Now I’m a senior high school student in Grade Two . I feel that school life is a little hard , just as my friends said . However , a hard life doesn’t have to mean a boring one at all .
School life is not just about studying and getting high marks . Getting involved in student clubs can be a unique and unforgettable experience .
Wang Tian enjoys Tuesday afternoons more than any other time of the week . Why ? Well , that’s when Wang and 47 other members of the DIY ( do it yourself ) club learn to make things such as rondo flowers ( 丝网花 ) and cross-stitch（ 十字绣 ）. Wang also knows how to knit scarves and make clay accessories（ 小饰件 ）. They even sell their products to raise money for poor students !
When Chen Mo started the High School , there was a drama club and a rock band , but no street dance club . So the girl started one . “Street dancing is dynamic and helps us relax and keep fit ,” Chen said . There are around 30 students in Chen’s club . They practice dance skills on Sundays . Sometimes they go to street dance performances in the city . “We watch , learn and make friends . People in this circle are actually very nice and sweet ,” she said .
There are dozens of clubs for me to choose from , such as basketball club or science club . But I love the translation club best . The 30 club members get together once a week . With the help of a volunteer teacher , I’ve learned the general principles of professional translation . It’s the first step to becoming a good translator . Besides ,after attending this club , my English has improved a lot .
I like my school life very much . And I believe whether a life is meaningful or not depends on the person who leads it .
【小题1】Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage ?

Now I’m a senior high school student in Grade Two . I feel that school life is a little hard , just as my friends said . However , a hard life doesn’t have to mean a boring one at all .

School life is not just about studying and getting high marks . Getting involved in student clubs can be a unique and unforgettable experience .

Wang Tian enjoys Tuesday afternoons more than any other time of the week . Why ? Well , that’s when Wang and 47 other members of the DIY ( do it yourself ) club learn to make things such as rondo flowers ( 丝网花 ) and cross-stitch（ 十字绣 ）. Wang also knows how to knit scarves and make clay accessories（ 小饰件 ）. They even sell their products to raise money for poor students !

When Chen Mo started the High School , there was a drama club and a rock band , but no street dance club . So the girl started one . “Street dancing is dynamic and helps us relax and keep fit ,” Chen said . There are around 30 students in Chen’s club . They practice dance skills on Sundays . Sometimes they go to street dance performances in the city . “We watch , learn and make friends . People in this circle are actually very nice and sweet ,” she said .

There are dozens of clubs for me to choose from , such as basketball club or science club . But I love the translation club best . The 30 club members get together once a week . With the help of a volunteer teacher , I’ve learned the general principles of professional translation . It’s the first step to becoming a good translator . Besides ,after attending this club , my English has improved a lot .

I like my school life very much . And I believe whether a life is meaningful or not depends on the person who leads it .

Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage ?

A.  The members in the DIY club sell their products to raise money for the club .

B.  There are more members in the DIY club than in the translation club .

C.  Chen Mo joined the street dance club and played an important part in it .

D.  The members of the translation club meet on Tuesday afternoon .

How many clubs are mentioned in the passage ?

A.  5                   B.  6                    C.  7                    D.  8

The underlined word dynamic in Paragraph 4 means __________.

A.  energetic        B.  helpful           C.  challenging            D.  attractive

If you want to improve your English , you’ll probably join the _______.

A.  DIY  club             B.  science club           C.  drama club      D. translation club

We can infer that _____________.

A. the writer feels the new school life is hard

B. the writer’s friends feel the new school life is hard

C. the writer is pleased with his new school life

D. every student leads a meaningful life in the new school

English  has  surely  become  the  global  language.Whenever we turn on the news to find out what’s happening in East Asia，or Africa，or anywhere，people are being interviewed and telling us about it in English.

If people look at the facts about the amazing reach of the English language，many would be surprised.English is  used in over 90 countries as an official or semi­official language.English  is  the  working  language of many international institutes (研究所) as  well  as  of most international research scientists.It is also the language that Indian parents and black parents wish their children to  learn.It is believed that over one billion people worldwide are now learning English.

One of the most important causes of the spread of English around the world is that Europeans are willing to accept it as their language.English is spreading from northern Europe to the south and is now the second language in countries such as Sweden，Norway，Netherlands and Denmark.If one visits any of them，it would seem that almost everyone there can talk in English.

Recently，a report said that at the beginning of 2001，English was the most widely known foreign language with 43% of Europeans saying they spoke it.The report also said that with over 89% of the population speaking English，Sweden now has the highest percentage of English speakers.What’s more，English is the language rated as most useful to know，and over 77% of Europeans who do not speak English as their first language consider it useful.

46．By writing this passage，the writer mainly wants to tell us________.

A．why so many people speak English around the world

B．that English has become a language spoken all over the world

C．about the development of English in Europe

D．something about the English­speaking countries

47．The writer mentions all of the following EXCEPT________.

