While reading a book in English, every few lines of text, you run across a word or two that you don't know. You look every new word in the dictionary. Bad move. All that does slow you down. Even electric or CD-ROM dictionaries can get in the way of your reading progress. A dictionary is like a road map. It can help you if younger lost and point you in the right direction. But if you stop to look at the "map" each time you take a step, you'll get nowhere fast .

On your English learning "journey （旅行）”, a dictionary Can be a helpful “travel companion"---if it is not overused. To help you start thinking in English, use an English-to-English dictionary. Otherwise（否则），you will always depend on your native（本国的）language and end up translating in you head.

A good dictionary can help you do more than just find the meaning of a word. it can help you verify （test and check） spelling, check word forms and grammar usage, find example sentences and learn pronunciation. Some dictionaries even provide exercises to teach you how to use their resources（资源）.

Take time to get to know your dictionary. Learn the pronunciation symbols （符号）.

Understand what the abbreviations （缩写字） mean. Try to master the important grammar rules. Look for charts, diagrams and lists that might be useful in the future. You will discover how helpful it can be to make friends with your dictionary. And as they say, "A friend in need is a friend indeed."

1．According to the passage,________________________

A．we should look up each new word we meet while reading

B．dictionaries will be helpful if we use them properly

C．we can't look up any new words we come across while reading

D．we can get everything we want in dictionaries

2．The underlined word "companion" means____________________

A．指南            B．札记            C．工具       D．路标

3．Why do we need a good English-to-English dictionary?

A．Because it is a good friend.

B．Because it can help us to find the right direction if we get lost.

C．Because it can help avoid to think in our native language.

D．Because it can help us to start thinking in English and in Chinese.

4．The underlined word "that" in the last paragraph refers to （指） ____________ 

A．pronunciation symbols and grammar rules

B．abbreviations and usage for grammar rules

C．the meaning of a word, spelling and grammar usage

D．charts, diagrams and lists

5．According to the passage, we learn that____________________

A．the more you use a dictionary, the better you can understand the article

B．the more you use a dictionary, the faster you may read

C．the more you use the resources in a dictionary, the more information you can get

D．the better a dictionary is, the more expensive it is

It’s over three years since I began to learn English. I’m glad that I am getting on well with it.

I find English quite difficult, but very interesting. When I first started, I thought I had only to remember the new words and learn some grammar  I knew little about English idioms（习语）.I thought each English word had the same meaning in Chinese. When I learn to say“I see a book on the desk,” I thought the English word “see ” was just like the Chinese word “ kan ”，So one day when my teacher asked me,“ what are you doing?”, I answered， “I’m seeing a book.” “That’s wrong .”  the teacher said, “you don’t see a book, You read a book. You can’t use English word like a Chinese one.. Be sure not to make the same mistake again.”

After that I began to pay more attention to the differences between Chinese and English. For example, in English we say a“ high mountain”, but a“ tall man. ” In Chinese we use the same word “gao ” for both.。Again in English we say“ take part in the sports meeting ”, “ attend the meeting ” and“ join the army,”  while in Chinese we can use “can jia ” for all three. Interesting ，isn't?

So to study English doesn't only mean hard wok, it can be great fun,  too! We not only have to pay attention to pronunciation, grammar spelling and handwriting, we also have to understand English idioms. We can learn English well only in the way!

But all this is only a beginning and I still have a long way to go. I’ll try my best and work even harder than before. I must speak and listen to English more both in and out of class. I must learn English well so that I can work well when I grow up.

1.I have learned English for ___________ years.

A．one              B．five              C．three             D．more than three

2. When I first started English I ________________.

A．knew more English words

B．knew more English idioms

C．used an English word like a Chinese one

D．found English easy and interesting

3.I began to pay more attention to the differences between Chinese and English __________

A When I began to learn English

B. when I said“ I see a book on the desk.”

C. before I began to learn English

D. after the teacher told me not use an English word like a Chinese one.

4.We should speak and listen to English __________.

A．only in class

B．out of class

C．both in and out of class

D．either in or out of class

5.To study English well, we have to ______________.

A．remember the new words and learn more grammar

B．know the differences between Chinese and English

C．pay attention to pronunciation, spelling, handwriting and idioms

D．do all the above things

When Kyle walked into Paul’s Pet World, he looked very anxious. He walked quickly to the store owner, Paul. Paul jumped out of his seat to greet Kyle. He was the store’s first customer of the day.

“Good morning, sir!” Paul said. “What can I help you with?”

“Well, I…,” Kyle started to say.

“Wait, don’t tell me,” Paul stopped him. “You are looking for a…a new dog… for your daughter’s birthday. Right?”

“Not really, I just…”

Paul didn’t let him finish. “Ah, I’ve got it. You just opened a new business, and you want some fish for your office. I have some very nice goldfish over here.”

“Actually, I…” Kyle was starting to look very anxious. His face had a strange look on it.

“No fish? Ah, a cat! You look like a cat person. At Paul’s Pet World, we have the best cats. Take a look at this cat---- long, white hair. She is looking at you. She is thinking, “Take me home. Take me home.” Would you like some cat food and toys as well?”

“No, thank you,” Kyle said. By this time, he had a pained look on his face. “Really, I’m no interested in cats or fish or dogs.”

“What do you want, then?” Paul asked.

Kyle looked like he was going to cry. “I just want to know if I can use your restroom!” he finally said.

1.Paul didn’t advise Kyle to buy ____________.

A．cat              B．dog              C．fish              D．bird

2.The word “pained” means ____________.

A．高兴的           B．可爱的           C．美丽的           D．痛苦的

3.Actually, Kyle went into the pet store to ___________.

A．buy some pets      B．chat with Paul      C．use the restroom    D．see a friend

4.The writer wants to tell us ___________.

A．a funny story       B．a wonderful pet     C．a strange pet shop   D．a good pet seller

A rabbit is running into his hole. You may ask, “What happened?”

Well, when a rabbit sees something dangerous, it runs away. Its tail moves up and down as it runs. When other rabbits see this tail moving up and down, they ran, too. They know there is danger. The rabbit has told them something without making a sound. It has given them a signal.

Many other animals use this kind of language. When a bee finds some food, it goes back to his home. It can’t tell the other bees where the food is by speaking to them, but it does dance in the air. This tells the bees where the food is.

But animals say things by making sounds. A dog barks, for examples, when a stranger comes near. A cat purrs(发出呼噜呼噜的声音) when pleased. Some birds make several different sounds, each with its own meaning.

But human beings have something that no animals have---- a large number of words about things, actions, feelings or ideas. We are able to give each other information to tell or inform other people what is in our mind or how we feel. By writing words down we can remind ourselves of the things that have happened, or send messages to people far away. No animals can do this. No animals has the wonderful power of language.

No one knows how man learned to make words. Somehow he learned to make them. As centuries went by, he made more and more new words. This is what we mean by language.

People in different countries made different kinds of words. Today there are about fifteen hundred different languages in the world. A very large English dictionary, for examples, contains four or five hundred thousand words. But we don’t know all these. The words we know are called vocabulary. We should try to make our vocabulary larger. Read as many books as possible. When we met a new word, look it up in the dictionary. A dictionary is the most useful book.

1.What’s the meaning of the underlined word?

2.A dog can tell something__________.

3.It has been proved that no animals are able to_________.

4.Generally speaking, what we mean by “vocabulary” is_______.

5.What must we do in order to make our vocabulary larger?