The average person learns most of the 30 000～40 000 words whose meanings he or s
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The average person learns most of the 30 000～40 000 words whose meanings he or she recognizes by hearing them or getting familiar with them in the context or simply absorbing them without conscious(意识到的) effort. The best way to build a good vocabulary, therefore, is to read a great deal and to participate in a lot of good talks. There are relatively few words that we learn permanently(永久的)by purposefully referring to dictionaries or keeping word lists. However, even those extra few are of value, and no one will make a mistake by working on developing a larger vocabulary. Here are some suggestions of how to do it.
Read plenty of good books. When you come across a new word, or a new meaning of an old word, stop and see if you can understand it from its context. If you can"t, and if you can manage without interrupting the thought of the book too much, look it up in a dictionary or ask somebody and then repeat its meaning to yourself a couple of times. If you are really conscientious(认真的), write the word and its meaning in a personal vocabulary list — preferably using it in a sentence, or you can keep a special vocabulary notebook. Go over the list from time to time. Further, try to use a new word in writing or conversation a few times over the next several days.
Listen to good talks and be alert to new words you hear or to new meanings of words you already know. Then treat them just as you treat the new words you read.
Learn and be alert to the parts of words: prefixes, suffixes and roots. Knowing them enables you to make intelligent guesses about the meaning of words.
If you are studying a foreign language, be alert to words in that language which relate to words in English. English has inherited(继承) or borrowed much of its vocabulary of 500 000～600 000 words from Latin, Greek, French, Spanish and German.
小题1:When you meet a new word in reading, what should you do?| A．Guess its meaning. | B．Ask somebody. | | C．Look it up in a dictionary. | D．All of the above. |
小题2:According to this passage, the best way to build a good vocabulary is _______. | A．to remember a lot | B．to read a great deal | | C．to take part in a lot of good talks | D．both B and C |
小题3:The phrase “be alert to” in the third paragraph may best be replaced by “_______”. | A．look at | B．pay attention to | | C．write down | D．learn by heart |
小题4:In the fourth paragraph, the word “them” refers to _______. | A．the parts of words | B．prefixes | | C．suffixes | D．roots |
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答案
小题1:D
小题2:D
小题3:B
小题4:A |
解析
怎样扩大词汇？捷径是：多读、多说、多听、多写。
小题1:细节题。从第 2 段第2、3句话可知答案为 D。
小题2:细节题。只要看到第 1 段第 2 句话The best way to build a good vocabulary, therefore, is to read a great deal and to participate in a lot of good talks 可知答案为 D。
小题3:词义猜测题。此处讲的是在“听”英语时如何对待生词的问题，根据我们“听”的经验选项A、C、D 显然可排除。
小题4:词义猜测题。B、C、D三项都是属于the parts of words。 |
举一反三
With only about 1, 000 pandas left in the world, China is desperately trying to clone(克隆) the animal and save the endangered species(物种). That’s a move similar to what a Texas A & M University researchers have been undertaking for the past five years in a project called “Noah’s Ark”.
Noah’s Ark is aimed at collecting eggs, embryos(胚胎), semen and DNA of endangered animals and storing them in liquid nitrogen. If certain species should become extinct, Dr. Duane Kraemer, a professor in Texas A & M’s College of Veterinary Medicine, says there would be enough of the basic building blocks to reintroduce the species in the future.
It is estimated that as many as 2, 000 species of mammals, birds reptiles will become extinct in over 100 years. The panda, native only to China, is in danger of becoming extinct in the next 25 years.
This week, Chinese scientists said they grew an embryo by introducing cells from a dead female panda into the egg cells of a Japanese white rabbit. They are now trying to implant the embryo into a host animal.
The entire procedure could take from three to five years to complete.
“The nuclear transfer(核子移植) of one species to another is not easy, and the lack of available(capable of being used) panda eggs could be a major problem,” Kraemer believes. “They will probably have to do several hundred transfers to result in one pregnancy (having a baby). It takes a long time and it’s difficult, but this could be groundbreaking science if it works. They are certainly not putting any live pandas at risk, so it is worth the effort,” adds Kraemer, who is one of the leaders of the Project at Texas A& M, the first-ever attempt at cloning a dog.
“They are trying to do something that’s never been done, and this is very similar to our work in Noah’s Ark. We’re both trying to save animals that face extinction. I certainly appreciate their effort and there’s a lot we can learn from what they are attempting to do. It’s a research that is very much needed.”
