While reading a book in English, every few lines of text, you run across a word or two that you don’t know. You look up every new word in the dictionary. Bad move. All that does slow you down. Even electric or CD –ROM dictionaries can get in the way of your reading progress. A dictionary is like a road map. It can help you if you get lost and point you in the right direction. But if you stop to look at the “map” each time you take a step, you’ll get nowhere fast.

    On your English learning “journey”, a dictionary can be a helpful “travel companion ”--if it is not overused. To help you start thinking in English, use an English-to-English dictionary. Otherwise, you will always depend on your native language and end up translating in your head.

    A good dictionary can help you do more than just find the meaning of a word. It can help you verify  spelling, check word forms and grammar usage, find example sentence and learn pronunciation. Some dictionaries even provide exercises to teach you how to use their resources.

    Take time to get to know your dictionary. Learn the pronunciation symbols. Understand what the abbreviations (缩写字) mean. Try to master the important grammar rules. Look for charts, diagrams and lists that might be useful in the future. You will discover how helpful it can be to make friends with your dictionary. And as they say, “A friend in need is a friend indeed.”

Why do we need a good English-to-English dictionary?

A. Because it is a good friend.

B. Because it can help us to find the right direction if we get lost.

C. Without it we’ll always depend on our native language and end up translating in our head.

D. Because it can help us to start thinking in English and in Chinese.

The underlined word “that” in the last paragraph refers to __________.

A. pronunciation symbols and grammar rules

B. abbreviations and usage for grammar rules

C. the meaning of a word, spelling and grammar usage

D. charts, diagrams and lists

According to the passage, which statement can lead you to believe?

A. The more you use a dictionary, the better you can understand the article.

B. The more you use a dictionary, the faster you may read.

C. The more you use the resources in a dictionary, the more you can benefit from it.

D. The better a dictionary is, the more expensive it is.

通读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后在各题所给的A，B，C，D四个选项中，选出一个最佳答案。

As I had my first child, I promised myself never to be a pushy parent. I was going to be a very 36  and understanding mother.

         Five years later my little boy was about to 37  for his yellow belt in karate(空手道). As a five-year-old child, he wasn’t taking it  38  , because it was Mom trying to help him. I found myself yelling and telling him he would never get the belt acting like that. I was trying to   39  him his back-flip（背摔）. He continued to play and I continued to   40  . Finally I had made him feel like he couldn’t  41  anything, just as I promised myself I wouldn’t do.

         Still mad and stubborn I couldn’t  42  . I had to teach him his flip. He was doing fine with it by the time we had to leave to go to karate. While taking the test, he did  43  . His instructor would ask him to do something, and it became  44  for him. He never asked him to do the back-flip. He had passed his yellow belt test.

         We got in the car to  45  when he looked at me and said ”Mom, why did you make me do that back-flip so many times,  46  it wasn’t even on the test.” The words wouldn’t have  47  anything to anyone else, but it was a slap in my face. That night while  48  in bed, I told him I loved him.

         He was  49  and didn’t say anything, just giggled. I said “I really do love you baby.” I was still feeling  50  , and also wondering if he had  51  me. Finally he replied in the  52  voice, “I know you do, but I love you more.”

         He had forgiven me and I had decided that his feeling were more  53  than any test he would  54  take. I made a new  55  to be better mother and to accept that he was only a child.

1.A．patient                           B．good                         C．polite                        D．affectionate

2.A．look                                 B．test                           C．play                           D．practise

3.A．easy                                B．happily                     C．seriously                  D．fairly

4.A．help                                B．tell                             C．make                        D．teach

5.A．yell                                  B．speak                        C．smile                         D．teach

6.A．acplish                           B．feel                            C．try                             D．pass

7.A．give up                           B．give out                    C．give away                D．give in

8.A．bad                                 B．worse                       C．great                        D．better

9.A．quick                               B．natural                     C．mon                          D．normal

10.A．go shoppingB．go home                                  C．rest ourselves        D．enjoy ourselves

11.A．while                            B．once                          C．when                        D．if

12.A．expected                     B．meant                      C．demanded               D．reached

13.A．reading                        B．studying                   C．lying                          D．talking

14.A．playing                         B．moving                     C．working                    D．crying

15.A．stubborn                     B．happy                       C．upset                        D．guilty

16.A．forgiven                       B．hated                        C．forgotten                 D．loved

17.A．saddest                       B．biggest                     C．happiest                  D．sweetest

18.A．true                              B．important                C．sincere                     D．faithful

19.A．still                               B．even                          C．ever                          D．never

20.A．gift                                B．plan                           C．experiment             D．promise

 

Without any hesitation, he said, “I’d be better off dead.” Hearing those words come out of my best friend’s mouth tore my heart apart. He has repeated that phrase more than once, and my mind continually plays it over like a voice recording.
I met him about three years ago. After knowing me for six months, he told me about his struggles with depression. Sadness was not the only emotion that came over me; I was shocked. He seemed so outgoing and happy all the time. I soon learned that he was physically and emotionally abused as a young child, causing him to have suicidal thoughts.
He refuses to talk to others about his depression because he now distrusts adults, especially those in his family. Nevertheless, he feels as if I understand him and that I know the right words to speak. Therefore, when it comes to helping him, convenience is not in my vocabulary. It does not matter where I am or what I am doing, for he always comes first.
Many students at his school laugh at him when they notice scars on his arms from cutting. As he sees it, other kids have every right to make fun of him. But no one holds such a right, so I encourage him to ignore the heartless kids who treat him badly. When he feels the weight of judging eyes or hateful voices, I always remind him that I care about him unconditionally. Just hearing me say I will always be his best friend seems to give him the security he needs to keep on going.
My best friend once told me that if he had not had me, he would not be alive. He said that my encouraging words convinced him not to take his life. Our friendship has taught me that a single kind word can influence someone’s life. With the fragility of life as it is, I believe in the necessity of encouragement.
【小题1】According to the first paragraph, what the author’s friend said made the author feel ______.

A．puzzled

B．heartbroken.

C．frightened

D．hopeless

【小题2】By saying “convenience is not in my vocabulary”, the author means ______.

A．he is always ready to help his friend.

B．he hardly spares time to help his friend.

C．he has no good excuse for refusing his friend.

D．he is not good at communicating with his friend.

【小题3】From the passage we learn that the author’s friend ________.

A．had a happy childhood but everything changed later

B．wanted to share his story but no one listened.

C．took it for granted that he was made fun of

D．was always of sad appearance

【小题4】What does the author learn from his experiences?

A．How to make a big difference to others.

B．The importance of encouragement.

C．How to get rid of depression

D．The necessity of security

Twenty years have passed, I am glad to find the local people in some undeveloped areas are _________ than they were before.

A．well off              B．badly off         C．worse off        D．better off

 

 — It will be terrible to see the nuclear war happen between U.S and Iran.

— That’s right. Nuclear science should be developed to benefit the people ___ harm them.

A．more than         B．rather than        C．other than         D．better than