When you practice reading with passages shorter than book length, do not try to take in each word separately, one after the other. It is much more difficult to grasp the broad theme of the passage this way, and you will also get the stuck on individual words which may not be absolutely essential to a general understanding of the passage. It is a good idea to skim through the passage very quickly first to get the general idea of each paragraph. Titles, paragraph headings and emphasized words can be a great help in getting this skeleton outline of the passage. It is surprising how many people do not read titles, introductions or paragraph headings. Can you, without looking back, remember the title of this passage and the heading of this paragraph?

    Most paragraphs of a passage or chapter have a 'topic sentence' which expresses the central idea. The remaining sentences expand or support that idea. It has been estimated that between 50% and 90% of all expositive（说明的）paragraphs in English have the topic sentence first. Always pay special attention to the first sentence of a paragraph, it is most likely to give you the main idea.

    Sometimes, though, the first sentence in the paragraph does not have the feel of 'main idea' sentence. It does not seem to give us enough new information to justify a paragraph. The next most likely place to look for the topic sentence is the last sentence of the paragraph.

    Remember that the opening and closing paragraphs of a passage or chapter are particularly important. The opening paragraph suggests the general direction and content of the piece, while the closing paragraph often summarizes the very essence（精髓）.

1. It is a good idea to skim through a passage quickly first ____________.

A. at about 315 w.p.m.（words per minute）

B. to get the general idea of each paragraph

C. so that you can take in each work separately

D. to make sure you get to the end at least once

2.The topic sentence of an expository paragraph in English _____________.

A. usually comes in the middle

B. is most likely to be found at the end

C. is most often at the beginning

D. is usually left out in expository writing

3. Most expository paragraphs in English have a clearly defined topic sentence. In such paragraphs the topic sentence comes first _____________.

A. in about 5% of cases                       B in about 80% of cases

C. in about 20% cases                         D. very rarely

4.Sometimes we know the first sentence is not the topic sentence because ____________.

A. it does not seem to give us enough new information

B. it is not long enough

C. it does not come at the beginning

D. it does not make a complete sentence

5.The closing paragraph of a piece of writing ____________.

A. is not really very important

B. is often unnecessary repetition

C. often comes at the end

D. often summarizes the essence of the passage

 

Through history, children have played with toys and they help to prepare children for adult life. But the toys are changing all the time. As science and technology have changed the way adults live, the toys children play with have changed as well. Developments in science and technology have had a big effect on the toys that children play with. Today trains and mobile phones are popular toys for young children, but there were no toys of this kind before real trains and mobile phones were invented.  The materials that toys are made of have also changed.  Today lots of toys are made of plastic. Plastic is a modern, man-made material that did not exist (存在) in the past. On the other hand, some other toys that you have might not be all that different from the ones children played with 1,000 years ago. Scientists have found some bone dice (骰子)in Aberdeen. In medieval (中世纪的)times dice were used for playing games as much as they are today.

A recent survey found that half of all the children aged from 4 to 6 have played video games, a quarter of them regularly. The increasing use of electronic toys troubles Dr Singer, a professor at Yale. “One thing we know is that kids in early years need to be in touch with the real world,” he said, “No matter how brilliant they are, they’re not going to learn to walk, to move or to talk to others unless their hands or feet have a direct role in such activities.”

Some toy experts argue that the best toys are the ones that increase a child’s creativity and imagination. Traditional toys can be used for different kinds of purposes and be used in group settings, individually(单独地), and one-to-one. They are also used differently depending on the child’s age and skill level. And these toys made of natural materials are valuable for children because they teach children what the world is made of.

1.In how many ways do toys change according to the first paragraph?

A．One.

B．Two.

C．Three.

D． Four.

2.From the article, we can know that     .

A．only children like to play with toys

B．toys have nothing to do with children’s future life

C．the development of toys is related to science and technology

D．plastic is the best material for making toys

3.According to Dr Singer,     .

A．the electronic toys are good for children if they play often enough

B．the electronic toys prevent children keeping in touch with the real world

C．children should be stopped from being hurt by the danger coming from the outside world

D．children should play with electronic toys instead of the traditional ones

 

This site contains 100 original short stories about life in America. These stories are written for ESL(English as a second language ) learners who are, at least, high beginners. We want to help ESL students learn English as quickly and effortlessly as possible. Learning should be interesting, not boring. We hope that learners will find that these stories are of some help to improve their English.

The stories have interesting topics and are easy to understand. Each story comes with an audio narrative so that learners can listen as they read. The audio requires downloading the free Real Player. Each story contains a search for pictures, definitions, and pronunciation.“ Following each story are four sets of exercises, and each containing 10 items.

Exercise A is “Yes / No Questions”. The learner is asked questions like, “Does Sara have children?” The learner can then type in, “Yes, she does.” Then the learner can check whether it’s the right answer or not.

Exercise B is “Wh-Questions”. The learner is asked questions like, “Where does Sara live?” The learner can then type in, “She lives in Pasadena.” Then the learner can check his answer.

Exercise C is “Ask Questions”. The learner is given an answer like, “They have two children.” The learner must then type in a question like, “How many children do they have?”The learner can then check to see whether he is correct or not. Exercise D is “Dictation”. The learner listens to a sentence. Most of the sentences duplicate  the sentences in the stories. The learner types the dictation and then checks to see whether he is correct or not.

