English is spoken as a first language by most people in the USA, Britain, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland and Canada. However, English is spoken all over the world. It is the main language in over 60 countries, such as India, Singapore and in many of the Caribbean and Pacific islands. In those places English is often a second language.
English is also as an important international language in many other countries, like China and Japan. People in these countries use it for business, and travelers to these countries use English when they get there. Other people may learn English because they enjoy reading books in English, listening to British or American music or watching American films.
English has changed a lot these years and still goes on changing. It is no longer right to talk about British English or American English if the speaker doesn’t come from those countries. People in Japan or Korea, for example, may use the American spelling but may not sound like Americans.
English will be the most widely used language in the world in the 21st century. This language no longer belongs to British, American or Australian speakers. It belongs to anyone who can use this language. After you leave school, you will almost certainly need it.
小題1:In how many countries is English spoken as a first language in the world?
A．Five.B．Four.C．Three.D．Six.
小題2:In which other countries is English spoken as a main language?
A．Britain, USA and Australia.
B．India, Singapore and many of Caribbean and Pacific islands.
C．China and Japan.
D．New Zealand, Ireland and Canada.
小題3:People from other countries learn English for         .
A．passing exams
B．business and traveling
C．reading English books, enjoying English music or watching films
D．Both B and C
小題4:If people in Japan or Korea use the American spelling, they         .
A．will speak the same as Americans
B．may not sound like Americans
C．will speak British English
D．will speak English much better
小題5:Which topic is the best for the passage?
A．A first language in the world.
B．A second language in the world.
C．English around the world.
D．A useful language.

小題1:D
小題2:B
小題3:D
小題4:B
小題5:C

小題1:細節(jié)理解題。結(jié)合文章第一句English is spoken as a first language by most people in the USA, Britain, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland and Canada.可知答案。
小題2:細節(jié)理解題。結(jié)合It is the main language in over 60 countries, such as India, Singapore and in many of the Caribbean and Pacific islands可知答案。
小題3:細節(jié)理解題。結(jié)合第二段內(nèi)容可知答案。
小題4:細節(jié)理解題。結(jié)合People in Japan or Korea, for example, may use the American spelling but may not sound like Americans.可知答案。
小題5:主旨大意題。文章主要講述了世界各主要說英語的國家和人們學習英語的目的，故選C項。
練習冊系列答案
相關習題

科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

Small talk is meaningless conversation in terms of content，but is often seen as socially important in certain situations，or context．In many English-speaking countries，it can be viewed as rude or unfriendly not to make small talk.
Discussing the weather with people who you don’t really know is an example of small talk that many of us are very familiar with on a daily basis．We may chat about the weather with the cashier at the supermarket or with the attendant at the gas station．Small talk may also be related to the situation such as waiting in line．People in the line may comment to others about how slow it is in the post office or bank that day，for instance．We also engage in small talk with people we may see every day but don’t really know such as those we share the elevator with in our office building．
Small talk is common at parties when guests may know the host but not each other．It is considered rude not to mingle and speak with other guests at social functions，so small talk can break the ice and get guests chatting．Compliments(贊美)may be a type of small talk such as one woman at party complimenting another on her dress．
Some people like small talk because they find silence uncomfortable and／or they enjoy communicating verbally．Others enjoy meeting new people and use small talk to start conversations. When making small talk，especially with strangers or those you don’t know very well，it’s important to observe certain socially acceptable conventions．First，small talk should be general and not personal or about controversial topics. Second，while compliments are acceptable，they shouldn't refer to the person’s body or sound like a pick-up line．
小題1:What do people usually talk about in small talk?
A．Light topics．B．Personal topics．
C． Meaningless things. D．Controversial affairs．
小題2:Who do we usually have small talk with?
A．Close friends．B．People we don’t really know．
C．Family members．D．Our seniors．
小題3:At parties，it’s considered rude to          ．
A．speak to one guest only and not speak with other guests
B．speak to several guests at the same time
C．compliment a woman on her dress
D．have small talk with the host
小題4:We can infer from the last paragraph that           ．
A．compliments are the most acceptable in small talk
B．we should refer to a person’s body when complimenting in order to sound sincere
C．there are some rules in making small talk
D．some people use small talk to make new friends

