Just as the English language has changed quickly in the previous century, so has the use of it.
After the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) was founded in 1927, the particular style of speech of the BBC announcers was recognized as standard English or Received Pronunciation (RP) English. Now, most people still consider that the pronunciation and delivery of BBC announcers is the clearest and most understandable spoken English.
English has had a strong relationship with classes and social positions. However, since the Second World War there has been a clear change of attitude towards speech snobbery(自我优越感), and marks of class distinction(区别) such as styles of speech have been gradually diminishing, especially in the younger generation.
By the end of the 1960s, it had become clear that it was not necessary to speak standard English or even correct grammar to become popular, successful and rich. The fashionable speech of the day was no longer the special right of a special class but rather a defiant(反抗的) expression of classlessness.
The greatest single influence of the shaping of the English language in modern times is the American English. Over the last 25 years the English used by many people, particularly by those in the media, advertising and show business, has become more and more mid-Atlantic in style, delivery and accent.
In the 1970s, fashion favored careless pronunciation and a language full of jargon, slang and “in” words, a great quantity of which couldn’t be understood by the outside world. What is considered modern and fashionable in Britain today is often not the kind of English taught in schools and colleges.
【小题1】Which of the following is NOT true?

完形填空（共20小题；每小题1.5分，满分30分）
Another person’s enthusiasm was what set me moving toward the success I have achieved. That person was my stepmother.
I was nine years old when she entered our home in rural Virginia. My father  __36__  me to her with these words: “ I would like you to meet the fellow who is ­­­­­__37__ for being the worst boy in this country and will probably start throwing rocks at you no __38__ than tomorrow morning.”
My stepmother walked over to me, __39__ my head slightly upward, and looked me right in the eye. Then she looked at my father and replied, “You are __40__. This is not the worst boy at all, __41__ the smartest one who hasn’t yet found an outlet(释放的途径) for his enthusiasm.
That statement began a(n) __42__ between us. No one had ever called me smart. My family and neighbors had built me up in my __43__ as a bad boy. My stepmother changed all that.
She changed many things. She __44__ my father to go to a dental school, from which he graduated with honors. She moved our family into the county seat, where my father’s career could be more __45__ and my brother and I could be better __46__.
When I turned fourteen, she bought me a secondhand __47__ and told me that she believed that I could become a writer. I knew her enthusiasm, I __48__ it, and I saw how it had improved our lives. I accepted her __49__ and began to write for local newspapers. I was doing the same kind of _ 50__ that great day I went to interview Andrew Carnegie and received the task which became my life’s work later. I wasn’t the __51__ beneficiary (受益者). My father became the __52__ man in town. My brother and stepbrothers became a physician, a dentist, a lawyer, and a college president.
What power _53__ has! When that power is released to support the certainty of one’s purpose and is __54__ strengthened by faith, it becomes an irresistible(不可抗拒的) force which poverty and temporary defeat can never __55__ .
You can communicate that power to anyone who needs it. This is probably the greatest work you can do with your enthusiasm.

There is no question that teenagers need rules, which is often not a difficult thing for parents to give. What can be more challenging is giving teenagers their freedom. It can be difficult to draw the line between the two. However, some issues cannot be changed by discussion and require firm rules. For instance, rules should be established concerning driving the family car.

I will admit that I have no problem coming up with rules. To me they make life easier and they leave no room for questioning. What can be more difficult, however, is giving my teens their freedom. I guess there are really two primary reasons for this. One is that I sometimes am afraid to give them freedom. The second is that I’m not always so sure what the freedom should be.

It helps that I have a husband with whom I can discuss these problems. We talk about them, give our thoughts and then we come up with an agreement. Sometimes one of us might be more unwilling but we know that there comes a time when we really do have to learn how to let go of the reins (缰绳) a bit.

