Advice to English learners

    Learners of English, especially self-taught learners may have trouble in understanding speeches by native speakers. The following ways might help improve their ability.

    First of all, do things step by step. It is not good to listen to something beyond your level. Better choose a suitable course and start with the first book. Go on to the second book only after you are sure you understand the first one.

    Secondly, stick to one course of study. Don’t change books often. Never let your attention be attracted by another course just because it seems to be more “ fashionable”(时髦).

    Thirdly, listen to the English news programme over the radio from time to time. Better go through the news stories in the Chinese-language newspaper first. That will make it easy for you to understand the English news on the radio.

    Fourthly, if you have time, listen to some interesting stories in “special English” from the VOA or other listening materials of the same level as that of your textbook.

1．This is a piece of advice to learners of English in how to_____.

  A. improve their listening ability                 B. read fast

  C. write better English and read fast              D. speak correctly

2.If you want to understand the English news programme on the radio, you should_________.

  A. read the Chinese-language newspaper carefully

  B. read again and again the Chinese-language newspaper

  C. go through the Chinese-language newspaper

  D. be able to recite the Chinese-language newspaper

3．“Beyond your level” means something_______.

  A. easy for you                               B. too difficult for you

  C. not too easy and not too difficult for you        D. just all right for you 

4.The author advised that once you have taken up a course, you should_______.

A. stick to it                                  B. begin with the last book

C. take up other courses if you are more fashionable  D. not do anything else

5．In this passage, VOA stands for______.

A. a book      B. a magazine     C. a textbook     D. a radio station

A serious problem for today’s society is who should be responsible for our elderly and how to improve their lives. It is not only a financial problem but also a question of the system we want for our society. I would like to suggest several possible solutions to this problem.

First, employers should take the responsibility for their retried employees. To make this possible,  a percentage of profits should be set aside for this purpose. But when a company must  take life long responsibility for its employees, it may suffer from a commercial disadvantage due to higher employee costs.

Another way of solving the problem is to return the responsibility to the individual. This means each person must save during his working years to pay for his years of retirement. This does not seem a very fair model since some people have enough trouble paying for their daily life without trying to earn extra to cover their retirement years. This means the government might have to step in to care for the poor.

In addition, the government could take responsibility for the care of the elderly. This could be financed through government taxes to increase the level of pensions. Furthermore, some institutions should be created for senior citizens, which can help provide a comfortable life for them. Unfortunately , as the present situation in our country shows, this is not a truly viable  answer. The government can seldom afford to care for the elderly, particularly when it is busy trying to care for the young.

One further solution is that the government or social organizations establish some workplaces especially for the elderly where they are independent.

To sum up, all these options have advantages and disadvantages. Therefore, it is reasonable to expect that some combination of these options may be needed to provide the care we hope to give to our elderly generations.

6.What is the passage mainly about?

A. The problem faced by the old in society.

B. Why we should take responsibility for the old.

C. How we can improve the lives of the old

D. Where the old can go to get their pensions.

7.According to the passage, how can the government help to improve the lives of retired people?

A. Set aside some profits to help people with problems after they retire

B. Increase saving levels of people during their working years

C. Increase the discounts for food and transport for the old

D. Make available pensions for those who have retired

8.The underlined word “viable” most probably means ____.

A. impossible    B. practical    C. useful    D. successful

9.What can be concluded from the passage?

A. Taking care of the old is mainly an issue of money.

B. Employers should allow their workers to retire at a later age.

C. Becoming independent should be the goal of most old people.

D. There is no single solution to the problem of the old.

10.What is the writer’s main purpose of writing this article?

A. To point out the need for government supporting for old people.

  B. To make general readers aware of the problems of retired people.

  C. To discuss some possible solutions to an important social problem.

  D. To instruct retired people on how they can have a happier life.

The following is a timetable in Shanghai Pudong International Airport．

11．A man wants to take Flight 178 to Tokyo． Which gate should he go to?

    A．14         B．28       C．21           D．18

12．Lisa is at gate 23． Where is she going?

    A．Paris       B．Beijing   C．Tokyo       D．New York

13．Now it’s 10:40． Mary is at gate 20． Which airline’s plane will she take?

    A．British Airways            B．Japanese Airlines 

C．Pan American               D．Air Canada

14．Gate _______ is the busiest among all these gates．

    A．23         B．18         C．24        D．15

15．Which airline’s flights cover the longest route(行程)?

    A．CAAC       B．Pan American  C．British Airways  D．Air Canada

As the pace of life continues to increase, we are fast losing the art of relaxation. Once you are in the habit of rushing through life, being on the go from morning till night, it is hard to slow down. But relaxation is essential for a healthy mind and body.

