Why does most of the world travel on the right side today? Theories differ, but there’s no doubt Napoleon was a major influence. The French have used the right since at least the late 18^th century. Some say that before the French Revolution, noblemen drove their carriages on the left, forcing the peasants to the right. Regardless of the origin, Napoleon brought right-hand traffic to the nations he conquered, including Russia, Switzerland and Germany. Hitler, in turn, ordered right-hand traffic in Czechoslovakia and Austria in the 1930s. Nations that escaped right-hand control, like Great Britain, followed their left-hand tradition.
The U.S. has not always been a nation of right-hand drivers; earlier in its history, carriage and horse traffic travelled on the left, as it did in England. But by the late 1700s, people driving large wagons pulled by several pairs of horses began promoting a shift（改变）to the right. A driver would sit on the rear（后面的）left horse in order to wave his whip（鞭子）with his right hand; to see opposite traffic clearly, they travelled on the right.
One of the final moves to firmly standardize traffic directions in the U.S. occurred in the 20^th century, when Henry Ford decided to mass-produce his cars with controls on the left (one reason, stated in 1908: the convenience for passengers exiting directly onto the edge, especially… if there is a lady to be considered). Once these rules were set, many countries eventually adjusted to the right-hand standard, including Canada in the 1920s, Sweden in 1967 and Burma in 1970. The U.K. and former colonies such as Australia and India are among the Western world’s few remaining holdouts(坚持不变者). Several Asian nations, including Japan, use the left as well--- though many places use both right-hand-drive and left-hand-drive cars.
小题1:Why did people in Switzerland travel on the right?

A．They had used the right-hand traffic since the 18th century.

B．Rich people enjoyed driving their carriages on the right.

C．Napoleon introduced the right-hand traffic to this country.

D．Hitler ordered them to go against their left-hand tradition.

小题2:Of all the countries below, the one that travels on the right is_________.

A．Austria

B．England

C．Japan

D．Australia

小题3:Henry Ford produced cars with controls on the left __________.

A．in order to change traffic directions in the U.S.

B．so that passengers could get off conveniently

C．because rules at that time weren’t perfect

D．though many countries were strongly against that

小题4:According to the passage, which of the following is TRUE?

A．Before the French Revolution, all the French people used the right.

B．People in Britain and the U.S. travel on the same side nowadays.

C．The Burmese began to travel on the right in 1970.

D．All the Asian nations use the left at present.

小题5:What would be the best title for this passage?

A．Who made the great contribution to the shift of traffic directions?

B．How cars have become a popular means of transportation?

C．How Henry Ford produced his cars with controls on the left?

D．Why don’t people all drive on the same side of road?

“I like your smile, but unlike you put your shoes on my face”. A charming way of saying “Keep off the grass”. But could you figure it out? Or this: “Wash Clothing Store” for laundry.
They are both typical Chinglish, a combination of English vocabulary and Chinese grammar. Expressions such as “people mountain people sea”, means extremely crowded, and “give you some color to see”, meaning a punishment, are widely known and recognized.
Chinglish has been attracting global attention in recent years as China grows rapidly in status on the world stage, attracting both fans and detractors(批评者).
The Beijing Speaks Foreign Languages Programme and English First China Company, a language trainer known as EF Education, jointly launched a campaign to root out poor grammar and misused vocabulary in downtown Beijing. They argue Chinglish is an embarrassment that we should let it die out at all costs.
“It is meaningful to allow the capital to show its most beautiful historical and cultural heritage to the world." Michael Lu, vice-president of EF Education said, “since the launching of the campaign, foreign teachers and students had been very keen to volunteer participation.”He believed signs were very important in public services. "The signs in some old buildings confused foreign visitors.
Chinglish, although the target of much criticism, has also won supporters who regard it as an interesting way for foreigners to learn how Chinese people think and express themselves.
“Many Chinglish logos carry Chinese elements and they will enrich the English language,” 32-year-old Oliver Radtke said. He had even published a book “Chinglish: Found in Translation,” on the subject. About 50,000 copies of the book have been sold since it was published in 2007.
Some Chinese university experts also side with Chinglish. "English has absorbed elements from other languages such as French and Spanish in its growth, and the emergence of Chinglish again testifies(说明) to the language’s vitality and inclusiveness," said Shi Anbin, an associate professor of Tsinghua University.
小题1:How did Chinglish come into being?