If we try to make life have nothing but rules, we are more likely to see our teen’s rebelling (反抗). They need to know that while we do have certain expectations, we also trust them to begin making their own choices and decisions. How else can they do that unless they are given the space and room to do it?

It’s really all about balance and I will be the first to admit that it can be a challenge to carry out. However, it is a necessary part of growing up. Yes, teens definitely need rules but they also need freedom.

1.According to the text, we can infer that the writer________.

A．refuses to give her children freedom

B．finds it difficult to make rules

C．doesn’t have a good relationship with her children

D．has trouble in giving freedom to her children

2.According to the writer, only rules without freedom will make the children _______.

A．strong-willed       B．rebellious         C．weak             D．independent

3.Which of the following is TRUE according to the text?

A．Rules are difficult to make for parents.

B．Rules and freedom are similarly important.

C．We should give children freedom as much as possible.

D．Rules are more important than freedom.

4.What does the underlined word “them” in Paragraph 3 probably refer to?

A．Problems.         B．Children.          C．Rules.            D．Reasons.

Another person’s enthusiasm was what set me moving toward the success I have achieved．That person was my stepmother．

       I was nine years old when she entered our home in rural Virginia．My father    36    me to her with these words: “I would like you to meet the fellow who is    37    for being the worst boy in this county and will probably start throwing rocks at you no    38    than tomorrow morning．”

       My stepmother walked over to me,    39    my head slightly upward, and looked me right in the eye．Then she looked at my father and replied, “You are    40   ．This is not the worst boy at all,    41    the smartest one who hasn’t yet found an outlet（释放的途径）for his enthusiasm.”

       That statement began a（n）   42    between us．No one had ever called me smart. My family and neighbors had built me up in my    43    as a bad boy．My stepmother changed all that．

       She changed many things．She    44    my father to go to a dental school, from which he graduated with honors．She moved our family into the county seat, where my father’s career could be more    45    and my brother and I could be better    46   ．

       When I turned fourteen, she bought me a secondhand    47    and told me that she believed that I could become a writer．I knew her enthusiasm, I    48    it, and I saw how it had already improved our lives．I accepted her    49    and began to write for local newspapers．I was doing the same kind of    50    that great day I went to interview Andrew Carnegie and received the task which became my life’s work later．I wasn’t the    51    beneficiary （受益者）．My father became the    52    man in town．My brother and stepbrothers became a physician, a dentist, a lawyer, and a college president．

       What power    53    has! When that power is released to support the certainty of one’s purpose and is    54    strengthened by faith, it becomes an irresistible（不可抗拒的）force which poverty and temporary defeat can never    55   ．

       You can communicate that power to anyone who needs it．This is probably the greatest work you can do with your enthusiasm．

1.A．rushed              B．sent                    C．carried               D．introduced

2.A．distinguished      B．favored               C．mistaken            D．rewarded

3.A．sooner             B．later                          C．longer                D．earlier

4.A．dragged           B．shook                 C．raised                 D．bent

5.A．perfect            B．right                   C．wrong                D．impolite

6.A．but               B．so                       C．and                    D．or

7.A．agreement        B．friendship           C．gap                    D．relationship

8.A．opinion           B．image                 C．expectation            D．mind

9.A．begged         B．persuaded            C．ordered              D．invited

10.A．successful             B．meaningful          C．helpful               D．useful

11.A．treaded          B．entertained          C．educated             D．respected

12.A．camera          B．radio                  C．bicycle               D．typewriter

13.A．considered       B．suspected            C．ignored                  D．appreciated

14.A．belief                   B．request                C．criticism             D．description

15.A．teaching        B．writing               C．studying             D．reading

16.A．next               B．same                   C．only                   D．real

17.A．cleverest        B．wealthiest            C．strongest            D．healthiest

18.A．enthusiasm               B．sympathy           C．fortune               D．confidence

19.A．deliberately       B．happily               C．traditionally          D．constantly

20.A．win               B．match                 C．reach                 D．doubt