阅读理解。 Everyday, 340 million people speak it. One billion people are learning
题型：同步题难度：来源：
half of the world"s population will be using it. What are we talking about? That global language-English.
The English language started in Britain in the 5th century. It is a mixed language. It was built up when
German. Scandinavian and French invaders settled in England and created a common language for
communication.
Today it is the official language of the UK, the USA, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, South Africa
and Ireland as well as many islands in the Caribbean . Many other countries and regions use it for politics
and business, for example, India. Pakistan, Nigeria and the Philippines. English is also one of the official
languages of Hong Kong.
But global advertising and pop music mean that in most countries, you will see or hear some English.
Thanks to McDonalds, we all know about "burgers". "fries" and "milkshakes". Songs by Madonna,
Britney Spears and Celine Dion are in English. We can sing along, even if we do not understand what
we are singing!
English is a messy (杂乱的) language. Every year, dictionaries include new words that talk about
popular culture, for example, computer-related words such as "blogging", "download" and "chatroom".
Also included are words that teenagers use. Who does not know "cool", "OK" and "hello" ?
Other languages also influence Engli
sh. Many English words come from French. Words like "cafe" and expressions like "c"est la vie" (that is life) are all part of the English language. On the other hand, the
French language includes English words like "le weekend" and "le camping". German words are also part
of English. Words like "kindergarten" come from the German language.
Recently, British people have become interested in "yoga". But the word comes from an ancient Hindu
language in India.
B. over 500 years
C. over 1500 years
D. over 1000 years
B. thankful to
C. not until
D. as if.
B. It has borrowed words from all the other languages.
C. French words are used by the English because dictionaries have French words.
D. Singers and film stars have the greatest influence on language.
B. 340 million
C. almost all the people in the world.
D. not mentioned above, but the number is growing rapidly.
B. Nigeria
C. the Philippines
D. Norway
答案
举一反三
With a clear symbolic meaning, the flag in the traditional form is still used today to mark buildings, ships
and other vehicles related to a country.
The national flag as we know it today is in no way a primitive(原始的) artifact. It is, rather, the
" product of thousands of years"development." Historians believe that it had two major ancestors, of which the earlier served to show wind direction.
Early human beings used very fragile houses and boats. Often strong winds would tear roofs from
houses or cause high waves that endangered travelers. People"s food supplies were similarly vulnerable.
Even after they had learned how to plant grains, they still needed help from nature to ensure good
harvests. Therefore they feared and depended on the power of the wind, which could bring warmth from
one direction and cold from another.
Using a simple piece of cloth tied to the top of a post to tell the direction of the wind was more
dependable than earlier methods, such as watching the rising of smoke from a fire. The connection of the
flag with heavenly power was therefore reasonable. Early human societies began to fix long pieces of
cloth to the tops of totems(图腾) before carrying them into battle. They believed that the power of the
wind would be added to the good wishes of the gods and ancestors represented by the totems
hemselves.
These flags developed very slowly into modem flags. The first known flag of a nation or a ruler was
unmarked. The king of China around 1000 B. C. was known to have a white flag carried ahead of him.
This practice might have been learned from Egyptians even further in the past, but it was from China that
it spread over trade routes through India, then across Arab lands, and finally to Europe,where it met up
with the other ancestor of the national flag.
B. Power of the National Flag
C．Types of Flags
D．Uses of Flags
B. likely to be protected
C．easy to damage
D．difficult to find
B. they could bring good luck to fighters
C. they were handed down by the ancestors
D. they were believed to stand for natural forces
B. He believes it was made in Egypt.
C. He thinks it came from China.
D. He doubts where it started.
B. The second ancestor of the national flag.
C. The use of modern flags in Europe.
D. The importance of modern flags.
cake, there would be a lot of candles. He"d need a fan or a strong wind to help him put them out.
While many people in China will remember Confucius on his special day, few people in the United
States will give him a passing thought. It"s nothing personal. Most Americans don"t even remember the
birthdays of their own national heroes.
But this doesn"t mean that Americans don"t care about Confucius. In many ways he has become a
bridge that foreigners must cross if they want to reach a deeper understanding of China.
In the past two decades, the Chinese studies programs have gained huge popularity in Western
universities. More recently, the Chinese government has set up Confucius Institutes in more than 80
countries. These schools teach both Chinese language and culture. The main courses of Chinese culture
usually included Chinese art, history and philosophy(哲学). Some social scientists suggest that Westerners should take advantages of the ancient Chinese wisdom to make up for the drawbacks of Westerners
philosophy. Students in the United States, at the same time, are racing to learn Chinese.So they will be
ready for life in a world where China is an equal power with the United States.Businessmen who hope
to make money in China are reading books about Confucius to understand their Chinese customers.
So the old thinker"s ideas are still alive and well.
Today China attracts the West more than ever, and it will need more teachers to introduce Confucius
and Chinese culture to the West.