查看答案和解析>>

科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

Modern society cannot well do without the contribution that women can make in the professions and other kinds of work. There is a serious shortage of nurses and teachers, to mention only two of the occupations followed by women. It is a waste to give years of training at public expense only to have the qualified teacher or nurse marry after a year or two and be lost forever to her profession. The training, it is true, will help her in her duties as a mother, but if she continued to work, her service would be more widely useful. Many factories and shops, too, are largely staffed by women, many of them married. While here the question of training is not so important, industry and trade would be seriously short of staff if married women did not work.
We can see then that there are good reasons for regarding it as desirable that married women should have some occupation outside the home. However, there are serious objections. Schools do not keep children occupied the whole day and school holidays are long. The mother’s working day will almost certainly end well after the school day and her holiday will not begin at the same time as her children’s. There will be therefore a period when children are not taken care of unless a substitute for the mother can be found, or unless it becomes more generally possible for women to work part-time. There seem to be some grounds for believing that there is more bad behavior among the children of working mothers than among those of mothers who stay at home, but more evidence is required before we can be certain of this. What we can be certain of, however, is that many more will continue to do so.
小題1:According to the writer, women nurses and teachers ought to carry on their occupation after marriage because______.
A．they are not allowed to give up their jobs
B．their training should not be wasted
C．they want to make a living by themselves
D．they must still improve themselves as mothers
小題2:According to the writer, one possible way for the children of working mothers to be attended to is that________.
A．schools keep children occupied the whole day
B．their mothers change their occupation
C．their mothers do not work full time
D．their mothers should stay at home
小題3:The clause “unless a substitute for the mother can be found” means_______.
A．if someone takes over the mother’s occupation
B．if no mother works all day
C．if no one takes care of the children for the mother
D．if someone takes care of the children for the mother
小題4:The writer believes that bad behavior among the children of mothers who do not work is _________ among the children of working mothers.
A．possibly less thanB．a(chǎn)bout the same as
C．a(chǎn) little greater thanD．certainly more than

查看答案和解析>>

科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

It is hardly surprising that clothing manufacturers(生產(chǎn)商) follow certain uniform standards for various features(特征) of clothes. What seems strange, however, is that the standard adopted for women is the opposite of the one for men. Take a look at the way your clothes button. Men’s clothes tend to button from the right, and women’s from the left. Considering most of the world’s population—men and women—are right-handed, the men’s standard would appear to make more sense for women. So why do women’s clothes button from the left?
History really seems to matter here. Buttons first appeared only on the clothes of the rich in the 17th century, when rich women were dressed by servants. For the mostly right-handed servants, having women’s shirts button from the left would be easier. On the other hand, having men’s shirts button form the right made sense, too. Most men dressed themselves, and a sword drawn from the left with the right hand would be less likely to get caught in the shirt.
Today women are seldom dressed by servants, but buttoning from the left is still the standard for them. Is it interesting? Actually, a standard, once set, resists change. At a time when all women’s shirts buttoned from the left, it would have been risky for any single manufacturer to offer women’s shirts that buttoned from the right. After all, women had grown so used to shirts which buttoned from the left and would have to develop new habits and skills to switch. Besides, some women might have found it socially awkward to appear in public wearing shirts that buttoned from the right, since anyone who noticed that would believe they were wearing men’s shirts.
小題1:What is surprising about the standard of the clothing industry?
A．It has been followed by the industry for over 400 years.
B．It fails to consider right-handed people.
C．It woks better with men than with women.
D．It is different for men’s clothing and women’s.
小題2:What do we know about the rich men in the 17th century?
A．They tended to wear clothes without buttons.
B．They drew their swords from the left.
C．They were mostly dressed by servants.
D．They were interested in the historical matters.
小題3:Women’s clothes still button from the left today because        .
A．a(chǎn)dopting men’s style is improper for women
B．manufacturers should follow standards
C．customs are hard to change
D．modern women dress themselves
小題4:The passage is mainly developed by          .
A．examining differencesB．making comparisons
C．a(chǎn)nalyzing causesD．following the time order

