Do you know what really troubles me? For some reason, words with silent letters have always bothered me. For example, consider these words: know, design, island, school, wrist, naughty, and salmon. All of these words have at least one letter that is not typically pronounced, and these words are just a very small part of words with silent letters in them.
Some words are even worse, consider this word: colonel. Not only are some letters not pronounced, but letters that are not even there are pronounced.
Even foreign languages, especially French, are guilty of this needless complexity and confusion. I know there must be some main historical reasons why the words are spelled and pronounced the way they are, but that does not mean bad traditions must continue to survive. Especially if they are no longer logical.[来源:Z_xx_k.Com]
Unfortunately, there is very little that anyone can do for it, because there’s no group of people who can change or have the right to change the English language for everyone. However, the only thing we can do is make changes in the way we talk and write in hopes that it catches on. For example, I pronounce the letter “l” in salmon on purpose to make people annoyed and to sound more different or complicated. I even pronounce colonel the correct or French way.
I can only hope these two minor changes to the English language make sense to you, and you will help to keep up these minor changes forever in your everyday life.
【小题1】We can learn from the passage ________.

A．colonel is pronounced

B．salmon is pronounced

C．all the words with silent letters come from French

D．linguists will solve the problem of dumb letters

【小题2】Which of the following is the main reason for silent letters?

A．French language.	B．Historical reasons.
C．Some linguists	D．Bad traditions.

【小题3】The underlined phrase “catches on” probably means “________”.

A．becomes popular	B．gets across
C．follows the fashion	D．doesn’t fall behind

【小题4】Which of the following is the best title for this passage?

A．Troubles in everyday life	B．Traps in English words
C．Words with silent letters	D．Necessary changes of languages

Social networking isn't only for the under 40s. More than 25 percent of Americans 50 years and older stay connected using sites such as Facebook, MySpace and Twitter, according to new research.

"The latest data tells us that more and more social networking is becoming a part of everyday life for Americans 50 plus," said Kevin Donnellan, the chief communications officer at AARP, which released the report.

Nearly a quarter of older Americans are on Facebook and 73 percent said they use it to stay in touch with relatives, but not just their children and grandchildren. "They are using the Internet to keep up with the world and the people who are important to them," said Jean Koppen, the author of the report. She added that older adults are also on Facebook to stay connected, not only with their family, but with their friends and peers. Almost 50 percent of older adults were introduced to the social networking sites by a family member, mainly a child or grandchild. "Just under one-fifth of adults aged 50 and older say they do not use the Internet," according to the report.

The findings are based on a telephone survey of 1,863 adults. In addition to keeping up on Facebook and Twitter older adults are also aware of the latest technology. Eighty-three percent had heard about the Apple iPad and 11 percent intended to buy one.

1.What’s the main idea of the passage?             

A.        Social networking isn’t for the under 40s in the U.S.A.

B.        American old people’s way of life is quite fashionable.

C.        The Internet is also popular among the American over 50s.

D.        Facebook, MySpace and Twitter are hot websites in America.

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

A.                   Nearly 2000 adults took part in the survey on line.

B.                    The over 50s were introduced to the Internet by the young.

C.                    About 20% of adults aged 50 and older don’t like the Internet.

D.                   Many Americans 50 plus stay connected using the Internet.

3.What’s the underlined sentence used for?    

E.                    It’s used as a reason for the popularity of the Apple iPad in America.

F.                    It’s used as an example of the older adults’ awareness of the latest technology.

G.                   It’s used as a suggestion to the readers who are interested in the IT products.

H.                   It’s used as a choice for the Americans intending to use Social networking.

4.Where can we most probably read this passage?    

I.                      In an experiment introduction.

J.                     In a computer magazine.

K.                   In a product advertisement.

In a news report

 

短文填词（共10小题，每小题1分，满分10分）

Nowadays taking on a part-time job is popular with us students, and          

we can_______(获益) a lot from it. For example, a part-time job           1.______

can offer us the chance to put _______ we have learned into practice        2.______

and show our ability. And we can become more _______(独立的).          3.________

B_______, it can also enrich our school life and the experience               4.______

may be _______ great help to our future careers. However, doing a                 5._______

part-time job has some _______(缺点). If we have one, we may            6._______

_______(减少) our time for rest and other activities. And sometimes        7.______

we may find ______ hard to keep up with others in our studies.                    8._______

So it is advisable to k_______ a balance. As students, we should                    9.______

spend most of the time in l________. A part-time job is acceptable only      10.______

 

Someone asked me, “what do you think of youth?” I showed him a can of COKE. See this?

“C” means “courage”. There’s a seed in everyone’s heart. As long as you really keep watering it, it will grow and harvest. Courage gives us the power to follow our dreams. Believe in yourself and be prepared for anything in the future.

“O” stands for “optimism”. When in trouble, some people feel disappointed but some people still keep their dreams. Be sure to choose the latter. Life is very much like a mirror. If you smile on it, it smiles back on you. If you frown, you will get a similar look in return. Throw away the sadness in your heart while filling it with brightness and hope.

“K” can be understood as “knowledge”. In order to keep up with the times, we should use knowledge to enrich ourselves. Knowledge is the food of thought and, as long as it is put in our brain, we will grow wiser.

“E” is short for “enthusiasm (热情)”. Enthusiasm is the sign of youth. We use colourful paint-brushes in our hands to create the pictures of youth on our own. Let the sky and sea know we’re young. Let out our enthusiasm wherever we go.

Drink a can of COKE. You will find your youth as refreshing (有活力的) as a can of coke. Enjoy and value your youth.

1.In the passage, the word “COKE” refers to           .

A．a kind of drink young people enjoy

B．what young people should have

C．basic abilities young people need

D．young people’s confidence and pride

2.The seed in everyone’s heart in fact is          .

A．hope             B．knowledge         C．courage           D．imagination

3.What should young people do to prepare themselves for the highly technological future?

A．Learn to be an active learner.

B．Have confidence in themselves.

C．Follow their interests and dreams.

D．Be enthusiastic wherever they are.

4.According to the writer, young people are           .

A．confident         B．optimistic          C．learned           D．enthusiastic

 

 

      Someone asked me, “ what do you think of youth?” I showed him

 a can of COKE. See this?

      “C” means “courage”. There’s a seed in everyone’s heart. As long as you really keep watering it, it will grow and harvest. Courage gives us the power to follow our dreams. Believe in yourself and be prepared for anything in the future.

      “O” stands for “optimism(乐观)”. When in trouble, some

people feel disappointed but some people still keep their dreams. Be sure to choose the latter. Life is very much like a mirror. If you smile on it, it smiles back on you. If you frown, you will get a similar look in return. Throw away the sadness in your hear while filling it with brightness and hope.

        “K” can be understood as “knowledge”. In order to keep up with the times, we should use knowledge to enrich ourselves. Knowledge is the food of thought and, as long as it is put in our brain, we will grow wiser.

      “E” is short for “enthusiasm(热情)”. Enthusiasm is the sign of youth. We use colorful and paint-brushes in our hands to create the pictures of youth on our own. Let the sky and sea know we’re young. Let our enthusiasm wherever we go.

       Drink a can of COKE. You will find your youth as refreshing (有活力的) as a can of coke. Enjoy and value your youth.

1. In the passage, the word “COKE” refers to _______

   A. a kind of drink young people enjoy

   B. what young people should have

   C. basic abilities young people need

   D. young people’s confidence and pride

2. The seed in everyone’s heat in fact is __________

   A. hope   B. knowledge    C. courage   D. imagination

3. According to the last paragraph, young people are _________

   A. confident     B. optimistic    C. learned    D. enthusiastic