How words came into being is unknown.All we assume is that some early men invented cortain sounds,in one way or another,to express thoughts and feelings,actions and things,so that they could talk with each other.Later they agreed upon certain signs,called letters,which could be put together to show those sounds,and which could be written down.Those sounds,whether spoken or written in letters,are called words.
The power of words,then,lies in their associations-the things they bring up to our minds.Words become filled with meaning for us by experience;and the longer we live,the more certain words bring back to us the happy and sad events of our past;and the more we read and learn,the more the number of words that mean something to us increases.
Great writers are those who not only have great thoughts but also express these thoughts in words which have powerful effects on our minds and feelings.This clever use of words is what we call literary style.Above all,the real poet is a master of words.He can express his meaning in words which sing like music,and which by their position and association can move men to tears.We should therefore learn to choose our words carefully and use then correctly,or they will make our speech silly and common.
1.We learn from the text that language might have begun with( )
A．expressions B．actions C．signs D．sounds
2.What is mainly discussed in Faragraph 2?
A．The ……of new words B．The importance of old words
C．The relation of human experience with words
D．The gradual change and development of words
3.In the last paragraph,what does the anthor suggest that we should do?
A．Use words skilfully B．Make musical speeches
C．Learn poems by heart D．Associate with listeners
Coolest Hotels in the World
Ariau Amazon Towers
The Ariau Amazon Towers hotel lets you sleep in a tree house. Eight towers make up this hotel that offers over 300 rooms. If you really want to get into the spirit, book the Tarzan suit which is large enough for a big family. You’ll be thirty feet up in the air and can travel between the towers through their wooden walkways.
Prices, starting at $300 one night for each person for a regular room and going all the way up to$3000 for the Tarzan Suite.
For more information, visit the website:http://www.ariautowers.com
The Ice Hotel
Every winter in Jukkasjarvi, Sweden kind of hotel called the Ice Hotel is built. Each year,world-famous artists are invited to design and produce works of art from the ice, many of which can be found in the rooms. You’ll have your choice between hot or cold romms,but you will be well advised to stay at least one night in a cold room for a true experience.
Prices: starting at $318 one night for each person for either a cold room or a warm one.
For more information, visit the website:http://www.icehotel.com
Propeller Island
Propeller Island City Lodge is a very special hotel that was designed by a German tist. Each room provides you with the promibility of living in a work of art. Every single piece of furmiture in the thirty rooms of the hotel has been hand-made and each room is completely different. You’ll be able to choose a room based on your own personal tastes.
Prices:starting at just $91 a night,and an additional person for only 20 extra dollars.
For more information , visit the website:http://www.propeller island.com
For information about other cool hotels in the world ,visit the website:
http://www.bahamabeachclub.com
1.What is special about the Ariau Amazon Towers hotel?
A．You can sleep in the houses B．You can choose any of the towers
C．It is designed for big families D．Every room has a walkway
2.For two persons spending a night in one of these hotels,they have to pay at least
A．$111 B．$182 C．$600 D．$636
3.Which website should you visit if you want to find out whether there exists a hotel the sea?
A．http://www.icehotel.com B．http://www.ariautowers.com
C．http://www .propeller-island.com D．http://www.bahamabeachclub.com
4.Which hotel would invite artists to come to work every year?
A．Propeller Island City Lodge B．Ariau Amazon Towers
C．The Ice Hotel D．Bahama Beach Club
Thousands of people living in the Chinese eapital will celebrate the start of the Chinese New Year by heading for the ski resorts(滑雪场).Never mind that Beijing’s dry weather seldom produces now. It is cold enough in winter for snow-making machines to make a covering for the hills north to the capital. And the rapid growth of a pleasure-seeking middle class has formed the basis for this New craze(热潮).
Since Beijing’s first ski resort was opened ten years ago, the sport has enjoyed an astonishing increase.There are now more than a dozen resorts. Clothes markets in the city have added bright colored ski suits to their winter collections. Mr.Wei, a manager of a newly-opened ski resort in Beijing, sees the growth of an industry that could soon lead Chinese to head for the ski resorts of Europe. In recent years ski resorts offering natural snow have opened in China. But many are in faraway areas of the country and can’t really match the equipment and services of some ski resorts in Europe.
Beijing’s sking craze is partly a result of the recent increase in private(私有的)cars. This has led to the growth of a leisure industry in the capital’s suburbs(郊区).which until the late-1990s were unreachable to ordinary people. According to Mr. Wei,About 40％ of the visitors to his resort some in their own cars. The rest are bused in by schools, businesses or government offices.
The problem is making money.Starting ski resorturequires quite a lot of money:hiring land from the local government,preparing the hills,buying snow machines,making sure there are enough water and electricity to run them,and buying ski equipment for hiring out to customers.The ski resort where Mr.Wei works cost nearly $4m to set up.And,as so often in China when someone comes up with a good idea,many others rush in and price wars break out.Beijing now offers some of the cheapest ski training classes in the world,though with most people rather new to the sport, expecting a few more doing the same job.
1.What does this text mainly talk about?
A．Convenience for skiers brought about by private cars
B．Skiing as a new way of enjoying one’s spare time
C．Things to be considered when starting a ski resort
D．A sudden increase of ski training classes in Beijing
2.Why are some Chinese likely to go skiing in Burope?
A．To visit more ski areas
B．To ski on natrual snow
C．For a large collection of ski suits
D．For better services and equipment
3.The underlined words”leisure industry”in Paragraph 3 refer to
A．transport to ski resorts
B．production of familycars
C．business of providing spare time enjoyments
D．part-time work for people living in the suburbs
4.What is the main problem in running a ski resort?
A．Difficulty in hiring land
B．Lack of business experience
C．……ski resorts.
