"Colour" and "color"，"favourite" and "favorite"... Have you ever wondered why Americans spell those words without a "u"? Is it because they are lazy?
Of course not. In fact，the difference in spelling was created by Noah Webster (1758-1843). He is a teacher who reformed English to make American identity stronger. Linguists (语言学家) celebrated his 250th birthday on October 16. After the Revolutionary War (1775~ 1783)，Webster believed that Americans should have their own dictionary，rather than rely on British versions (版本). He dropped the British "u" in some words. And he changed "centre" into "center" for children to learn English by spelling words more like they sounded.
Webster wasn"t shy about expressing his opinions. In defining (定义) preposterous (unreasonable)，he wrote: "A republican government in the hands of females is preposterous."
Webster spent 28 years on the project before completing the 70,000-word dictionary in 1828 with his American-style spellings. He also added local words. His dictionary was widely used in schools. Linguists believed it helped a new nation achieve unity and cultural independence at a time when most were focused on political freedom.
"He was the shaper of our language and the shaper of American identity，"said Joshua Kendall，who is working on a biography (传记) about Webster. "He at last bonded (联合)us through our language."
小题1:Which of the following would probably be the best title for the passage? | A．The shaper of American English. | | B．American identity. | | C．Webster"s dictionary. | | D．Spelling differences between American and British English. |
小题2:According to the passage，when he worked on his dictionary, Noah Webster did all of the following EXCEPT .| A．voicing his opinion | B．changing "centre" into "center" | | C．adding local words | D．dropping "u" in all the British words |
小题3:Which of the following word can best describe Noah Webster’s work? | A．Interesting. | B．Meaningful. | C．Unfinished. | D．Boring. |
小题4:Why did Noah Webster create these differences in his dictionary? | A．Because he wanted to make English simple and easy. | | B．Because he wanted to show that the USA is stronger than the UK. | | C．Because he wanted to achieve political freedom. | | D．Because he wanted American English to have its own characteristics. |
小题5:When did Noah Webster probably begin his project of the dictionary? | A．In 1758. | B．In 1783. | C．In 1800. | D．In 1828. |
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小题1:A
小题2:D
小题3:B
小题4:D
小题5:C |
试题分析：文章介绍了Noah Webster希望美式英语有自己的特点而改变美式英语的故事。
小题1:主旨题：文章介绍了Noah Webster 如何改变美式英语的，最后一段对他的评价是He was the shaper of our language and the shaper of American identity ，所以选A
小题2:细节题：文章第二，三，四段提到ABC的内容，D项是错误的，因为只有部分单词的u被去掉了。选D。
小题3:推理题：从第四段的句子：His dictionary was widely used in schools. Linguists believed it helped a new nation achieve unity and cultural independence at a time when most were focused on political freedom. 可知Webster的工作是很有意义的。选B。
小题4:推理题：从第二段的句子：He is a teacher who reformed English to make American identity stronger.可知是希望美式英语有自己的特点。选D
小题5:推理题：文章第二段的时间After the Revolutionary War (1775~ 1783)可知答案是C
点评：文章篇幅较短，内容易懂，除了细节题和主旨题，主要考查了推理题，注重综合语言能力的运用，结合语境，做出准确的判断。 |
核心考点
试题【"Colour" and "color"，"favourite" and "favorite"... Have you ever wondered why Am】；主要考察你对
题材分类等知识点的理解。
[详细]举一反三
We lived in a very quiet neighborhood. Earlier that evening my wife had asked me to go to the 1 to get some soft drinks. It seemed like this would be a good time to let my teenage daughter Holly practice her 2 , so I allowed her to go to the store in my truck.
At dinner my son talked about how much he liked my truck. I 3 having it, but I said: “Guy, my heart is not set on that truck. I like it but it is just metal and won’t 4 forever. Never set your heart on anything that won’t last.
We were talking 5 we heard a loud noise. 6 hearing it, the whole family ran outside. My son shouted; “Dad! Dad, Holly crashed your truck!”
My heart sank and my mind was flooded with conflicting (矛盾的) thoughts. Was anyone hurt? Who else was 7? As I ran to the door, I heard a voice in my heart say: “Here is a chance to show Holly 8 you really love. She’ll never forget it.”
The 9 had happened in my own driveway. Holly had 10 my truck into our family van (搬运车). Because of her 11 , she had confused the brakes (刹车) and the gas pedal (油门). Holly was unhurt 12 but when I reached her, she was crying and saying “Oh, Dad, I’m sorry. I know how much you love this truck.” I held her in my arms as she cried.
Later that week a friend asked what had happened to my truck. I told her the whole story. Her eyes moistened (湿润) and she said: “That happened to me when I was a girl. I 13 my dad’s car completely. When I got home, my dad knocked me to the ground and began to 14 me.”
Over 40 years later, she still felt the 15 of the night, which was a deep wound on her soul.
