Welcome to the Electronic Village to explore new ways of language teaching and learning.

21. Nearpod can be used to _______.

      A. offer grammar tests                      B. teach listening online.

C. Help vocabulary learning                     D. gain fluency in speaking.

22. Which of the following can assess your grammar learning?

A. Nearpod                 B. Kahoot            C. TEO                D. Prezi

23. A teacher who wants to learn online teaching is expected to arrive by ______.

A. 9:00 am                  B. 10:30 am         C. 2:00 pm           D. 3:30 pm

We walked in so quietly that the nurse at the desk didn’t even lift her eyes from the book. Mum pointed at a big chair by the door and I knew she wanted me to sit down. While I watched mouth open in surprise, mum took off her hat and coat and gave them to me to hold. She walked quietly to the small room by the lift and took out a wet mop (拖把). She pushed the mop past the desk and as the nurse looked up, mum nodded and said, “Very dirty floors.” “Yes, I’m glad they’ve finally decided to clean them,” the nurse answered. She looked at mum strangely and said, “But aren’t you working late?”

Mum just pushed harder, each swipe of the mop taking her farther and farther down the hall. I watched until she was out of sight and the nurse had turned back to writing in the big book. After a long time mum came back. Her eyes were shining.

She quickly put the mop back and took my hand. As we turned to go out of the door, mum bowed politely to the nurse and said, “Thank you.”

Outside, mum told me “Grandma is fine. No fever.”

“You saw her, mum?”

“Of course. I told her about the hospital rules, and she will not expect us until tomorrow. Dad will stop worrying as well. It’s a fine hospital. But such floors! A mop is not good. You need a brush!”

24. When she took a mop from the small room, what mum really wanted to do was _______.

A. to clean the floor                                 B. to please the nurse

      C. to see a patient                             D. to surprise the story-teller

25. When the nurse talked to mum she thought mum was a ________.

A. nurse        B. visitor               C. patient             D. cleaner

26. After reading the story what can we infer about the hospital?

A. It is a children’s hospital.

B. It has strict rules about visiting hours.

C. The conditions there aren’t very good.

D. The nurses and doctors there don’t work hard.

27. Which of the following words best describes mum?

A. Strange            B. Warm-hearted         C. Clever             D. hardworking

Walk into the small Australian town of Coober Pedy on any given day, and you will get the strange feeling of an abandoned ghost town. So why even call it a town? Because that’s exactly what it is, complete with 4,000 plus residents of 48 nationalities, all of whom live underground!

Located about 846 kilometers north of Adelaide, Coober Pedy was built in 1915, following the discovery of opal(猫眼石). As people from across the country and world flocked to mine the precious stone, they realized that while working under the ground was easy, living above it was not, thanks to the extreme temperatures.

They therefore did what humans do best when faced with a situation they cannot change—adaptation! In this case, it meant living underground, by changing old mines into homes and building the world’s first and most likely, the only underground town.

As years have gone by, the homes have become bigger and more complex. There are now also several hotels and inns to accommodate the tourists that flock in from all over the world to see this unusual town. And while the structures may be located underground, they are as good as those that lie above. Not only does the underground town take full advantage of the beautiful red rock, but it also features all the modern amenities (便利设施) like walk-in closets, modern kitchen and televisions. And if that is not enough, the town also has gift shops selling opal jewelry, a couple of museums and even a church! For those that need some physical activities, the town offers a golf course.

Besides being the opal capital of the world and a popular tourist destination, Coober Pedy is also a favorite among filmmakers and has been featured in movies such as Pitch Black, Red Planet and Opal Dream.

28. People first built Coober Pedy to ________.

A. avoid the hot weather

B. make full use of room

C. protect themselves from the animal danger above

D. take advantage of the local materials

29. According to the fourth paragraph, Coober Pedy _________.

A. has very simple structures

B. has become a great tourist attraction

C. provides more amenities than a modern hotel

D. only allows people to live a simple life

30. What do people probably feel when staying in Coober Pedy?

A. Disappointed.         B. Frightened        C. Comfortable           D. Curious

31. What is the text mainly about?

A. A ghost town in Australia.

B. Austrilia’s exciting underground town — Coober Pedy.

C. The structure of an underground town.

D. The attraction of Coober Pedy to filmmakers.

When Shakespeare was 21, he went to London, a very interesting place, to try his fortune.

There were the famous London Bridge and St. Paul’s Cathedral, and palaces and markets and long streets full of shops. Then, too, there were the daily crowds where could be seen people from all over the world. Knights, scholars and highwaymen (拦路强盗) or thieves who had been infamous for their clever robberies, passed by each other.

Here, also, were noblemen dressed in gold, from Italy, Spain and France; slaves from Spanish America, sea captains and ministers, soldiers and servant — all held by chances or interests within the gray walls which circled London, and whose gates gave welcome to as strange a crowd as could be found in the world.

Into this curious crowd came Shakespeare, quick to see and eager to learn. And before long all these strange sights were as familiar to him as the faces of his own town’s residents. Each one told its story to hims so plainly that, as before he had learned the secrets of the fileds and woods, so now he learned men and men’s interests that make up the great world.

And he learned these lessons so well that when he came to write his plays, he made such use of them as no writer ever made before or since; for it is the use of this knowledge of the world, combined with his own genius, that makes Shakespeare the greatest dramatist that has ever lived.

32. What was London like in Shakespeare’s eyes when he first went there?

A. Dirty and small.                                   B. Strange and interesting.

      C. Infamous and terrible                           D. Familiar and modern

33. Which of the following best describes Shakespeare?

A. Shakespeare got inspiration to write from his hometown, London.

B. Shakespeare was eager to make friends with the noblemen in London.

C. Shakespeare was good at observing and learning from the daily life.

D. Shakespeare became the greatest dramatist owing to his own genious.

34. What does the underlined word “one” in Paragraph 5 refer to?

A. Crowded                B. Sight               C. Face                D. Resident

35. The passage probably comes from ______.

A. a poster                         `                    B. a textbook      

      C. an advertisement                                 D. an announcement

 If you’re looking for a challenging situation to practise your English, pick up the phone. Not being able to see the other person and the body language can make the chatting difficult.    36   . Here are some tips to guide you through an average phone conversation in English.

1. Greetings.

Every phone call should begin with a polite greeting such as “Hi, how’ve you been?” or “Nice to hear from you”. Even if you’re calling a business contact for a specific purpose, it’d be rude to jump right into business.    37   .

2. Getting to the point.

There always comes the point where you want to move on from friendly chatting and get down to business. What should you do in this situation?    38   . However, if you are waiting to find out why someone is calling you, you can guide the conversation by saying “So what can I do for you?”

3. Interrupting without offence.

Sometimes you may happen to be speaking with a very talkative person.    39   . Keep in mind when you’d like to interrupt, and be sure to do it politely. For example, begin with “I’d like to say something here.”

4. Ending the call.

This can be the trickiest part of the conversation! It may be the time to offer good wishes if it’s appropriate.    40   . Sometimes it’s easiest to just say you enjoy speaking to the other person. Also remember cleverly that saying the word “well” at the beginning of a sentence can indicate you’re ready to end the conversation.

A. Use the phrase “I’m just calling to…” to change to the topic at hand.

B. Additionally, you may want to confirm any plans you’ve made.

C. You should make a little small talk at the beginning.

D. You’d better greet him or her in a friendly way.

E. So it may be difficult to get a word in.

F. Practise English through phone calls.

G. Never fear, though!