When punctuation (标点) began, it was mainly to help people read out loud. Until a few hundred years
ago, not many people were taught to read, so there was a lot more reading out loud by the few people who
could.
     To help those reading out loud in the old days, sign (符号) known as "points" were added to pages of
writing. Punctuation comes from the Latin word punctus, meaning "point". These points told readers when
to pause (暂停) or take a breath, and what to emphasize (加重).
     In Europe from the early centuries AD, these points were widely used although not everybody used the
same points for the same thing. When printing was invented, printers had to be made more clearly about
what to put where, so that everyone was doing the same thing. Since that point, all sorts of punctuation
rules have been discov ered and invented.
     Speech marks ".."
     Speech marks or quotation marks are used to show that someone is speaking. The sort we have in English
today began to be widely used during the 18 century. Before that readers simply understood from the way a
sentence was written that someone was speaking although sometimes spoken words were underlined.
     Comma, colon: period (full stop).
     All three of these sorts of punctuation marks were given their Greek names by Aristophanes, a librarian
who lived in Byzantium in the 2'd century BC. They were marks on the page, each with a message to the
reader. Comma meant a short pause. Colon meant a medium (中等的) sized pause. Period meant a long pause.
     Exclamation mark!
     In the early days of punctuation, if you saw this sign, you were supposed to pause. Some people think
the exclamation mark began as what the Creek word JO looked like if it was turned 90 degrees. This word
means"Oh, gosh!" With the I on the top and the O under it, the sign as we know it today was developed.
     Question mark?
     In the middle age, a squiggle (圆弧) above a full stop was sometimes used to show the sentence was a
question and that a person's voice should go up at the end. By the 17" century it had turned into what we
call a question mark. The shape may have come from the letter Q short for that Latin quaestio, meaning
"question". 
     Writers make choices about punctuation because they think differently about sentences and words. It's
part of the personality of their writing. Some writers hate punc- tuation, but others love punctuation. So
whether you love or hate punctuation, the best advice may be to just enjoy it, play with it, think about it and
use it. It belongs (属于) to the language and it belongs to you.

1. When did punctuation begin to be widely used, according to the passage?

A. In the 17th century.
B. In the 2nd century BC.
C. In the 18th century.
D. In the early centuries AD.

2. All punctuation rules were discovered and invented in order to ________.

A. help people read out loud
B. meet the need of printing
C. guide the way of writing
D. mention the spoken words

3. Which of the following is true?

A. A long pause comes after question mark.
B. Speech marks were named by a librarian.
C. Question mark comes from a Latin word.
D. The shape of a word makes exclamation mark.

4. What's the problem about punctuation today?

A. People have completely different ideas about it.
B. Not many people are taught to use it correctly.
C. It has different meanings to different people.
D. Sometimes spoken words must be underlined.

       In China, people who were born in and after the 1980s are called the post-80s generation (80后的一代). Most of them come from single-child families. However, the generation are playing a more and
more important part in China, and their image (形象) in people's minds is changing. Han Han, a popular
writer, is one of them.
       Han Han was born in Shanghai in 1982. His talent for writing was clear at an early age. At the age
of 17, Han Han was paid much attention to by the public because of the article Viewing the People
Through the Glass. He won the first prize in the National New Concept Composition Competition.
Later, Han Han again surprised the public by leaving high school. "I tried my best to improve my studies,
but I failed. In the end, I gave up my schooling. But I am always learning. I think learning and going to
school are two different things," said Han Han.
       Han Han's first novel Three Folded Gates (《三重门》) sold very well in China. Later the book
was translated into several languages and sold to other countries.
       In the following years, Han Han wrote a lot of books. All of them were very popular and sold very
well. In 2006, he started blogging (写网络日志). Today, Han Han's blog has received over 200 million
clicks (点击) and has become one of the hottest blogs on the Internet.

根据短文内容，选择最佳选项。

1. Which is TRUE about the post-80s generation?

A. The generation were born in 1980.
B. The generation are good at writing.
C. The generation have changed China's image in the world.
D. The generation are playing a more and more important part in China.

2. What can we learn from Han Han's words in the second paragraph?

A. He never studied hard at school.
B. In the end, he left school in order to write his novel.
C. Though he gave up his studies, he didn't stop learning.
D. The post-80s generation cannot learn unless they go to school.

3. When did Han Han begin to write his first blog?

A. In 1992.
B. At the age of 17.
C. When he was 20.    
D. At the age of 24.

4. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A. Three Folded Gates was only sold in China.
B. Han Han's blog is very popular on the Internet.
C. The post-80s generation like writing blogs very much.
D. The public expected that Han Han would leave high school.

5. What does the passage mainly tell us about?

A. The post-80s generation.
B. How to become a good writer.
C. Han Han, a popular young writer.    
D. Popular books written by Han Han.