A．Chinese people misunderstood the meaning of the new words.

B．Chinese people combined English vocabulary with Chinese grammar.

C．Chinese people based their English on the native English speakers.

D．Chinese people make wide use of English vocabulary with bad spelling.

小题2:What Shi Anbin said means       .

A．there are many French and Spanish words in English

B．English is the language with vitality and inclusiveness

C．Chinglish enriches English and shouldn’t be got rid of

D．Chinglish has greater effect on English than French and Spanish

小题3:According to Oliver Radtke, Chinglish       .

A．shows how Chinese people think

B．does damage to the English language

C．shows the great humor of Chinese people

D．should be sold to all over the world

阅读下面短文，从短文后各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
Language is the most astonishing behavior in the animal kingdom. It is the species-typical behavior that sets humans completely   36  from all other animals. Language is a means of   37  , but it is much more than that. Many animals can   38  . The dance of the honeybee communicates the location of flowers   39  other members of the hive (蜂群). But human language permits communication about anything,   40  things like unicorns (独角兽) that have never existed. The key   41  in the fact that different words can be   42  together in different ways, according to   43  to communicate different meanings.
Language is the most important learning we do. Nothing can   44  humans so much as our ability to communicate abstract   45 , whether about the university, the mind, love, dreams, or ordering a drink. It is an extremely complex   46  that we take for granted. Indeed, we are not aware of most   47  of our speech and understanding. Consider what happens when one person is speaking to   48  . The speaker has to translate thoughts into  49  language. Brain imaging studies suggest that the time from thoughts to the   50  of speech is extremely fast. Only 0.04 seconds! The listener must hear the sounds to   51   what the speaker means. He must use the sounds of speech to   52  the spoken words, understand the pattern of   53  of the words (sentences), and finally   54  the meaning. This takes somewhat longer, a minimum of about 0.5 seconds. But once started, it is of course a(n)    55  process.

小题1:	A．apart B．off C．up D．down

小题2:	A．advertisement B．communication C．discovery D．invention

小题3:	A．transfer B．move C．convey D．communicate

小题4:	A．to B．from C．over D．on

小题5:	A．only B．almost C．even D．just

小题6:	A．stays B．situates C．hides D．lies

小题7:	A．stuck B．joined C．rung D．controlled

小题8:	A．rules B．scales C．laws D．standards

小题9:	A．combine B．contain C．define D．declare

小题10:

A．activities B．thoughts C．effects D．chances

小题11:

A．expectation B．progress C．process D．produce

小题12:

A．aspects B．abstracts C．angles D．assumptions

小题13:

A．anybody B．another C．other D．everybody

小题14:

A．body B．gesture C．written D．spoken

小题15:

A．growing B．fixing C．beginning D．building

小题16:

A．put out B．take down C．draw up D．figure out

小题17:

A．identify B．locate C．reveal D．discover

小题18:

A．performance B．organization C．design D．show

小题19:

A．regulate B．justify C．release D．interpret

小题20:

A．slow B．interesting C．continuous D．serious

In 1947 a group of famous people from the art world headed by an Austrian conductor decided to hold an interactional festival of music, dance and theatre in Edinburgh. The idea was to reunite Europe after the Second World War.
At the same time, the “Fringe” appeared as a challenge to the official festival. Eight theatre groups turned up uninvited in 1947, in the belief that everyone should have the right to perform, and they did so in a public house disused for years.
Soon, groups of students firstly from Edinburgh University, and later from the universities of Oxford and Cambridge, Durham and Birmingham were making the journey to the Scottish capital each summer to perform theatre by little-known writers of plays in small church halls to the people of Edinburgh.
Today the “Fringe”, once less recognized, has far outgrown the festival with around 1,500 performances of theatre, music and dance on every one of the 21 days it lasts. And yet as early as 1959, with only 19 theatre groups performing, some said it was getting too big.
A paid administrator was first employed only in 1971, and today there are eight administrators working all year round and the number rises to 150 during August itself. In 2004 there were 200 places housing 1,695 shows by over 600 different groups from 50 different countries. More than 1.25 million tickets were sold.
小题1:What was the purpose of Edinburgh Festival at the beginning?

