The old dictionary is still      some use to us.

A. of       B. with       C. in       D. on

Some suggestions about learning English!

       We may all have heard about the old saying that interest leads one towards success. According to this saying, we’d better develop our interest in English at the very beginning of our study. To develop interest in your English study is not very hard. We may have the feeling of satisfaction and achievement from our English study when we find that we are able to say something not very complicated in English, or talk with foreigners in English.

       We will be amazed that the foreigners can understand our English and say “you speak good English”…

    Plans are always very essential, so we must make some elaborate and workable (feasible) plans before we study. For example, you can plan to learn 20 new words every day. Once the plans are made, we should carry out these plans to the letter. Remember: Plans are essential, but those unattainable(不能实现的) plans will make you feel frustrated!

       Taking notes is one important technique in studying. Good memory can not replace the function of notes. Notes should be taken whenever we study. As we know, notes are the summarization, the core content, or our understanding of the books that we read. It would be easier for us to remember the content by referring to our notes, which may be thinner than our books. Sometimes it would be useful to draw some tables, diagrams or illustrations that are very impressive, visual and concise. All these can help us in memorizing the content that we learn.

Watching English movies, English TV programs, listening to English songs and learn English on some special occasions are also excellent ways in learning English, as we may relate English to certain scenes so as to deepen our memory.

Once again for the learning of vocabulary: never just memorize single English words. If you only remember certain words, you still don't quite understand their proper usage. Therefore, it is imperative that you learn by heart the whole sentences and the phrases that contain the new words so that we can know how to use the words in a proper way. 

1．At the beginning of English study, we should               .

       A．learn English grammar.                         B．develop our good habit of learning

       C．develop our interest in learning English   D．remember many English words

2．The underlined phrase “to the letter”in the second paragraph might mean        .

       A．strictly                B．loosely                C．partly                  D．narrowly

3．Which statement of the following on notes in true according to the passage?

       A．Good memory can take the place of the function of notes.

       B．Notes may be thicker than the book we read.

       C．Taking notes is a waste of time in studying.

       D．Notes can help us in memorizing the content that we learn.

4．Which is the best way in learning English words?

       A．Remember the single English words.

       B．Understand the meaning of the whole sentences and phrases in which there are new words and recite them.

       C．Memorize the new words’ meaning in the dictionary.

       D．Write the new words three times.

Reading Comprehension

Read the following passages, and choose the best answer that can answer the question.

　　You may think that English dictionaries have been used for many, many centuries. In fact, an English dictionary like the kind you use today wasn't made until the time of the Qing Dynasty. Three men did most of the important early work on dictionaries：Samuel Johnson, Noah Webster, and James Murray. These men spent nearly all of their lives trying to collect words for their dictionaries. For them, it wasn't only a job; it was a wonderful journey. The largest dictionary in the world is the Oxford English Dictionary, or OED for short. The idea for this dictionary came from an important meeting in Britain in 1857. Twenty－two years later, Oxford University asked James Murray to be the editor of its new dictionary.

　　Murray had never been to college. At the age of fourteen, he left his village school in Scotland and taught himself while working in a bank, hater he became a great teacher. After Oxford gave him the job, Murray had a place built in the garden behind his house to do his work. Part of it was one meter underground. In winter it felt like a barn, he had to wear a heavy coat and put his feet in a box to keep warm. Every morning, Murray got out of bed at five o'clock and worked several hours before breakfast. Often he would work by candle light into the evening. Murray hoped to finish the new dictionary in ten years. But after five years, he was still adding words for the letter A! Then others went to work with Murray, including his two daughters. He worked on the dictionary until he was very old. Forty－four years later, in 1928, other editors finished it. It included more than 15, 000 words in twelve books. And you thought your English dictionary was big!

1．The first English dictionary like we are using today ________.

[　　]

A．was edited in China in the Qing Dynasty

B．has been used for many centuries

C．was completed by James Murray

D．was made in the 20th century

2．What's the meaning of the underlined sentence?

[　　]

A．The editors liked their jobs very much.

B．Making dictionaries was more than their job, it took their whole lives to complete the tasks.

C．Editing dictionaries was like taking a wonderful journey.

D．It was only a job for the editors to make dictionaries.

3．Which of the following statements about the Oxford English Dictionary is NOT true?

[　　]

A．It was completed by James Murray and some other people.

B．It was decided to make such a dictionary in 1857.

C．The dictionary was completed twenty－two years after it was decided to be made.

D．It took James Murray more than 5 years to add words to letter A.

4．In the last paragraph, “barn” probably is ________.

[　　]

A．a hotel to live in

B．a nice house to look at

C．a place for animals to stay in

D．a room to keep cold out

5．The main purpose of writing this passage is to ________.

[　　]

A．tell us why the first English dictionary was made

B．introduce who James Murray was

C．tell us how the first English dictionary was made

D．introduce us three people－ Samuel Johnson, Noah Webster, and James Murray