“Indeed,” George Washington wrote in his diary in 1785, “some kind of fly, or bug, had begun to eat the leaves before I left home.” But the father of America was not the father of bug. When Washington wrote that, Englishmen had been referring to insects as bugs for more than a century, and Americans had already created lightning-bug(萤火虫). But the English were soon to stop using the bugs in their language, leaving it to the Americans to call a bug a bug in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.
The American bug could also be a person, referring to someone who was crazy about a particular activity. Although fan became the usual term, sports fans used to be called racing bugs, baseball bugs, and the like.
Or the bug could be a small machine or object, for example, a bug-shaped car. The bug could also be a burglar alarm, from which comes the expression to bug, that is, “to install (安装) an alarm”. Now it means a small piece of equipment that people use for listening secretly to others’ conversation. Since the 1840s, to bug has long meant “to cheat”, and since the 1940s it has been annoying.
We also know the bug as a flaw in a computer program or other design. That meaning dates back to the time of Thomas Edison. In 1878 he explained bugs as “little problems and difficulties” that required months of study and labor to overcome in developing a successful product. In 1889 it was recorded that Edison “had been up the two previous nights discovering ‘a bug’ in his invented record player.”
1.We learn from Paragraph 1 that ________.
A. Americans had difficulty in learning to use the word bug
B. George Washington was the first person to call an insect a bug
C. the word bug was still popularly used in English in the nineteenth century
D. both Englishman and Americans used the word bug in the eighteenth century
2.What does the word “flaw” in the last paragraph probably mean?
A. Explanation.B. Finding.C. Origin.D. Fault.
3.The passage is mainly concerned with ________.
A. the misunderstanding of the word bug
B. the development of the word bug
C. the public views of the word bug
D. the special characteristics of the word bug
Papa, as a son of a dirt-poor farmer, left school early and went to work in a factory, for education was for the rich then. So, the world became his school. With great interest, he read everything he could lay his hands on, listened to the town elders and learned about the world beyond his tiny hometown. "There's so much to learn," he'd say. "Though we're born stupid, only the stupid remain that way. "He was determined that none of his children would be denied (拒绝) an education.
Thus, Papa insisted that we learn at least one new thing each day. Though, as children, we thought this was crazy, it would never have occurred to us to deny Papa a request. And dinner time seemed perfect for sharing what we had learned. We would talk about the news of the day; no matter how insignificant, it was never taken lightly. Papa would listen carefully and was ready with some comment, always to the point.
Then came the moment—the time to share the day's new learning.
Papa, at the head of the table, would push back his chair and pour a glass of red wine, ready to listen.
"Felice," he'd say, "tell me what you learned today."
"I learned that the population of Nepal is ...."
Silence.
Papa was thinking about what was said, as if the salvation of the world would depend upon it. "The population of Nepal. Hmm. Well ..." he'd say. "Get the map; let's see where Nepal is. " And the whole family went on a search for Nepal.
This same experience was repeated until each family member had a turn. Dinner ended only after we had a clear understanding of at least half a dozen such facts.
As children, we thought very little about these educational wonders. Our family, however, was growing together, sharing experiences and participating in one another's education. And by looking at us, listening to us, respecting our input, affirming our value, giving us a sense of dignity, Papa was unquestionably our most influential teacher.
Later during my training as a future teacher I studied with some of the most famous educators. They were imparting what Papa had known all along—the value of continual learning. His technique has served me well all my life. Not a single day has been wasted, though I can never tell when knowing the population of Nepal might prove useful.
1.What do we know from the first paragraph?
A. The author's father was born in a worker's family.
B. Those born stupid could not change their life.
C. The town elders wanted to learn about the world.
D. The poor could hardly afford school education.
2.The underlined word "it" in the second paragraph refers to "________".
A. one new thingB. a requestC. the newsD. some comment
3.It can be learned from the passage that the author ________.
A. enjoyed talking about news
B. knew very well about Nepal
C. felt regret about those wasted days
D. appreciated his father's educational technique
The Boy Made It!
One Sunday, Nicholas, a teenager, went skiing at Sugarloaf Mountain in Maine. In the early afternoon, when he was planning to go home, a fierce snowstorm swept into the area. Unable to see far, he accidentally turned off the path. Before he knew it, Nicholas was lost, all alone! He didn’t have food, water, a phone, or other supplies. He was getting colder by the minute.
