Have you ever noticed someone "talking" to them-selves? What did you think? The word "crazy" probably came to your mind. Wait a minute, though. Maybe they’re doing something meaningful.
Speaking practice can be effective in many different forms when people learn English or another foreign language. Imitating the speech of others is proven to be highly effective in developing a native speaker’s level of fluency in a language. Actually you’ve already proven that to your-self.
How? That’s how you learned your first language! Whether it was English, Spanish, French or some other language, you "imitated" your mother, father, other family members, friends, teachers and whoever else was around making "talking" noises at you as you formed your first communicative language skills.
So don’t think those who are talking to themselves are "crazy". At least don’t do so until you’ve tried it for your-self, in English or in your new foreign language.
As you go through your day, in English or your new foreign language, tell yourself what you’re doing at the moment and what you’re going to do during the day.
"Which of these shirts, ties, etc. should I wear today? Not this one, I wore it just last week. Maybe this one, but I don’t like this color with the pants. Let’s try another one," you might say as you are getting dressed.
If you live alone, you can talk aloud whenever you want without disturbing others. If you don’t live alone, however, then first explain to your family or roommates what you’ll be doing, to avoid a quiet phone call to the local psychiatrist (精神病学家).
【小题1】The author wrote the passage mainly to _______.

A．tell us how to talk to ourselves

B．introduce a method of learning a foreign language

C．tell us why some people talk to themselves

D．explain to us how we learned our native language

【小题2】What does the underlined word "it" in the fifth paragraph refer to?

A．The word "crazy".	B．A foreign language.
C．The skill of communicating.	D．The method of talking to oneself.

【小题3】From the passage we can know that ______.

A．people who talk to themselves are crazy

B．if you live alone, you should talk to yourself

C．you should tell yourself what you’re doing

D．we learned our native language by imitating

At the age of 13，I visited a doctor with my parents. As I sat in the examining chair，the doctor looked into my 　31　.“She did inherit (继承) it，”he said with coldness.“You need to be prepared. There is no 　32　 for this disease.”

My father 　33　 a gene which，in most cases，results in blindness. I’d inherited the gene. He gradually 　34　 his eyesight and so did I. At last we were both 　35　 blind—he was fifty-seven years old，　36　 I was only twenty-eight.

My world 　37　 as the darkness fell，　38　 the dreams my husband and I had for us and for our three little boys. But 　39　 I tried to find some hope and 　40　，my eyes were opened to a new realization.

My father had 　41　 me not just failing eyesight，but an example of 　42　 in the face of hardships as well. We were all living in Bolivia in 1964 when he decided to 　43　 the family to America. He worked tirelessly to 　44 the right of living in the US.

Alone in the States，he 　45　 his helplessness and lack of fluency in English. He managed to rent a small apartment，and nine months later，sent airline tickets for my mom，my brother and me.

Decades later，　46 an American citizen，I look back at what he'd shown me. He set an example proving that determination is important to success. His 　47　 taught me valuable lessons for my own path in the darkness.

I did the same as I stepped into a 　48　 world. I fulfilled (完成) my own 　49　 as a wife，mom，Sunday school teacher and Spanish interpreter. What I inherited from my father helped me to 50　 my life in a whole new light.

1.A.mouth           B.eyes          C.ears          D.throat

2.A.solution         B.reason         C.excuse          D.cure

3..A.carried            B.spread            C.infected      D.raised

4.A.damaged         B.lost         C.recovered     D.gained

5.A.rapidly         B.nearly         C.completely       D.terribly

6.A.though              B.but               C.so                D.since

7.A.broke down      B.broke off     C.broke away        D.broke out

8.A.realizing           B.sharing      C.disturbing        D.destroying

9.A.when            B.before         C.unless           D.until

10.A.honour         B.beauty            C.strength      D.failure

11.A.handed         B.rewarded      C.given         D.taught

12.A.contribution       B.determination C.challenge     D.honesty

13.A.move           B.settle            C.arrange           D.send

14.A.enjoy           B.declare          C.apply         D.win

15.A.accepted       B.admitted      C.overcame      D.met

16.A.as                 B.like          C.for            D.to

17.A.knowledge      B.journey           C.situation          D.event

18.A.cruel          B.inner             C.modern         D. dark

19.A.promises       B. hopes            C. roles            D. changes

20.A.touch          B. end          C. save           D. see

 

Fluency(流利) in another language is one of the most important aims of a newcomer to another country. In addition, understanding the culture and learning to communicate comfortably with people of that culture are as important as learning the rules of the language. Language learning and culture learning go together and may take a long time.?
Sometimes people feel that they understand a culture after a few weeks or months. People do learn a lot when they first begin living in another culture, but this is only the first stage of learning. It usually involves(含包) things like learning everyday activities and some basic customs.?
To really understand another culture, people have to go beyond the first stage, this is challenge(挑战) because it is often difficult to know what to learn. Much of what we call “culture” is hard to see.?
Culture is like an iceberg(冰川). Picture in your mind a huge iceberg in the ocean. The only part of the iceberg that you see is the tip. You don’t see the rest of the iceberg because it is hidden from sight in the water. It is easy to forget that it is there. Most of the iceberg is deep within the ocean, just as much of a culture is deep within its people.?
When you meet someone from another culture, certain culture differences are obvious: You hear another language or you hear your own language spoken with an accent. You see different foods, clothes and sometimes physical characteristics of people. You observe new customs or habits, such as the use of chopsticks, and, bowing or kissing on both cheeks as a greeting. These differences are interesting and important, but they are usually not too difficult to understand. They are visible so they are seen easily and quickly.?
The part of culture that is like the underwater part of the iceberg consists of assumptions(设想), communication styles, values, and beliefs about what is right and wrong. The hidden part of culture affects much of a person’s way of thinking and communicating. It is the meaning behind his or her verbal (言语的) and nonverbal language. Learning to communicate well with people from another culture involves becoming aware of the hidden part of culture.
【小题1】What’s the subject of this passage?

