I am a writer. I spend a great deal of my time thinking about the power of language — the way it can evoke(唤起) an emotion, a visual image, a complex idea, or a simple truth. Language is the tool of my trade. And I use them all — all the Englishes I grew up with.

Born into a Chinese family that had recently arrived in California, I’ve been giving more thought to the kind of English my mother speaks. Like others, I have described it to people as “broken” English. But I feel embarrassed to say that. It has always bothered me that I can think of no way to describe it other than “broken”, as if it were damaged and needed to be fixed, as if it lacked a certain wholeness. I’ve heard other terms used, “limited English,” for example. But they seem just as bad, as if everything is limited, including people’s perceptions (认识) of the limited English speaker.

I know this for a fact, because when I was growing up, my mother’s “limited” English limited my perception of her. I was ashamed of her English. I believed that her English reflected the quality of what she had to say. That is, because she expressed them imperfectly, her thoughts were imperfect. And I had plenty of evidence to support me: the fact that people in department stores, at banks, and at restaurants did not take her seriously, did not give her good service, pretended not to understand her, or even acted as if they did not hear her.

I started writing fiction in 1985. And for reasons I won’t get into today, I began to write stories using all the Englishes I grew up with: the English she used with me, which for lack of a better term might be described as “broken”, and what I imagine to be her translation of her Chinese, her internal(内在的) language, and for that I sought to preserve the essence, but neither an English nor a Chinese structure: I wanted to catch what language ability tests can never show; her intention, her feelings, the rhythms of her speech and the nature of her thoughts.

1.By saying “Language is the tool of my trade”, the author means that       .

A．she uses English in foreign trade

B．she is fascinated by languages

C．she works as a translator

D．she is a writer by profession

2.The author used to think of her mother’s English as      .

A．impolite

B．amusing

C．imperfect

D．practical

3.Which of the following is TRUE according to Paragraph 3?

A．Americans do not understand broken English.

B．The author’s mother was not respected sometimes.

C．The author’s mother had positive influence on her.

D．Broken English always reflects imperfect thoughts.

4.What is the passage mainly about?

A．The changes of the author’s attitude to her mother’s English.

B．The limitation of the author’s perception of her mother.

C．The author’s misunderstanding of “limited” English.

D．The author’s experiences of using broken English.

 

The pursuit of lasting happiness has long been a subject of interest for scientists and surveys alike. But what makes us really happy and what lasting benefits does happiness have?

Well, earlier this month, scientists from the University of Illinois found the people who are happy and positive about life live longer. The researchers found "clear and compelling（引人注目的） evidence" that happiness is key when it comes to better health and longer lifespans（寿命）.

Last month a British study, which tracked members of 40,000 households across the country, concluded that eating a family meal at least three times a week is the key to happiness because it helps build a strong bond between parents and their children．

But happiness might be decided when you are born．Names can apparently predict how happy we are as individuals, with researchers at Manchester Metropolitan University claiming in 2009 that people called Judy and Joshua enjoy life the most．Ben, Andrew and Edward were seen as miserable names on the other hand．Married couples are most likely to be happy with their relationships, according to the study, which also found that the happiest relationships are those less than five years old between two university graduates who have no children．

Research has also suggested that happiness begins at 50．A study from Stony Brook University, New York, found that stress, anger and worry fade after you are fifty．Women were also reported to suffer greater stress, worry and sadness at all ages．

Money makes the world go round, but it is not the key to happiness, according to other studies．In 2008, a survey from the Office for National Statistics found that British families were healthier and twice as well off as they were 20 years ago, but are not happier．However, other studies have found money can buy you happiness after all, but only if you spend it wisely．Indeed, that might be why a good holiday can boost your happiness levels "for up to two months’ although the break has to be "very relaxing” to have such an effect．

1．How many researches or surveys are mentioned in this passage?

　 A．3．　　　　 　 B．4．　　　　　 C．5．　　　 　　 D．6．

2．Which of the following statements is NOT TRUE according to the text?

　 A．Happiness is key of better health and longer lifespan．

　 B．Happy people are living longer．

　 C．Happiness was decided when you were born．

　 D．Money is not the key to happiness．

3．What can we learn from the text?

　 A．Eating a family meal at least three times a week brings happiness to children．

　 B．Married couples are happier than those unmarried．

　 C．Doing physical activity can boost your happiness．

　 D．Women were reported to suffer greater stress at all ages．

4．What is the best title of the passage?

