Throughout history, people have been interested in knowing how language first b
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Throughout history, people have been interested in knowing how language first began, but no one knows exactly where or how this happened. However, we do know a lot about languages, the languages of today and also the languages of earlier times. There are probably about three thousand languages in the world today. Chinese is the language with the most speakers. English, Russian and Spanish are also spoken by many millions of people. On the other hand, some languages in the world have less than one hundred speakers.
There are several important families of languages in the world. For example, most of the languages of Europe are in one large family called Indo-European. The original (最初的) language of this family was spoken about 4,500 years ago. Many of the present day languages of Europe and India are modern forms of the language of 4,500 years ago.
Languages are always changing. The English of today is very different from the English of 500 years ago. In time some even die out completely. About 1,000 years ago English was a little -known relative of German spoken on one of the borders（边界）of Europe.
If a language has a lot of speakers or if it is very old, there may be differences in the way it is spoken in different areas. That is, the language may have several dialects. Chinese is a good example of dialect differences. Chinese has been spoken for thousands of years by many millions of speakers. The differences between the dialects of Chinese are so great that speakers of Chinese from some parts of China cannot understand speakers from other parts.
小题1:The first paragraph mainly tells us that_______.| A．most people in the world speak Chinese | | B．there are thousands of languages in the world today | | C．man has much knowledge about languages | | D．some people know several languages |
小题2:Many European and Indian languages ______.| A．will soon die out completely | | B．were once a relative of English | | C．are the same as before | | D．come from the same family |
小题3:____ seems to have changed a lot| A．Chinese | B．English | C．Spanish | D．German |
小题4: The best title of this passage is .| A．English | B．Changes of English | | C．Chinese | D．Knowledge of Language |
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答案
小题1:C
小题2:D
小题3:B
小题4:D |
解析
小题1:细节题，从第一段里的：we do know a lot about languages, the languages of today and also the languages of earlier times.看出选C，人类对语言了解很多。
小题2:细节题，从第二段的：There are several important families of languages in the world. For example, most of the languages of Europe are in one large family called Indo-European.说明D项正确，他们是来自同一个家庭。
小题3:细节推理题，从第三段的：Languages are always changing. The English of today is very different from the English of 500 years ago.看出英语已经改变了很多，选B。
小题4:主旨题，从第一段的：Throughout history, people have been interested in knowing how language first began,还有文章里谈论的语言的知识，所以选D，语言的知识。 |
举一反三
Sometimes people add to what they say even when they don’t talk. Gestures are the “silent language” of every culture. We point a finger or move another part of the body to show what we want to say．It is important to know the body language of every country or we may be misunderstood.
In the United States，people greet each other with a handshake in a formal introduction．The handshake must be firm．If the handshake is weak，it is a sign of weakness or unfriendliness．Friends may place a hand on the other’s arm or shoulder．Some people，usually women，greet a friend with a hug（拥抱）．
Space is important to Americans．When two people talk to each other，they usually stand about two and a half feet away and at an angle，so they are not facing each other directly．Americans get uncomfortable when a person stands too close．They will move back to have their space．If Americans touch another person by accident，they say “Pardon me” or “Excuse me”．
Americans like to look at the other person in the eyes when they are talking．If you don’t do so，it means you are bored，hiding something，or are not interested．But when you stare at someone，it is not polite．
For Americans，thumbs-up means yes，very good，or well done．Thumbs-down means the opposite．To call a waiter，raise one hand to head level or above．To show you want the check，make a movement with your hands as if you are signing a piece of paper．It is all right to point at things but not at people with the hand and index finger（食指）．Americans shake their index finger at children when they scold them and pat them on the head when they admire them．
Learning a culture’s body language is sometimes confusing（使糊涂的）．If you don’t know what to do，the safest thing to do is to smile．
小题1:From the first paragraph we can learn that ________．| A．gestures don’t mean anything while talking | | B．gestures can help us to express ourselves | | C．we can learn a language well without body language | | D．only American people can use gestures |
小题2:If you are introduced to a stranger from the USA，you should _______．| A．greet him with a hug | | B．place a hand on his shoulder | | C．shake his hand firmly | | D．shake his hand weakly |
小题3:In the United States，people often ________．| A．show their friendship by touching each other | | B．show their friendship by glancing at each other | | C．say “Pardon me” to each other when they are talking | | D．get uncomfortable when you stand close to them |
小题4:If you talk with an American friend，it’s polite to ________．| A．look up and down at your friend | | B．look at the other person in the eyes | | C．hide your opinion | | D．look at your watch now and then |
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A new study warns that about thirty percent of the world’s people may not have enough water by the year 2025.
