1、http:/ A. Determining the main idea. Choose the best answer. Do not refer to the text. The main idea of the text is _ . ( D ) (a) that English ancestors invented the main part of the English language in four different ways (b) that invented words are generally made up in three different ways(c) that
2、 borrowed words and other kinds of words make up about one fifth of the English language (d) how various kinds of English words are inventedB. Comprehending the text. Choose the best answer. 1.English has _ words. ( C )(a) 6 000 (b) 60 000 (c) 600 000 (d) 6 000 000 2. Ampere, volt and watt are examp
3、les of _ . ( D ) (a) invented words (b) imitative words (c) borrowed words (d) words from the names of persons 3. Prefixes and suffixes are _. ( B ) (a) whole words that dont have their own meanings (b) parts of words that have their special meanings (c) from either Greek or Latin . (d) parts of wor
4、ds that are meaningless 4. According to the text, “graph“ can be used as _. ( D ) (a) a root word (b) a prefix (c) a suffix (d) all of the above 5. Every day, _ lead to the invention of many new words to describe them. ( A )(a) new discoveries in science and technology (b) Anglo-Saxon words (c) root
5、 words (d) nonsense words 6. An invented word may become a permanent part of the English language, if _ . ( C ) (a) people know where it came from (b) it was invented by a famous writer (c) it has been used by many people over a long period of time (d) linguists are interested in it 7. In the text,
6、the author repeatedly mentions Lewis Carroll as he was _. ( D ) (a) an English actor good at making people laugh (b) a dishonest politician (c) a character in Alice in Wonderland (d) a great inventor of meaningless words 8. “Gobbledygook“ is an example of _.( D ) (a) imitative words that sound like
7、the thing or action they stand for (b) words invented by combining different meanings together (c) words made up of prefixes and suffixes (d) long big words that mean nothing 9. In the authors opinion, the best words are _. ( D )(a) short ones(b) gobbledygook(c) long, fancy ones(d) short, old ones10
8、. The authors primary purpose in writing this article is to _. ( B ) (a) please the reader with the interesting story of different kinds of words(b) give a general account of the formation of three kinds of words(c) encourage the reader to learn words according to the word formation (d) introduce th
9、e history of the English language C. Understanding vocabulary. Choose the correct definition according to the context. 1. The other one fifth is made up partly of borrowed words and partly of three other kinds of words: words from the names of peoples and places; imitative words; and invented words.
10、 ( A ) (a) reproducing closely (b) similar (c) original (d) root 2. Pasteurized gets its name from Louis Pasteur, a French doctor who invented the process for purifying milk. ( B ) (a) Distilled (b) Purified (c) Processed(d) Invented 3. Some words, like astronaut, are made up entirely of Greek or La
11、tin prefixes and suffixes. ( C ) (a) one engaged in the study of the stars (b) one engaged in the study of the universe (c) one engaged in space flight (d) a scientific observer of the celestial bodies 4. If the prefix anti- means “against,“ what does antibiotic really mean? ( A ) (a) antibacterial
12、(b) health-protecting (c) bacteria-producing(d) non-organic 5. Linguists guess that these are nonsense words because they have not been able to trace them back to any of the ancestor languages. ( A ) (a) Those studying the science of language (b) Those studying the meaning of words (c) Those studyin
13、g the origins of words (d) Those studying the mystery of words 6. Most of Carrolls nonsense words are not used in English, except for “chortle.“ ( C ) (a) chuckle (b) snort (c) gleeful chuckle (d) noisy snorting 7. “But glory doesnt mean a nice knockdown argument,“ Alice objected. ( B ) (a) falling
14、(b) overwhelming (c) convincing (d) unpleasant D. Discussing the following topics. 1. Why do many people use gobbledygook? 答案It seems that the purpose of using gobbledygook is to cheat people. Many people use gobbledygook because they want to appear more important than they really are or because the
15、y dont really want people to understand what they mean or what they are doing.2. Do you agree with Humpty Dumpty regarding the meaning of a word? Why or why not? 答案 Well, I dont quite agree with him. This issue involves philosophical thinking regarding the relationship between language and idea. If
16、a word means whatever people choose it to mean, the meaning will vary from one person to another, and people will not be able to communicate. On the other hand, people may use the same word in different ways which lead to different meanings. No matter how different the same word may mean, the meanin
17、g should be meaningful so that others can understand it. 3. What makes a master of language? Can you name some masters of language? 答案“A master knows what words really mean, and where they come from; know when to use big, important ones and when to use the shorter, equally important ones“. Brevity i
18、s the soul of language. Shakespeare and Samuel Johnson are among masters of language.Practice Add the missing words to the following headlines. 1. Council leader raps school decision ( The Council leader raps the school decision. )2. Bush, leaders meet in D.C. ( Bush and the leaders meet in D.C. )3.