　 A．The Pursuit of Happiness．

　 B．Happiness And Its Benefits．

　 C．The Relationship Between Happiness And Long Life．

　 D．The Importance of Happiness．

 

Nobel, who was born in Stockholm, is a great scientist famous for his dangerous experiments.
Nobel studied in the USA and then Russia between 1850 and 1859. After his return, he started researching into bombs. As is known, bomb is dangerous to life, but Nobel was working under that condition. Once a big explosion in his lab completely destroyed the lab and caused some deaths. After that he had to experiment on a boat in a lake. He received criticism and satire(讽刺), but he proceeded with the work rather than losing heart. From 1860s to 1880s, Nobel made many achievements and his inventions were first used in building roads and digging tunnels. Most of the bombs were safer and more possible to be controlled. Even at the end of the 20th century, we still used his methods.
Nobel had many patents in Britain and other European countries. He was quick to see industrial openings(机会) for his scientific inventions and built up over 80 companies in 20 different countries. Indeed his greatness lay in his outstanding ability to combine the qualities of an original scientist with those of a forward­looking industrialist.
But Nobel’s main concern was never with making money or even with making scientific discoveries. Seldom happy, he was always searching for a meaning to life, and from his youth, he had taken a serious interest in literature and philosophy. His greatest wish, however, was to see an end to wars, and thus peace between nations, and he spent much time and money working for this cause. To follow his will, a fund was set up to encourage people to make great progress in physics, chemistry, physiology(生理学), medicine, literature and peace. That’s the Nobel Prize which means great honor to a scientist.
【小题1】Through his early experimental work, it is evident that ________.

A．Nobel was a man of strong will

B．Nobel was a man of gift

C．Nobel seldom got on well with his work

D．Nobel had his heart in his work

【小题2】In fact, his inventions were first used in ________.

A．a war to kill and injure his fellow men	B．building roads
C．digging tunnels	D．both B and C

【小题3】Based on the passage, Nobel, as a scientist, ________.

A．took a single interest in science

B．took a serious interest in money

C．took no interest in literature

D．took a serious interest in literature as well as in science

【小题4】Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?

A．His wonderful will surely provided other scientists with a large sum of money.

B．In leaving behind a well­meant will, Nobel succeeded in setting up a permanent monument for his interests and ideals.

C．Nobel made a glorious will so that he might be remembered and respected after his death.

D．Nobel expressed his wish in his will that a monument should be put up in memory of him.

When you have a question about something, where do you go? For many people the answer is simple. They go online to a search engine like Google or Yahoo. But what about people in rural or under developed areas who may have no way to get on the Internet? Luckily, Rose Shuman, a business and international development consultant in California, has found a way for them. Her amazing solution is “Question Box”.

Question Box is a service that provides answers -- free of charge -- for people who cannot search the Internet directly. They might not be able to read, or they simply have no access.

Question Box began two years ago in India. People use a metal call box with a push-to-talk button to connect to a live operator, as Rose Shuman explains, “You just push a button, a big green button, and that will connect you directly to our operators who are sitting in front of computers, and speak your language. And you can ask them any sort of question you want, and they'll look it up in English or in Hindi, or whatever the main language is, and translate the answer right back for you.”

The service is currently offered in two villages. The latest version of the box uses mobile phone technology and solar panels in case the electrical power fails. Rose Shuman says the aim was to make the box as easy as possible for users.

“Rather than try to bring a lot of infrastructure to them and expect them to learn how to use the Internet, the idea was to make a technology that even Grandma could use, figuring that Grandma could probably walk up to a box and push a button,” added Shuman.

In April, Question Box expanded to Uganda. Forty community workers with mobile phones connect villagers to call center operators in Kampala. The community workers go around telling people about the service. They wear T-shirts that say “Ask Me.”

But Internet service in Uganda proved slow and undependable. So Question Box teamed up with a local technology company to store information on a local server. That way, the researchers in Kampala can quickly search the database for answers when users ask about current events and many other subjects.

Rose Shuman continued, “When was Mahatma Gandhi born and how long is the Nile River? What's the tallest mountain? The funniest one I think we got was, 'Did the pyramids ever move to another place?', which we found pretty funny. But we did look it up, and they haven't moved.”

1. According to the passage, “Question Box” is a service intended to________.

   A．help improve the living standard of the people in poor areas

   B．promote the computer technology

   C．provide answers to the people without the Internet

   D．enrich the local people’s life

2. Which of the following is TRUE about Question Box according to the passage?

   A．Uganda is the original place where the service started.

   B．Some modern technologies have been used for improving the service.

   C．Question Box won’t be able to work if there is no electrical power.

   D．It was impossible for a grandma to use Question Box.

3. We can learn from the passage that in Uganda ______.

A．forty call center operators helped make Question Box known to villagers

B．it was very convenient for villagers to have access to Internet service

C．users are very interested in current events

D．a local technology company cooperate with Question Box

4. What can be inferred from the last paragraph?

A．All the questions asked by people are pretty funny.

B．Workers of Question Box know the answer for any question.

C．Question Box always tries to answer the question, no matter how strange.

D．Those who asked questions wanted to make progress in their studies.

5. What attitude does the writer hold towards “Question Box” according to the passage?

A．Indefinite.              B．Negative.      C．Supportive.          D．Indifferent.