English is spoken as a first language by most people in the USA，Britain，Australia，New Zealand，Ireland and Canada. However，English is spoken all over the world. It is the main language in over 60 countries，including India，Singapore and many of the Caribbean and Pacific islands. In these places English is often a second language.

English is also an international language in many other countries，like China and Japan. People in these countries use it for business，and travelers to these countries use English when they get there to communicate. Other people may learn English because they enjoy reading books in English，listening to British or American music or watching American films.

English has changed a lot over the years and still goes on changing. It is no longer right to talk about British English or American English if the speakers come or don’t come from those countries. People in Japan and Korea，for example，may use the American spelling but may not sound like Americans.

English will probably be the most widely used language in the world by the end of the 21st century. This language no longer belongs to British，American or Australian speakers. It belongs to anyone in the world. So，as a middle school student of English today, think about how you can use this language. After you leave school, you will almost certainly need it.

1.In how many countries is English spoken as a first language in the passage?

A. Five.                       B. Four.                                C. Three.                    D. Six.

2.In which other countries is English spoken as a main language?

A. Britain, the USA and Australia.

B. India, Singapore and many of the Caribbean and Pacific islands.

C. China and Japan.

D. New Zealand and Canada.

3. People from other countries learn English for ________.

A. passing exams                                            

B. business and traveling

C. reading English books, enjoying English music or films

D. both B and C

4.Even if people in Japan and Korea use American spelling they ________.

A. will speak the same as Americans                   

B. may not sound like Americans

C. will speak British English                                    

D. will speak English much better

5. Which is the best title for the passage?

A. A First Language in the World                           B. A Second Language in the World

C. English around the World                                  D. A Useful Language

 

One of the most popular items(项目) in the school newspaper is the advice column. No one knows who writes it. The students think their teacher does, but it might be a student using a false name.
The students enjoy thinking up problems for the advice column. Here are some of them and their answers.
Ask the Wise Owl
Q: I’m always late for school. I try not to be, but I can’t help it. Please advise me what to do. Tommy.
A: You are probably late for school because you don’t really like school. My advice to you is to try and enjoy school more, then you won’t be late so often.
Q: I find it difficult to make friends. What do you think I should do? Sara.
A: I can’t advise you until I know more about you. Your problem may be that you are shy. On the other hand, it may be the opposite. You may be too bold(冒失). Write and tell me more about yourself.
Q: I’m always at the bottom(底部，末尾) of the class. What do you advise me to do? Molly.
A: I advise you to concentrate on(全神贯注) improving your grades in one subject to start with. If you can do this, you should move a little way up from the bottom. Next, try to improve your grades in another subject, and so on. If you concentrate on one subject at a time, by the end of the year you should be quite a long way up from the bottom in all your classes.
【小题1】What is Tommy’s problem?

A．He needs help with his homework.

B．He finds it difficult to make friends.

C．He is always late for school.

D．He is always at the bottom of his class.

【小题2】What does Molly want to do?

A．To stay at the bottom of her classes.

B．To make more friends.

C．To concentrate on one subject at a time.

D．To improve her grades.

【小题3】What does the Wise Owl want Sara to do?

A．Give more information about herself.

B．Stop being so shy.

C．Make more friends.

D．Stop being so bold.

【小题4】By the end of the year, where should Molly be in all her classes?

A．At the top.

B．Quite a long way up from the bottom.

C．At the bottom.

D．A little way up from the bottom.

【小题5】What is the main idea of this passage?

A．Sara finds it difficult to make friends.

B．Tommy wrote to the school newspaper to ask for advice.

C．The advice column in the school newspaper is very popular.

D．The school newspaper has an advice column.

A teacher began his class by holding up a glass with some water in it.  He held it up for all to see, and asked the students, " How much do you think this glass weighs?"

"50 g!" "100 g!" "125 g!" the students answered.

        "I really don't know unless I weigh it," said the teacher, "but my question is what would happen if I held it up like this for a few minutes?"

" Nothing! " the students said.

"OK. What would happen if I held it up like this for an hour?" the teacher asked.

"Your arm would begin to ache," said one of the students.

"You're right.  Now, what would happen if I held it for a day?"

"Your arm could go numb. Have to go to hospital for sure!" said another student. All the students laughed.

"Very good. But during all this, did the weight of the glass change?" asked the teacher.

"No." the students said.

"Then what caused the arm ache and the muscle (肌肉) stress?"

The students fell silent for a moment.

"Put the glass down!" said one of the students.

"Exactly!" said the teacher. "The problems of life are something like this. Hold them for a few minutes in your head, and it seems OK. Think of them for a long time and they begin to make you ache. Hold them even longer and you will not be able to do anything. It's important to think of the  challenges(挑战)  in your life, but it' s even more important to put them down at the end of every day before you go to sleep. That way, you are not stressed. You wake up fresh and strong and can deal with any challenge that comes your way!"

Remember to put the glass down today.

1. How much do you think this glass which was held by the teacher weighs?

A.50g     B.125g       C.I don’t know.    D.100g

2.What would happen if the teacher held the glass up like this for an hour?

A. One of the students thought his arm could go numb.

B. One of the students thought his arm would begin to ache.

C. One of the students thought his arm would be changed.

D. One of the students thought his arm would be lost.

3. Why did the teacher hold up a glass in his class?

A. Because he wanted to know how much the glass weighs.

B. Because he wanted to ask some student to weigh the glass.

C. Because he wanted to make his class more interesting.

D. Because he wanted to explain it was important to put the challenges in life down at the end of every day.

4. In this passage, the underlined words "go numb" means_______.

A．疼痛不止                  B．消瘦萎缩                   C．松弛下垂         D．失去感觉

5. According to the passage, which of the following is TRUE?

A. The teacher told his students to face the challenges bravely.

B. The teacher taught his students how to deal with the problems.

C. The teacher used to begin his class with a glass of water.

D. The teacher usually begins his class by holding a glass of water.

 

Can you imagine a classroom without one thing that has long been considered a necessary part? No notebooks, no textbooks, no test papers. Nor are there any pencils or pens, which always seem to run out of ink at the critical moment.
A “Paperless classroom” is what more and more schools are trying to realize. Students don’t do any handwriting in this class. Instead, they use hand-sized or specially-designed computers. The teacher downloads texts from Internet libraries and sends them to every student’s personal computer.
Having computers also means that students can use the Web. They can look up information on any subject they’re studying, from maths to social science.
A high school teacher, Judy Herrel in Florida, US, described how her class used the Web. “Using a book that’s three or four years old is impossible,” she said.
A paperless classroom is a big step towards reducing the waste of paper.
“Think about the money and trees we could save with the computers,” she said.
But, with all this technology, there’s always a risk that the machines will break down. So, in case of a power failure or a technical problem, paper textbooks should still be widely available (可得到的) for these students.
【小题1】The underlined word “critical” in the first paragraph probably has the same meaning as _______.

A．worrying

B．dangerous

C．happy

D．important

【小题2】You are sure to find __________ in a paperless classroom.

A．pens

B．computers

C．test papers

D．notebooks

【小题3】According to Judy Herrel, __________.

A．the Web can talk the students everywhere

B．the Web can take the place of teachers

C．the Web is a better tool for information

D．the Web is for downloading information

【小题4】The paper textbooks should still be widely available because __________.

A．students won’t have trouble with their pens

B．computers may break down sometimes

C．students may not get all information from the Internet

D．paper textbooks may give students more information