I remember how 16 Holly was when she crashed our truck, and how I 17 her. One day, when Holly 18 on her life, I want her to know that I love her a thousand times 19 any piece of 20 .
| 小题1: | | A．kitchen | B．cupboard | C．store | D．refrigerator |
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| 小题2: | | A．shopping | B．training | C．driving | D．calculating |
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| 小题3: | | A．enjoyed | B．hated | C．admired | D．preferred |
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| 小题4: | | A．keep | B．stay | C．remain | D．last |
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| 小题5: | | A．while | B．when | C．before | D．since |
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| 小题6: | | A．In | B．On | C．Beyond | D．Without |
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| 小题7: | | A．filled | B．prepared | C．involved | D．relaxed |
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小题9:A affair B. event C. incident D. accident
| 小题10: | | A．drove | B．controlled | C．pulled | D．crashed |
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| 小题11: | | A．invitation | B．inexperience | C．independence | D．invention |
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| 小题12: | | A．fortunately | B．unfortunately | C．sadly | D．peacefully |
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| 小题13: | | A．hurt | B．harmed | C．destroyed | D．damaged |
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| 小题14: | | A．beat | B．defeat | C．break | D．fight |
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| 小题15: | | A．trouble | B．pain | C．stress | D．loss |
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| 小题16: | | A．concerned | B．careless | C．grateful | D．unfortunate |
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| 小题17: | | A．permitted | B．supported | C．comforted | D．persuaded |
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| 小题18: | | A．looks back | B．keeps back | C．hold back | D．turn back |
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| 小题19: | | A．as more as | B．as much than | C．more than | D．the same as |
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| 小题20: | | A．creation | B．equipment | C．quality | D．property |
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Gary Locke, 61, who comes from a Chinese background and even looks Chinese, became the new US ambassador（大使）to China.
“I can think of nobody who is more qualified than Gary Locke.” President Obama said. Locke’s new position is clearly a sign that US President is trying to improve relations with China.
When he made his first speech to the Chinese press in Beijing, Locke said,“I think ,being a Chinese-American, I have a greater understanding of the history and culture of China, but I am here as a representative of the US government.”
Before becoming ambassador to China, Locke was US secretary of commerce(商务部长). This means he has plenty of trade experience, which will be useful in building economic links between the two countries.
Locke’s grandfather went to the United States over a century ago to work as a houseboy for a family in Washington State in exchange for English lessons. His father moved to the US as a teenager.
“I’m going back to the birthplace of my grandfather ,my father and my mom, and I’ll be doing so as a devoted diplomat(外交官) for America，the country where I was born and raised,” Locke said.
小题1:President Obama thinks Gary Locke ________.| A．is the right person for the new position | | B．is still not too old to be an ambassador | | C．is not qualified as secretary of commerce | | D．can help improve US relations with Asia. |
小题2:What message did Locke express in his first speech in Beijing?| A．He is proud of his parents and his grandfather. | | B．He will work for both China and the United States. | | C．He will represent the US government. | | D．He was still not ready for his new job. |
小题3:Locke will benefit from his ________ as a former secretary of commerce.| A．trade experience | B．public relations | C．work training | D．government knowledge |
小题4:We learn from the text that Locke’s father ________.| A．worked as a houseboy for an American family | | B．was born in China. | | C．moved to the US as a baby. | | D．was not able to return to China |
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Arthur Miller (1915—2005) is universally recognized as one of the greatest dramatists of the 20th century. Miller"s father had moved to the USA from Austria Hungary, drawn like so many others by the “Great American Dream”. However, he experienced severe financial hardship when his family business was ruined in the Great Depression of the early 1930s.
Miller"s most famous play, Death of a Salesman, is a powerful attack on the American system, with its aggressive way of doing business and its insistence on money and social status as indicators of worth. In Willy Loman, the hero of the play, we see a man who has got into trouble with this system. Willy is “burnt out” and in the cruel world of business there is no room for sentiment: if he can"t do the work, then he is no good to his employer, the Wagner Company, and he must go. Willy is painfully aware of this, and at a loss as to what to do with his lack of success. He refuses to face the fact that he has failed and kills himself in the end.
When it was first staged in 1949, the play was greeted with enthusiastic reviews, and it won the Tony Award for Best Play, the New York Drama Critics" Circle Award, and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. It was the first play to win all three of these major awards.
Miller died of heart failure at his home in Roxbury, Connecticut, on the evening of February 10, 2005, the 56th anniversary of the first performance of Death of a Salesman on Broadway.
