Preface to the fourth edition
A practical English Grammar is intended for intermediate(中级的) and post-intermediate students. We hope that more advanced learners and teachers will also find it useful.
The book is a comprehensive survey of structures and forms, written in clear modern English and illustrated with numerous examples. Areas of particular difficulty have been given special attention. Differences between conversational usage and strict grammatical forms are shown but the emphasis is on conversational forms.
1. Explanation and examples have been brought up to date.
2. There is now more information on countable and uncountable nouns, attributive and predicative adjectives, adverbs of places, sentence adverbs, cleft sentences, prepositions, conjunctives, modal verbs, perfect tenses, infinitive constructions, the passive, purpose clauses and nouns.
In the fourth edition the main changes are as follows.
3. Some material has been rearranged to make comparisons easier. For example, parts of chapters on can, may, must etc. are now grouped by functions; verbs of liking and preference have a chapter to themselves; suggestions and invitations have joined the chapter on commands, requests and advice.
4. The contents list now summaries every edition heading, and there is a new index containing many more entries references.
In this edition the sign “~” is frequently used to show a change of speaker in examples of dialogue. Note also that although the sign “=”sometimes connects two words or expressions with the same meaning, it is often used more freely, e.g. to indicate a transformation from active to passive or direct to indirect speech.
We wish to thank all at Oxford University Press who have assisted in the preparation of the fourth edition. We would also like to thank Professor Egawa of Nihon University, Japan, Professor Rene Dirven of Duisburg University, West Germany and other colleagues for their friendly and helpful suggestions.
London, November 1985 A.J.T., A.VM
1.The grammar book mentioned in this passage is not suitable for __________.
A. a middle school teacher B. a college student
C. a senior high student D. a primary school student
2.According to the passage, we know that this grammar book ___________.
A. compares modern English with old English
B. gives a large number of examples to reduce difficulty
C. attaches more importance to conversational forms
D. pays little attention to strict grammatical forms
3.Which of the following statements about the changes is TRUE?
A. This book keeps up with the latest usages of the American English language.
B. This edition offers more information about pronouns.
C. One particular chapter discusses verbs like “care, like, love, hate, prefer, wish”.
D. It’s not easy for us to find the information we need in this book.
4.When you see this line in the book, “Did you get a ticket? ~Yes, I managed to get one”, we can understand that _______.
A. the two parts before and after the sign “~”mean the same.
B. the topic is changed in the part after the sign “~”.
C. the second speaker repeats what the first speaker says.
D. the two parts before and after “~”are said by two different people.
The common Chinese greeting of “Ni chi le ma?” may soon be replaced by a new greeting: “Have you cleaned your plate?”
Over the Spring Festival holiday there was a big effort to get people to curb their habit of ordering too much food in restaurants because a lot of that food ended up being wasted. Holiday eaters were urged to “clean their plates” and were asked to take leftover food home in “doggy bags.”
The impetus behind the campaign was the startling government statistic that over 200 billion yuan is spent every year on food that ends up in the garbage bin. And in the midst of all this waste, statistics show that 128 million people are living below the poverty line and going hungry.
The “clean your plate” campaign is part of a worldwide effort to stop precious food from being wasted. The United Nations estimates that $1trillion (yes, that’s a very big number) worth of food is wasted each year. Most of that is lost during food production and transportation, but a significant percentage is attributed to waste by consumers. The United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) has launched a campaign called “Think. Eat. Save.” to make people aware of the problem.
Chinese actress Fan Bingbing is an ambassador for UNEP and she encouraged people to upload pictures of their “clean plates” to show their support for the program. Thousands of people responded and demonstrated that they had a clear conscience to go along with their full stomachs.
Xi Jinping, the Chinese president, is also urging people to be less wasteful and he told Party members to cut back on extravagant holiday banquets and to be more careful when spending the people’s money.
For some, though, Xi Jinping’s and Fan Bingbing’s admonitions don’t go far enough. Yuan Longping, an agricultural scientist, caused a stir by saying that wasting food should be treated as a crime. (Jail time for leftover chicken feet!?)
If not a crime, wasting food is certainly a sin and it goes against what Xi Jinping calls, “the Chinese tradition of being diligent and thrifty.” Having a “clean plate” is just a traditional and responsible thing to do.
1.Which statement is NOT TRUE according to the passage?
A. Over 200 billion yuan is wasted every year on food around China.
B. It’s quite common for Chinese people to order more food than they need in restaurants.
C. It’s universally acknowledged that wasting food is a crime.
D. Fan did something to promote people’s awareness of saving food.
2.The underlined word “admonition” is closest in meaning to “ ”.
A. demonstration B. indication C. warning D. criticism
3.What’ the best title for the passage?
A. Food is important.
B. Have you cleaned your plate?
C. Jail time for leftover chicken feet!?
D. Wasting food is a crime.
What is it that you love to do but never feel that you get it quite right? Perhaps you don't even try any more because you think what you do is not 36 enough.
Discouragement seems to follow us a good part of the time, 37 whatever it is that we work so hard doing, it seems that there is 38 someone else who can do it much better.
I have always enjoyed music and it is 39 to me that every musician has a 40 of their own. My father__41 several instruments and when he played with others, it was not difficult to ___42 his sound in a group. Whether it was guitar or another instrument, he had his own 43 sound.
I 44 read of a music teacher who commented to a discouraged student, “ 45 else can make the sound that you make. The sound that you make may not be the same as someone else's but who is to say which is 46 . ” It is said that, “ 47 is in the eye of the beholder(观看者), ” perhaps it could be said that “a delightful sound is in the ear of the 48 . ”
Every person has a different tone of voice that 49 only to them, 50 we all know people with an unforgettable laugh or a way of 51 that is unique to them. It might not be the sound of your music or your voice at all. It 52 be the way you whistle or the sound of your footsteps.
Each person has a(an) 53 on the world in some way. Someone else can do what you do, but they cannot do it 54 the same way that you do it. The next time you feel 55 , remember “Nobody else can make the sound that you make. ”
1.A. easy B. hard C. simple D. good
2.A. when B. although C. because D. if
3.A. seldom B. sometimes C. never D. always
4.A. satisfying B. interesting C. inspiring D. convincing
5.A. gift B. song C. life D. sound
6.A. created B. designed C. played D. checked
7.A. pick out B. call up C. turn down D. give off
8.A. special B. powerful C. perfect D. loud
9.A. even B. yet C. once D. still
10.A. Nobody B. Somebody C. Anybody D. Everybody
11.A. bigger B. deeper C. better D. lower
12.A. interest B. beauty C. patience D. honesty
13.A. speaker B. receiver C. looker D. listener
14.A. belongs B. adds C. adapts D. devotes
15.A. but B. yet C. for D. and
16.A. speaking B. walking C. jumping D. running
17.A. must B. would C. might D. could
18.A. effect B. opinion C. duty D. choice
19.A. carefully B. exactly C. cautiously D. seriously
20.A. annoyed B. puzzled C. bothered D. discouraged
— I've decided to go back to school for some training in programming.
— . When would you like to start?
A. Good for you B. Up to you
C. You can have it D. I got you
I am afraid that Mrs. Black doesn’t believe her son is able to design such a complicated machine, ?
A. does she B. aren’t I C. is he D. isn’t he
— Any fashion news about skirts?
— Yes. This season’s short skirts have gained popularity now, although they to be shocking at first.
A. have been thought B. were thought
C. are thought D. had thought