President Barack Obama's speeches are proving a best-seller in Japan -- as an aid to learning English. An English-language textbook, "The Speeches of Barack Obama," has sold more than 400,000 copies in two months, a big hit in a country where few hit novels sell more than a million copies a year.

　　Japanese have a fervor for learning English and many bookstores have a corner dedicated (专门用于) to dozens of journals in the language, many of them now featuring the new U.S. leader's face.

"Speeches by presidents and presidential candidates(候选人) are excellent as listening tools to learn English. Obama's are especially so. His speeches are so moving, and he also uses words such as 'yes, we can,' 'change' and 'hope' that even Japanese people can memorize," said Yuzo Yamamoto of Asahi Press, which produced the best-selling text book.

　　Speeches by George W. Bush and former nominee(提名) John Kerry's four years ago did not have the same interest, however, and nor do those made by Japanese politicians. “We have to turn to a foreign president for someone in whom to place our hopes”, Yamamoto said.

　　The 95-page paperback features Obama's speeches in English from the 2004 Democratic National Convention and during the Democratic Party primaries(初选), in which he defeated Hillary Clinton. They are accompanied by Japanese translations.

　　The 1,050 yen ($12) book, which includes a CD of the speeches, tops the bestseller list on bookseller Amazon's Japanese Website, http://www.amazon.co.jp/. He said lawmakers from Japan's main opposition Democratic Party had bought the book to study Obama's speeches.

　　Following Obama's inauguration(就职典礼), Asahi Press plans to issue a sequel(续集) that includes his inaugural address, as well as President John F. Kennedy's 1961 inaugural speech. It will also feature a reading of President Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg address of 1863.

64. Speeches by presidents and presidential candidates are excellent as listening tools to learn English because ________.

the speakers are all great

B. the speakers have high speech skills

C. the language is full of humor

D. the contents are good and the words are easy to catch

Why do Japanese place their hopes in a foreign president?

A. Because they don’t have politicians who have such a positive influence.

B. Because they have the same attitude as the foreign presidents.

C. Because they have never made a political speech.

D. Because they hope to have a foreigner as their leader.

Which is true about “The Speeches of Barack Obama”?

A. It contains all Obama’s speeches .

B. It has 1,050 pages with a CD.

C. It includes his inaugural address.

D. It is an especially popular book in Japan.

Which of the following can best describe the main idea of the passage?

A. Japan speaks highly of Obama president .

B. Japan learns English from Obama speeches textbook .

C. Obama gains his fame from his election speeches.

D. Obama gives Japanese speeches on how to learn English.

TOEFL stands for Test of English as a Foreign Language, which assesses the proficiency (熟练) of English language of a person in an academic setting. Various institutions, scholarship programs require this test as a trusted and effective indicator of a person’s ability to communicate in English.

TOEFL is available in CBT----Computer-based Technology, PBT----Paper-based Technology and IBT----Internet-based Test formats（形式）to assess the proficiency of English Language. IBT TOEFL is a four-hour test comprising sections: Reading, Listening, Speaking and Writing. In areas where internet-based test is not available, a paper-based test (PBT) is given. PBT is a three-hour test comprising four sections: Listening, Structure and Written Expression, Reading Comprehension and Writing.

Taking TOEFL test opens many doors to get admission in foreign universities. More than 7500 colleges, universities and agencies in more than 130 countries rely on TOEFL test scores to check proficiency for English Language. It is very convenient to take this test and it is available in 165 countries world wide.

It measures your academic skills that whether you are ready to study or train at under graduate or post graduate level in foreign universities or not. In the test candidates are provided with a passage from text books and questions based on lectures, and you can be asked to speak or write in response related to that passage.

As the test is made up of 100 % academic questions, so many universities consider it the most effective test, while taking any admission. To take TOEFL test you should:

-----Improve your writing skills;

-----Improve your vocabulary;

-----Practice other reading passages on the TOEFL Test;

-----Be familiar with the format of the test;

-----Practice for listening test on the TOEFL test.

To take admission in World’s famous Harvard University, the minimum TOEFL score required is 587 on the paper-based test, 240 on the computer-based test, or 94-95 on the internet-based TOEFL.

1.The underlined word “comprising” in Paragraph 2 probably means ________.

A. including        B. forming          C. combining   D. explaining

2.Which section is Not included in IBT TOEFL?

