People say teenagers are no good. They make too much noise in shopping malls; they drive recklessly（不顾一切地） up and down America’s main streets; they carry chips on their shoulders as big as the Sears Tower. And at least some of the time those things are true. But we shouldn’t forget that there are hard moments in the life of a teenager too.

I watched such a moment not long ago at a woman’s funeral. I didn’t expect the event to affect me. Through much of the ceremony, in fact, I remained unmoved.

The teenage grandson stepped forward. With his very first deep breath, every heart in that church was achingly reminded of something we had all forgotten. Softly he began: “I want to share a few values that Nana taught me. She never failed to see light in any situation. When our family dog would truely attract her, what would Nana say? ‘oh, what beautiful barking that dog has!’ That was Nana. ”

“She was a strong woman who often lived in the shadow of my grandpa, who was a successful businessman in this city. But she was the one behind the scenes who provided the strength and support for my grandpa’s career,” he said, with a voice now trembling, “That was Nana’s way.”

Through a low sob, he continued, “Whenever she did anything worth recognition, you ’d have to hear about it from a different source, because she was never one to show off.”

Finally, in a voice breaking free of sorrow, he looked up and said, “Nana taught me courage. She put up an incredible fight to the end, when she died peacefully, which is how she lived her life. That was Nana’s way, and I hope I can carry on in the same manner.”

There are no hearts as sensitive as those of teenagers, because everything is happening to them for the first time. The trouble with teenagers is that they haven’t learned to be controlled.

When that boy rose to speak about the woman who surely had been his truest and dearest friend, his honest voice dragged each of us out into the open where we could no longer hide in the calm ceremony . He exposed us to the truth about this very real woman who believed in a boy who probably tried the patience of many adults. He reminded us that his grandmother was more than another dot on the chart of life and death.

All over again we felt those powerful losses crossing our own hearts, and we knew that when you say good-bye to something happy, something young in yourself. And that something never really returns, and the pain never really goes away.

 

1.In the first paragraph, the writer gave some examples to_____.

A. support his idea that young people are no good.

B. introduce his point of view about young people.

C. tell people every coin has its two sides.

D. young people often make mistakes.

2. From the boy’s speech, we know _____.

A. his grandmother had great influence on him.

B. they had a dog which often attacked people

C. people had forgotten her until the boy appeared..

D. his grandmother was so weak that she is always living in the shadow of his grandpa

3. Which of the following statements is true?

A. The boy ‘s speech moved no one present at the funeral except the writer.

B. The boy’s being good at expressing himself enabled him to draw everyone’s attention.

C. The boy was too grieved to accept the fact that his grandmother had passed away.

D. The writer didn’t expect the event would affect him.

4.What words can best describe grandmother’s quality?

A. weak, mild and modest.

B.. easygoing, cautious and considerate

C. sensitive and hard on others.

D, patient, optimistic, strong and helpful.

5.The passage tells the readers____.

A. facing certain bitter facts help young people to grow.

B. young people have to control themselves

C. the adults should learn from the young.

D. the adults should teach the young how to be brave

 

When Chinese student Du Juan brought her American boyfriend home two years ago to use the toilet, her Japanese roommate became so upset that she shouted in English: "I hate you."

   Du, then 21 and an undergraduate at Bridgewater State College in Massachusetts, was shocked. So was her boyfriend.

"Later I realized that she didn't literally mean what she said and that she was not aware of the full meaning of the word 'hate' in English," said Du. "It was more a problem with translation," she added.

Cultural differences can cause confusion about what words or even actions mean, an issue that has come to the forefront recently following the arrest of a Chinese doctoral degree student in New Jersey.

Zhai Tiantian, who studied at the Stevens Institute of Technology, has been accused of trying to set fire to a campus building and of making threats to a professor who gave him a low mark. No physical altercation took place but Zhai reportedly said something along the lines of "at worst, I will risk anything on the line." The professor called the campus police.

According to the indictment sheet（起诉书）, Zhai is facing the serious charge of making a terroristic threat.

For a few days, Chinese media mistranslated, or misunderstood, the charges and reported that Zhai was being charged with terrorism.

Some language experts have speculated（推测） that the disagreement between Zhai and the professor can also be chalked up to cultural and linguistic differences. "What Chinese people regard as acceptable speech may be regarded by Americans as threats," said Luo Gang, the Chinese Consulate's Overseas Chinese Affairs consul. "This is an unfortunate incident. Even though Zhai intended no harm, he has done himself a great deal of harm."

Du, now 23, said she supports Zhai's actions in fighting to save his academic career, but added he needs to learn more about communication in a foreign language.

"Chinese students in a foreign country must prepare more in terms of languages and conversation skills to avoid misunderstandings," she said.

1.What does the underlined word “altercation” mean？

   A. fight     B. check    C. education    D. experiment

2.By saying “It was more a problem with translation”, what does Du Juan mean?

   A. Translation was not the real problem, as Du Juan and her roommate can both speak English.

   B. Du Juan can not understand what her roommate meant at all.

   C. Her roommate didn’t know what “hate” really meant in daily conservation.

   D. Her roommate spoke such poor English that she felt angry.

3.Which of the following statements about Zhai Tiantian is true?

   A. He set fire to a campus building.

   B. He argued with a professor because he received a low mark.

   C. He has received a doctor’s degree at the Stevens Institute of Technology.

   D. He is facing a serious charge because he murdered the professor.

4.What is the main idea of the passage?

   A. Du Juan’s unpleasant experience abroad.   

   B. Confusion caused by translation.

   C. Conservational skills in a foreign country.   

   D. Cultural differences between China and America.

 

I keep hammering this because I keep seeing people who don’t do it.