Work on the site is in progress. Help us make it better as the years go by. We welcome all comments, suggestions, complaints, new ideas, and questions. Click here to send us emails.

1.Where does this passage come from?

A．A newspaper.

B．A magazine.

C．A website.

D．A research report.

2.The main purpose of this passage is to _____.

A．tell English learners how to do exercises

B．ask the readers to help them improve the site

C．give a brief introduction of an English learning site

D．teach you how to download English articles

3.All of the following statements are correct EXCEPT _______.

A．the learners can listen to a story while reading it

B．there are pictures, definitions, and pronunciation, as well as exercises followed

C．new ideas and suggestions are welcomed

D．the stories are suitable for learners of different levels

4.If you want to improve your listening ability, you may mainly do some practice in _____.

A．Exercise A

B．Exercise B

C．Exercise C

D．Exercise D

 

Though I have traveled in hundreds of trains, few unusual things have ever happened to me. But one day in a train something did happen. I do not mean that I was hurt: no one was hurt.
I do my work in a hot country far away from England. Every September I go there to do my business, and every July I come back to England to have a rest. So every September I go to Paris and take a train from the great French city to Mendova, and at Mendova I catch my ship.
There is one very fast train from Paris to Mendova, and it suits me well. It goes as far as Endoran, but it stops at Mendova for a few minutes to let travelers get out or in. It is called The Flying Bluebird. It reaches Mendova at seven minutes past nine in the morning, and it is never late.
A ship leaves Mendova at half past eleven, and so you will understand that The Flying Bluebird suits me very well. I always travel by it, and I have nearly two and a half hours at Mendova to go from the station to the ship. That is more than enough time.
Well, one September night, I took my place in The Flying Bluebird as usual. The train leaves Paris at nine o’clock every night, and I was in my place soon after half past eight. There were three or four people there with me, but very soon a lot of others got into the train. When no more people could sit down, they began to stand up near us and also in the corridor（走廊）. In a short time the corridor was full too, and it was impossible for any more travelers to get into the train.
I could see a lot of other people outside the corridor windows, but they could not get in, and the train left Paris without them. The man sitting next to me started to ask all kinds of questions: “Where do you work? How long does it take you to get there? Are you married? How many children do you have? How much money do they pay you every year? How much do you have in the bank? How much do you spend every month?”
He asked questions for about twenty minutes but I did not give him any clear answers, and at last he stopped and began to read the paper.
I usually sleep quite well in the train, but this time I slept only a little. There were too many people, and there were too many things: small bags, large bags, coats, hats, boxes, newspapers and food. As usual, we got angry about the window. Most people wanted it shut, and two of us wanted it open. But that always happens. It was shut all night, as usual.
When I awoke in the early morning I felt hot and dirty, and glad that the journey was reaching its end. At seven minutes past nine The Flying Bluebird stopped. We were at Mendova, and I stood up thankfully. I took my two suitcases, held one in each hand, and tried to move towards the door into the corridor. In order to get out of the train, I had to pass down the corridor to the door at the far end. There was no other way out.
I could not even into the corridor. There was a suitcase on the floor by my feet, and three men were standing in my way. I felt a touch of fear. I had to get out, you see; I had to catch my ship, which left at half past eleven. And the train did not stop again until it reached Endoran, two hundred miles away.
“I must get out!” I cried. Everyone there understood me, but no one could move.
At last I was able to put one foot over the suitcase on the floor, and I nearly reached the door into the corridor. But then, very slowly, the train began to move. It was taking me away!
“Stop!” I cried. “I want to get out!” But no one outside the train could hear me, and the people inside did not care much. The train moved a little faster. What could I do? I was not even in the corridor.
Fear made me think quickly. In front of my eyes, just, above the door, was a notice that told everyone how to stop the train. I had to pull an iron thing near the notice. I did not waste time. I pulled it.
Well, a noise started above our heads. That was to show everyone that there was something wrong. It was not a small sound. Possibly the men in my ship two miles away could hear it. Then the train stopped.
No one likes to stop a train if there is no need. But I had to catch my ship. That was the only thought in my mind: to get out and catch my ship.
【小题1】The purpose of the author writing the first paragraph is to __________.

A．answer some questions	B．express some unusual feelings
C．arouse the readers’ curiosity	D．give some advice in advance

【小题2】What do we know about the author and the man sitting next to him?

A．They talked with each other all night

B．They got angry about the window

C．The author didn’t understand the man’s words

D．The author didn’t like the man’s foolish questions

【小题3】On this journey on The Flying Bluebird, the author felt uncomfortable because ___________.

A．he couldn’t find a seat by the window

B．he was angry with the man sitting next to him

C．there were too many people on the train

D．the window was kept shut all night

【小题4】It can be learned from Para. 10 that the author was afraid that ____________.

A．he would have to spend another sleepless night on the train

B．he would miss the ship that went where he worked

C．more people might crowd into the train

D．he would have to buy another ticket

【小题5】The noise in the underlined sentence “a noise started above our heads”（Para.15）was made by __________.

A．the angry passengers shouting at the top of their voices

B．the ship that was lying two miles away

C．the falling of boxes and suitcases to the floor

D．the train itself telling people that something was wrong

【小题6】What would be the best title for the text?

A．A Bad Experience on the Train	B．A Train that Is Never Late
C．A Quick and Wise Decision	D．A Journey to Mendova