Wang Jiaming from Beijing Chenjinglun High School says he is a lucky boy .He’s happy that he’s sitting the senior high school entrance exam in2014 instead of 2016.

On October 22,Beijing Municipal Commission of Education* announced that, from 2016,the English scores in the senior high school entrances exam will be reduced* from 120 to 100.Of the 100 points, the listening ability scores will increase to 50.Meanwhile, the points for Chinese will increase from 120 to 150.

“The change won’t affect me. I fell so lucky because English is my strongest subject,’’ said Wang. Why such a change? It places the importance on Chinese in our study and reduces students’ pressure, said Li Yi, a spokesman of the commission.

“The change will also push us to pay attention to the practical usage of English.,’’ said Li. “Students will be encouraged to learn to understand English menus and read English news on mobile phones.”

There isn’t news that other cities will have the same change. But several places are making changes to English tests in the college entrance exams.

For example, Shandong is considering taking out the listening part of the English exam in its Gaokao. But, “ being tested for less points doesn’t mean the subject can be taken lightly,” Bai Ping wrote in China Daily.

English has long been the world’s most commonly used language. Wang Jiaming said he understood the change.

“Chinese, not English, is our mother tongue*,” he said. “ but still, I think English is both interesting and useful.”

1. In the Beijing senior high school entrances exam of 2016, the English scores will be cut down to __________.

A. 50                 B.  100            C. 120           D. 150

2. Wang Jiaming feels lucky because _______

A. the exam change from 2016 doesn’t affect him

B. he doesn’t need to take the important exam

C. Chinese is his strongest subject

D. he is not good at chemistry

3.The sentence “ being tested for less points doesn’t mean the subject can be taken lightly,” in the passage means ______________

A. the students can spend less time on English.

B. it’s harder to for the students get a high score.

C. English is not as important and useful as before

D. studying English is still important for the students.

4. What is the main purpose of the change?

A. To encourage students to learn how to order meals in English.

B. To make students to learn to read English news on mobile phones.

C. To ask students to prepare for the college entrance exam.

D. To make students pay more attention to learn Chinese.

 

My interest in Chinese food started many years ago, when I had my first job. I was a young reporter for the Daily Journal in San Francisco. Our office wasn’t far from Chinatown. I usually managed to arrange my time so that I could go there at least two or three times a week for a good meal.

The first time I ever ate Chinese food I loved it. And since then, it just tastes better and better to me. The first thing I noticed was the fresh tastes of the meat and vegetable. When I learned more about the food, I began to understand why it has this special feature.

 About 5000 years ago, China lost much of its wood because of over population and poor management of its forest. This loss was very bad for the country, of course, but it turned out to be very good for the food. Wood became very expensive and hard to get, so the Chinese had to learn how to use it better.

 In order to use less wood in cooking, they started to cut their meat and vegetable into small pieces before they put them in the hot oil. That way, the food cooked faster and they saved their fuel. The food prepared in the manner kept its fresh flavor(风味)--- and its this flavor that attracts people to the art of Chinese cooking.

 I often wonder if the Chinese appreciated their solution to that ancient energy problem as much as I do now --- whenever I eat Chinese food.

1.This passage is mainly about ___________.

A. why Chinese food tastes fresh

B. what Chinese food tastes like

C. how Chinese food is cooked

D. what makes Chinese food special

2.The author got to know Chinese food _______________.

A. when he worked as a reporter in China

B. from a news story in the Daily Journal

C. after he got a taste of it in the Chinatown

D. before he got his first job in San Francisco

3.The author thought the Chinese cut meat and vegetable into small pieces in order to _____________.

A. keeping its fresh flavor

B. saving their hard –to-get wood

C. producing a different kind of food

D. attracting westerners to their food

4.The word “ fuel” in the 4th paragraph most probably means ____________.

A. fresh flavor              B. meat and vegetable

C. hot oil                  D. firewood

5.According to the passage, the special freshness of Chinese food is the result of _______________.

