English is now the first language of about 400 million people, the mother language of 12 countries and the
official language of thirty-three more countries. That means one in every seven people in the world speaks
English.
      English has become the new Latin (拉丁語(yǔ)) of the century. One must know English is a part of the
twenty-first century. In Italy, for example, English is a must for many technical (技術(shù)的) jobs. In China, English
is the most important foreign language learned at school.
      Now no other language on the earth is better suited to play the role of the world language. Because English is
easier to learn than any other language, and it easily borrows local words and phrases from other countries to
expand (豐富，擴(kuò)大) its vocabulary.
      English is so widely used that it has become the standard language for all kinds of international
communication. Now 75% of the world's mail is in English. 60% of the world's telephone calls are made in
English. 60% of the world's radio stations are broadcast (廣播) in English and over half of the world's books
and magazines are written in English. In a word, English is now the world's first language.

1. _____ countries speak English as their mother language.

A. 11
B. 12
C. 33
D. 45

2. "English has become the new Latin of the century" means _____.

A. English has a long history
B. English is as important as Latin
C. English has borrowed lots of words from Latin
D. English is as difficult to learn as Latin

3. If you want to ask for a technical job in Italy, you must be able to _____.

A. speak Latin
B. speak French
C. speak English
D. speak Italian

4. _____ of the world's magazines are written in English.

A. More than 50%
B. 75%
C. 60%
D. Less than 50%

5. The writer thinks English is now _____.

A. a native language
B. the world language
C. an official language
D. the Latin language

      When you are learning English, you find it not clever to put an English sentence, word for word, into your
own language. Take the sentence "How do you do?" as an example. If you look up each word in the dictionary,
one at a time, what is your translation? It must be a wrong sentence in your own language.
      Language do not just have different sounds, they are different in many ways. It's important to master (掌握)
the rules (規(guī)則) for word order in the study of English, too. If the sentences put words in a wrong order, the
listeners can't understand the speakers' sentences easily. Sometimes when the order is changed, the meaning of
the sentence doesn't change. Let's see the difference between the two pairs of sentences. 
      "She only likes apples." "Only she likes apples." 
      "I've seen the film already." "I have already seen the film." 
      When you are learning English, you must do your best to get the spirit (精神實(shí)際) of the language and use
it as the English speakers do.

1. From the passage we know that _______ when we are learning English.

A. we shouldn't put every word into our own language
B. we shouldn't look up every word in the dictionary
C. we need to put every word into our own language
D. we must read word by word

2. The writer thinks it is _______ in learning English.

A. difficult to understand different sounds
B. possible to remember the word order
C. important to master the rules in different way
D. easy to master the rules for word order

3. We can learn from the passage that _______.

A. the meaning of an English sentence always changes with the order of the words
B. the order of words can never change the meaning of an English sentence
C. sometimes different order of words has a different meaning
D. if the order of words is different, the meaning of the sentence must be different

4. "She only likes apples," ________.

A. is the same as "Only she likes apple".
B. is different from "Only she likes apple".
C. means "She likes fruit except apples".
D. means "She doesn't like apples".

5. Which is the best title for this passage?

A. Different Orders, Different Meanings
B. How to speak English?
C. How to Put English into Our Own Language?
D. How to Learn English?

(     ) 1. It's on the fourth Thursday of November. And it is also a time for tradition and sharing. Even if they live
            far away, family members gather for a reunion at the house of an older relative. All give thanks together
            for the good things that they have.
(     ) 2. This festival usually lasts for three days. On the third day, all the people will pour water with good 
            wishes to each other, dance, or take part in other activities.
(     ) 3. It's also called Double Fifth Festival, is celebrated on the fifth day of the fifth moon of the lunar 
            calendar. It is one of the most important Chinese festivals.
(     ) 4. It is a very important Chinese festival. There will be a big family dinner. People who work far away
            from home will try to come back. At night, people can enjoy the moon while eating moon cakes. They
            are the special food for this festival.
(     ) 5. On this day, people show love for their teachers, students usually give their teachers carnations 
            (康乃馨) or some other gifts.
A. The Mid-Autumn Day
B. The Dragon Boat Festival
C. Teachers' Day
D. The Water-pouring Festival
E. Thanksgiving Day