A．To bring Europe together again.

B．To honor heroes of World War 11.

C．To introduce young theatre groups.

D．To attract great artists from Europe.

小题2:Why did some uninvited theatre groups come to Edinburgh in 1947?

A．They owned a public house there.

B．They came to take up a challenge.

C．They thought they were also famous.

D．They wanted to take part in the festival.

小题3:Who joined the "Fringe" after it appeared?

A．they owned a public house there

B．University students.

C．Artists from around the world.

D．Performers of music and dance.

小题4:We may learn from the text that Edinburgh Festival __________.

A．has become a non-official event

B．has gone beyond an art festival

C．gives shows all year round

D．keeps growing rapidly

On New Year’s Eve, people in Italy throw out all the old things. So there are chairs, beds, clothes and plates in the trees. In Spain, the New Year comes in more quietly. In the evening people come together to the streets. Each holds a bag of grapes. When twelve o’clock comes, people start eating the grapes. In Japan, people eat noodles on New Year’s Eve. This food is said to bring long life. Early the next morning, some families climb Mount Fuji(富士山). There they watch the first sunrise(日出) of the New Year.
小题1:This story is about New Year’s Eve in_______

A．Italy	B．Spain
C．Japan	D．All of the above

小题2:People in Spain welcome New Year by _______after twelve.

A．eating grapes	B．eating noodles
C．throwing the old things	D．watching the sunrise

小题3:People in both Spain and Japan _______ to bring in the New Year.

A．throw things away	B．get together
C．eat some food	D．climb a mountain

小题4:Japanese climb Mount Fuji to _______

A．look at the stars	B．look for New Year’s wishes
C．see the sun coming up	D．have a rest

小题5:The people in _______ hope to get long life from their New Year’s food

A．Japan

B．China

C．Spain

D．Italy

A student is learning to speak British English. He wonders (想知道): Can I communicate(交流) with Americans? Can they understand me? Learners of English often ask: What are the differences between British and American English? How important are these differences?
Certainly! there are some differences between British and American English. ‘There are a few differences in grammar. For example, speakers of British English say “in hospital” and “Have you a pen?” Americans say “in the hospital!” and “Do you have a pen?”. Pronunciation is sometimes different. Americans usually sound theirs in words like “bird” and “hurt”. Speakers of British English do not sound theirs in these words. There are differences between British and American English in spelling and vocabulary. For example, “colour” and “honour” are British, “color” and honor” are American.
These differences in grammar, pronunciation, spelling and vocabulary are not important, however. For the most part, British and American English are the same language.
小题1:According to this passage, a student who is learning to speak American English might be afraid that_______.

A． British people cannot understand him

B． American people cannot understand him

C． the grammar is too hard for him

D． the spelling is too hard for him

小题2:American English and British English are different in ________.

A．spelling

B．pronunciation

C．grammar

D．all of the above

小题3:What is not mentioned (提及) in the passage?

A．Whether there are differences between British English and American English.

B．Whether British English and American English are one language or two.

C．How the differences between British Eng­lish and American English came about.

D．How important the differences are.

小题4:Most ________ say “Do you have a watch?”

A．British people

B．Americans

C．children

D．teachers

小题5:According to this passage, British people and Americans have _________ difficulty in understanding each other.

A．little

B．much

C．some

D．great

The Mandarin Chinese word for “cha” is pronounced “t'e” in certain Chinese dialects(方言). Also the Malay word for the leaf is“the”. This word “the” was used to describe both the drink and the leaf. The Japanese character for tea is written exactly the same as the Chinese, though pronounced with a slight difference; so these may be the origins of our word tea in the western world.
Tea may have been discovered in 2737 BC by Shen Nong, a Chinese Emperor of the San Huang Period（3,000 - 2,700 BC）. He was a scholar, the father of agriculture and the inventor of Chinese herbal medicine. One summer day, while visiting a distant place, he and the court stopped to rest and his servants began to boil water for the court to drink. Dried leaves from the nearby bush fell into the boiling water, and made it a brown liquid. The Emperor was interested in the new liquid, drank some, and found it very refreshing. The tree was a wild tea tree, and so, tea was created.
The first samples(样品) of tea reached England between 1652 and 1654. Tea was referred to as the China drink, tcha, chaw, tay, tee, and tea and was at first regarded more as a medicine than a fashionable drink. The original English pronunciation of the word tea was “tay” and can be traced back to around 1655 when the Dutch introduced both word and beverage（饮料）to England. The pronunciation “tee” also originated in the 1600's but only gained predominance（主导地位）after the late 18th century.
By 1650 the Dutch were actively involved in trade throughout the Western world. During that year Peter Stuyvesant brought the first tea to America to the colonists（殖民地定居者）in the Dutch settlement of New Amsterdam （later re-named New York）.
小题1:The following information is true EXCEPT ________.