查看答案和解析>>

科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

As many as one in five US teenagers have some degree of hearing loss, according to researchers. They say the problem is growing.
“Teenagers really don’t pay attention to how much noise they are exposed to(接觸),” Josef Shargorodsky of Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston told Reuters. “Often people won’t notice it, but even very little hearing loss may influence language development,” said Shargorodsky, one of the researchers.
The study compared surveys from the early 1990s and the mid-2000s. Each included a few thousand teenagers. In the first survey, about 15 percent of teenagers had some degree of hearing loss. Some 15 years later, that number had risen by a third, to nearly 20 percent.
“This certainly is big news,” said Alison Grimes, an ear doctor. “Hearing loss is very common in old people,” Grimes said, but she added that it was worrying to see it happen in the younger age group.
In babies and young children, hearing problems are known to slow language development. The science is less clear for teenagers, but it is easy to imagine how being hard of hearing could influence learning, said Grimes.
The reasons for the rise are still unclear. When researchers asked teenagers about noise exposure – on the job, at school or from activities, for example – the teenagers didn’t report any change. But Shargorodsky said that might not be true. “We know from before that it is difficult to ask this age group about noise exposure – they underestimate it.” Few people would call it noise when they listen to music on their MP3 player, for example. “There is a difference between what we think is loud and what is harmful to the ear,” said Grimes.
Although it’s not clear that the MP3 players cause teenagers’ hearing loss, Grimes said it was still a good idea to turn down the sound and take short breaks from listening.
小題1:The writer advises teenagers __________.
A．to turn the sound down
B．to stop using MP3 players
C．to be clear about the problem
D．to report the change in hearing loss
小題2:The underlined sentence “they underestimate it” means __________.
A．their love for music prevent them realizing the harm
B．their hearing loss is happening without being noticed
C．they think music can be taken as noise to some degree
D．they think it’s harmful sometimes although it’s not loud
小題3:Which of the following is true according to the passage?
A．Hearing loss may lead to slow language development.
B．Hearing loss in old people is as common as in young people.
C．Researchers have already found some causes of hearing loss.
D．Teenagers know MP3 is harmful, but they can’t stop listening to it.
小題4:What is the best title for the passage?
A．A word short and simpleB．A report by teenagers
C．A message loud and clearD．A letter from MP3 users

查看答案和解析>>

科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

A year ago, August, Dave Fuss lost his job driving a truck for a small company in west Michigan. His wife, Gerrie, was still working in the local school cafeteria, but it was hard for Dave to find work, and the price of everything was rising. The Fusses were at risk of joining the millions of Americans who have lost their homes in recent years. Then Dave and Gerrie received a timely gift—$7,000, a legacy(遺產(chǎn)) from their neighbors Ish and Arlene Hatch, who died in an accident. “It really made a difference when we were meeting difficulty .”says Dave.
But the Fusses weren’t the only folks in Alto and the neighboring town of Lowell to receive unexpected legacy from the Hatches. Dozens of other families were touched by what the Hatches had done. In some cases, it was a few thousand dollars; in others, it was more than $100,000.
It surprised nearly everyone that the Hatches had so much money, more than $3 million—they were an elderly couple who lived in an old house on what was left of the family farm.
Children of the Great Depression, Ish and Arlene were known for their habit of saving. They preferred comparison shopping and would go from store to store, checking prices before making a new purchase.
Through the years, the Hatches paid for local children to attend summer camps when their parents couldn’t afford it. “Ish and Arlene never asked if you needed anything,” says their friend Sandy Van Weelden, “They could see things they could do to make you happier, and they would do them.”
Even more extraordinary was that the Hatches gave away their farmland. It was the Hatches’ wish that their legacy—a legacy of kindness as much as one of dollars and cents—should enrich the whole community and last for generations to come.
Neighbors helping neighbors—that was Ish and Arlene Hatch’s story.
小題1:According to the text, the Fusses __________.
A．were employed by a truck companyB．led a difficult life
C．worked in a school cafeteriaD．lost their home
小題2:What can we learn about the Hatches?
A．They had their children during the Great Depression.
B．They left the old house to live on their family farm.
C．They gave away their possessions（財產(chǎn)）to their neighbors.
D．They helped their neighbors to find jobs.
小題3:Why would the Hatches go from store to store?
A．They decided to open a store.
B．They wanted to save money.
C．They couldn’t afford expensive things.
D．They wanted to buy gifts for local kids.
小題4:What Sandy Van Weelden said mainly tells us that the Hatches were __________.
A．understandingB．kindC．childlikeD．wealthy

