Does this situation seem familiar to you? Your English is progressing well, the grammar is now familiar, the reading comprehension is no problem, and you are speaking quite fluently.  _ 1. 

First of all, remember that you are not alone. Listening is probably the most difficult job for almost all learners of English as a foreign language. The most important thing is to listen as often as possible.

 __2. The Internet is really a useful tool for English students. You can download The RealPlayer from RealMedia.com. The RealPlayer allows you to use the Internet like a radio station.

Once you have begun to listen on a regular basis, you might still be frustrated （受阻）by limited understanding. __3._

Here is some of the advice I give my students:

●Accept the fact that you are not going to understand everything.

●Stay relaxed when you do not understand, and try listening to the material for more times.

● Do not translate everything into your native language.

● _4.__ Don’t concentrate on details before you have understood the main ideas.

● Listen to something you enjoy.

I remember the problems I had in understanding spoken German when I first went to Germany. In the beginning, when I didn’t understand a word, I insisted on translating it in my mind. This method usually resulted in confusion.   5.  Firstly, translating creates a barrier between the listener and the speaker. Secondly, most people repeat themselves constantly. By remaining calm, I noticed that even if I didn’t pay much attention I could usually understand what the speaker had said.

A. But you can’t follow a native English speaker at all!

B. What should you do?

C. But listening is a problem for most of the beginners!

D. However, after several weeks, I got used to the new environment in Germany.

E. So, what you need to do is to find listening resources.

F. Then, after the first six months, I discovered two extremely important facts.

G. Listen for the general idea of the conversation.

 

OK, I admit it: emoticons (表情符号) are popular. Some people even think they are fun. Many seem unable to get through an e-mail or Instant Message chat sentence without using one. Some feel that they add feeling and character to otherwise cold digital communications.

Some, however, such as editor and Hollywood scriptwriter John Blumenthal, blast (抨击) the use of emoticons as “infantile (幼稚的) just like the people who use them”  He believes that words themselves should be enough. “If you’re being funny, happy or sad, that should be apparent (明显的) from the comment that goes before the emoticon,” he argues.

In the eyes of Blumenthal, the use of emoticons is a gender issue. “Men don’t use emoticons very much. Maybe not at all,” he said. “Teenage girls and women seem to use them a lot. Maybe there’ s an emoticon gene.”

It’s an interesting opinion, but it is not shared by all.

In an interview with The New York Times, Dacher Keltner, professor of psychology at the University of California, said that emoticons are popular because our brains are programmed “to seek out representations of humanity”. He believes that they appeal not because they are shortcuts for the lazy, but because they tap into (融入) something beyond language. They reach to our need to be with and communicate with people.

All of these arguments may be somehow valid (正确的). Each one of us will choose to communicate in our own way. I do not have much time for emoticons. I tried to use one once and felt like I was stealing into a primary school class that I had no place being in. I’d rather let my words do the talking.

Friends, however, send me messages and e-mails full of emoticons. I have no problem with this. I don’t regard any of my friends as lazy or immature (不成熟的). It’s just a question of individuality. :)

1.According to the article, emoticons are popular because ______. 

A. most of them look funny

B. they are easy for lazy people to use

C. they add feeling and character to a communication

D. a reader cannot understand a message without them

2.Which of the following views would John Blumenthal agree with?  

A. Instant Message chatters are childish.[来源:Zxxk.Com]

B. It’s enough to use language in digital communication.

C. Men never use emoticons.     

D. There is an emoticon gene in everybody.

3.From the text, we can conclude that the author ______. 

A. feels he has no difficulty using emoticons

B. thinks emoticons don’t suit him

C. encourage his friends to use emoticons

D. believes that emoticons are suitable for everyone

4.What is the main point of the article? 

A. Advice on language used over the Internet.

B. The history of emoticons.

C. Arguments over the use of emoticons.

D. Reasons for the popularity of emoticons.

 

阅读下列应用文及相关信息，并按照要求匹配信息。请在答题卡上将对应题号的相应选项字母填写。

 

A.

 Pacha London      www.pachalondon.com

The world’s most historic club is set in a building of the 1920s beautifully decorated in its original oak paneling and features an impressive glass ceiling. You can enjoy beauty, style and elegance when clubbing at London’s most      historic night club Pacha and appreciate works of some famous musicians.

 

B.

 Amika London      www.amikalondon.com

Amika plays host to the new super elite(精英) who are seeking the latest fashion trends. A unique playground designed for fun. It is the final destination for major players and glitterati(上层人士) alike. It features

table reservations & bookings, events and corporate bookings.

 

C.

