The number of speakers of English in Shakespeare’s time is estimated(估计) to have been about five million. Today it is estimated that some 260 million people speak it as a native language, mainly in the United States, Canada, Great Britain, Ireland, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand. In addition to the standard varieties of English found in these areas, there are a great many regional and social varieties of the language as well as various levels of usage that are employed both in its spoken and written forms.

In fact, it is impossible to estimate the number of people in the world who have acquired an adequate(足够的) working knowledge of English in addition to their own languages. The purpose for English learning and the situations in which such learning takes place are so varied that it is difficult to explain and still more difficult to judge what forms an adequate working knowledge for each situation.

The main reason for the widespread demand for English is its present-day importance as a world language. Besides serving the indefinite needs of its native speakers, English is a language in which some of important works in science, technology, and other fields are being produced, and not always by native speakers. It is widely used for such purposes as meteorological and airport communications, international conferences, and the spread of information over the radio and television networks of many nations. It is a language of wider communication for a number of developing countries, especially former British colonies. Many of these countries have multilingual populations and need a language for internal communication in such matters as government, commerce, industry, law and education as well as for international communication and for entrance to the scientific and technological developments in the West.

1.What would be the best title for this passage?

A．The Difficulties of Learning English	B．International Communications
C．The Standard Varieties of English	D．English as a World Language

2.Which of the following statements is NOT true?

A．Some 260 million people in the world have an adequate working knowledge of English.

B．There are some 260 million native speakers of English in the world.

C．It is almost impossible to estimate the number of people with an adequate working knowledge of English.

D．People learn English for a variety of reasons.

3.According to the passage, what is the main reason for the widespread use of English?

A．It was popular during Shakespeare’s time.	B．It is used in former British colonies.
C．It serves the needs of its native speakers.
D．It is a world language that is used for international communication.

4.What forms an adequate working knowledge of English?

A．The ability to read a newspaper.
B．It is difficult to judge because it differs for each situation.
C．Being able to speak several languages.	D．Being a native speaker.

5.What type of developing countries would be most likely to use English?

A．Those geographically close to the United States.

B．Those interested in the culture of the United States.

C．Former colonies of Great Britain.

D．Countries where international conferences are held.

6.C。细节题。根据文章最后一段倒数第2句可推知此题

It doesn’t matter when or how much a person sleeps, but everyone needs some rest to stay alive. That’s what all doctors thought, until they heard about Al Herpin. Al Herpin, it was said, never slept. Could this be true? The doctors decided to see this strange man themselves.
Al Herpin was 90 years old when the doctors came to his home in New Jersey. They thought for sure that he got some sleep of some kind. So they stayed with him and watched every movement he made. But they were surprised. Though they watched him hour after hour and day after day, they never saw Herpin sleeping. In fact, he did not even own a bed. He never needed one.
The only rest that Herpin sometimes got was sitting in a comfortable chair and reading newspapers. The doctors were puzzled by his strange continuous sleeplessness. They asked him a lot of questions, hoping to find an answer. They found only one answer that might explain this question. Herpin remembered some talk about his mother having been injured several days before he was born. But that was all. Was this the real reason? No one could be sure.
Herpin died at the age of 94.
【小题1】The doctors came to Herpin’s home in order to __________.

A．treat him for his illness

B．find the reason why some old people didn’t need any sleep.

C．get some proof to show his sleeplessness was not really true.

D．help him to have a rest in some day.

【小题2】After watching him closely, the doctors came to believe that Al Herpin ________.

A．needed some kind of sleep.

B．needed no sleep at all.

C．was too old to need any sleep.

D．often slept in a chair.

【小题3】Al Herpin’s condition could be regarded as ___________.

A．an unusual one	B．a common one
C．very healthy	D．very funny

【小题4】 The main idea of this passage is that ____________.  

A．large numbers of people do not need sleep

B．everyone needs some sleep to stay alive

C．people can live longer by trying not to sleep at all

D．a person was found who actually didn’t need any sleep

Norman Cousins was a businessman from the United States who often traveled around the world on business. He enjoyed his work and traveling.
Then, after returning to the United States from a busy and tiring trip to the Union of Soviet So­cialist Republics( USSR)，Mr. Cousins got sick. Because he had pushed his body to the limit of its strength on the trip, a chemical change began to take place inside him. The material between his bones became weak.
In less than one week after his return, he could not stand. Every move that he made was pain­ful. He was not able to sleep at night.
The doctore told him that they did not know how to cure Mr. Cousins ’ problem and he might never get over the illness. Mr. Cousins, however, refused to give up hope.
Mr. Cousins thought that unhappy thoughts were causing bad chemical changes in his body. He did not want to take medicine to cure himself. Instead，he felt that happy thoughts or laughter might cure his illness.       .'
He began to experiment on himself while still in hospital by watching funny shows on television. Mr. Cousins quickly found that 10 minutes of real laughter during the day gave him two hours of pain -free sleep at night.
Deciding that the doctors could not help him, Mr. Cousins left the hospital and checked into a hotel room where he could continue his experiments with laughter. For eight days，Mr. Cousins rested in the hotel room watching funny shows on television，reading funny books，and sleeping whenever he felt tired. Within three weeks，he felt well enough to take a vacation to Puerto . Rico where he began running on the beach for exercise.
After a few months，Mr. Cousins returned to work. He has laughed himself back to health.
【小题1】Why did Norman Cousins get sick?

