This dictionary tells you about English words and how to use them in reading, writing and speaking English. It not only gives the meaning of words, it can also help you with spelling, word building, grammar and pronunciation.

To use your dictionary correctly, you will find two spellings for this word. “Colour” is used in British English, while “color” is used in American English. When there are differences between British and American spelling, the dictionary shows it with the word “BrE” for British English and “AmE” for American English.

The dictionary also helps you pronounce words correctly. If you turn to the inside back face, you will see all the phonetic letters (音标 ) with some words to show you how they are pronounced. Just look at the inside back cover when you're not sure how to say a word.

The most important reason for using a dictionary is to find out the meaning of a word — its definition.

In this dictionary, the definitions have been written using only 2, 000 words. This means that the definitions of even the most difficult words are simple and easy to understand.

1.________ of the words in the dictionary have two spellings.

A．All

B．Some

C．Few

D．One

2.What is the main reason for us to use a dictionary？

A．To read the word correctly.

B．To write the word out.

C．To know the meaning of the word.

D．To find the difference between British English and American English.

3.The phonetic letters helps you ________ each word correctly.

A．say

B．write

C．understand

D．know

4.The Chinese meaning of “definition” here is________.

A．词性

B．词条

C．词义

D．词库

5.How many words are there in this dictionary?

A．Two thousand.

B．One thousand.

C．One hundred.

D．We don't know.

 

B

The climate of any place is the kind of weather. It usually has over a long period of time. The houses we live in, the clothes we wear, the foods we eat depend on the climate of the place where we live.

Climate is pattern that is not nearly as simple as we think, and it is affected by many factors. The distance to the North or South Pole or to the equator really matters a lot. If you live near either of the poles, you live in a cold climate, for the place where you live does not get as much or as direct sunshine as a place farther away from the poles. In places close to the equator, the climate is very hot, for they are the parts where the sun shines almost straight down.

Whether rain or snow falls makes a great difference to the climate. In hot, dry deserts, little rain falls, but in a hot rain forest, the amount of rainfalls is far larger than that in a desert, for there is a heavy rain almost every day, even several times per day. Though a rainforest and a desert may be the same distance from the equator, their climates are rather different from each other.

How much rain or snow falls are considered by some to be determined by the winds, the surrounding mountains and the currents(水流) in nearby seas and so on. In short, it is a very complex natural phenomenon.

65．This passage mainly talks about                            .

A．weather                 B．different climates

C．climate and its determining factors  D．the difference between weather and climate

66．From this passage, we know climate and weather are      and climate is     .

A．almost the same; the general term of weather

B．quite different; the average weather conditions at a particular place over a period of time

C．not the same; included by weather

D．very much alike; bigger and weather is smaller

67．The difference of the climates between a tropical（热带的）desert and a tropical rain forst affected by                           .

A．the amount of rainfalls    

B．the winds and the surrounding mountains

C．the currents in near seas. 

D．how much sunshine the two different places can get

68．From the context, we can guess that the word “complex” is     and it     .

A．a noun; means a simple thing

B．an adjective; means being easy to understand

C．an adverb; has almost the same meaning of “rather”

D．an adjective; means being difficult to understand

It’s easy to see how to help some people, but what about those whose needs are not so clear? This story may have happened not long ago--- but it was a lesson which has stayed with me and helped me ever since.

It was Thanksgiving and I was volunteering with my parents at a shelter for the needy. We served hot food to whoever came in. Most of our dinners looked like they had been having hard times; their clothes were worn out and dirty. Then, a man came in, who looked anything but needy. He was well dressed. I wondered what he was doing there and my jaw (下巴) dropped in amazement when he joined the line for food. The closer he came to my service station , the more I muttered (小声抱怨). What was this man doing? Surely he wasn’t going to take food which was meant for those who were really in need!

