Everyday, 340 million people speak it. One billion people are learning it and it is said that by 2050, half of the world’s population will be using it. What are we talking about? That global language—English.

The English language started in Britain in the 5th century. It is a mixed language. It was built up when German. Scandinavian and French invaders settled in England and created a common language for communication.

Today it is the official language of the UK, the USA, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, South Africa and Ireland as well as many islands in the Caribbean . Many other countries and regions use it for politics and business, for example, India. Pakistan, Nigeria and the Philippines. English is also one of the official languages of Hong Kong.

But global advertising and pop music mean that in most countries, you will see or hear some English. Thanks to McDonalds, we all know about "burgers". "fries" and "milkshakes". Songs by Madonna, Britney Spears and Celine Dion are in English. We can sing along, even if we do not understand what we are singing!

English is a messy (雜亂的) language. Every year, dictionaries include new words that talk about popular culture, for example, computer-related words such as "blogging", "download" and "chatroom". Also included are words that teenagers use. Who does not know "cool", "OK" and “hello” ?

Other languages also influence English. Many English words come from French. Words like "cafe" and expressions like "c'est la vie" (that is life) are all part of the English language. On the other hand, the French language includes English words like "le weekend" and "le camping". German words are also part of English. Words like "kindergarten" come from the German language.

Recently, British people have become interested in "yoga". But the word comes from an ancient Hindu language in India.

The English language has a history of  ______.

A. over 2000 years B. over 500 years   C. over 1500 years      D. over 1000 years

The underlined expression “thanks to ” can be replaced by ______.

A. because of         B. thankful to    C. not until             D. as if.

Which of the following statements is true about the language of English ?

A. It has been changing all the time.

B. It has borrowed words from all the other languages.

C. French words are used by the English because dictionaries have French words.

D. Singers and film stars have the greatest influence on language.

Many countries and regions use it for politics and business except______.

A. the USA    B. Nigeria      C. the Philippines     D. Norway

【小題1】C

【小題2】A

【小題3】A

【小題4】D


解析:

練習(xí)冊系列答案
相關(guān)習(xí)題

科目:高中英語 來源:福建省09-10學(xué)年高一下學(xué)期期中考試(英語) 題型:完型填空

完形填空(20分)

Not so long ago, if you avoided drinking water during a workout(訓(xùn)練), you were considered tough. Today, most experts     36   , you would be considered unintelligent.

Even in you don’t sweat much or feel    37   and even if there is a nice breeze,    38     experts say drinking water- or something    39   is necessary before, during and after all warmer-weather   40  .

Only a few years ago, many coaches   41   players from drinking anything during the game----they thought it was   42   for them to rinse(漱口) their mouths,   43  swallowing anything might slow them down.

Now, there’s   44   plenty of water on the sidelines for athletes to drink. The National Hockey League even   45   goalkeepers to put water bottles on top of their nets.

These new practices   46  be lost on the recreation(消遣) athlete. Some   47  advise you to drink about two cups of water 15 minutes or so after you   48  exercising and the same amount every 15 minutes. In some types of exercises-running, for example-others encourage drinking a cup or two of water   49  the workout.

Don’t drink any more, experts say too much fluid makes   50 and exercise uncomfortable. In   51   continuous hot-weather exercise,   52   can sweat and breathe away 1.8 kilograms of   53   an hour.

Drinking water does two things: restore some   54   and allow you to keep sweating so the skin can be kept  55  . Doctors say drinking six or eight cups a day can help digestion.

36. A. discover                     B. suggest                     C. agree                       D. fear

37. A. thirsty                       B. hungry                     C. hot                          D. tired

38. A. labour                       B. children                   C. water                       D. exercise

39. A. else                          B. instead                           C. fresh                        D. tasteful

40. A. seasons                     B. lessons                     C. days                         D. activities

41. A. excused                           B. discouraged                    C. prevented                 D. saved

42. A. possible                           B. unnecessary              C. difficult                   D. right

43. A. but                                  B. then                         C. therefore                  D. though

44. A. seldom                     B. forever                     C. usually                     D. sometimes

45. A. allows                      B. promises                  C. forbids                     D. guides

46. A. couldn’t                           B. wouldn’t                  C. shouldn’t                  D. mustn’t

47. A. teachers                           B. parents                     C. players                     D. doctors

48. A. stop                           B. start                         C. give up                    D. begin with

49. A. after                          B. before                     C. with                         D. from

50. A. walking                           B. breathing                  C. swallowing              D. drinking

51. A. heavy                        B. easy                         C. pleasant                    D. everyday

52. A. a patient                    B. a drinker                  C. an athlete                 D. an expert

53. A. air                            B. atmosphere              C. oxygen                     D. water

54. A. sweat                         B. weight                           C. breath                     D. height

55. A. warm                        B. strong                     C. cool                         D. safe

 

