Question

Final exams are just around the corner. Liu Haoxuan, 14, who studies at Beijing Dayu School, is quite busy However, he still had to find time to practice his spoken English. That’s because he had to take a new English listening and speaking test.

Liu is not alone. This is a new test for all students who are taking senior high school entrance exams (中考) in Beijing, Junior 3 students have to take an English listening and speaking test that counts for 40 points on their full English exam. The test is taken on a computer. They can take the test twice—once in December and again in March -to try to get the highest score possible. The test was just introduced last year.

During the 30-minute test, students have to fill in blanks, answer questions and retell stories after listening to different materials. “It pushes us to speak. Though it was hard at the beginning, it’s a good thing,” Liu said. He got a low score when he first took it last semester. But he kept working hard in order to improve his pronunciation and other skills. He pracised speaking in front of a mirror every day. Later, he got a score of 39 on the test.

LiTianyou, 14, from Beying Yuying Middle School, has his own way to prepare for the spoken English test. He uses apps to take practice tests every day. “The apps will score your performance so that you can improve accordingly,” he said. “Also, the practice tests help me learn to take notes properly. They help me grasp topic sentences and connection words.”

1.How many times can they take the English listening and speaking test?

A.Only once B.Twice C.Three times D.Four times

2.According to the passage, we know ________.

A.All the students have to take the test.

B.The test was introduced this year.

C.It is worth 40 points on the full English exam.

D.Most of the students can get high scores on the test.

3.What do we know about Li Tianyou?

A.He got a score of 39 on the test.

B.He prepared for the test by using apps.

C.He was afraid of speaking English in class.

D.He still finds it hard to grasp topic sentences.

4.What’s the passage mainly about?

A.The difficulties students face in learning English

B.The research of English education in China

C.An oral English class that students in Beijing have to take

D.a new oral English test for Beijing Junior 3 students

Answer

1.B

2.C

3.B

4.D

【解析】

本文是一篇说明文。文章主要介绍了北京中考英语科目里加入一项新的考试——听说考试，介绍了考试内容和方法以及两位学生的备考情况。

1.细节理解题。根据第二段“They can take the test twice”可知，这个考试一年可以考两次。故选B。

2.推理判断题。根据“Junior 3 students have to take …test”可知，只有初三的学生需要进行这个考试，A错误；根据“The test was just introduced last year.”可知，这个考试是去年开始的，B错误；根据“counts for 40 points on their full English exam.”可知，这项考试占英语总分数的40分，C正确；根据刘晓轩的话“He got a low score when he first took it last semester”可知，不是大多数人都能拿到高分的，D错误。故选C。

3.细节理解题。根据最后一段“He uses apps to take practice tests every day.”可知，李天佑利用软件来进行备考。故选B。

4.主旨大意题。根据“This is a new test …on their full English exam.”可知，本文主要介绍北京的新考试，初三年级必须参加英语听说考试，且这项考试在英语总成绩里占40分。故选D。