important gatherings in its thirty-nine year history. He says the financial crisis should be seen as a wake-up call to change systems and ways of thinking, and to re-establish trust.

KLAUS SCHWAB: "We never will move out of the crisis if we do not re-establish confidence  which means we have to establish signposts for the future."

1．What is the main purpose of the World Economic Forum this year?

         A．To wake up people to establish signpost for the future.

         B．To solve the problems of global warning.

         C．To re-establish confidence of the leaders.

         D．To discuss how to solve the crisis.

2．The underlined word “signpost” in the last paragraph means          .

         A．symbol       B．road   C．goal   D．station

3．What does Klaus Schwab mean in the second paragraph from the bottom?

         A．The crisis requires us to change.      

         B．We should change the systems of the forum.

         C．The forum has a long history.   

         D．The crisis needs trust.

The financial crisis will be the top issue at this year’s World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. The five – day meeting starts on Wednesday, January 28. More than two thousand five hundred people from ninety-six countries will discuss ways to solve the crisis.
The event gathers some of the world's most powerful political and business leaders at a small ski village in the Swiss Alps. Organizers this week announced a program built around the theme: “Shaping the Post-Crisis World."
But with the world still in crisis , there was news that no famous people from show business will be at the forum this year. Bona, the social activist and lead singer of the Irish rock group U2, usually attends. But he will not be attending this year.
Organizers expect a record forty-one heads of state or government. They include Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and the prime minister of Kenya, Raila Odinga.
Among those expected from President Obama's new administration is Lawrence Summers, the director of the National Economic Council. Another is Mister Obama's national security adviser, retired general James Jones.
Members of the US Congress are also among the guest list, along with former president Clinten, a favorite at Davos. About sixty percent of those attending are business leaders.
The World Economic Forum will also discuss global warming, investment in low-carbon forms of energy in developing countries and other issues.
Klaus Schwab is the founder and chairman of the forum. He calls this one of the most important gatherings in its thirty-nine year history. He says the financial crisis should be seen as a wake-up call to change systems and ways of thinking, and to re-establish trust.
KLAUS SCHWAB: "We never will move out of the crisis if we do not re-establish confidence  which means we have to establish signposts for the future."
1．What is the main purpose of the World Economic Forum this year?
A．To wake up people to establish signpost for the future.
B．To solve the problems of global warning.
C．To re-establish confidence of the leaders.
D．To discuss how to solve the crisis.
2．The underlined word “signpost” in the last paragraph means          .
A．symbol     B．road  C．goal  D．station
3．What does Klaus Schwab mean in the second paragraph from the bottom?
A．The crisis requires us to change.    
B．We should change the systems of the forum.
C．The forum has a long history. 
D．The crisis needs trust.

I keep hammering this because I keep seeing people who don’t do it．

1．Look up English to Elvish．

2．Look up the Elvish word in the best Elvish dictionary you have, and, preferably, find out the context in Tolkien’s language dictionary．

3．Change the word to suit rules of grammar: singular or plural, mutations, verb tenses, etc．

       You cannot leave out any of these steps．If you do, you’re almost certain to have errors．Why you have to do step 2:

       Languages never match up one- to-one．English and Elvish are closer than usual, but there are still problems．And English has strange idioms: why are there no baths or beds in public bathrooms or restrooms? You can’t translate literally．You have to understand the meaning behind each word．

       In Elvish this is even more true, since our dictionaries contain more or less questionable reconstructions, and words that Tolkien later threw away or replaced．Find the best one you can．

       Consider the word “fair”．We tend to use it to mean “just”．Tolkien tends to use it to mean “beautiful”．In Elvish, these are two entirely different words．So when you look up “fair”, you’ll have to go to the Elvish dictionary to see that you’ve got the right one．

       Consider the nightmare of He left the bar．Is “left” the opposite of “right” （which also has two meanings） ? Is “bar” extruded steel（型材钢）, or something to do with law? You have to know what words mean in both languages．

       And you’d be amazed at how many people ignore step 3, forgetting that language is more than a string of words, and there are rules about how to fit those words together．You can’t simply look up the word “I” and use it everywhere．Sometimes you need “me” or “my”．There’s a reason it takes a while to learn a language: you have to learn the rules．

       It drives me completely mad when people give a questionable translation they insist is right because “it’s in the dictionary”．A dictionary is a tool, a resource．but its entries（词目）should not be mistaken for a finished product．They are raw materials．

The underlined word “this” in paragraph 1 refers to         ．

       A．consulting the dictionaries when translating between languages

       B．finding out the true meaning in context

       C．ignoring the rules of grammar

       D．leaving out some of the three steps the author mentions

According to the author, you have to do step 2 because         ．

       A．you have to understand the meaning behind each word

       B．Elvish and English are quite different in forms

       C．there are no baths or beds in public bathrooms

       D．Elvish has some words which are hard to find

Grammar is also very important because it         ．

       A．helps fit the words together   B．takes a while to learn a language

       C．is a rule to obey       D．is often forgotten in translating

In the last paragraph, the author shows         ．

       A．his impatience to those who insist their wrong translation is right

       B．his puzzle to the questionable translation

       C．the importance of the correct use of dictionaries

       D．the mistaken entries in the dictionaries

The passage is mainly about how to         ．

       A．learn a foreign language with a dictionary

       B．avoid errors when looking up a dictionary

       C．understand the meaning of a strange word

       D．use a dictionary to translate between languages

I keep hammering this because I keep seeing people who don’t do it.