An American organization called Population Action International did the new study. It was more than three hundred and thirty-five million people lack enough water now. The people live in twenty-eight countries. Most of the countries are in Africa or in the Middle East.
Population Action International researcher Robert Engelman says by the year 2025, about three thousand million people lack water. At least 18 more countries are expected to have serious water problems. The demand for water keeps increasing. Yet the amount of water on the earth the same. Mr Engelman says the population in countries that lack water is growing in these countries will continue to increase.
The report says lack of water in the future may result several problems. It may increase health problems. Lack of water often means drinking water is not safe. Mr Engelman says there are problems all over the world because of diseases such as cholera that are carried in water.
Lack of water also may result in more international conflict. Countries may have to fight for water in the future. Some countries, such as Syria, Sudan, Cambodia, and so on, now get sixty percent of their fresh water from other countries. And the report says lack of water would affect the ability to improve their economies. This is because industries often need a large amount of water.
The Population Action International study gives several ways to solve the water problem. One way is to find ways to use water for more than one purpose. Another way is to teach people to be careful not to waste water. A third is to use less water for agriculture. The report also says long-term solutions to the water problem must include controls on population growth.
小题1:According to the report, how many countries will lack water by the year 2025?| A．More than eighteen | B．About twenty-eight | | C．Less than forty | D．At least forty-six |
小题2:____ million will lack water by the year 2025?小题3:Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?| A．The amount of the water on earth will always stay the same. | | B．The report gives three solutions to water problem. | | C．M ost of the countries that lack water belong to the developing ones. | | D．There’s only one long-term solution to solve the water problem, that is we must try our best to control the population growth. |
小题4:The passage mainly tells us that_____.| A．water is very important for any people | | B．PAI did a lot of study about water shortage | | C．water shortage will be a serious problem facing us in the near future | | D．controlling the population is the best way to solve the problem of water shortage |
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What picture do you have of the future? Will life in the future be better, worse of the same as now? What do you hope about the future?
Futurologists predict that life will probably be very different in 2050 in all the fields of activity, from entertainment to technology. First of all, it seems that TV channels will have disappeared by 2050. Instead, people will choose a programme from a menu and a computer will send the programme directly to the television. Today, we can use the World Wide Web to read newspaper stories and see pictures on a computer thousands of kilometers away. By 2050, music, films, programmes, newspapers and books will come to us by computer.
In what concerns the environment, water will have become one of our most serious problems. In many places, agriculture is changing and they are growing fruit and vegetables to export. This uses a lot of water. Demand for water will increase ten times between now and 2050 and there could be serious shortages. Some futurologists predict that water could be the cause of war if we don’t act now.
In transport, cars will run on new, clean fuels and they will go very fast. Cars will have computers to control the speed of the car and there won’t be any accidents. Today, many cars have computers that tell the drivers exactly where they are. By 2050, the computer will control the car and drive it to your destination. On the other hand, space planes will take people half way around the world in two hours. Nowadays, the United States Shuttle can go into space and land on Earth again. By 2050, space planes will fly all over the world and people will fly from Los Angels to Tokyo in just two hours.
In the field of technology, robots will have replaced people in factories. Many factories already use robots. Big companies prefer robots — they do not ask for pay rises or go on strike, and they work 24 hours a day. By 2050, we will see robots everywhere — in factories, schools, offices, hospitals, shops and homes.
In particular, medicine technology will have conquered many diseases. Today, there are electronic devices that connect directly to the brain to help people hear. By 2050, we will be able to help blind and deaf people see again and hear again and scientists will be able to produce clones of people and decide how they look, how they behave and how much intelligence they have. Scientists will be able to do these things — but should they?