A. the wood used to make the cooking fire

B. the fast speed at which it is cooked

C. the high quality of Chinese meat and vegetable

D. the well –developed art of Chinese cooking

 

Asking for information or help is a very common and necessary activity, especially when we visit a foreign country. So knowing how to ask for information politely is important. In English, "Where are the restrooms?" and "Could you please tell me where the restrooms are?" are similar requests—both are correct English, but the first could sound rude. It's important to use correct language, but sometimes this alone is not enough—we need to learn how to be polite when we make requests.

In English, just like in Chinese, we change the way we speak when talking with different people. The expressions you use might depend on whom you are speaking to or how well you know them. If you say to your teacher, "Where is my book?" this will sound rude. But if you say, "Excuse me, Mr West. Do you know where my book is?" your question will sound much more polite. On the other hand, it might be alright to say "Where is my book?" in some situations, perhaps with people you know well.

And you would not usually say, "Peter, lend me your pen. " A very direct order like this can sound rude in English. Usually in English polite questions are longer and include extra language, such as "Could you please...?" or "Can I ask...?" It sounds more polite to say, "Peter, could you please lend me your pen?" Sometimes we might even need to spend some time leading in to a question or request. For example, if you stop a stranger in the street, we might first say, "Excuse me. I wonder if you can help me. " or "I'm sorry to trouble you but," before asking them for help.

It might seem that speaking politely is more difficult than being direct, and in a way this may be true. However, in order not to offend people, learning about the language etiquette is just as important as learning grammar or vocabulary. And doing this will also help you become better at English, or any other language you wish to speak.

1. It's important to know how to_     _in English when we visit a foreign country.

2. When you talk with different people, you need to__       _.

3. Extra words are used to help__      ___.

4.._      _is as important as learning language structure.

5. How do you say " Don't smoke here. " politely? "_         __*

 

Martin had just finished high school. He would go to college at the far end of the city. He didn’t want to live there, and he didn’t want to take the bus either. So his father agreed to buy him a car.

His father spent all his summer teaching him how to drive, from the ABC to the XYZ. Thinking of the great feeling of driving a new car, Martin learned very quickly, and received his driver’s license just before his eighteenth birthday.

The second day, all the family, and their dog, went to a car shop. Martin spent almost all the morning going from one car to another. Finally he saw a red Blue Bird. He had a test drive on the open ground, and called out, “This is what I want, Dad!” When everything was done, they were ready to leave.

Martin climbed into the front seat. He said excitedly, “It’s my first day driving alone. Dad, Mom, and Poo! Enjoy it!”

His dad immediately took the back seat, right behind the new driver. Martin wondered why his father chose that seat, for his father always enjoyed looking in front.

So he said, smiling, “I’m sure you’re back there to have a change after all those weeks of sitting in the front seat teaching me how to drive.”

“No,” Dad replied, “Do you remember what you did to me all those years when I took you to and from school? I am sitting here to hit and kick the back of your seat all the way!”

1.Which of the following is NOT the reason why Martin’s father agreed to buy him a car?.

A．Martin would go to college and it was far from home.

B．Martin preferred living at home to living at college.

C．Martin didn’t want to take the public transport.

D．Martin was able to learn how to drive very quickly.

2.In which order did Martin do the following things?

a. He finished his high school.               b. He test-drove driving the new car.

c. He got his driver’s license.                d. He decided to buy the Blue Bird.

e. He kicked the front seat while his father was driving.

A．e—a—c—b—d     B．a—c—b—d—e     C．e—c—a—b—d     D．a—c—d—b—e

3.How would the whole family probably feel on their way back home?

A．Angry            B．Sad              C．Cheerful          D．Shocked

 

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【小题1】According to the advertisements, the four books are all intended for ______.

A．teachers

B．adults

C．children

D．women

【小题2】Some of the four books were illustrated in order to_________

A．make them suitable to different readers	B．persuade readers to buy them
C．reduce the cost of them	D．help readers understand them

【小题3】If you buy the four books on April 30, 2011, your will have to pay_______ for the four books.

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B．$65

C．$112

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