小题1:Why did Arthur Miller"s father move to the USA?| A．He suffered from severe hunger in his home country. | | B．He was attracted by the “Great American Dream.” | | C．He hoped to make his son a dramatist. | | D．His family business failed |
小题2:The play Death of a Salesman________.| A．exposes the cruelty of the American business world | | B．discusses the ways to get promoted in a company | | C．talks about the business career of Arthur Miller | | D．focuses on the skills in doing business |
小题3:What can we learn about Willy Loman?| A．He treats his employer badly. | | B．He runs the Wagner Company. | | C．He is a victim of the American system. | | D．He is regarded as a hero by his colleagues. |
小题4:After it was first staged, Death of a Salesman________.| A．achieved huge success | | B．won the first Tony Award | | C．was warmly welcomed by salesmen | | D．was severely attacked by dramatists |
小题5:What is the text mainly about?| A．Arthur Miller and his family. | | B．The awards Arthur Miller won. | | C．The hardship Arthur Miller experienced. | | D．Arthur Miller and his best known play. |
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I was doing some last-minute Christmas shopping in a toy store. A nicely dressed little girl was looking through the teddy bears beside her father 38 she saw a little boy walk in and stop in front of the Pokémon toys. His jacket was obviously too small. He had money in his hand. 39 , it looked no more than five dollars at most. He was with his father as well, and 40 picking up the Pokémon video games. Each time he showed one to his father, his father 41 his head, “No”.
Rather 42 , the boy gave up the video games and chose a book of stickers 43 . After they walked away, the little girl ran over to the Pokémon video games. She excitedly picked up one 44 on top of the others, and hurried down toward the check-out. I picked up my purchases(购买物) and 45 the girl and her father.
Then, much to the little girl’s 46 , the little boy and his father got in line behind her and me. After the video was paid for and bagged, the little girl 47 it back to the cashier(收银员) and 48 something to her. The cashier smiled and put the 49 under the counter(柜台). I was putting things in my bag when the little boy came up to the cashier. The cashier said, “Congratulations. You’re my hundredth customer today, and you win a prize!” and she handed the boy the Pokémon game. The boy could only 50 in disbelief. It was, he said, exactly what he had wanted! The little girl and her father had been standing at the doorway, and I saw the biggest and prettiest smile on that little girl I have ever seen in my life.
I suddenly understood that the world is not 51 into the strong who care and the 52 who are cared for. We must each in turn care and be cared.
| 小题1: | | A．while | B．when | C．after | D．once |
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| 小题2: | | A．Then | B．Therefore | C．However | D．Otherwise |
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| 小题3: | | A．stopped | B．continued | C．avoided | D．kept |
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| 小题4: | | A．shook | B．nodded | C．moved | D．held |
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| 小题5: | | A．upset | B．disappointed | C．angry | D．anxious |
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| 小题6: | | A．also | B．instead | C．lastly | D．indeed |
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| 小题7: | | A．laying | B．lying | C．to lie | D．lain |
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| 小题8: | | A．walked | B．helped | C．kept | D．followed |
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| 小题9: | | A．surprise | B．disappointment | C．joy | D．sadness |
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| 小题10: | | A．put | B．handed | C．sent | D．carried |
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| 小题11: | | A．whispered | B．shouted | C．gave | D．showed |
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| 小题12: | | A．basket | B．bag | C．bear | D．gift |
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| 小题13: | | A．cry | B．look | C．jump | D．pay |
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| 小题14: | | A．divided | B．changed | C．destroyed | D．cut |
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| 小题15: | | A．poor | B．ugly | C．unhappy | D．weak |
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When I was a boy growing up in New Jersey in the 1960s, we had a milkman delivering milk to our doorstep. His name was Mr. Basille. He wore a white cap and drove a white truck. As a 5-year-old boy, I couldn’t take my eyes off the coin changer fixed to his belt. He noticed this one day during a delivery and gave me a quarter out of his coin changer.
Of course, he delivered more than milk. There was cheese, eggs and so on. If we needed to change our order, my mother would pen a note—“Please add a bottle of buttermilk next delivery”—and place it in the box along with the empty bottles. And then, the buttermilk would magically（魔术般）appear.
All of this was about more than convenience. There existed a close relationship between families and their milkmen. Mr. Basille even had a key to our house, for those times when it was so cold outside that we put the box indoors, so that the milk wouldn"t freeze. And I remember Mr. Basille from time to time taking a break at our kitchen table, having a cup of tea and telling stories about his delivery.
There is sadly no home milk delivery today. Big companies allowed the production of cheaper milk thus making it difficult for milkmen to compete (竞争). Besides, milk is for sale everywhere, and it may just not have been practiced to have a delivery service.
Recently, an old milk box in the countryside I saw brought back my childhood memories. I took it home and planted it on the back porch (门廊). Every so often my son"s friends will ask what it is. So I start telling stories of my boyhood, and of the milkman who brought us friendship along with his milk.
小题1:Mr. Basille gave the boy a quarter out of his coin changer .| A．to show his magical power | B．to pay for the delivery | | C．to satisfy his curiosity | D．to please his mother |
小题2:What can be inferred from the fact that the milkman had the key to the boy"s house? | A．He wanted to have tea there. | B．He was a respectable person. | | C．He was treated as a family member. | D．He was fully trusted by the family. |
小题3:Why does home milk delivery no longer exist?| A．Nobody wants to be a milkman now. | B．It has been driven out of the market. | | C．Its service is getting poor. | D．It is forbidden by law. |
小题4:Why did the author bring back home an old milk box?| A．He missed the good old days. | B．He wanted to tell interesting stories. | | C．He needed it for his milk bottles. | D．He planted flowers in it. |
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