D．Shortage of water and electricity
When you’re lying on the white sands of the Mexican Riviera, the stresses(压力) of the world seem a million miles away. Hey, stop! This is no vacation-you have to finish something!
Here lies the problem for travel writer and tood critic(评论家),Edie Jarolim “I always loved traveling and always liked to eat, but it never occurred to me that I could make money doing both of those things,” Jarolim said. Now you can read her travel advice everywhere in Arts and Antiques, in Brides, or in one of her there books, The Complate Idiot’s Travel Guide to Mexican Beach Resarts.
……writing began some eight years ago. After getting a PhD in English in Canada, she took a Test Frommer’s travel guides, passed it, and got the job. After working at Frommer’s, Jarolim workedfor a while at Rough Guides in London, then Fodor’s, where she fell so in love with a description of the Southwest of the U.S. that she moved there.
Now as a travel writer, she spends one-third of her year on the road. The rest of the time is spent completing her tasks and writing reviews of restaurants at home in Tucson, Arigona.
As adventurous as the job sounds, the hard part is fact-checking all the information. Sure, it’s great to write about a tourist attraction, but you’d better get the local(当地的)museum hours correct or you could really ruin someone’s vacation.
1.Which country does Jarolim live in now?
A．Mexico B．The U.S. C．The U.K. D．Canada
2.What is most difficrlt for Jarolim?
A．Working in different places to collect information
B．Checking all the facts to be written in the guides
C．Finishing her work as soon as possible
D．Passing a test to write travel guides
3.What do we know about Jarllim from the text?
A．She is successful in her job
B．She finds her life full of stresses
C．She spends half of her time traveling
D．She is especially interested in museums
4.What would be the best title for the text?
A．Adventures in Travel Writing
B．Working as a Food Critic
C．Travel Guides on the Market
D．Vacationing for a Living
When I was six, Dad brought home a dog one day, who was called “Brownie”. My brothers and I all loved Brownie and did different things with her. Ore of us would walk her, another would feed her, then there were baths, playing catch and many other games, Brownie, in return. loved each and every one of us. One thing that most touched my heart was that she would go to whoever was sick and just be with them we always felt better when she was around.
One day, as I was getting her food, she chewed up(咬破)one of Dad’s shoes, which had to be thrown away in the end. I knew Dad would be mad and I had to let her know what she did was wrong. When I looked at her and said, ”Bad girl,” she looked down at the ground and then went and hid. I saw a tear in her eyes.
Brownie turned out to be more than just our family pet, she went everywhere with us .People would stop and ask if they could pet her. Of course she’d let anyone pet her. She was just the most lovable dog. There were many times when we’d be out walking and a small child would come over and pull pm her hair. she never barked(吠) or tried to get away. Funny thing is she would smile. This frightened people because they thought she was showing her teeth. Far from the truth, she lovely everyone.
Now many years have passed since Brownie died of old age. I still miss days when she was with us.
1.What would Brownie do when someone was ill in the family?
A. Look at them sadly. B. Keep them company.
C. Play games with them. D. Touch them gently.
2.We can infer from Paragraph 2 that Brownie__________.
A. world eat anything when hungry B. felt sorry for her mistake
C. loved playing hide-and-seek D. disliked the author’s dad
3.Why does the author say that Brownie was more than just a family pet?
A. She was treated as a member of the family.
B. She played games with anyone she liked.
C. She was loved by everybody she met.
D. She went everywhere with the family.
4.Some people got frightened by Brownie when she__________.
A. smiled B. barked C. rushed to them D. tried to be funny
5.Which of the following best describes Brownie?
A. Shy B. Polite C. Brave D. Caring
阅读下面短文，从短文后所给各题的四个选项（A、B、C、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。
A man who knows how to write a personal letter has a very powerful tool.A letter can be enjoyed,read and 1. It can set up a warm conversation between two people far apart(远离的)；it can keep a 2with very little effort.
I will give 3. A few years ago my older brother and I were not getting 4We had been close as 5but had grown apart. Our meetings were not 6; our conversation was filled with arguments and quarrels; and every effort to clear the air seemed to only 7our misunderstanding. Then he 8a small island in the Caribbean and we 9touch .One day he wrote me a letter. He describeb his island and its people, told me what he was doing,said how he felt,and encouraged me to 10. Rereading the letter, I was 11by its humor(幽默)and clever expressions,These were all qualities for which I had 12respected my order brother but 13he no longer had them.I had never known he could write so 14.And with that one letter we became friends15.
It might never have occurred to 16to write me if he had not been in a place where there were no 17,For him, writing was a necessity, It also turned out to be the best way for us to get back in touch.Because we live in an age of 18communication(通讯),people often 19that they don’t always have to phone or email. They have a 20. And that is to write.
1.A.received B.rewritten C.returned D.reread
2.A.record B.promise C.friendship D.secret
3.A.an example B.a lesson C.an experience D.a talk
4.A. through B.together C.along D.away
5.A.brothers B.children C.fellows D.classmates
6.A.normal B.necessary C.pleasant D.possible
7.A.deepen B.start C.express D.settle
8.A.toured B.stopped over C.reached D.moved to
9.A.lost B.kept in C.needed D.got in
10.A.think B.write C.enjoy D.read
11.A.driven B.beaten C.surprised D.honored
12.A.never B.seldom C.sometimes D.once
13.A.realized B.judged C.thought D.expected
14.A.well B.often C.much D.soon
15.A.later B.anyhow C.too D.again
16.A.us B.anyone else C.someone D.my brother
17.A.mail services B.transport C.phones D.relatives
18.A.poor B.easy C.popular D.busy
19.A.believe B.decide C.argue D. forget
20.A.habit B.choice C.method D. plan