     The Niagara Falls is between Canada and the United States in the east central North America. It's on a river
that connects two of the five Great Lakes. The Niagara Falls has two parts: the Horseshoe Falls on the Canadian
side of the river, and the American Falls on the United States' side. They are about 50 meters high ,1240 meters
wide.
     The Niagara Falls has three special falls. The tallest are the American and Bridal Veil falls on the American
side. The falls are colorfully lit up at night, and many people say they're even more beautiful in winter, when the
grounds are covered with snow and the waters turn to ice.
     Most visitors go as close to the falls as possible, and watch the waters thundering down. The Niagara Falls is
different from the waterfalls you find in mountains, where a thin stream of water comes down a mountainside,
half-flying.
     Above in the air, you will understand the real difference between the American and Canadian Falls. The
American Falls get only about 10% of the water, while the Canadian Falls get 90%.

1. The Niagara Falls is about ______.

A. 50 meters wide
B. 1240 meters high
C. 1240 meters long
D. 50 meters high

2. It's said that the Niagara Falls is even more beautiful in _______.

A. winter
B. summer
C. autumn
D. spring

3. The word "stream" means _______ in Chinese.

A. 大海
B. 溪流
C. 湖泊
D. 綠洲

4. Which of the following is NOT true?

A. The Niagara Falls in in North America.
B. The Niagara Falls has two parts.
C. The American Falls get most water.
D. The Niagara Falls is very beautiful.

     In the US, people prefer waiting for a table to sitting with people they don't know. If you are sitting at a table
with people you don't know, it is impolite to light up a cigarette without first asking if it will disturb them.
     At American restaurants and coffee shops you are usually served tap (水龍頭) water before you order. You
may find the bread and butter is free, and if you order coffee, you may get a free refill.
     Most cities and towns have no rules about opening and closing times for stores or restaurants, though they
usually do make rules for bars. Especially in large cities, stores may be open 24 hours a day.
     Servings [(食物的)份] in restaurants are often large, too large for many people. If you can't finish your
meal but would like to enjoy the food later, ask your waitress or waiter for a "doggie bag". It may have a picture
of a dog on it, but everybody knows you're taking the food for yourself.
     Supper and dinner are both words for the evening meal. Some people have "Sunday dinner". This is an
especially big noon meal.
     Tips are not usually added to the check. They are not included in the price of the meal, either. A tip of about
15% is expected and you should leave it on the table when you leave. In some restaurants, a check is brought on
a plate and you put your money there. Then the waiter or waitress brings you your change.

1. In the US, people prefer to _____ rather than sit with people they don't know.

A. wait for a table
B. light up a cigarette
C. order a cup of coffee
D. ask people questions

2. What is served before you order?

A. Bread.
B. Butter.
C. Coffee.
D. Cold water.

3. What do Americans always do when servings are too large for them?

A. They take the food with a doggie bag for their dogs.
B. They leave the food on the table and go away.
C. They take the food home with a doggie bag and enjoy it later.
D. They ask the waitress or waiter to keep the food for them.

4. Sunday dinner is _____.

A. a dinner in the evening
B. a big meal at noon
C. a big supper on Sunday
D. a supper on Sunday

5. Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the passage?

A. People wouldn't like to sit with strangers at a table.
B. If you order a cup of coffee, you may get another free one.
C. A 15% tip in large cities means you are satisfied with service.
D. Servings in restaurants are too large for many people to finish.

    The star of the Harry Potter films has become the youngest person to earn a place on the list of Britain's
richest people. Daniel Radcliffe has owned 14 million pounds, but he is only 17 now.
    Thanks to the ongoing Harry Potter films, Daniel Radcliffe would not have to worry about money for a
very long time. He is still at school but he will never have to work in future. Money has been pouring into
his company.
    The youngest woman on the list is the singer Joss Stone. The 19-year-old singer has collected a fortune
of about 6 million pounds.

1. Daniel Radcliffe is _____.

[     ]

A. an actor
B. a student
C. an actor and student
D. a boss and student

2. Joss Stone is _____.

[     ]

A. the richest person
B. the riches singer
C. the youngest singer
D. the youngest woman

3. The underlined part "on the list" means _____ in Chinese.

[     ]

A. 在表格上
B. 在排名榜上
C. 在電影界
D. 在藝術(shù)界