I didn't like dogs before, but I am happy to have one now. Do you know why?

About two years ago, my wife, Cathy, got a little dog with a face only the dog's mother could love. We named her Gertie.

My wife sent her to be trained (训练） in a school. But this didn't go as planned. After only 2 weeks, she was made to leave the school. She had to spend every night with us in our bed - snoring so loudly that I couldn't get a good sleep. In the morning, my wife always let me walk Gertie. When I was free, Gertie always played with me.

Then, about six months after Gertie arrived, I felt that something in my heart was changing, and I was unable to stop it. I began to smile at people when I saw them in the street. I started calling my children, and to my surprise, they started calling me, too. I even tried to talk with my grandchildren over the phone. My wife and I both think that it is Gertie who has changed me.

Gertie is now nearly two years old and I love it very much.

46. At the beginning, the writer thought the dog _______.

      A. looked very lovely                  B. wasn't clever

      C. wasn't beautiful                     D. was quick in learning

47. After Gertie left the school, _______.

      A. she was sent away

      B. the writer couldn't sleep well

      C. she learned how to make friends with other animals

      D. the writer began to train her by himself

48. What does the underlined word "snoring" mean in Chinese?

      A. 打鼾             B.哭泣            C.咀嚼            D.说话

49. Which of the following is NOT true?

      A. The writer is an old man.

      B. The dog stayed in the school long enough for the training.

      C. The dog slept in one bed with the writer.

      D. The writer didn't telephone his children before.

50. What can we learn from the passage?

      A. The dog got good training in the school.

      B. We should try out best to help animals.

      C. The man likes the dog better than his wife,

      D. The man has become more friendly because of the dog.

根据句意和空格处的首字母写单词。

I think t________ by train is the best.

Can you swim? Do you like swimming? Yes? Well, how can you learn to swim? I think the best way is to go into the water and learn. I’m afraid you’ll never learn to swim just by reading books about swimming or looking at others swimming. It’s the same with the English study. We must practice, practice and practice.

Listening and speaking are very important for beginners. The children in English-speaking countries first listen to others. Then they try to imitate and speak. We can listen to English programs on radio. You may just understand a few words. It doesn’t matter. Just be relaxed, try to catch every word. Somebody may be a good listener. But he dare not speak. He’s afraid of making mistakes. You know we sometimes make mistakes when we speak Chinese. Don’t be afraid. We must be brave. If you really want to learn English well, you must try to speak with everyone as long as he knows English. Whether you know him or not is not important, when there’s nobody to talk with, you can talk to yourself in English. It’s interesting and also a good way to practice your spoken English. Remember, the more you speak, the fewer mistakes you’ll make.

Reading and writing are more important for senior school students. First we must choose the books we’re interested in. A lot of reading will improve your language sense. This is the most important.

Keep writing English diaries. We can also write English articles. You may even post them to English magazines. Don’t be afraid of failure. Failure is the mother of success.

Easier said than done. Well, let’s do more practice from now on. I’m sure you’ll learn English well in this way.

1.You can learn to swim by_______.

A．reading books about it

B．looking at others swimming

C．having lessons on it

D．going into the river and learning

2.We should learn English by _______.

A．listening and speaking                    B．reading and writing

C．both A and B                           D．swimming

3.What will you do with mistakes when you speak?

A．Don’t make mistakes.

B．Study hard

C．Try not to speak English

D．Don’t be afraid.

4.What’s more important for senior school students?

A．listening                              B．speaking

C．reading and writing                      D．learning

5.We can listen to English ______, according to the passage.

A．by train                               B．on the radio

C．every minute                          D．now and then