查看答案和解析>>

科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：完形填空

The day was Thankful Thursday, our “ regular day” of service. It’s a __36__tradition that my two little girls and I began years ago. On this __37__ Thursday, we had no idea exactly what we were going to do.
__38__ along a busy road, we prayed for guidance in search of __39__our weekly Act of Kindness. My girls were__40__, and started shouting “ McDonald’s” . Suddenly I realized that almost every crossing I__41__ was occupied by a beggar, and then it hit me! All these beggars must be hungry. Perfect! We were going to buy__42__for them.
It was a great way to__43__. The Act of Kindness was anonymous(匿名的)，and we loved what we saw in the back view mirror: a__44__and delighted person holding up his lunch bag and just looking at us__45__we drove off.
We had come to the end of our “ route” where there was a small woman standing there, asking for__46__. We handed her our final lunch bag, and then made a U-turn to head back in the opposite direction for home. Unfortunately, the light stopped us. I was __47__and didn’t know quite how to behave.
“No one has ever done anything like this for me before,” the woman said with__48__. I replied, “Well, I’m glad that we were the first one.”__49__ uneasy , and wanting to move the conversation along, I asked, “So, when do you think you’ll eat your lunch?”
“Oh honey, I’m not going to__50__this lunch.” I was confused , and she continued , “I have a little girl of my own at home and she just __51__ McDonald’s , but I can never buy it for her because I just don’t have the __52__ . You know what… tonight she is going to have McDonald’s !”
So many times I had__53__whether our Acts of Kindness were too small or insignificant to really__54__any difference . Yet in that moment, I recognized the__55__of Mother Teresa’s words, “We cannot do great things---only small things with great love.”
小題1:
A．weeklyB．monthlyC．yearlyD．daily
小題2:
A．commonB．particularC．ordinaryD．usual
小題3:
A．WalkingB．RunningC．DrivingD．Wandering
小題4:
A．findingB．meetingC．realizingD．fulfilling
小題5:
A．hungryB．tiredC．puzzledD．bored
小題6:
A．talked about B．passed through C．turned downD．picked up
小題7:
A．breadB．clothC．lunchD．water
小題8:
A．receiveB．begC．presentD．give
小題9:
A．surprisedB．troubledC．pleasedD．moved
小題10:
A．becauseB．a(chǎn)sC．butD．otherwise
小題11:
A．troubleB．invitationC．changeD．a(chǎn)dvice
小題12:
A．worriedB．frightenedC．fearedD．embarrassed
小題13:
A．a(chǎn)mazementB．excitementC．enjoymentD．disappointment
小題14:
A．KeepingB．FeelingC．SoundingD．Seeming
小題15:
A．a(chǎn)cceptB．refuse C．eatD．share
小題16:
A．dislikesB．prefersC．sellsD．loves
小題17:
A．moneyB．courageC．honourD．choice
小題18:
A．consideredB．questionedC．determinedD．imagined
小題19:
A．makeB．keepC．determineD．promote
小題20:
A．importanceB．valueC．structureD．truth