A．Asia                                                   B．Europe

C．Africa                                                D．America

48．According to the passage，what has played an important role in spreading English around the world?

A．That governments have asked their people to learn it in school.

B．That English is the most beautiful language in the world.

C．That Europeans are willing to accept English as their language.

D．That people have to use English in their work.

49．What does the underlined word “rated” in the last paragraph mean?

A．Stood.                                                B．Agreed.

C．Considered.                                        D．Argued.

50．What can we learn from the passage?

A．Black parents don’t want their children to learn English.

B．English is used in over 90 countries as an official language.

C．Not all international research scientists speak English at work.

D．English has become the most important language in Sweden.

Today both English language and Internet have brought the whole world right in your drawing room. Now you can do whatever you want to without leaving the comfort of your home. So English has become a must. Nothing is imaginable without it. How to solve the problem?
No speech can be imagined without listening. Develop a habit of listening to something in English daily. I mean to say, listen to English songs, short stories, interviews and short and simple conversations regularly. Repeat listening what you have just listened. Not once but many times. How does a child become able to speak? It is simple. He/She is compelled to listen whatever their parents and people around them speak. Gradually they begin to reproduce what they have heard. So enjoy listening. Listening practice will fix correct pronunciation of the words in your mind and you'll be able to utter them as naturally and easily as a native speaker does.
Speak what you have listened, as the more you listen, the more you will be able to speak and the more learning of the language will occur. So go on practicing speaking whatever you have heard. Furthermore speaking practice will train your mouth and ears. The main ideas of what you have listened and spoken will get fixed into your memory. Once the structures of sentences, phrases get fixed in your subconscious you'll never have to fumble for words, phrases or sentences when you converse with your friends or with someone else.
When you have taken these two steps, you will find amazing change. Now you can start to put in a little time in reading and writing skills as reading and writing skills have their own importance and place in a language learning and you can develop them on the strong foundation of listening and speaking skills later.
67. What’s the purpose of the first paragraph in the passage?
A. To tell us that the world is becoming smaller than before.
B. To show us the wide use of internet in today’s world.
C. To indicate the importance of learning English.
D. To suggest that it is convenient to live in today’s world.
68. What the author thinks is the most important step in learning English?
A. Forming the habit of listening                                 B. Practicing speaking
C. Keeping on reading daily                                           D. Improving writing skills
69. A child mentioned in the second paragraph is to_______.
A. explain how he becomes able to speak
B. show he could listen whatever others speak
C. introduce he can speak whatever he hears
D. indicate the importance of listening
70. Which of the following may be the best title of the passage?
A. The Steps of Listening
B. Learn English in Two Easy Steps
C. Listening Comes Before Speaking
D. Four Skills for English Learning

Just as the English language has changed quickly in the previous century, so has the use of it.

After the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) was founded in 1927, the particular style of speech of the BBC announcers was recognized as standard English or Received Pronunciation (RP) English. Now, most people still consider that the pronunciation and delivery of BBC announcers is the clearest and most understandable spoken English.

English has had a strong relationship with classes and social positions. However, since the Second World War there has been a clear change of attitude towards speech snobbery(自我优越感), and marks of class distinction(区别) such as styles of speech have been gradually diminishing, especially in the younger generation.

By the end of the 1960s, it had become clear that it was not necessary to speak standard English or even correct grammar to become popular, successful and rich. The fashionable speech of the day was no longer the special right of a special class but rather a defiant(反抗的) expression of classlessness.

The greatest single influence of the shaping of the English language in modern times is the American English. Over the last 25 years the English used by many people, particularly by those in the media, advertising and show business, has become more and more mid-Atlantic in style, delivery and accent.

In the 1970s, fashion favored careless pronunciation and a language full of jargon, slang and “in” words, a great quantity of which couldn’t be understood by the outside world. What is considered modern and fashionable in Britain today is often not the kind of English taught in schools and colleges.

1.Which of the following is NOT true?

A．The use of the English language has not changed much in the previous century.

B．BBC announcers speak standard English.

C．English has no relationship with classes and social positions now.

D．Young people don’t like class distinction.

2.What does the author imply by saying “there has been a clear change of attitude towards speech snobbery”?

A．Everyone speaks English as the BBC announcers do.

B．There has been a great change of attitudes towards the status of English.

C．Most people don’t believe the way of speaking by BBC announcers is much better than that of other people.

D．It is necessary to speak standard English with correct grammar.

3.According to the author, there was a trend in the US for young people ________.

A．to speak standard English

B．to speak English with grammatical mistakes

C．to speak old English

D．to speak English without class distinction

4.It can be concluded from the passage that________.

A．standard English is taught only in schools and colleges

B．there has been a great change in the English language in the previous century

C．the English language has not been influenced by the American English in the last 25 years

D．young people are defiant because they refuse to speak standard English