Nicholas had no idea where he was. He tried not to panic. He thought about all the survival shows he had watched on TV. It was time to put the tips he had learned to use.
He decided to stop skiing. There was a better chance of someone finding him if he stayed put. The first thing he did was to find shelter form the freezing wind and snow. If he didn’t, his body temperature would get very low, which could quickly kill him. Using his skis, Nicholas built a snow cave. He gathered a huge mass of snow and dug out a hole in the middle. Then he piled branches on top of himself, like a blanket, to stay as warm as he could.
By that evening, Nicholas was really hungry. He ate snow and drank water from a nearby stream so that his body wouldn’t lose too much water. Not knowing how much longer he could last, Nicholas did the only thing he could — he huddled (蜷缩) in his cave and slept.
The next day, Nicholas went out to look for help, but he couldn’t find anyone. He followed his tracks and returned to the snow cave, because without shelter, he could die that night. On Tuesday, Nicholas went out again to find help. He had walked for about a mile when a volunteer searcher found him. After two days stuck in the snow, Nicholas was saved.
Nicholas might not have survived this snowstorm had it not been for TV. He had often watched Grylls’ survival show Man vs. Wild. That’s where he learned the tips that saved his life. In each episode(一期节目) of Man vs. Wild, Grylls is abandoned in a wild area and has to find his way out.
When Grylls heard about Nicholas’ amazing deeds, he was super impressed that Nicholas had made it since he knew better than anyone how hard Nicholas had to work to stay alive.
1.What happened to Nicholas one Sunday afternoon?
A. He got lost.B. He broke his skis.
C. He hurt his eyesD. He caught a cold.
2.How did Nicholas keep himself warm?
A. He found a shelter.B. He lighted some branches.
C. He kept on skiing.D. He built a snow cave.
3.On Tuesday, Nicholas ______.
A. returned to his shelter safelyB. was saved by a searcher
C. got stuck in the snowD. stayed where he was
4.Nicholas left Grylls a very deep impression because he ______.
A. did the right things in the dangerous situation
B. watched Grylls’ TV program regularly
C. created some tips for survival
D. was very hard-working
假定你是学生会主席李华。你的美国朋友卡尔正在你市度假，请你代表学生会给他写一封信，邀请他给同学们做报告。要点如下：
1.时间：下周三下午3点到5点；
2.报告内容：如何提高英语口语，美国学生的日常生活以及中美差异。
注意：
1.词数100左右；
2.可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；
3. 参考词汇： 学生会 Student Union
Dear Carl,
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
Yours sincerely,
Li Hua
假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌写的以下作文。文中共有10处语言错误，每句中最多有两处。每处错误仅涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。
增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号（︿），并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除：把多余的词用斜线（\）划掉。
修改：在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意：1. 每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；
2. 只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。
Last summer I did some fruit-picking. It is pretty hard work. I had to start in 7 am and pick for a good eight hour. But it was such cheerful that we had great fun. Some of we had guitars, so in the evenings we had barbecues and played a bit music together. I only got about $80 a week, but at the least they gave me all my meals, and the food was not that awfully. Basic accommodation was also supplying. Still, I’m afraid I won’t be going fruit-picking this summer, because I’ve got a temporary job in town what pays better.
阅读下面材料，在空白处填入适当的内容（1个单词）或括号内单词的正确形式。
In China, the history of people planting and using bamboo can date back to as far as 7000 years. As early as the Shang Dynasty, bamboo was being used in ancient people’s daily lives. It was used for food, clothing, housing, transportation, 1.(music) instruments and even weapons.
The 2.(apply) of bamboo in science and technology is thrilling. In 251 BC, Li Bing, in Sichuan, 3.(lead) the local people in building the Dujiang Weirs, the first irrigation network in the world, in which bamboo played 4. important role. The world’s oldest water pipe was also 5.(make) of bamboo. During the Han Dynasty, the people in Sichuan 6.(success) sank a 1600-metre-deep well with thick bamboo ropes. This technology did not spread to Europe7. the 19th century, and it was by using the technology 8. the Americans drilled the first oil well in Pennsylvania in 1859.
In Chinese culture, bamboo is well-known as 9. of the “four gentlemen” in plants. To many distinguished men, bamboo is a symbol of goodness and honesty. It is always closely related to people of positive spirits. Bamboo culture contributes to encouraging people to hold on when 10.(face) tough situations.