    Stress is a natural part of everyday life and there is no way to avoid it. In fact, it is not the bad thing it is often supposed to be. A certain amount of stress is vital to provide motivation and give purpose to life. It is only when the stress gets out of control that it can lead to poor performance and ill health.

The amount of stress a person can withstand depends very much on the individual. Some people are not afraid of stress, and such characters are obviously prime material for managerial responsibilities, others lose heart at the first sign of unusual difficulties. When exposed to stress, in whatever form, we react both chemically and physically. In fact we make choice between "flight or fight" and in more primitive days the choices made the difference between life or death. The crises we meet today are unlikely to be so extreme, but however little the stress, it involves the same response. It is when such a reaction lasts long, through continued exposure to stress, that health becomes endangered. Since we can't remove stress from our lives (it would be unwise to do so even if we could), we need to find ways to deal with it.

16. People are finding less and less time for relaxing themselves because _____.

A. they regard working as their greatest enjoyment

B. they believe that work is superior to relaxation

C. they are traveling fast all the time

D. they are becoming busier with their work than ever before

17. According to the author, the most important character for a good manager is his _____.

A. strong will to hold out stress

B. knowing the art of relaxation

C. high sense of responsibility

D. having control over performance

18. Which of the following statements is TRUE, according to the passage?

A. We can find quite a few ways to avoid stress.

B. Stress is always harmful to people's health

C. It's easy to change the habit of keeping oneself busy with work.

D. Different people can bear different amount of stress.

19. In the last sentence of the passage, "do so" refers to _____.

A. "expose ourselves to stress"

B. "find ways to deal with stress"

C. "remove stress from our lives"

D. "establish links between diseases and stress"

20. According to the author, the right attitude toward stress is _____.

A. to avoid it                              B. to try to cope with it

C. to regard it as a vital motivation       D. to find some relaxation   

With his leg lame and his teeth uneven(参差不齐的), the boy almost thought of himself as the most unfortunate child in the world.   21   did he play with his classmates, and when asked to answer questions, he always   22   his head without a word.

One spring, his father brought home some young trees.   23   of his children would plant a young tree and he promised, “Whoever   24   his young tree best shall get a favorite gift.” The boy certainly wanted to get his father’s gift.     25     seeing his brothers and sisters watering the trees, an idea   26   him: he hoped the tree he planted would die soon. So watering it once or twice, he never   27   it.

Several days later, when the little boy went to see his tree again, he was   28   to find that not only did it not die, but also grew so many fresh   29  . Compared with those of his brothers and sisters, his appeared greener. His father kept his   30  , bought the little boy one of his favorite   31   and said that from the tree he planted, he would surely become an outstanding botanist(植物学家)when he grew up.

From then on, the little boy slowly became   32   and confident. One night, he suddenly   33   that his biology teacher once said that plants   34   grow at night. Why not go to see his tree?

When he came to the courtyard, he found his father was working near his tree! Instantly he   35  : his father had been secretly   36   his small tree! He returned to his room, with tears   37   in his eyes.

Decades passed. The little boy didn’t become a botanist.   38  , he became the U.S. president. His name was Franklin Roosevelt.

  39   is the best nourishment(滋养品)of life.   40   it is just a bucket of water, it can make the tree of life grow well!

21. A. Seldom           B. Ever             C. Still                D. Often

22. A. held             B. lowered      C. raised           D. covered

23. A. Both             B. None             C. Each             D. Every

24. A. likes            B. protects         C. watches          D. grows

25. A. And          B. But          C. Before           D. So

26. A. arranged         B. remained     C. defeated         D. struck

27. A. attended to      B. appealed to C. adapted to           D. turned to

28. A. disappointed     B. frightened       C. surprised            D. amused

29. A. leaves           B. roots            C. branches             D. seeds

30. A. agreement        B. balance      C. word                 D. opinion

31. A. trees            B. gifts            C. toys             D. flowers

32. A. satisfied        B. certain      C. independent      D. optimistic

33. A. remembered       B. believed     C. repeated             D. knew

34. A. voluntarily      B. hardly       C. recently             D. generally

35. A. reminded         B. wondered     C. understood       D. admitted

36. A. cutting          B. watering     C. decorating           D. growing

37. A. falling          B. welling      C. dropping             D. crying

38. A. Instead          B. Besides     C. Moreover             D. Therefore

39. A. Father           B. Water        C. Disability           D. Love

40. A. So long as       B. If only      C. Even though      D. Now that