A．Learning about culture.	B．Language learning.
C．The hidden part of the iceberg.	D．Fluency in another language.

【小题2】What is learning about culture?

A．Learning the hidden part of the iceberg, which is underwater.

B．Learning everyday activities and some basic customs.

C．Learning the culture of an iceberg.

D．Learning the visible as well as the hidden differences of culture.

【小题3】The underlined phrase “consists of” can be replaced by “______”.

A．lies in

B．is made up of

C．agrees with

D．is different from

【小题4】What conclusion can we draw after reading this passage?

A．Values and beliefs are like the tip of the iceberg.

B．People often become aware of the hidden part of culture.

C．The tip of the iceberg is larger than the hidden part.

D．The hidden part of culture has a great effect on people’s communication styles.

Have you ever noticed someone "talking" to them-selves? What did you think? The word "crazy" probably came to your mind. Wait a minute, though. Maybe they’re doing something meaningful.

Speaking practice can be effective in many different forms when people learn English or another foreign language. Imitating the speech of others is proven to be highly effective in developing a native speaker’s level of fluency in a language. Actually you’ve already proven that to your-self.

How? That’s how you learned your first language! Whether it was English, Spanish, French or some other language, you "imitated" your mother, father, other family members, friends, teachers and whoever else was around making "talking" noises at you as you formed your first communicative language skills.

So don’t think those who are talking to themselves are "crazy". At least don’t do so until you’ve tried it for your-self, in English or in your new foreign language.

As you go through your day, in English or your new foreign language, tell yourself what you’re doing at the moment and what you’re going to do during the day.

"Which of these shirts, ties, etc. should I wear today? Not this one, I wore it just last week. Maybe this one, but I don’t like this color with the pants. Let’s try another one," you might say as you are getting dressed.

If you live alone, you can talk aloud whenever you want without disturbing others. If you don’t live alone, however, then first explain to your family or roommates what you’ll be doing, to avoid a quiet phone call to the local psychiatrist (精神病学家).

1.The author wrote the passage mainly to _______.

A．tell us how to talk to ourselves

B．introduce a method of learning a foreign language

C．tell us why some people talk to themselves

D．explain to us how we learned our native language

2.What does the underlined word "it" in the fifth paragraph refer to?

A．The word "crazy".                       B．A foreign language.

C．The skill of communicating.                D．The method of talking to oneself.

3.From the passage we can know that ______.

A．people who talk to themselves are crazy

B．if you live alone, you should talk to yourself

C．you should tell yourself what you’re doing

D．we learned our native language by imitating

 

Fluency(流利) in another language is one of the most important aims of a newcomer to another country. In addition, understanding the culture and learning to communicate comfortably with people of that culture are as important as learning the rules of the language. Language learning and culture learning go together and may take a long time.?

Sometimes people feel that they understand a culture after a few weeks or months. People do learn a lot when they first begin living in another culture, but this is only the first stage of learning. It usually involves(含包) things like learning everyday activities and some basic customs.?

To really understand another culture, people have to go beyond the first stage, this is challenge(挑战) because it is often difficult to know what to learn. Much of what we call “culture” is hard to see.?

Culture is like an iceberg(冰川). Picture in your mind a huge iceberg in the ocean. The only part of the iceberg that you see is the tip. You don’t see the rest of the iceberg because it is hidden from sight in the water. It is easy to forget that it is there. Most of the iceberg is deep within the ocean, just as much of a culture is deep within its people.?

When you meet someone from another culture, certain culture differences are obvious: You hear another language or you hear your own language spoken with an accent. You see different foods, clothes and sometimes physical characteristics of people. You observe new customs or habits, such as the use of chopsticks, and, bowing or kissing on both cheeks as a greeting. These differences are interesting and important, but they are usually not too difficult to understand. They are visible so they are seen easily and quickly.?

The part of culture that is like the underwater part of the iceberg consists of assumptions(设想), communication styles, values, and beliefs about what is right and wrong. The hidden part of culture affects much of a person’s way of thinking and communicating. It is the meaning behind his or her verbal (言语的) and nonverbal language. Learning to communicate well with people from another culture involves becoming aware of the hidden part of culture.

1.What’s the subject of this passage?

A．Learning about culture.	B．Language learning.
C．The hidden part of the iceberg.	D．Fluency in another language.

2.What is learning about culture?

A．Learning the hidden part of the iceberg, which is underwater.

B．Learning everyday activities and some basic customs.

C．Learning the culture of an iceberg.

D．Learning the visible as well as the hidden differences of culture.

3.The underlined phrase “consists of” can be replaced by “______”.

A．lies in

B．is made up of

C．agrees with

D．is different from

4.What conclusion can we draw after reading this passage?

A．Values and beliefs are like the tip of the iceberg.

B．People often become aware of the hidden part of culture.

C．The tip of the iceberg is larger than the hidden part.

D．The hidden part of culture has a great effect on people’s communication styles.