小题1:The aim of “Noah’s Ark” project is to _______.| A．make efforts to clone the endangered pandas | | B．save endangered animals from dying out | | C．collect DNA of endangered animals to study | | D．transfer the nuclear of one animal to another |
小题2:According to Professor Kraemer, the major problem in cloning pandas would be the lack of _______.| A．available panda eggs | B．host animals | | C．qualified researchers | D．enough money |
小题3:The best title for the passage may be _______.| A．China’s Success in Pandas Cloning | | B．The First Cloned Panda in the World | | C．Exploring the Possibility to Clone Pandas | | D．China —the Native Place of Pandas Forever |
小题4:From the passage we know that _______.| A．Kraemer and his team have succeeded in cloning a dog | | B．scientists try to implant a panda’s egg into a rabbit | | C．Kraemer will work with Chinese scientists in clone researches | | D．about two thousand of species will probably die out in a century |
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“Sesame Street” has been called “the longest street in the world”. That is because the television program by that name can now be seen in so many parts of the world. That program became one of American’s exports soon after it went on the air in New York in 1969.
In the United States more than six million children watch the program regularly. The viewers include more than half the nation’s pre-school children, from every kind of economic(经济的), racial(种族的), and geographical group.
Although some educators object to certain elements in the program, parents praise it highly. Many teachers also consider it a great help, though some teachers find that problems arise when first graders who have learned from “Sesame Street” are in the same class with children who have not watched the program.
Tests have shown that children from all racial, geographical, and economic backgrounds have benefited from watching it. Those who watch it five times a week learn more than occasional(偶然的) viewers. In the US the program is shown at different hours during the week in order to increase the number of children who can watch it regularly.
The programs all use songs, stories, jokes, and pictures to give children a basic understanding of numbers, letters and human relationships. But there are some differences. For example, the Spanish program, produced in Mexico City, devotes more time to teaching whole words than to teaching separate letters.
Why has “Sesame Street” been so much more successful than other children’s shows? Many reasons have been suggested. People mention the educational theories(理论) of its creators, the support by the government and private(私人的) businesses, and the skillful use of a variety of TV tricks. Perhaps an equally important reason is that mothers watch it along with their children. This is partly because famous adult stars often appear on it. But the best reason for the success of the program may be that it makes every child watching feel able to learn. The child finds himself learning, and he wants to learn more.
小题1:“Sesame Street” is actually _______. | A．a street in the US | B．a program for children | | C．a program for teachers | D．a program for students |
小题2:Children who often watch the program _______. | A．can have problems in school | | B．will find it a great help | | C．will take no interest in their studies | | D．will be well educated |
小题3: What is special about the program?| A．It offers great fun. | | B．It makes children feel able to learn. | | C．It is shown at different hours during the week. | | D．Children learn and enjoy themselves while watching. |
小题4: Why is “Sesame Street” so popular in the world?| A．Because it is supported by the government and businesses. | | B．Because it uses a variety of skillful tricks. | | C．Because mothers watch it along with their children. | | D．Because it makes every child watching it feel able to learn. |
小题5:The best title for this passage can be _______.| A．TV Programs | B．Educating Children | | C．Sesame Street | D．A Great Success |
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Motherhood may make women smarter and may help prevent dementia(痴呆) in old age by bathing the brain in protective hormones(荷尔蒙) , U.S. reseachers reported on Thursday.
Tests on rats show that those who raise two or more litters of pups do considerably better in tests of memory and skills than rats who have no babies, and their brains show changes that suggest they may be protected against diseases such as Alzheimer’s(早老痴呆症). University of Richmond psychology professor Craig Kinsley believes his findings will translate into humans.
“Our research shows that the hormones of pregnancy(***) are protecting the brain, including estrogen(雌激素), which we know has many neuroprotective (保护神经的) effects,” Kinsley said.
“It’s rat data but humans are mammals just like these animals are mammals,” he added in a telephone interview. “They go through pregnancy and hormonal changes.”
Kinsley said he hoped public health officials and researchers will look to see if having had children protects a woman from Alzheimer’s and other forms of age-related brain decline.
“When people think about pregnancy, they think about what happens to babies and the mother from the neck down,” said Kinsley, who presented his findings to the annual meeting of the Society of Neuroscience in Orlando, Florida.
“They do not realize that hormones are washing on the brain. If you look at female animals who have never gone through pregnancy, they act differently toward young. But if she goes through pregnancy, she will sacrifice her life for her infant—that is a great change in her behavior that showed in genetic alterations(改变) to the brain.”