19、 Fed policy may start to focus on risk of slowing economy ( The Federal policy may start to focus on the risk of the slowing economy. )4. Last call on the horizon ( The last call on the horizon. )5. Regulators approve $72B drug merger ( The regulators approve $72 billion drug merger. )6. Bad weather
20、 knocks retailer for loop Passage One Have you ever heard “hit the nail on the head“? Have you ever watched a clumsy man hammering a nail into a box? He hits it first to one side, then to another, perhaps knocking it over completely, so that in the end he only gets half of it into the wood. A skillf
21、ul carpenter, on the other hand, will drive home the nail with a few firm, deft blows, hitting it each time squarely on the head. So it is with language; the good craftsman will choose words that drive home his point firmly and exactly. A word that is more or less right, a loose phrase, an ambiguous
22、 expression, a vague adjective, will not satisfy a writer who aims at clean English. He will try always to get the word that is completely right for his purpose. The French have an apt phrase for this. They speak of “le mot juste“, the word that is just right. Stories are told of scrupulous writers,
23、 like Flaubert, who spent days trying to get one or two sentences exactly right. Words are many and various; they are subtle and delicate in their different shades of meaning, and it is not easy to find the ones that express precisely what we want to say. It is not only a matter of having a good com
24、mand of language and a fairly wide vocabulary; it is also necessary to think hard and to observe accurately. Choosing words is part of the process of realization, of defining our thoughts and feelings for ourselves, as well as for those who hear or read our words. Someone once remarked: “How can I k
25、now what I think till I see what I say?“ This sounds stupid, but there is a great deal of truth in it. It is hard work choosing the right words, but we shall be rewarded by the satisfaction that finding them brings. The exact use of language gives us mastery over the material we are dealing with. Pe
26、rhaps you have been asked “What sort of a man is so-and-so?“ You begin: “Oh, I think hes quite a nice chap but hes rather.“ and then you hesitate trying to find a word or phrase to express what it is about him that you dont like, that constitutes his limitation. When you find the right phrase you fe
27、el that your conception of the man is clearer and sharper. In certain primitive tribes it was thought dangerous to reveal your name to a stranger. It might give him power over you. Even in modern civilized society you find yourself at a slight social disadvantage if someone knows your name but you d
28、ont know his. Command of words is ultimately command over life and experience. (447 words) 1. The author uses the idiom “hit the nail on the head“ to demonstrate _ .( D ) (a) the skill of a carpenter (b) the importance of being skillful (c) how ones point can be driven home (d) the importance for a
29、writer to choose the right word 2. The word “scrupulous“ in paragraph two means _ . ( A ) (a) minutely careful (b) highly skillful (c) very accomplished (d) carpenter-like 3. To find an appropriate word for the specified purpose _. ( D ) (a) is a matter of command of the specific language only (b) i
30、s a matter of vocabulary (c) is to pick out a word with subtle meaning (d) involves telling people your thoughts and feelings 4. Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the passage? ( C ) (a) Choosing a right word for the right situation is challenging and rewarding. (b) Choosing a right word mea
31、ns weighing among its many synonyms. (c) You need to have a clear idea of the thing you are describing to choose the right word. (d) The different shades of meaning are helpful to our expression of ideas. 5. It can be inferred that the paragraph that follows the passage may possibly discuss _ . ( B
32、) (a) a carpenters work (b) choice of words (c) modern civilized society (d) primitive tribes TOP Passage Two English has a wide vocabulary and it is a very flexible language. There are many different ways of making a statement. But words that are very similar in meaning have fine shades of differen
33、ce and a student needs to be alive to these differences. By using his dictionary, and above all by reading, a student can increase his sensitivity to these shades of difference and improve his ability to express his own meanings exactly. Professor Raleigh once stated: “There are no synonyms, and the
34、 same statement can never be repeated in a changed form of words.“ This is perhaps too absolute, but it is not easy to disapprove. Even a slight alteration in the wording of a statement can subtly shift the meaning. The change in words is a change in style, and the effect on the reader is quite diff