Then my mother quietly took me to one side. She said, “You have thought that the needs of the people who come here must be purely physical, hunger, etc. And this gentleman doesn’t seem to have any of those problems. But what if his needs are emotional（情感的）? What if he needs comfort, friends, or just to be among other human beings? Her words hit me like a ton of bricks! I felt like I should apologize to the man--- but I didn’t.

About a week later the shelter received a large donation from an anonymous source. I can’t help but wonder if it came from that man.

Now, whenever I meet someone I remember my mother’s lesson and try to send kindness their way, no matter how they look. Needs aren’t always seen. But kindness always makes a difference.

1.How did the author feel as the well-dressed man joined the line for food?

A．Surprised

B．Excited

C．Nervous

D．Hopeless

2.The author’s mother mainly wanted to tell the author that we ______.

A．shouldn’t judge a man by his appearance.

B．shouldn’t complain about others

C．should give others what they want.

D．should accept everything we meet

3.What does the underlined word “anonymous” in Paragraph 4 probably mean?

A．Important

B．Unknown

C．Independent

D．Excellent

4.From the last paragraph, we learn that ______.

A．seeing is believing

B．it’s difficult to be kind to others

C．some rich people pretend to be poor.

D．we should help people in the way they need.

5.What would be the best title for the text?

A．My mother’s influence on my growth

B．The importance of volunteering

C．One of my most shameful experiences

D．My mother’s simple lesson in kindness

 

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(接触),” 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.

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

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

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.

4.What is the best title for the passage?

A．A word short and simple	B．A report by teenagers
C．A message loud and clear	D．A letter from MP3 users

 

Competition. It’s a simple word, yet a very complex word that covers many angles when it comes to how gasoline prices are determined. It seems so easy to explain, but don’t let that trick you—it’s incredibly difficult to explain and adequately understand.

Say you’re on a Sunday afternoon drive, and notice a gas station near you charging $3.50. Down the road a few miles, that price could easily be 10 or more cents higher or lower. The question is “how” or “why” is that? Think of it this way. Are you more likely to get a better deal on a car if there are two similar car dealers next to each other? Perhaps, because the dealers are too close. Say there is a third similar car dealer miles away. Is he going to be at the same level of competition and sell his cars for the same price as the two dealers next to each other? Likely not. He may charge more or less. Maybe people don't know there are two other dealers down the road. Maybe the dealer is almost outside of the city and the land value isn't as high, so his taxes aren't as high.

These situations do take place at gas stations. And more factors can impact what a station will charge. Timing can greatly impact what price a station charges as well! Many motorists fail to realize that the price a station pays for gasoline changes daily. If one station gets lucky and buys gas on Monday and the cost goes up Tuesday, the station that bought on Monday doesn’t necessarily have to raise prices like the station that bought on Tuesday. Maybe the station that got caught buying for a higher price on Tuesday will pass that higher cost on by raising its gas price.

Perhaps the difference is what brand the station is---branded stations usually pay a slightly higher cost for their gasoline. In return for paying a higher cost, those stations are guaranteed first supply in case of emergency situations. Independent stations don’t pay as much, but aren’t guaranteed supply.

While competition sounds easy to understand, there are always a large number of factors that could influence what one station charges. Keep in mind how many variables there are next time you fill up.

1.What could be the best title for the passage?

A．How Competition Impacts Gas Prices

B．Gas Prices Go Up or Down

C．Competition---a Very Complex Word

D．We Can’t Stress Enough the Need for Competition

2.The example of car dealers is used to show _________.

A．car prices are determined by car dealers

B．location is an important factor in pricing

C．the quality of service matters most

D．dealing strategy should be flexible

3.The gas prices of a station always change partly because _________.

A．a gas station always wants to charge more

B．the gasoline is in great demand

C．the cost of the gas the station buys varies daily

D．gas is in greater need on Monday

4.According to the passage, branded stations _________.

A．spend less money on their gasoline

B．have more staff than independent stations

C．charge less for high quality oil

D．offer a steady oil supply