小题1:. What may happen in the field of entertainment in the future? | A．The programme made by yourself may be sent to TV. | | B．A computer may choose TV programmes for you. | | C．You may choose the channels from the menu in a computer. | | D．What to broadcast on TV is decided by yourself. |
小题2:. After reading Paragraph 3, we can know _______.| A．we should take measures to save water from now on | | B．fruits will be more and more expensive | | C．people will be short of supplies of vegetables | | D．planting will need much less water in the future |
小题3:. ________ is the main factor that makes driving much safe in the future| A．Good traffic condition | B．A good knowledge of driving skill | | C．The role played by computer | D．The use of new fuel in cars |
小题4:. The following statements are wrong EXCEPT ________ according to the text.| A．The future world will be controlled by robots. | | B．People won’t be blind or deaf in the future. | | C．Fewer and fewer workers are needed in the future in factories. | | D．Scientists have the right to clone people of different kinds. |
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Now and again I have had horrible dreams, but not enough of them to make me lose my delight in dreams. To begin with. I like the idea of dreaming, of going to bed and lying still and then, by some queer magic, wandering into another kind of existence. As a child, I could never understand why grown-ups took dreaming so calmly when they could make such a fuss about any holiday, this still puzzles me. I am puzzled by people who say they never dream and appear to have no interest in the subject. It is much more astonishing than it would be if they said they never went out for a walk. Most people do not seem to accept dreaming as part of their lives. They appear to see it as an irritating little habit, like sneezing or yawning I can never understand this. My dream life does not seem as important as my waking life because there is far less of it, but to me it is important.
小题1:What is the author’s attitude toward dreaming?| A．He thinks it puzzling | | B．He likes it | | C．He is interested in it | | D．He doesn’t accept it as part of his life |
小题2: For the author of the passage, dreaming is________. .| A．another kind of existence | | B．an irritating little habit | | C．a horrible but wonderful experience | | D．a true reflection of reality |
小题3:The author of the passage suggests that people who say they never go out for a walk are_____.| A．interesting | B．unbelievable | | C．mysterious(难以理解的) | D．lazy |
小题4:Why does the author of the passage complain? | A．Because most people are overexcited about their dreams | | B．Because most people are not interested in talking about their dreams | | C．Because most people have had dreams most of the time | | D．Because most people consider their dreams of too much importance |
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Animal experts in Croatia say a bear has learned how to trick people to let him in by knocking at the door.
They believe the 220- kilogram brown bear probably learned the trick while nudging (轻推) a door to get it to open.
Experts have a guess that the nudging was mistaken by the owners for knocking and that the bear, pleased by the result, repeated the trick.
The Loknar family from Gerovo in western Croatia said the bear had knocked at their door three times and they were now refusing to answer the door.
‘We jumped out of the window as he came in through the door and went into the kitchen to take some food for the first time.” Mum Nevenka Loknar told a reporter from a local newspaper. “I opened the door and saw him standing there and I didn’t believe my eyes at first, then I ran for it as he walked in as if it was the most normal- thing in the world.”
Bears are a common thing in the woods around here, but no one has ever heard of a bear that knocks at the door.
Mum Nevenka Loknar said, “The bear is so intelligent. It’s incredible. We’ve tried to put up lots of obstacles to stop him coming in, like a wire fence but he still gets through. I wouldn’t be surprised if he knew how to use wire cutters (钢丝剪).”
小题1:According to experts in Croatia, how did the bear learn the trick?| A．By knocking at the door several times. | B．By accident. | | C．By learning from the owner of a family. | D．By imitation. |
小题2:What does the underlined word “it” in paragraph 5 refer to?| A．Eating at the kitchen. | B．Knocking at the door. | | C．Walking into the house. | D．Answering the door. |
小题3:It is ________ in Gerovo that a bear knocks at the door.| A．unusual | B．a troubling problem | | C．common | D．an exciting experience |
小题4:Mum Nevenka Loknar was surprised that the bear ________.| A．didn’t attack her family | | B．knew how to use wire cutters | | C．jumped across her wire fence three times | | D．was clever at getting through the obstacles |
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