查看答案和解析>>

科目:高中英語 來源:江蘇省南京市2010屆高三考前訓(xùn)練題 題型:單項填空

         Dressing is a task which we do everyday as a matter of _______.

   A. routine                B. schedule                     C. habit                           D. manner

 

查看答案和解析>>

科目:高中英語 來源:撫順市六校聯(lián)合體2009-2010學(xué)年度“二!笨荚囉⒄Z試題 題型:閱讀理解

Childhood is a happy time, right? Not necessarily. Consider these facts.

Depression(抑郁癥) may occur in as many as 1 in 33 children.

Once a child has an episode(一段情節(jié)) of depression, he or she has a 50 percent chance of experiencing another episode in the next 5 years.

Suicide(自殺) is the 6th leading cause of death for 5–to–15-year-olds.

If your child experiences 5 or more of these signs or symptoms(癥狀) for at least 2 weeks, he or she may be experiencing depression or another mental illness.

Feeling——Does your child demonstrate:

Sadness

Emptiness

Hopelessness

Guilt

Worthlessness

Lack of enjoyment in everyday pleasures

Thinking ——Is your child having trouble:

Concentrating

Making decisions

Completing schoolwork

Maintaining grades

Maintaining friendships

Physical problems ——Does your child complain of :

Headaches

Stomachaches

Lack of energy

Sleeping problems ( too much or too little)

Weight or appetite changes ( gain or loss)

Behavior problems ——Is your child:

Irritable(煩躁)

Not wanting to go to school

Wanting to be alone most of the time

Having difficulty getting along with others

Cutting classes or skipping school

Dropping out of sports, hobbies or other activities

Drinking alcohol or using drugs.

Suicide risk——Does your child talk or think about:

Suicide

Death

Other morbid(生病的)subjects

Sometimes, a child who causes problems at school or at home may actually be depressed, according to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. If you think your child may be depressed, it’s important to have your child treated. Discuss your child’s problems with his or her doctor. The doctor may suggest a referral to a children’s psychologist(心理醫(yī)生)or psychiatrist(精神病醫(yī)生).

Treatment may include individual and family therapy(治療), along with an antidepressant medication (抗抑郁藥)

1.This article is particularly written for ____.

A. parents    B. teachers     C. children     D. Psychologists

2.Which statement describes a child who may have physical problems?

A. The child is always in high mood.

B. The child always feels tired but sleeps only four hours a day.

C. The child hates to study.   

D. The child can not concentrate on one thing for a long period.

3.What should we do when we find our kids experiencing depression?

A. Ask for leave to accompany them at home.

B. Ask them to take antidepressant immediately.

C. Go to see the doctor.

D. Ask them to have a good rest.

 

查看答案和解析>>

科目:高中英語 來源:天津四中2010屆高三下學(xué)期模擬考試英語試卷 題型:完形填空

 

第二節(jié) 完型填空(共20小題;每小題1.5分,滿分30分)

請認(rèn)真閱讀下面短文,從短文后各題所給的A、B、C、D四個選項中,選出最佳選項,并在答題卡上將該項涂黑。

“Two books per visit per week,” said the unsmiling librarian as she handed a library card. Neither the limits nor her attitude   16   me, a 9 – year – old Jewish girl growing up in Berlin in the 1950s. I needed those visits. The books were filled with stories in which, however   17  things seemed, everything   18   well in the end,   19   justice, bravery, and wisdom –--- a striking contrast (對比) to my everyday experiences.

Thirty years later, I, a recent immigrant to the US with a daughter aged 13, stood in front of another librarian. This librarian was   20  .

“What did she say?” I asked my daughter, who already knew a little English and often   21  as my interpreter.

“She said ‘Can I help you?’”

“Ask if they have any books in   22  ,” I requested.

“No, they don’t.” translated my daughter.