查看答案和解析>>

科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

I have nothing to say about whether or not "A Day Without Immigrants" had a positive or negative effect on the question of how the federal government should deal with the huge population of undocumented illegal immigrants in this country. I'll leave that question to others.
Regardless of how you feel about the event, one conclusion is obvious. Using the theme of" A Day Without" as a way to focus national attention on a particular subject is a great idea, and could serve as a method for increasing public awareness about other issues that affect daily life in America. Here are my top three examples:
"A Day Without Speeding." How hard could this be? If all drivers would strictly obey every posted speed limit on highways, downtown, on neighborhood streets, and in parking lots for one 24-hour cycle, the benefits would be huge.
"A Day Without Losing Your Temper." A higher degree of difficulty here, and I know that from personal experience. When something goes wrong at home or on the job, there may be brief satisfaction in yelling or kicking the furniture, but erupting with anger usually doesn't do anything to solve the problem, and in many cases it makes the situation more unpleasant.
"A Day Without Having All The Answers." I would like to get a break from hearing anyone speak the phrase, "Here's what you're doing wrong." Right now the US is jampacked with citizens who believe they can point out the cause of every single problem in existence and then solve it on the spot. I believe they need to be quiet sometimes and use their ears instead of their voices.
I wonder how would average Americans react to such a collective pause? Would it be a day of angry protests, or joyful celebrations?
小題1:The first paragraph suggests           .
A．the writer is against A Day Without Immigrants
B．immigrants are not equally treated by the US federal government
C．the writer cares little about the problems of the country.
D．some people move to America without the permission of the US government
小題2:"The event" in the second paragraph is related to          .
A．"A Day Without Immigrants"
B．"A Day Without Having All The Answers"
C．"A Day Without Speeding"
D．"A Day Without Losing Your Temper"
小題3:According to the writer, losing one's temper is           .
A．personalB．satisfying C．pointlessD．unpleasant
小題4:The writer suggest a day without having all the answers because         .
A．he thinks the American are too proud
B．he doesn't think what he is doing is wrong
C．he wants others to keep quiet
D．the writer is so tired that he needs a break

查看答案和解析>>

科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解


British English and American English are almost the same. But there are slight differences between British and American English in vocabulary, pronunciation, spelling and grammar.
The first difference between British and American English is in vocabulary. Almost all of the words used in British English and American English are exactly the same. Only a very small number of words are used disparately. For example, Americans would say “apartment”, but the British would say “flat” to talk about the place where they live. In addition to some common words, many idiomatic（慣用的）expressions are different. In England people might say “I’ll ring you up tonight”, but in the US, people might say “I’ll call you up tonight”.
The second difference between British and American English is in Pronunciation. The main difference in pronunciation concerns the vowels（元音）. Some American dialects and some British dialects use vowels in different ways. Sometimes, Americans and the British don’t understand each other’s pronunciation. But most of the time, the British and Americans do understand each other’s pronunciation because most of the sounds of the two dialects are the same.
The third difference is very small. This is the difference in spelling. A few types of words are spelled differently in British and American English. The most common example is in a word like “center”. In British English, this word would be spelled C-E-N-T-R-E, while in American English the same word would be spelled C-E-N-T-E-R. Another example is “or” vs “our”. The word “color”is spelled C-O-L-O-U-R in Britain but C-O-L-O-R in the US.
There are a few differences in grammar, too. The British may say “Have you got..?” while Americans prefer “Do you have..?” An American might say “my friend just arrived”, but a British would say “my friend has just arrived”. Sometimes function words are used differently: the British may say “at the weekend”, but Americans would say “on the weekend”.
小題1:What is this passage mainly about?
A．The development of American English
B．Differences between British and American English
C．The influences of British English on American English
D．The causes of the differences between British and American English
小題2:What does the underlined word “disparately” in Paragraph 2 mean?
A．FrequentlyB．RegularlyC．EventuallyD．Differently
小題3:According to Paragraph 3, Americans and the British may find it hard to understand each other because of       .
A．the different ways of using vowels
B．the different idiomatic expressions they use
C．the differences in grammar
D．the differences in spelling
小題4:Which of the following words probably belong to the American English vocabulary?
a. flavour    b. theater   c. humor   d. centre   e. kilometer   f. honour     g. color
A．a(chǎn)bceB．bcdeC．bcegD．defg
小題5:Which of the following sentences is most probably used by Americans?
A．I’ll learn with you at the weekend
B．Have you got a dictionary?
C．I’ll ring her up tonight.
D．Do you have a pen?

查看答案和解析>>

同步練習冊答案