A．The Japanese write the character for tea the same way as we Chinese.

B．It was a Chinese Emperor who first found tea very refreshing.

C．The word “the” was used to describe only the leaf.

D．Tea was discovered quite by chance in history.

小题2:Paragraph 2 mainly tells us ________.

A．that Shen Nong, was a famous inventor of Chinese herbal medicine

B．why the Emperor was brave and dared to run risks

C．whether Shen Nong liked drinking boiled water outside the court

D．the way in which tea was created outdoors

小题3:Which of the following information is FALSE according to the text?
① Tea was at first regarded just as a fashionable drink in England.
② Tea had different names during the early days it reached England.
③ The pronunciation “tee”originated in 1600.
④ Peter Stuyvesant introduced both word “tay” and beverage（饮料）to England.
⑤ The pronunciation“tee”became popular after the late 18th century.

A．①②

B．②③

C．④⑤

D．①④

小题4:From Paragraph 3 we know ________.

A．that the leaf tea should be put in hot water for drinking

B．that tea was called the China drink, tcha, chaw, tay, tee, t'e and tea in England

C．what the early situation of tea was like in the Western world

D．that tea was first brought to America in the late 16th century

There are many differences between British English and American English.I used to teach a course about the differences between the two.We speak English on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean but we have many differences in our common language.We have examples of the same words having very d ifferent meanings，differing spellings of the same words as well as completely different words for the same things.Here are some examples.
A cookie in the US is called a biscuit in the UK.A biscuit in the US is a small cake in the UK.Crisps in the UK，are known as chips，but we British people eat a plate of chips that you call fries in the US.In the UK，a pie can be made from either meat or fruit，while in the US pies are normally made from fruit；pot pies are made from meat.Most things are measured in grams and kilograms in the US，not pounds and ounces.
One very obvious(明显的)difference is the side of the road we each choose to drive on.Petrol in the UK is gas in the US.The place where we fill up our cars，in the UK，is a garage；while in the US，it’s a gas station.The term garage is also used as a place to store your car next to or close by your house.In the UK we call a lorry what is known as a truck in the US.
An elevator in the US is called a lift here，and the first floor in the US，is calle d the ground floor here，so many visitors get off on the wrong floor in British hotels.
I could continue with this. There are countless examples of differences within our one shared language.With so many differences，no wonder it’s hard to understand each other well.
小题1:The passage is mainly about the differences between British English and American English in________.

A．vocabulary

B．grammar

C．sound

D．spelling

小题2:It’s implied in the passage that the author may be________.

A．a driver from the US

B．a cook from the US

C．a teacher from the UK

D．a gas station worker from the UK

小题3:In the author’s opinion，________.

A．language differences don’t affect understanding

B．the same words in the two different types of English may have different spellings

C．there will be fewer differences between American and British English in the future

D．it is impossible that some Americans get off on the wrong floor in British hotels

小题4:What can we learn from the passage?

A．“Elevator”is commonly used in the UK.

B．Pies mean the same thing in the UK and the US.

C．In the UK，things are measured in pounds and ounces.

D．British and American people drive on the same side of the road.

