Every year, a handful of new words enter the world’s collective vocabulary, but only one has the honor of being named Oxford Dictionaries’ Word of the Year. And this year’s top honor goes to “selfie”.
The frequency of the word selfie used in the English language has increased by 17,000 per cent since this time last year. This figure is calculated by Oxford Dictionaries using a research program which collects around 150 million English words currently in use from around the web every month. To qualify, a word need not have been invented within the past 12 months but it does need to stand out or become notable at that time.
Selfie is defined by Oxford Dictionaries as: “A photograph that one has taken of oneself, typically one taken with a smart phone or webcam and uploaded to a social media website.” Oxford Dictionaries said the earliest known usage is an Australian online forum post in 2002. A man posted a picture of injuries to his face when he tripped over some steps. He apologized for the fact that the picture was out of focus, saying that it was not because he was drunk but because it was a selfie.
Judy Pearsall, editorial director for Oxford Dictionaries, said: “Using the Oxford Dictionaries language research program, we can see a phenomenal upward trend in the use of selfie in 2013, and this helped to win its selection as Word of the Year.” She also added: “Social media sites helped to popularize the term, with selfie appearing on the photo-sharing website Flicker as early as 2004, but usage wasn’t widespread until around 2012, when selfie was being used commonly in mainstream media sources.”
Selfies have taken the world by storm. Everyone from the first family to ordinary people has taken the time to pose for a selfie. Celebrities like Miley Cyrus, Jennifer Lawrence, and Jennifer Aniston have all showed their new haircuts with selfies this year. Selfie was added to the Oxford Dictionaries online in August, but not yet in the Oxford English.
1.What does this passage mainly talk about?
A. The definition of the word “Selfie”.
B. The widespread usage of the word “Selfie” in 2012.
C. “Selfie” has been chosen as the Word of the Year of 2013.
D. “Selfie” began to be used in the Oxford English.
2.What can we learn from the passage about the word Selfie?
A. Social media sites helped to popularize the word Selfie.
B. The frequency of the word “selfie” has increased to 17,000 % since 2004.
C. Celebrities and the first family have all showed their new haircuts with selfies.
D. The earliest known usage of “selfie” was a man who was drunk.
3.The word “selfie” was chosen the Word of the Year by _____________.
A. A social media website.
B. The photo-sharing website Flicker.
C. A research program by Oxford Dictionaries.
D. People who take picture using a smart phone or webcam.
4.In which column of a newspaper can we find this article?
A. Arts B. Entertainment
C. Science D. Culture
Just weeks after a special memorial voyage to mark the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic, an Australian billionaire has announced plans to build an exact replica(复制品) of the Titanic, which is just as similar to the original one as possible. The Titanic replica will make its first voyage from Southampton, England to New York in 2016.
The Titanic is a famous ship that sank in 1912. The attractive story of the ocean liner(邮轮) has made millions of people interested in it around the world. It was believed to be an unsinkable ship but it hit an iceberg and sank on its first voyage. More than 1,500 people died in the sinking of the Titanic, which at the time was the world’s largest and most luxurious ocean liner.
When fully built, the Titanic II will be 270 meters (886 feet) long and capable of holding 1,680 passengers. Unlike the original Titanic which was powered by coal-fired boiler and steam engines, the Titanic II will have modern diesel(柴油机) and electric engines. Also unlike the first Titanic, the Titanic II will have more than enough lifeboats to accommodate everyone on board if something should go wrong.
When asked whether the new replica would sink, Mr. Palmer replied: “Of course it will sink if you put a hole in it. He also added “It will be designed as a modern ship with all the technology to ensure that doesn’t happen.”
When Mr. Palmer was asked if he expected his Titanic to be successful, he simply said: “At my age, you don’t really worry so much about whether you’ll make money or lose money on something, but I believe that it is worth building it.”
1.Why is the Titanic replica being built?
A. To make a voyage from Southampton, England to New York.
B. To mark the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic.
C. To realize Mr. Palmer’s dream of constructing a luxurious ocean liner.
D. Not clearly talked about in the passage.
2.What’s mainly talked about in Paragraph 2?
A. The travelling route of the Titanic.
B. A short introduction to the original Titanic.
C. The number of people on the Titanic when it sank.
D. People’s great interest in the attractive story of the ocean liner.
3.What is the difference between the Titanic II and the original one?
A. Titanic II will be powered by modern diesel and electric engines.
B. The appearance of Titanic II will be more luxurious.
C. The construction of Titanic II will be more complex.
D. The number of the lifeboats on Titanic II will be smaller.
4.What is Mr. Palmer’s attitude towards his Titanic II replica?
A. It will sink with a hole in it.
B. It will definitely be a great success.
C. It is worthwhile to build it.
D. It will make him lose money.
Fatu Kekula is a hero. The 22-year-old Liberian nursing student, in her final year, managed to save the members of her immediate family from the Ebola virus, all without the help and convenience of a hospital.
Kekula reduced the rate to 25 percent. Four of her family members were infected with the virus. Her father, Moses, her mother, Victoria, her sister, Vivian and her 14-year-old cousin, Alfred Winnie. Sadly, Kekula’s cousin succumbed to the virus. It’s also impressive to note that while Kekula was treating her family members she managed to avoid Ebola entirely.