A. Reading.                     B. Writing.        

C. Speaking.                D. Structure and Written Expression.

3. According to the passage, many students are required to take TOEFL test probably because the test can________.

A. improve their academic skills

B. indicate their proficiency of English language

C. provide scholarship programs in many countries

D. decide your graduation from foreign universities

4.What would be the best title for the passage?

A. Advantages of TOEFL test         B. Introduction to TOEFL test

C. Preparations for TOEFL test        D. Assessment of TOEFL test

 

 

任务型阅读（共10小题；每小题1分，满分10分）

It all began with ...

Orlando Bloom was not a “good” student in school. Because of dyslexia, a reading and writing disorder (障碍), he struggled in many courses.

But Bloom says the dyslexia gave him the encouragement to overcome (克服) his difficulties.

In an interview with the Telegraph, the 32-year-old said the condition turned him into an ambitious person. “Because of the dyslexia, I always thought I had to work twice as hard as everyone else just to go the same distance,” he said. “That gave me a real kick as a kid and a lot of encouragement later on. In one sense, I guess that I'm grateful (感激的).”

Bloom is always preparing it thoroughly(充分地) when it comes to an audition (试镜) for a part. Perhaps this is what won him his role in the Lord of the Rings, a highly successful film trilogy (三部曲). “I really prepared it thoroughly for the audition and it's paid off,” he said.

It was the beginning of a fame that led to even greater success as a movie actor. But unlike some young people who aim for fame and fortune, Bloom believed an acting career “has been fulfilling (实现) his childhood fantasies”.

“Aged 9, I had this girlfriend and we used to have running races in the park to see who would be her boyfriend for the day. I wanted to be like Superman and fly in and rescue her. Once I realized Superman was an actor, I thought, ‘That's for me''.”

Bloom has always played special characters, like a knight (骑士) and a prince. It's difficult to picture him in everyman roles.

In October, Bloom was named Goodwill Ambassador (亲善大使) for the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF). His first task will be to film a documentary about the importance of clean water supplies.

In fact, Bloom started work for the UNICEF in 2007. On his first visit to Nepal, he was asked by students to take a small part in a play they were performing on local radio.

 

Personal record of Orlando Bloom
When he was nine years old	He wanted to be like Superman and fly in and _____ (1) his girlfriend. That's why he became an _____ (2).
When he was a student at school	_____ (3) of dyslexia, Bloom _____ (4) in many courses, which _____ (5) him to work twice as hard as everyone else. In a sense, dyslexia _____ (6) him overcome his difficulties.
When he chose to be an actor	Bloom is always well _____ (7) for auditions. Perhaps this is _____ (8) won him his role in the Lord of the Rings.
In 2007	Bloom started work for the UNICEF.
In this October	Bloom was _____ (9) Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF. His first task will be to _____ (10) a documentary about the importance of clean water supplies.

 

—What do you think of the book??

—Oh，excellent.It’s well worth _________time.?

A.reading a second                             B.reading the second?

C.to read a second                              D.to read the second?

There are two kinds of reporter－general and specialist. General reporters cover a wide range of new stories, including accidents, conference, crimes, festivals, local politics, strikes and weddings.

Most journalists are __1__ reporters. But some prefer to focus on one subject and only write about that. __2__, the arts, finance, foreign affairs, the law, or sports.

But whether a journalist is “general” or “specialist”, the basic __3__ of reporting is the same.

Researching the story

Who? What? Where? Why? When? How? That’s what a reporter has to __4__ first, and that’s why research is so important. Journalists spend a lot of time __5__ files, visiting libraries, checking facts, making telephone calls. Sometimes they do this __6__, sometimes as part of a team. It’s very boring, but it’s necessary.

Building the story

After the research stage it’s time to make visits (most journalists travel a lot) and interview the people __7__ in the story. In some case this only takes a few hours, but it can take weeks or even months. It __8__ the size of the story.

Writing the story

Journalism always has to complete stories by a specific time __9__ “deadline”. This means that they need to write very __10__. Each story also has to be a specific length. CDBCA；BAAAD

A. entertainment  B. special       C. general       D. vigorous

A. Besides    B. That is       C. No doubt    D. For examples

A. knowledge      B. process       C. description D. technique

A. determine       B. write   C. find out      D. pick up

A. reading    B. correcting   C. copying      D. editing

A. together   B. alone  C. lonely D. quietly

A. involved  B. included     C. happened    D. interested

A. depends on     B. results in    C. relies in      D. changes

A. or    B. and     C. by      D. without

A. vividly  B. carefully    C. accurately   D. quickly