People in the United States honor their parents with two special days: Mother’s Day, on the second Sunday in May, and Father’s Day, on the third Sunday in June.
Mother’s Day was proclaimed（宣告）a day for national observance by President Woodrow Wilson in 1915. Ann Jarvis from Grafton, West Virginia, had started the idea to have a day to honor mothers. She was the one who chose the second Sunday in May and also began the custom of wearing a carnation（康乃馨）.
In 1909, Mrs. Dodd from Spokane, Washington, thought of the idea of a day to honor fathers. She wanted to honor her own father, William Smart. After her mother died, he had the responsibility of raising a family of five sons and a daughter. In 1910, the first Father’s Day was observed（庆祝）in Spokane. Senator Margaret Chase Smith helped to establish Father’s Day as a national commemorative day, in 1972.
These days are set aside to show love to parents. They raise their children and educate them to be responsible citizens. They give love and care.
These two special days are celebrated in many different ways. On Mother’s Day people wear carnations. A red one symbolizes a living mother. A white one shows that the mother is dead. Many people attend religious services to honor parents. It is also a day when people whose parents are dead visit the cemetery（墓地）. On these days families get together at home, as well as in restaurants. They often have outdoor barbecues for Father’s Day. These are days of fun and good feelings and memories.
小题1:According to the passage, which of the following about the second Sunday in May is not true?

A．It is a day to show love to mothers.

B．It is a day to wear carnations.

C．It is a day for people to visit the cemetery.

D．It is a day for many people to attend religious services.

小题2:Choose the right time order of the following events.
a. The first Father’s Day was observed.
b. Mother’s Day was proclaimed a day for national observance.
c. Father’s Day became a day for national observance.
d. The idea of honoring fathers was put forward.

A．a b c d

B．d a b c

C．b a c d

D．d a c b

小题3:Who plays the most important role in Father’s Day becoming a national commemorative day?

A．Margaret Chase Smith	B．Mrs. Dodd
C．Ann Jarvis	D．Woodrow Wilson

小题4:From the passage, we know in the U.S. __________.

A．one should wear a red carnation if one’s mother passed away

B．on Mother’s Day, families often go out to have barbecues

C．on Father’s Day, people often stay at home to celebrate the special day

D．the purpose to have these two special days is to show love to parents

小题5:The author’s purpose of writing this passage is to __________.

A．call on people to love and respect their parents

B．introduce Mother’s Day and Father’s Day

C．tell the difference between Mother’s Day and Father’s Day

D．show how important fathers and mothers are

A Japanese student called Mami told me about her own experiences in Britain. She spent 10 months in the UK last year, studying English at a language school. She really enjoyed her first two weeks in the UK. But soon she started to miss things of her own country. She found it hard to make friends，and got annoyed(恼火的) about local people's behaviour.  Mami said，“After a few weeks I started to cry a lot. I felt homesick.I thought the weather was dark and too changeable，and that affected my mood as well.”
To comfort herself Mami began to spend many hours on the Internet chatting with her friends back home. She spent a couple of weeks in the countryside in Kent. She went to a social club for British people who were interested in Japan and started to make some friends there. In addition,  she took a short course in calligraphy(书法)to get an opportunity of mixing with local people. A few months later，Mami's impression of the UK had greatly changed .She found that most of the British were friendly, witty and fun.
However，once Mami was back in Japan，she experienced “culture shock”again. She said，“I missed the friends I had made in England. My way of thinking had changed. Sometimes I was annoyed by the views of people in my country—for example，about the value of money and time. I thought people around me lived in such a small world.” Mami noticed some changes in her behaviour：“I kept the habit of always carrying an umbrella with me, even on a fine day—my friends thought I was crazy！”
小题1:The second paragraph tells us ________．

A．how Mami overcame culture shock in Britain

B．how Mami felt as soon as she arrived in Britain

C．what Mami learned in her language school

D．what Mami liked and disliked about Britain

小题2:The reason why Mami had the habit of carrying an umbrella was that ________．

A．she liked umbrellas very much

B．the umbrella reminded her of her life in the UK

C．she had got used to the changeable weather in Britain

D．it often rained in Japan those days

小题3:Why did Mami experience culture shock in Japan?

A．She didn't like Japanese culture any more.

B．The Japanese behaviour had changed a lot.

C．The world in Japan was too small for her.

D．She had got used to British culture and life.

小题4:The best title for the passage would be “________ ”．

A．Why not make friends with the British

B．Cultural differences between Britain and Japan

C．Culture shock experienced by a Japanese student

D．How to prepare for culture shock