American and British people use different greetings. In the USA the commonest greeting is “Hi”. In Britain it is “Hello!” or “How are you?” “Hi!” is creeping（不知不觉地进入）into British, too. When they are introduced to someone, the Americans say, “Glad to know you. ” The British say, “How do you do?” or “Pleased to meet you. ” When Americans say “Good-bye”, they nearly always add, “Have a good day. ” or “Have a good trip. ” etc. to friends and strangers alike. Britons are already beginning to use “Have a good day. ”

The British usually use “got” in the sense of “have”. The Americans hardly ever do. AmE: Do you have a car, room, etc. ? Yes, I do. BrE: Have you got a car, room, etc. ? Yes, I have.

There are a number of differences between American and British English in the spelling of words, e. g. check（US）/cheque（UK）. Many American words ending in “or”, e. g. honor, labor are spelt in British English with an “our,” e. g. honour, labour. Many verbs in American English with “ize” or “izing” forms, e. g. organize, realizing are spelt in BrE with “ise” or “ising”, e. g. organise, realising. In American English, “practice” is used both for the verb and noun. In BrE, the verb is spelt “practise”, and the noun “practice. ” In AmE, one writes “traveler,” while in BrE, one writes “traveller”.

It was once predicted that British and American English would become separate (各自的)languages finally. But the opposite has happened. The links（联系）between the two countries are so strong that linguistically（语言上）,and probably culturally（文化上）too, they are closer together than ever before.

AmE—— American English   BrE——British English

1.The Americans hardly say “_____”

A．Good-bye. Have a good day!

B．Glad to know you!

C．Hi!

D．Have you got a car?

2.What does the 3^rd paragraph talk about?

A．There are lots of differences in spelling between AmE and BrE.

B．Why do the Americans and the British use different spellings.

C．There are few differences in spelling between AmE and BrE.

D．The different usages of words in AmE and BrE.

3.Which of the following is TRUE?

A．The two languages will become separate languages.

B．American English will be used more and more.

C．The two languages will be closer and closer.

D．British English will be used more and more.

4.The underlined word “predicted” means ______ in Chinese.

A．解释             B．预言             C．考虑             D．证明

 

Different colours can affect us in many different ways; that’s according to Verity Allen. In a new programme “Colour me Healthy”, Verity looks at the ways that colours can influence how hard we work and the choices we make. They can even change our emotions and even influence how healthy we are. 

“Have you ever noticed how people always use the same colours for the same things?” says Verity. “Our toothpaste is always white or blue or maybe red. It’s never green. Why not? For some reason we think that blue and white is clean, while we think of green products(产品)as being a bit unpleasant. It’s the same for businesses. We respect a company which writes its name in blue or black, but we don’t respect one that uses pink or orange. People who design（设计）new products can use these ideas to influence what we buy.”

During the programme, Verity studies eight different colours, two colours in each part. She meets people who work in the colour industry, from people who design food packages, to people who name the colours of lipsticks. Some of the people she meets clearly have very little scientific knowledge to prove their ideas, such as the American “Colour Doctor” who believes that serious diseases can be treated successfully by the use of coloured lights. However, she also interviews real scientists who are studying the effects of green and red lights on mice, with some surprising results. 

Overall, it’s an interesting show, and anyone who watches it will probably find out something new. But because Verity goes out of her way to be polite to everyone she meets on the programme, it’s up to you to make your own decisions about how much you should believe.

1.What’s Verity’s opinion about colours?

A．Colours help people choose products.

B．Different people prefer different colours.

C．Colours have influences on people in many ways.

D．People working in colour industry know little about colours.

2.What can you infer from Paragraph 2?

A．Colours influence people’s feelings and opinions.

B．People get ideas for new products from colours.

C．New products are popular because of colours.

D．Most companies prefer bright colours.

3.The underlined part “goes out of her way” probably means ______.

A．feels very pleased

B．makes a special effort

C．goes on in her own way

D．carries on very slowly

4. What’s the passage mainly about?

A．How people use colours.

B．How colours influence people.

C．What happens in a programme.

D．What makes a programme believable.

 

Who is the greatest teacher in Chinese history? You can’t think of anyone else when you hear people read Confucius’ 2,500–year–old words: “All study but no thinking makes people puzzled. All think but no study makes people lazy. ”

September 28^th was Confucius’ birthday. He was born in the Kingdom of Lu(鲁国), in today’s Shandong Province. Chinese look upon Confucius as the greatest thinker and also the greatest teacher. He had about 3,000 students. For more than 2,500 years, Confucius’ ideas have been around in people’s everyday lives. Now they have gone far into Western countries and South Asia. People can still hear them today.

Why are his ideas so popular? They help not only in everyday life but also in society(社会). Confucius’ most important ideas are kindness and good manners. Confucius said young people should take care of the old. People should give up thinking of themselves and work for others. As a great teacher, Confucius said that all should go to school if they wanted to learn.

Some of Confucius’ popular words are “A kind person should care others” and “Be strict with yourself, but be kind to others.” People use his ideas to help themselves and society. Now, more than 100 internet web sites are teaching people about Confucius and his ideas.