While hunting for a job, I was told that the library needed people to   23   books. The interview was short –--- the job didn’t require much English, just a   24   of the alphabet. I started the next day. Every day, I handled hundreds of books whose meaning was   25   from me, mentally dividing them by size and color. One day, while shelving, I found English for Beginners and began studying it on my own.   26   English letters started forming words I could   27  , words combined into phrases, and –--- oh,   28  ! –-- I was reading. It was a slow process, supported by dictionaries and   29  by tears, but it was progress. Afterwards I got promoted to the front desk -----   30   books in and out and answering simple questions.

Every day I receive dozens of people. Sometimes I spot new immigrants. They come from all over the world, so they look different, but the hesitant expression on their faces and their   31   manners are similar. My heart goes out to them,   32   they are people like me. I fully understand the   33   roads on which they have stepped. “They’ve come to the right place,” I think to   34  . Then I smile and say – just the   35   a librarian said to me a long time ago –--- “Can I help you?”

16.A.surprised  B.comforted C.puzzled     D.shocked

17.A.a(chǎn)ttractive  B.dull       C.terrible     D.strange

18.A.went out   B.turned out C.ended in   D.came up

19.A.rewarding B.a(chǎn)ffecting   C.completing       D.denying

20.A.chatting    B.staring      C.reading     D.smiling

21.A.introduced       B.instructed  C.guided      D.served

22.A.Spanish    B.French      C.Russian     D.German

23.A.shelve      B.register     C.record      D.mark

24.A.list        B.knowledge       C.line   D.competence

25.A.vague       B.simple      C.hidden      D.clear

26.A.All of a sudden       B.In no time C.Step by step     D.Now and then

27.A.recognize  B.realize      C.define       D.interpret

28.A.challenge  B.wonder     C.opportunity      D.news

29.A.inspired    B.a(chǎn)ccompanied    C.blocked    D.excited

30.A.checking   B.classifying       C.borrowing D.lending

31.A.rough       B.elegant     C.polite       D.shy

32.A.though     B.until      C.for    D.unless

33.A.difficult    B.smooth     C.endless     D.straight

34.A.me        B.myself      C.them D.themselves

35.A.means      B.a(chǎn)pproach   C.method     D.way

 

查看答案和解析>>

科目:高中英語 來源:2011海南?谑懈呖颊{(diào)研英語試題 題型:閱讀理解

Time spent in a bookshop can be most enjoyable, whether you are a book-lover or merely you are there to buy a book as a present. You may even have entered the shop just to find shelter from a sudden shower. Whatever the reason, you can soon become totally unaware of your surroundings. You soon become engrossed in some book or other, and usually it is only much later that you realise you have spent far too much time there and must dash off to keep some forgotten appointment—without buying a book, of course.

This opportunity to escape the realities of everyday life is, I think, the main attraction of a bookshop. There are not many places where it is possible to do this. You can wander round such places to your heart's content. If it is a good shop, no assistant will disturb you with usual greetings, "Can I help you, sir?" Of course you may want to find out where a particular section is. Then, and only then, are his services necessary. However, when he has led you there, the assistant should retire carefully and look as if he is not interested in selling a single book.

You have to be careful not to be attracted by the variety of books in a bookshop. It is very easy to enter the shop looking for a book on ancient coins and to come out carrying a copy of the latest best-selling novel. This sort of thing can be very dangerous. Apart from running up a huge account, you can waste a great deal of time wandering from section to section.

1..

. Which may not be included in the writer's experiences while he is in a bookshop?

A. Getting relaxed without buying a book.

B. Quarrelling with the shop assistant.  

C. Buying other books instead of those he wanted.

D. Forgetting some important appointment.  

2..

. What does the writer mean by saying "time spent in a bookshop can be most enjoyable"?

A. You may free yourself from the real life.

B. Reading is free of charge there.  

C. There is nobody disturbing you there.  

D. You can enter without any certain reason.  

3..

 What does the underlined word engrossed most probably mean in the first paragraph?

A. Lost.         B. Forbidden.         C. Puzzled.          D. Impressed.  

4..

. The writer wrote the passage in order to ________.

A. suggest a good way of running a bookshop  

B. encourage people to do some reading in bookshops

C. share his experience in bookshops  

D. give some advice on buying books in a bookshop  

 

查看答案和解析>>

同步練習(xí)冊答案