On July 27, Kekula’s father, Moses, went to a hospital in Kanata, after his blood pressure rose sharply. The only reason the hospital had a bed to offer him was because someone had just died. But the staff in the hospital didn’t realize the patient died from an Ebola infection. Shortly, after he was admitted to the hospital, Moses developed a fever, started vomiting and was suffering from diarrhea. Once nurses started dying of Ebola, the hospital shut down and Moses had to leave. Kekula drove 90 minutes to Monrovia, the capital of Liberia, to seek treatment. Three hospitals turned them away because there is no spare bed for patients at all.
Kekula made the drive back to Kanata to another hospital. They told Moses he had typhoid fever and did very little to treat him. So Kekula took him home. Once he was there, he infected three other family members. Her mother, sister and their cousin who was living with them.
Kekula only lost one patient, her cousin. Her method proved so effective that international aid workers, including UNICEF, began teaching it to others in West Africa who may not be able to get to hospitals for treatment.
Her father, mother and sister were already recovering when space became available at the JFK Medical Center on August 17. Alfred passed away at the hospital the next day. Kekula’s father, Moses said, “I’m very, very proud. She saved my life through the almighty God.”
1.What is the best title for the passage?
A. A courageous and selfless nurse.
B. Give her a medal: Woman saves family members from Ebola.
C. A family survived Ebola with the help of government.
D. The dreadful disease Ebola.
2.What does the underlined word “succumbed to” in Paragraph 2 mean?
A. was affected with B. survived
C. died of D. fight against
3.Why Kekula took her father home?
A. Because a patient died from an Ebola infection in the hospital in Kanata.
B. Because they were turned down by hospitals and little can be done to her father.
C. Because Moses were already recovering when he was admitted to the JFK Medical Center.
D. Because nurses started dying of Ebola and many hospitals were shut down.
If you want to walk in the footsteps of some of the world’s greatest figures, then go to Oxford. Many of Oxford’s 38 colleges are open to the public year-round. Here are a few of the colleges worth visiting and some famous people who have studied there.
Christ Church College
Long before it became known as a location for the Harry Potter films, Christ Church was the college where Albert Einstein, author Charles Dodgson who wrote Alice in Wonderland, and 13 British prime ministers studied. In this large and popular college, you can see the paintings in the 16th-century Great Hall.
Magdalen College
Many consider Magdalen to be one of the most beautiful Oxford’s colleges. This is where author Oscar Wilde read his classics course. You can enjoy the medieval(中世纪的) church with its 15th-century tower. Opposite the college is the beautiful Botanic Garden founded in 1621.
Merton College
Founded in 1264, Merton has the oldest medieval library in use. J. R. R. Tolkien is said to have spent many hours here writing The Lord of the Rings. One of the college’s treasures is an astrolabe(星盘)，thought to have belonged to Chaucer. The college has the most amazing collection of medieval colored glass in Oxford.
Bodleian Library
The Bodleian Library, the main research library of the University of Oxford, is the largest university library in the UK. It is one of the oldest libraries in Europe, and in Britain is second in size only to the British Library. It holds more than 9 million printed items on 189 km of shelving and seats up to 2,500 readers. The users of the library here include five kings, 40 Nobel Prize winners, 25 British prime minister and countless famous writers.
1.If a Harry Potter fan travels to Oxford, he’ll probably visit ____________.
A. Merton College B. Bodleian Library
C. Magdalen College D. Christ Church College
2.Which of the following can travelers see in Magdalen College?
A. A 15th-century tower.
B. A seven–ton tower bell.
C. England’s smallest cathedral.
D. British oldest botanic garden.
3.According to the passage, J. R. R. Tolkien is ____________.
A. the founder of Merton College
B. the author of The Lord of the Rings
C. the designer of the oldest medieval library
D. the owner of the astrolabe in Merton College
4.What do we know about the Bodleian Library?
A. It lies in Magdalen College.
B. It is the most famous library in the UK.
C. It has a collection of 2,500 kinds of books.
D. It is smaller than the British Library.
假如你是李华，在一位名叫Tina的外国友人的博客上，你看到了如下内容：
I am often told not to put off(推迟) till tomorrow what can be done today.
I’ve tried many times but I cannot make it. Can you give me some advice?
请你根据博客的内容和写作要点提示，给她回复。写作要点：1. 表明自己的看法；2. 提出至少两条建议。
注意： 1. 词数120左右, 开头和结尾已给出，但不计入总词数。
2. 请保持卷面整洁，美观！
Dear Tina,
I understand your situation. _________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
Hope my ideas will help.
Yours,
Li Hua
单词填空。根据首字母或汉语提示填写单词，注意其正确形式。
1.However.the southern part of Ireland was ________(不愿意的)and broke away to form its own government.
2.I have to remind myself ________(不断地) that I’m really in AD3008.
3.John Snow wanted to face the c_______（挑战）and solve this problem.
4.The Christian Church r_______ his theory ,saying it was against God’s idea.
5.It looked_______(辉煌的)when first built.
6.He slowed down the bleeding by a________ pressure to the wounds.
7.Last of all ,the chief editor read it and a________(批准) it.
8.You have three layers of skin which act as a barrier against disease, p_________ and the sun’s harmful rays.
9.At first, my new surroundings were difficult to t________(忍受).
10.Have you ever had a case where someone a_________your journalists of getting the wrong end of the stick.