小题1: How do scientists know “Motherhood may make women smarter”?| A．Some researchers have told them. | | B．Many women say so. | | C．They know it by experimenting on rats. | | D．They know it through their own experience. |
小题2: What does the phrase “litters of pups” mean in the second paragraph?| A．Baby rats. | B．Animals. | C．Old rats. | D．Grown-up rats. |
小题3:What can protect the brain of a woman according to the passage?| A．Estrogen. | B．The hormones of pregnancy. | | C．More exercise. | D．Taking care of children. |
小题4:“It’s rat data but humans are mammals just like these animals are mammals.” What does the sentence suggest?| A．The experiments on the rats have nothing to do with humans. | | B．The experiments on the rats are very important for animals. | | C．The experiments on the rats are much the same on humans. | | D．The experiments on the rats are much the same on other animals. |
小题5:Which title is the best for this passage?| A．Do You Want to Be Smarter? | | B．Motherhood Makes Women Smarter | | C．Mysterious Hormones | | D．An Important Study |
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Suppose we built a robot to explore the planet Mars. We provide the robot with seeing detectors(探测器) to keep it away from danger. It is powered entirely by the sun. Should we program the robot to be equally active at all times? No, the robot would be using up energy at a time when it was not receiving any. So we would probably program it to stop its activity at night and to wake up at dawn the next morning.
According to evolutionary(进化的) theory of sleep, evolution equipped us with a regular pattern of sleeping and waking for the same reason. The theory does not deny that sleep provides some important restorative functions. It merely says that evolution has programmed us to perform those functions at a time when activity would be inefficient and possibly dangerous. However, sleep protects us only from the sort of trouble we might walk into; it does not protect us from trouble that comes looking for us. So we sleep well when we are in a familiar, safe place, but we sleep lightly, if at all, when we fear that bears will nose into the tent.
The evolutionary theory explain the differences in sleep among creatures. Why do cats, for instance, sleep so much, while horses sleep so little? Surely cats do not need five times as much repair and restoration as horses do. But cats can afford to have long periods of inactivity because they spend little time eating and are unlikely to be attacked while they sleep. Horses must spend almost all their waking hours eating, because what they eat is very low in energy value. Moreover, they cannot afford to sleep too long or too deeply, because their survival depends on their ability to run away from attackers.
小题1:The author uses the example of the robot in space exploration to tell us _______. | A．the differences between robots and men | | B．the reason why men need to sleep | | C．about the need for robots to save power | | D．about the danger of men working at night |
小题2:Evolution has programmed man to sleep at night chiefly to help him ______.| A．keep up a regular pattern of life | | B．prevent trouble that comes looking for him | | C．avoid danger and inefficient labor | | D．restore his bodily functions |
小题3:Which of the following is the main idea of the passage?| A．Evolution has equipped all creatures with a regular pattern of sleeping and waking. | | B．The study of sleep is an important art of the evolutionary theory. | | C．Sleeping patterns must be taken into consideration in the designing of robots. | | D．The sleeping pattern of a living creature is determined by the food it eats. |
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Education is not an end, but a means to an end. In other words, we do not educate children only for the purpose of educating them. Our purpose is to fit them for life.
In some modem countries it has for some time been fashionable to think that by free education for all — one can solve all the problems of society and build a perfect nation. But we can already see that free education for all is not enough; we find in such countries a far larger number of people with university degree; they refuse to do what they think “low” work; and, in fact, work with hands is thought to be dirty and shameful in such countries. But we have only to think a moment to understand that the work of a completely uneducated farmer is far more important than that of a professor; we can live without education, but we die if we have no food. If no one cleaned our streets and took the rubbish away from our houses, we should get terrible diseases in our towns…
In fact, when we say that all of us must be educated to fit us for life, it means that we must be educated in such a way that, firstly, each of us can do whatever work suited to his brains and ability and, secondly, that we can realize that all jobs are necessary to society, and that is very bad to be ashamed of one’s work. Only such a type of education can be considered valuable to society.
小题1:The writer of the passage thinks that _______.| A．education can settle most of the world’s problems | | B．free education for all probably leads to a perfect world | | C．free education won’t help to solve problems | | D．all the social problems can’t be solved by education |
小题2:The writer wants to prove that _______.| A．our society needs all kinds of jobs | | B．our society needs free education for all | | C．a farmer is more important than a professor | | D．work with hands is the most important |
小题3:The purpose of education is _______.| A．to choose officials for the country | | B．to prepare children mainly for their future work | | C．to let everyone receive education fit for him | | D．to build a perfect world |
小题4:The passage tells us about _______ of the education.| A．the means | B．the system | C．the value | D．the type |
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