1. Look up English to Elvish.

2. Look up the Elvish word in the best Elvish dictionary you have, and, preferably, find out the context（上下文） in Tolkien’s language dictionary.

3. Change the word to suit rules of grammar: singular or plural, mutations, verb tenses, etc.

You cannot leave out any of these steps. If you do, you’re almost certain to have errors. Why you have to do step 2:

Languages never match up one- to-one. English and Elvish are closer than usual, but there are still problems. And English has strange idioms: why are there no baths or beds in public bathrooms or restrooms? You can’t translate literally（逐字地）. You have to understand the meaning behind each word.

In Elvish this is even more true, since our dictionaries contain more or less questionable reconstructions, and words that Tolkien later threw away or replaced. Find the best one you can.

Consider the word “fair”. We tend to use it to mean “just”. Tolkien tends to use it to mean “beautiful”. In Elvish, these are two entirely different words. So when you look up “fair”, you’ll have to go to the Elvish dictionary to see that you’ve got the right one.

Consider the nightmare（噩梦） of He left the bar. Is “left” the opposite of “right” （which also has two meanings） ? Is “bar” extruded steel（型材钢）, or something to do with law? You have to know what words mean in both languages.

And you’d be amazed at how many people ignore step 3, forgetting that language is more than a string of words, and there are rules about how to fit those words together. You can’t simply look up the word “I” and use it everywhere. Sometimes you need “me” or “my”. There’s a reason it takes a while to learn a language: you have to learn the rules.

It drives me completely mad when people give a questionable translation they insist is right because “it’s in the dictionary”. A dictionary is a tool, a resource. but its entries（词目）should not be mistaken for a finished product. They are raw materials.

1.The underlined word “this” in paragraph 1 refers to         .

A. consulting the dictionaries when translating between languages

B. finding out the true meaning in context

C. ignoring the rules of grammar

D. leaving out some of the three steps the author mentions

2. According to the author, you have to do step 2 because         .

A. you have to understand the meaning behind each word

B. Elvish and English are quite different in forms

C. there are no baths or beds in public bathrooms

D. Elvish has some words which are hard to find

3.Grammar is also very important because it         .

A. helps fit the words together

B. takes a while to learn a language

C. is a rule to obey

D. is often forgotten in translating

4.In the last paragraph, the author shows         .

A. his impatience to those who insist their wrong translation is right

B. his puzzle to the questionable translation

C. the importance of the correct use of dictionaries

D. the mistaken entries in the dictionaries

5. The passage is mainly about how to         .

A. learn a foreign language with a dictionary

B. avoid errors when looking up a dictionary

C. understand the meaning of a strange word

D. use a dictionary to translate between languages

 

People say teenagers are no good. They make too much noise in shopping malls; they drive recklessly（不顾一切地） up and down America’s main streets; they carry chips on their shoulders as big as the Sears Tower. And at least some of the time those things are true. But we shouldn’t forget that there are hard moments in the life of a teenager too.

I watched such a moment not long ago at a woman’s funeral. I didn’t expect the event to affect me. Through much of the ceremony, in fact, I remained unmoved.

The teenage grandson stepped forward. With his very first deep breath, every heart in that church was achingly reminded of something we had all forgotten. Softly he began: “I want to share a few values that Nana taught me. She never failed to see light in any situation. When our family dog would truely attract her, what would Nana say? ‘oh, what beautiful barking that dog has!’ That was Nana. ”

“She was a strong woman who often lived in the shadow of my grandpa, who was a successful businessman in this city. But she was the one behind the scenes who provided the strength and support for my grandpa’s career,” he said, with a voice now trembling, “That was Nana’s way.”

Through a low sob, he continued, “Whenever she did anything worth recognition, you’d have to hear about it from a different source, because she was never one to show off.”

Finally, in a voice breaking free of sorrow, he looked up and said, “Nana taught me courage. She put up an incredible fight to the end, when she died peacefully, which is how she lived her life. That was Nana’s way, and I hope I can carry on in the same manner.”

There are no hearts as sensitive as those of teenagers, because everything is happening to them for the first time. The trouble with teenagers is that they haven’t learned to be controlled.

When that boy rose to speak about the woman who surely had been his truest and dearest friend, his honest voice dragged each of us out into the open where we could no longer hide in the calm ceremony . He exposed us to the truth about this very real woman who believed in a boy who probably tried the patience of many adults. He reminded us that his grandmother was more than another dot on the chart of life and death.

All over again we felt those powerful losses crossing our own hearts, and we knew that when you say good-bye to something happy, something young in yourself. And that something never really returns, and the pain never really goes away.

In the first paragraph, the writer gave some examples to_____.

A. support his idea that young people are no good.

B. introduce his point of view about young people.

C. tell people every coin has its two sides.

D. young people often make mistakes.

From the boy’s speech, we know _____.

A. his grandmother had great influence on him.

B. they had a dog which often attacked people

C. people had forgotten her until the boy appeared..

D. his grandmother was so weak that she is always living in the shadow of his grandpa

Which of the following statements is true?

A. The boy ‘s speech moved no one present at the funeral except the writer.

B. The boy’s being good at expressing himself enabled him to draw everyone’s attention.

C. The boy was too grieved to accept the fact that his grandmother had passed away.

D. The writer didn’t expect the event would affect him.

What words can best describe grandmother’s quality?

A. weak, mild and modest.

B.. easygoing, cautious and considerate

C. sensitive and hard on others.

D, patient, optimistic, strong and helpful.

The passage tells the readers____.

A. facing certain bitter facts help young people to grow.

B. young people have to control themselves

C. the adults should learn from the young.

D. the adults should teach the young how to be brave