1. Look up English to Elvish.

2. Look up the Elvish word in the best Elvish dictionary you have, and, preferably, find out the context（上下文） in Tolkien’s language dictionary.

3. Change the word to suit rules of grammar: singular or plural, mutations, verb tenses, etc.

You cannot leave out any of these steps. If you do, you’re almost certain to have errors. Why you have to do step 2:

Languages never match up one- to-one. English and Elvish are closer than usual, but there are still problems. And English has strange idioms: why are there no baths or beds in public bathrooms or restrooms? You can’t translate literally（逐字地）. You have to understand the meaning behind each word.

In Elvish this is even more true, since our dictionaries contain more or less questionable reconstructions, and words that Tolkien later threw away or replaced. Find the best one you can.

Consider the word “fair”. We tend to use it to mean “just”. Tolkien tends to use it to mean “beautiful”. In Elvish, these are two entirely different words. So when you look up “fair”, you’ll have to go to the Elvish dictionary to see that you’ve got the right one.

Consider the nightmare（噩梦） of He left the bar. Is “left” the opposite of “right” （which also has two meanings） ? Is “bar” extruded steel（型材钢）, or something to do with law? You have to know what words mean in both languages.

And you’d be amazed at how many people ignore step 3, forgetting that language is more than a string of words, and there are rules about how to fit those words together. You can’t simply look up the word “I” and use it everywhere. Sometimes you need “me” or “my”. There’s a reason it takes a while to learn a language: you have to learn the rules.

It drives me completely mad when people give a questionable translation they insist is right because “it’s in the dictionary”. A dictionary is a tool, a resource. but its entries（词目）should not be mistaken for a finished product. They are raw materials.

The underlined word “this” in paragraph 1 refers to         .

A. consulting the dictionaries when translating between languages

B. finding out the true meaning in context

C. ignoring the rules of grammar

D. leaving out some of the three steps the author mentions

According to the author, you have to do step 2 because         .

A. you have to understand the meaning behind each word

B. Elvish and English are quite different in forms

C. there are no baths or beds in public bathrooms

D. Elvish has some words which are hard to find

Grammar is also very important because it         .

A. helps fit the words together

B. takes a while to learn a language

C. is a rule to obey

D. is often forgotten in translating

In the last paragraph, the author shows         .

A. his impatience to those who insist their wrong translation is right

B. his puzzle to the questionable translation

C. the importance of the correct use of dictionaries

D. the mistaken entries in the dictionaries

The passage is mainly about how to         .

A. learn a foreign language with a dictionary

B. avoid errors when looking up a dictionary

C. understand the meaning of a strange word

D. use a dictionary to translate between languages

A boy selling magazines walked up to a house people seldom visited. The house was old and the owner   36   came out. When he did come out he wouldn’t say hello to anybody   37   simply stared at them.

The boy knocked on the door and   38  . As he was ready to   39   away, the door slowly opened. “What do you want?” the old man said.

“Uh, sir, I’m selling these magazines and I was   40   if you’d like to buy one.” The old man   41   stared at the boy. The boy could see the inside of the house and   42   some dog figurines（小雕像）. “Do you   43   dogs?” the boy asked. “Yes, I do. They’re my family here and they’re all I have.” The boy felt sorry for the man, as he seemed to be very   44  . “I’ve a magazine here for collectors. It’s perfect for you. I also have one about dogs since you like dogs so much.” But the old man said, “I need   45   of the magazines, now goodbye.”

The boy was sad. He went home and then an idea   46   to him. He had a little dog figurine. He walked back to the old man’s house with the   47  . He knocked on the door again and this time the old man came right to the door. “Boy, I             48    I told you no magazines.”

“No, sir. I know that. I wanted to bring you a   49  . ” The boy handed him the figurine and the old man’s face   50  . “It’s a Golden Retriever. I have one at home. This one is   51   you.” The old man was   52  ; no one had ever shown him so much   53  . “Boy, you have a kind   54  . Thank you!” From that day on the old man  55  coming out of the house and talking with people.

1.A. hardly B. never    C. regularly    D. nearly

2.A. so B. when C. as   D. but 

3.A. hurried    B. left C. remained D. waited

4.A. walk   B. run  C. escape   D. drive

5.A. doubting B. wondering C. saying   D. hoping

6.A. ever   B. yet  C. just D. still

7.A. loved  B. sensed   C. noticed D. contacted   

8.A. help   B. collect  C. raise    D. like

9.A. alone  B. cruel    C. lonely   D. terrible

10.A. nothing B. none   C. either   D. some

11.A. happened B. brought   C. reached  D. occurred

12.A. fear  B. magazine C. idea D. figurine

13.A. imagined B. thought   C. wished   D. expected

14.A. friend    B. gift C. dog  D. book

15.A. lit up B. went up C. grew up  D. turned up

16.A. for   B. on   C. with D. in

17.A. calm  B. encouraged   C. disappointed D. surprised

18.A. pity  B. happiness    C. politeness   D. kindness

19.A. eye   B. heart    C. hand D. head

20.A. continued B. avoided  C. started  D. risked