It is sometimes said that the English are polite people. This can make life difficult for foreigners. Suppose a foreign boy asks an English girl to go out with him and she says, “If I finish my work, I’ll meet you in the cafe at 7 o’clock.” Is she saying “yes” or “no” to his invitation?

    In grammatical terms, she is using the conditional structure (表示条件的句式). By using the conditional, speakers of English can avoid giving a “yes” or “no” answer to a question. It enables people to be diplomatic (婉转的). If the girl doesn’t want to go out with the boy, she won’t turn up at the cafe. She will let him understand she is still working. If she wants to go out with him, but doesn’t want to appear too easy to catch, she has achieved that with her reply. But in this case, as she uses the first conditional which shows probability, she is quite likely to turn up at the cafe. Being polite can make life very difficult!

    The conditional is often used by people in the news -- politicians, for example -- who wish to avoid speaking out their ideas. This is very important if they are on their way to discuss an agreement. No one wants to give away his or her points before he or she starts. A government spokesman might say to a group of workers, “If we could pay you more, we would.” The use of the conditional here makes room for argument although the speaker is using the second conditional form, which shows improbability. So it is unlikely the workers will get their rise.

    “If ” is a small word, which appears often in the English language. It can show politeness, reported speech and conditionals such as the First -- probability -- if I can come to your party, I will; the Second -- improbability -- if I saw you tomorrow, I’d give you the book; and the Third -- impossibility (meaning it is too late to change something that has happened ) -- if you have told me, I would have helped you.

60. The using of the conditional can make a speech _________.

   A. clearer            B. quicker                   C. more polite           D.more exciting

61. Which of the following is true according to the passage?

   A. Language used in the news should make room to argue.

   B. Usually English girls are not easy to catch.

   C. English people never speak out their ideas in public.

   D. The word “ if ” can show different meanings.

62. In the passage, “If we could pay you more, we would.” probably means __________.

   A. the workers will make more money

   B. the spokesman doesn’t give any promise

   C. the spokesman keeps his word

   D. the workers’ problems aren’t difficult

63. This passage is mainly talking about _________.

   A. the conditional in communication

B. how to invite a girl in Britain

   C. British people and their life           

D. some language points in daily English

It is sometimes said that the English are polite people. This can make life difficult for foreigners. Suppose a foreign boy asks an English girl to go out with him and she says, “If I finish my work, I’ll meet you in the cafe at 7 o’clock.” Is she saying “yes” or “no” to his invitation?
In grammatical terms, she is using the conditional structure (表示条件的句式). By using the conditional, speakers of English can avoid giving a “yes” or “no” answer to a question. It enables people to be diplomatic (婉转的). If the girl doesn’t want to go out with the boy, she won’t turn up at the cafe. She will let him understand she is still working. If she wants to go out with him, but doesn’t want to appear too easy to catch, she has achieved that with her reply. But in this case, as she uses the first conditional which shows probability, she is quite likely to turn up at the cafe. Being polite can make life very difficult!
The conditional is often used by people in the news -- politicians, for example -- who wish to avoid speaking out their ideas. This is very important if they are on their way to discuss an agreement. No one wants to give away his or her points before he or she starts. A government spokesman might say to a group of workers, “If we could pay you more, we would.” The use of the conditional here makes room for argument although the speaker is using the second conditional form, which shows improbability. So it is unlikely the workers will get their rise.
“If ” is a small word, which appears often in the English language. It can show politeness, reported speech and conditionals such as the First -- probability -- if I can come to your party, I will; the Second -- improbability -- if I saw you tomorrow, I’d give you the book; and the Third -- impossibility (meaning it is too late to change something that has happened ) -- if you have told me, I would have helped you.
60. The using of the conditional can make a speech _________.
A. clearer        B. quicker             C. more polite        D.more exciting
61. Which of the following is true according to the passage?
A. Language used in the news should make room to argue.
B. Usually English girls are not easy to catch.
C. English people never speak out their ideas in public.
D. The word “ if ” can show different meanings.
62. In the passage, “If we could pay you more, we would.” probably means __________.
A. the workers will make more money
B. the spokesman doesn’t give any promise
C. the spokesman keeps his word
D. the workers’ problems aren’t difficult
63. This passage is mainly talking about _________.
A. the conditional in communication
B. how to invite a girl in Britain
C. British people and their life           
D. some language points in daily English

It is sometimes said that the English are polite people. This can make life difficult for foreigners. Suppose a foreign boy asks an English girl to go out with him and she says, “If I finish my work, I’ll meet you in the cafe at 7 o’clock.” Is she saying “yes” or “no” to his invitation?