“Kindness and honesty are the best values(价值) of the world today, ” said 79–year–old Kong Fanjin who is studying Confucius.

1.Confucius was     .

A．born on September 28^th, 3000 years ago

B．born in the in the Kingdom of Chu

C．taught students in today’s Shandong Province

D．not only a greatest teacher but also a greatest thinker

2.Why are Confucius’ ideas so popular?

A．They are about money and power.

B．They help people themselves and the society.

C．They are about different customs and manners.

D．They only help people deal with everyday life.

3.The underline word “them” in the second paragraph refers to     .

A．the greatest teacher and thinker            B．Confucius’ students

C．people in Western countries and South Asia   D．Confucius’ ideas

4.Which of the following is NOT Confucius’ idea?

A．People should get education.

B．The young should take care of the old.

C．Be strict with others, but be kind to yourself.

D．All thinking but no study makes people lazy.

 

Tony Buzan’s grades were going down at university. Disappointed with his low marks, he went to the library to find a book on how to use his brain. He was directed to the medical section. Confused, he said to the librarian, “I don’t want to take my brain out, I just want to learn how to use it.” Her reply was simple: “There’s no book on that.”

“I thought to myself,” says Buzan, “if I buy a little radio, I get an instruction manual (说明书). If I buy a microwave, I get an instruction manual. But for the most important machine in the world, no instruction manual?”

Fifty years later, Buzan has become the world’s leading speaker on the brain and learning. In the late 1960s, he invented the mind map, a visual representation of thought processes.

This kind of thinking has become a popular tool for planning, organizing, problem solving, and communicating across the world. He has since authored and co-authored over 100 books that have appeared in more than 30 languages.

“I think in most cases, people use less than 1 percent of their brains,” he says.

But how do you expand this 1 percent? How do you become the best student you can be?

According to Buzan, the answer is simple. You take a section of whatever it is that you are trying to learn, he says, and you read it for its essence (精髓、要素). Then you make a mind map of all the important details. For a truly effective mind map, you start with a colored image in the center of your page. Draw the first image that comes to mind on the topic you are mind mapping. Branch off from your central image and create one of your main ideas. From your main branches draw some sub-branches and from those sub-branches you can draw even more branches. He emphasizes that you should use plenty of images and colors as these help with memory recall and encourage creativity.

By using this visual format (形式), according to Buzan, your mind will begin to make associations that will help you remember more information for longer periods of time.

Buzan believes that traditional note-taking methods, such as lists and summaries, do not stimulate the brain’s recall capacity or ability in the same way. Because of this, students will often find themselves locked away in their rooms for hours, trying hard to memorize separate details. Buzan believes that for a more effective and lasting way of studying, you must first understand how your brain works.

“Everyone is born smart,” he says. “You just have to learn how to learn.”

1.What is the main purpose of the first two paragraphs?

A．To show that Tony Buzan was worried about his study.

B．To invite us to think about the importance of manuals.

C．To prove that the mind map is a useful tool for the brain.

D．To show why Tony Buzan studies the brain and learning.

2.What does the word “stimulate” mean in the passage?

A．Excite.            B．Improve.          C．Encourage.        D．Affect.

3.What can we infer from the passage?

A．If we learn the mind map, we will become the best student.

B．The mind map will help your brain connect separate details.

C．The mind map will be more effective if we put more details in it.

D．We will solve the problem if we make connections between ideas.

4.What is the best title for the passage?

A．How to make the mind map?

B．Is the mind map widely used?

C．Can your memory be mapped?

D．Is the mind map helpful in thinking?

 

The Internet has become part of teenage life. There’s a report on 3,375 students aged from 10 to 18 in seven Chinese cities. It says that 38% of them believe they use the Internet often. While most of them get useful information and use the Internet to help in their studies, some are not using it in a good way. Many are playing online games too much. A few even visit Web sites they should not look at. Bad things can happen if young people spend too much time on the Internet.

    In order to help young people use the Internet in a good way, a textbook on good Internet behavior has started to be used in some Shanghai middle schools this term. It uses real examples to teach students all about good ways of using the Internet. Some students also make online friends. But if you are meeting a friend offline, let your parents know.

    Teachers and parents all think the book is a very good idea. It will teach students how to be a good person in the online world. It will be a guide for teens using the Internet and keep students away from bad sites.

1.The underlined word “it” means_____?

  A. the book  B. the report  C. the Internet

2.From the report, about____ students between 10—18 years old  

          in the seven cities use the Internet often.

  A. 3,375   B. 1,280   C. 2,100   

3. What do most of the students do on the Internet?

      A. They get useful information to help in their studies.

      B. They play online games.

      C. They make online friends.

4.Why do teachers and parents think the book is a good idea?

      A. Because it helps with the students’studies.

      B. Because it is used in Shanghai middle schools.

      C. Because it teaches students how to use the Internet in a good 

         way.

5.Which is  the best title for the passage?

  A. The Internet is very useful.

   B. Students can't use the Internet.   

   C. Be careful when using the Internet.