As for the old thinker, he will not soon be forgotten by people in the West, even if his birthday is.
B. attract the readers" interest in the subject
C. show great respect for the ancient thinker
D. prove the popularity of modern birthday celebrations
B. take an active part in Chinese competitions
C. try to get high scores in Chinese exams
D. fight for a chance to learn Chinese
B. Huge Fans of the Chinese Language
C. Chinese Culture for Westerners
D. Old Thinker with a Big Future
B. a history paper
C. a newspaper
D. a philosophy textbook
parties are at people"s homes. But in recent years,it has become more and more common for Americans
to go to a hotel or a club or a restaurant on the night of December the 31st. There,they can have dinner,
drink and dance.
Most New Year"s parties have something in common. First of all, they are usually noisy. People sing
and bands play. And often, guests pull a cracker when the clock strikes twelve at midnight. People think
that loud sounds would drive away the evil spirits of the old year before the new year begins.
For many people New Year Eve is the night when they can drink as much as they like. Some New
Year"s celebrations have ended sadly for people who got drunk and had driving accidents. Radio and
television announcements warn people of the danger of drunk driving. Some places offer free rides home
for drunken people.
The biggest and noisiest New Year party in the United States takes place at Times Square in New
York City. Thousands of people gather there. Some of them ring bells or let off crackers. Others blow
whistles or car horns. And at 12 o"clock,they begin to cheer as an electric sign in the shape of a red apple
lights up on top of a tall building.
The Americans keep up important traditions as the new year begins. They make decisions about how
to improve themselves in the year ahead. Experts say that the most common New Year decision in
the United States is to eat less. But many Americans also promise themselves to stop smoking,or stop
drinking wine,or to be nicer to their friends and families.
Experts find fewer than ten percent of Americans carry out their New Year decisions. Few want to
give up this tradition. Almost everyone seems to enjoy looking back over the year that has just ended and
looking forward to a nice beginning of a new year.
B. when and where the Americans welcome the new year
C. New Year" celebrations in the USA
D. American ways of life and their interests
B. bands play music
C. guests pull crackers
D. people want to get rid of bad luck of the old year
B. drunken people are forbidden to drive, but can be driven home free
C. little wine is served at New Year" celebrations
D. people are warned of the danger of drinking too much
cultures of the world vary enormously. What can mean one thing in one country can often mean
something completely different in another.
For example, in North America and Europe people tend to prefer direct eye contact. But in some
Asian countries longer eye contact is considered rude. So when communicating with people, always be
aware of different cultural customs that may exist.
A V sign in the US could mean victory, but in England, it stands for a rude challenge, which has the
same meaning as showing the middle finger in the US.
The OK gesture in America and England is given to mean everything is good or well. But in Latin
America is looked on as a rude sign.
The thumbs up sign in America and most of Europe means that something is good or well done, but
it is considered rude in many Asian countries.
Putting your feet on the table is generally not thought to be rude in America and England. However,
in Thailand it is really rude.
Telling someone to come to you by curling your index finger is acceptable in America and England,
but this gesture signifies death in Singapore.
Raising your hand up means stop in America and England. In some Asian countries this gesture is
used when asking for permission to speak.
In most westernized countries it is considered normal for two men to shake hands. In some Asian
countries it is quite normal for men to kiss each other, while in most westernized countries men kissing
in public would be viewed as homosexual behavior.
If you would like more information on different cultural gestures all over the world, see this site on
nonverbal communication.
B. What gestures can be acceptable in western countries?
C. What can we do when traveling?
D. How to be friendly to others
B. curl their middle fingers
C. curl their index fingers
D. raise their hands up
B. Latin America
C. America and England
D. Southern Asia
B. a TV channel
C. a magazine column
D. the Internet
in the 1900s most American towns and cities had a Main Street. Main Street was always in the heart of a
town. This street was 2 on both sides with many 3 businesses. Here, shoppers walked into stores to
look at all sorts of merchandise: clothing, furniture, hardware, groceries. 4 ,some shops offered 5 .
These shops included drugstores, restaurants, shoe-repair stores, and barber or hairdressing shops. 6
in the 1950s, a change began to 7 .Too many automobiles had crowded into Main Street 8 too few
parking places were 9 shoppers. Because the streets were crowded, merchants began to look with
interest at the open spaces 10 the city limits. Open space is what their car-driving customers needed.
And open space is what they got 11 the first shopping centre was built. Shopping centres, or rather
malls, 12 as a collection of small new stores 13 crowded city centres. 14 by hundreds of free
parking space, customers were drawn away from 15 areas to outlying malls. And the growing 16 of
shopping centres led 17 to the building of bigger and better stocked stores. 18 the late 1970s,many
shopping malls had almost developed into small cities themselves. In addition to providing the 19 of one
stop shopping, malls were transformed into landscaped parks, 20 benches, fountains, and outdoor
entertainment.
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