    In grammatical terms, she is using the conditional structure (表示条件的句式). By using the conditional, speakers of English can avoid giving a “yes” or “no” answer to a question. It enables people to be diplomatic (婉转的). If the girl doesn’t want to go out with the boy, she won’t turn up at the cafe. She will let him understand she is still working. If she wants to go out with him, but doesn’t want to appear too easy to catch, she has achieved that with her reply. But in this case, as she uses the first conditional which shows probability, she is quite likely to turn up at the cafe. Being polite can make life very difficult!

    The conditional is often used by people in the news -- politicians, for example -- who wish to avoid speaking out their ideas. This is very important if they are on their way to discuss an agreement. No one wants to give away his or her points before he or she starts. A government spokesman might say to a group of workers, “If we could pay you more, we would.” The use of the conditional here makes room for argument although the speaker is using the second conditional form, which shows improbability. So it is unlikely the workers will get their rise.

    “If ” is a small word, which appears often in the English language. It can show politeness, reported speech and conditionals such as the First -- probability -- if I can come to your party, I will; the Second -- improbability -- if I saw you tomorrow, I’d give you the book; and the Third -- impossibility (meaning it is too late to change something that has happened ) -- if you have told me, I would have helped you.

60. The using of the conditional can make a speech _________.

   A. clearer         B. quicker             C. more polite        D.more exciting

61. Which of the following is true according to the passage?

   A. Language used in the news should make room to argue.

   B. Usually English girls are not easy to catch.

   C. English people never speak out their ideas in public.

   D. The word “ if ” can show different meanings.

62. In the passage, “If we could pay you more, we would.” probably means __________.

   A. the workers will make more money

   B. the spokesman doesn’t give any promise

   C. the spokesman keeps his word

   D. the workers’ problems aren’t difficult

63. This passage is mainly talking about _________.

   A. the conditional in communication

B. how to invite a girl in Britain

   C. British people and their life           

D. some language points in daily English

What is IRC? IRC is Internet Relay Chat. It is a group of networked server computers that let users connect and pass their messages among the networked servers in almost real time. In other words, it is a big chatting server, once you join a group, you are able to talk in an open forum (论坛)type environment or just one on one.
    What IRC Networks are out there? There are about fifty really mainstream IRC networks (groups of servers) you can connect to. The most common ones found are typically, ‘EF-Net’, ‘Under-Net’, and ‘DAL-Net’.
    What is a Channel? A channel is the name for the ‘group’ you are joining, or the ‘forum’ in which you want to talk. On IRC, channels are denoted (表示) as # Channel Name. For instance, say if you are interested in MP3 music, you may want to go to # MP3.
    How do I get on IRC? To get on IRC, you will need to get a client program. I personally suggest using ‘mIRC’, if you are in the windows environment. I have used the program for many years faithfully. It is a shareware（共享软件）program that doesn’t disable after a given time period.
    What are the basic commands once I am on? Join # channel ― this will make you enter a channel. Part # channel ― this will make you exit a channel you are in. Nick new name ― this will change your current screen name.

A note as a warning about IRC. IRC is a wonderful forum for idea exchange, and a fun place to chat and learn. However you must keep in mind that you don’t know who is on the other end. That someone says they are 16 doesn’t mean they aren’t 45. Keep an eye on yourself and make sure not to give out any personal information on IRC before you know those on the other end of the line thoroughly. Attention! Safe IRCing everyone!

53. According to the passage, ‘EF-Net’, ‘Under-Net’, and ‘DAL-Net’ stand for ______.

A. chatting groups        B. group channels         C. computer massages    D. chatting networks

54. Which of the following can’t you do with the basic commands?

A. Change one’s screen name.                                 B. Exit a certain channel.            

C. Know the person you chat with.                            D. Enter a certain channel.

55. We can find all the following information from the passage except ______.

A. the differences between the IRC networks      B. the general knowledge of Internet Relay Chat

C. the way of getting on the networks of IRC      D. the notice for safe chatting on the net      

56. From paragraph ______ you can learn to join a certain ‘group’ or a ‘forum’.

  A. 2                          B. 3                                   C. 4                           D. 5