35、erent. It is perhaps easier to be a good craftsman with wood and nails than a good craftsman with words, but all of us can increase our skill and sensitivity with a little effort and patience. In this way we shall not only improve our writing, but also our reading. Above all we should try to cultiva
36、te an interest in words. The study of words, of their origins and shifting meanings, can tell us a great deal about human life and thought. English offers a fascinating variety of words for many activities and interests. The foreign student of English may be discouraged and dismayed when he learns t
37、hat there are over 400 000 words in the English language, without counting slang. But let him take courage. More than half of these words are dead. Even Shakespeare used a vocabulary of only some 20 000 words. The average Englishman today probably has a vocabulary range of from 12 000 to 13 000 word
38、s. It is good to make your vocabulary as complete as you can, but a great deal can be said and written with a vocabulary of no more than 10 000 words. The important thing is to have a good control and command over the words you do know. Better know two words exactly than three vaguely. A good carpen
39、ter is not distinguished by the number of his tools, but by the craftsmanship with which he uses them. So a good writer is not measured by the extent of his vocabulary, but by his skill in finding the word that will hit the nail cleanly on the head. (405 words) 6. In this passage, the author tells u
40、s that reading can _ . ( B )(a) increase the vocabulary enormously (b) make one become more aware of the subtle differences of synonyms (c) enable one to learn as many synonyms as possible (d) enable one to be flexible in expressions 7. Professor Raleighs statement “There are no synonyms.“ _ . ( A )
41、 (a) stresses the different shades of meanings (b) is too absolute and easy to disapprove (c) is what the author tries to disapprove (d) means that there is no such word “synonym“8. According to the author, an interest in words should be cultivated because _. ( C ) (a) it is more difficult to be exp
42、ert at words than at nails (b) words are the most fascinating things to observe (c) words offer us a lot of information about human activities (d) words are the most important part of a language 9. The author thinks that _ . ( B ) (a) Shakespeare had a very small vocabulary (b) Shakespeare used only
43、 a small portion of the English vocabulary (c) its not necessary to enlarge your vocabulary (d) its reasonable to feel discouraged at the large amount of vocabulary in English 10. In the authors opinion, the most important thing is to _ . ( D ) (a) have a large vocabulary to write and speak with (b)
44、 have at least a vocabulary of 10 000 (c) use the words you already know (d) know how to find the right word TOP Passage Three Language is often irrational even in the way it combines words into sentences in its synthesis. If language were perfectly rational in this respect, we should be able to han
45、dle words like the nine digits in arithmetic, and combine them into sentences at pleasure by applying a few simple grammatical rules. In practice, however, we find that a great part of all languages consists of a limited number of natural sentences, only some of which admit of being formed a priori
46、and freely modified by the substitution of the other words, as when from “have“, “ink“, “pen“, we make up such sentences as “I have the ink“; “Who has the pen?“ “Who has the ink?“ “He has the ink,“ and so on. But just as we cannot go on speaking long without using irregular inflections, so also we c
47、annot go on speaking naturally for any length of time without using irregular combinations of words combinations which cannot be constructed a priori. The sentences which make up natural speech are of two kinds general sentences, such as those which have just been given, and special sentences or idi
48、oms, such as “how do you do?“ “never mind“, which are really on a level with simple words, such as salutation, indifference, and like them, have to be learnt one by one, in the same way as the irregularities of the grammar. Many of them, indeed, have meanings inconsistent with those of the words of
49、which they are made up. Thus “do by itself“ never has the meaning it has in “how do you do?“ and “help“ in the idiomatic expression “I could not help being late“ has the meaning “prevent“ “avoid“, which is the exact contrary of its ordinary meaning. Again, even in those cases in which the grammar and dictionary allow us