A．He did not rest enough.	B．He traveled too much.
C．His body chemistry changed.	D．All of the above.

【小题2】What part of his body was affected by the illness?

A．The bones in his feet.

B．His mind when he slept.

C．The material between his bones.

D．His stomach.

【小题3】What did Mr. Cousins think caused his illness?

A．Bad food.	B．Too much laughter.
C．Unhappy thoughts.	D．The doctors.

【小题4】Where did Mr. Cousins go in order to cure himself?

A．To a hotel room.

B．To the beach.

C．To the hospital.

D．To the USSR.

【小题5】How long did it take before Mr. Cousins went back, to work?

A．A few weeks.

B．A few months.

C．A few hours.

D．A few years.

Many people who work in London prefer to live outside it, and to go in to their offices or schools every day by train, car or bus, even though this means they have to get up early in the morning and reach home late in the evening. 

One advantage of living outside London is that houses are cheaper. Even a small flat in London without a garden costs quite a lot to rent. With the same money, one can get a little house in the country with a garden of one’s own. 

Then, in the country one can rest from the noise and hurry of the town. Even though one has to get up earlier and spend more time in trains or buses, one can sleep better at night and during weekends and on summer evenings, one can enjoy the fresh, clean air of the country. If one likes gardens, one can spend one’s free time digging, planting, watering and doing the hundred and one other jobs which are needed in a garden. Then, when the flowers and vegetables come up, one has the reward of one who has shared the secret of Nature. 

Some people, however, take no interest in country things: for them, happiness lies in the town, with its cinemas and theatres, beautiful shops and busy streets, dance-halls and restaurants. Such people would feel that their life was not worth living if they had to live it outside London. An occasional walk in one of the parks and a fortnight’s (two weeks) visit to the sea every summer is all the country they want: the rest they are quite prepared to leave to those who are glad to get away from London every night. 

1.Which of the following statements is NOT true? 

A．People who like country things prefer to live outside the city.

B．People who work in London prefer to live in the country.

C．Because of certain disadvantages of living outside London, some people who work in London prefer to live inside London.

D．Because of certain advantages of living outside London, many people who work in London prefer to live outside London.

2.One can use the same money for ________ to buy a little house with a garden in the country.

A．getting a small flat with a garden	B．having a small flat with a garden
C．renting a small flat without a garden	D．buying a small flat without a garden

3.When the flowers and vegetables in the garden come up, those _______ have the reward of one who has shared the secret of Nature. 

A．who live in the country

B．who have spent time working in the garden

C．who have a garden of their own

D．who have been digging, planting and watering

4.People who think happiness lies in the town would feel that _______ if they had to live it outside London. 

A．their life was meaningless	B．their life was invaluable
C．they didn’t deserve a happy life	D．they were not worthy of their happy life

5.The underlined word rest in the last paragraph refers to ________.

A．the rest time	B．the rest people
C．the rest of the country	D．the rest of the parks and of the sea

6.C。推断题。根据其上文：这些人偶尔去公园散散步后去海边度两周假；本句接着说：其余的就留给那些每天晚上喜欢离开伦敦的人，那么，“其余的”显然指“其余的乡村”。从而可推知题

It doesn't matter when or how much a person sleeps, but everyone needs some rest to stay alive. That's what all doctors thought, until they heard about Al Herpin. Al Herpin, it was said, never slept. Could this be true ? The doctors decided to see this strange man themselves.
Al Herpin was 90 years old when the doctors came to his home in New Jersey. They thought for sure that he got some sleep of some kind. So they stayed with him and watched every movement he made. But they were surprised. Though they watched him hour after hour and day after day. They never saw Herpin sleeping. In fact, he did not even own a bed. He never needed one.
The only rest that Herpin sometimes got was sitting in a comfortable chair and reading newspapers. The doctors were puzzled by this strange continuous sleeplessness. They found only one answer that might explain his condition. Herpin remembered some talk about his mother having been injured several days before he was born. But that was all. Was this the real reason ? No one could be sure. Herpin died at the age of 94.
【小题1】The main idea of this passage is that _______.

A．a person was found who actually didn't need any sleep

B．large numbers of people do not need sleep

C．everyone needs some sleep to stay alive

D．people can live longer by trying not to sleep

【小题2】 The doctors came to visit Herpin, expecting to _______.

A．cure him of his sleeplessness

B．find a way to free people from the need of sleeping

C．find that his sleeplessness was not really true

D．find out why some old people didn't need any asleep

【小题3】After watching him closely, the doctors came to believe that Al Herpin _______.

A．was too old to need any sleep

B．needed no sleep at all

C．often slept in a chair

D．needed some kind of sleep

【小题4】One reason that might explain Herpin's sleeplessness was _______.

A．that he hadn't got a bed

B．that he had gradually got tired of the sleeping habit

C．his mother's injury before he was born

D．his magnificent physical condition