 SeOne Club London  www.seonelondon.com

SeOne is one of London’s largest music clubs. Situated in the north of London, SeOne consists of five rooms. It can be broken down into smaller spaces and can be used for parties as small as 100 people. SeOne Club has attracted all kinds of promoters and event organizers, from corporate giants to dance promoters.

 

 

D.

Koko Club      www.koko.uk.com

Situated at 1A Camden High Street, Central London, Koko Club represents a versatile(通用的), 21^st-century club. It’s very adaptable so it can be used for anything---from small comedy to international music    awards. A must visit!

 

E.

Bar Rumba    www.barrumba.co.uk

Located in London’s west end, Bar Rumba is one of London’s leading late night clubs. Playing funk, jazz, Afro-beat, Latin, Cuban, salsa, drum & bass, break beat. It has an amazing sound system for dance music.Everynight it delivers a different beat---from hip hop to Latin dance, from grime to jazz.

 

F.

Club Colosseum    www.clubcolosseum.com

Situated in 1 Nine Elms Lane. Vauxall, London, Club Colosseum won the world’s best club award in 1999. Now it features a new VIP room, a spectacular riverside bar with a view all over London & the River Thames.

 

   下面是几位人员的情况简介，请匹配他们感兴趣的休闲场所。

1.Michael is a great painter and has just moved to London from America. On his arrival, Michael was struck by the beautiful Thames. He dreams of going to a famous night club where he can easily appreciate the unique view of the river.

2. Nancy comes from Japan and wants to go to a world-famous night club with a long history to help her know more about the British culture. Besides, Nancy likes to listen to great musical masterpieces.

3. Laura is crazy about dancing and enjoys different dances with fascinating dance music. Now she is in search of a night club that can offer her quality dance diversity.

4.Lily would like to celebrate her eighteenth birthday at a proper night club next week. She intends to invite over a hundred friends and relatives to her birthday party, most of whom are working in northern London and are true music lovers.

5.Harry is the general manager of a large company in London and he would like to go to a night club which is fashionable. What’s more, it should be suitable for someone of his status.

 

C

Wikipedia was founded as a branch of Nupedia, a now-abandoned project to produce a free encyclopedia (百科全书). Nupedia required highly qualified contributors, but the writing of articles was slow. During 2000, Jimmy Wales, founder of Nupedia, and Larry Sanger, whom Wales had employed to work on the project, discussed ways of supplementing (补充) Nupedia with a more open project. Multiple sources are suggested for the idea that a wiki might allow members of the public to contribute material, and Nupedia’s first wiki went online on January 10.

There was considerable resistance on the part of Nupedia’s editors and reviewers to the idea of associating Nupedia with a Web site in the wiki format (格式), so the new project was given the name “Wikipedia” and launched on its own domain (域名), wikipedia.com, on January 15. The domain was eventually changed to the present wikipedia.org when the not-for-profit Wikimedia Foundation was launched as its new parent organization. In March 2007, the word wiki became a newly-recognized English word.

In May 2001, a wave of non-English Wikipedias was launched — in Catalan, Chinese, Dutch, Esperanto, French, German, Hebrew, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, and Swedish. These were soon joined by Arabic and Hungarian. In September, Polish was added. At the end of the year, Afrikaans, Norwegian, and Serbocroatian versions were announced.

Anyone with Web access can edit Wikipedia, and this openness encourages inclusion of a great amount of content. About 75,000 editors — from expert scholars to casual readers — regularly edit Wikipedia, and these experienced editors often help to create a consistent style throughout the encyclopedia.

Editors are able to watch pages and techies (科技人员) can write editing programs to keep track of or correct bad edits. Where there’re disagreements on how to present facts, editors work together to arrive at an article that fairly represents current expert opinion on the subject. Although the Wikimedia Foundation owns the site, it’s largely uninvolved in writing and daily operations.

66. Jimmy Wales wanted a more open project because ______.

   A. he wanted to found Wikipedia

   B. Nupedia had its own disadvantages

   C. he earned less money from Nupedia

   D. Nupedia had been abandoned

67. The idea of connecting Nupedia with a Web site in the wiki format ______.

   A. gained a wide support

   B. came into being on January 15, 2000

   C. made Nupedia better and better known to the public

   D. weren’t welcomed by all Nupedia’s editors

68. Which of the following versions joined the Wikipedia in or after October 2001?

   A. English version.                       B. Norwegian version.

   C. Hebrew version.                       D. Arabic version.

69. Who are responsible to create the main style for the Wikipedia?

   A. Any readers of the Wikipedia     B. The techies.

   C. The Wikimedia Foundation.              D. The experienced editors.

70. Which of the following facts about Wikipedia most probably surprises readers?

   A. Its owner contributes less to its writing.

   B. It appeals to a wider audience.

   C. Its owner was founded only recently.

   D. It was evolved from Nupedia.