C

The number of speakers of English in Shakespeare’s time is estimated (估計) to have been about five million. Today it is estimated that some 260 million people speak it as a native language, mainly in the United States, Canada, Great Britain, Ireland, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand. In addition to the standard varieties of English found in these areas, there are a great many regional and social varieties of the language as well as various levels of usage that are employed both in its spoken and written forms.

In fact, it is impossible to estimate the number of people in the world who have acquired an adequate (足夠的) working knowledge of English in addition to their own languages. The purpose for English learning and the situations in which such learning takes place are so varied that it is difficult to explain and still more difficult to judge what forms an adequate working knowledge for each situation.

The main reason for the widespread demand for English is its present-day importance as a world language. Besides serving the indefinite needs of its native speakers, English is a language in which some of important works in science, technology, and other fields are being produced, and not always by native speakers. It is widely used for such purposes as meteorological and airport communications, international conferences, and the spread of information over the radio and television networks of many nations. It is a language of wider communication for a number of developing countries, especially former British colonies. Many of these countries have multilingual populations and need a language for internal communication in such matters as government, commerce, industry, law and education as well as for international communication and for entrance to the scientific and technological developments in the West.

65. What would be the best title for this passage?

A. The Difficulties of Learning English                    B. International Communications

C. The Standard Varieties of English                      D. English as a World Language

66. Which of the following statements is NOT true?

A. Some 260 million people in the world have an adequate working knowledge of English.

B. There are some 260 million native speakers of English in the world.

C. It is almost impossible to estimate the number of people with an adequate working knowledge of English.

D. People learn English for a variety of reasons.

67. What forms an adequate working knowledge of English?

A. The ability to read a newspaper.

B. It is difficult to judge because it differs for each situation.

C. Being a multilingual.                                  

D. Being a native speaker.

68. What type of developing countries would be most likely to use English?

A. Those geographically close to the United States.

B. Those interested in the culture of the United States.

C. Former colonies of Great Britain.

D. Countries where international conferences are held.

Malaysia is a country of exciting beauty, with a tropical（熱帶的） climate. Malaysia’s weather is hotter in the lowlands and cooler in the mountains and highlands. Temperatures vary between 20 and 30 centigrade. Rainfall can be expected at any time, with an average of between 200 and 260 centimeters.

The Malaysian population consists of Malays, Chinese, Indians and Eurasians. Its main religions are Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, Taoism and Christianity. Its national language is Malay. English is widely spoken and is used all over the country. Other languages spoken in Malaysia are some Chinese dialects, Tamil, Portuguese and Arabic.

Malaysia is an exciting and fascinating place for tourists, with something special planned throughout the year. The natural attractions are plentiful, with magnificent mountains lying in green, large stretches of sandy beaches and hospitable and friendly people.

Malaysia’s economy is the most advanced in this part of the world. The annual income is M$1, 680, one of the highest in the whole of Asia. Malaysia is the world’s leading exporter of rubber, tin, tropical hardwood, palm oil, pepper, tea, coffee and cocoa and has vast resources of oil.

Malaysia’s capital is Kuala Lumpur in the southwest of the Malay Peninsula. Kuala Lumpur arose in the 1860s when tin was discovered, grew and spread very quickly. It became the state’s capital within forty years of its founding. Now it is home to over one million inhabitants, about 56% of whom are Chinese, 28% Malays and the rest are from anywhere and everywhere.

1.If you visit Malaysia, you will see ________.

A．people of the white and yellow races

B．many temples and churches

C．beautiful tropical scenery

D．All of the above.

2.Though Malay is Malaysia’s national language, ______.

A．over half of its population speak Chinese

B．English is also a popular language

C．people don’t know Malay

D．it’s only spoken by Malays

3.Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?

A．Malaysia is one of the richest countries in Asia.

B．It rains a little now and a little then in Malaysia.

C．Kuala Lumpur became Malaysia’s capital before 1910.

D．Malaysia is rich in agricultural products.

 

Tristan da Cunha, a 38 –square –mile island, is the farthest inhabited island in the world, according to the Guinness Book of Records. It is 1,510 miles southwest of its nearest, St. Helena, and I, 950 miles west of Africa. Discovered by the Portuguese admiral (上將) of the same name in 1506, and settled in 1810, the island belongs to Great Britain and has a population of a few hundred.

Coming in a close second –and often wrongly mentioned as the most distant land –is Easter Island, which lies 1,260 miles east of its nearest neighbor, Pitcairn Island, and 2,300 miles west of South America.

The mountainous 64 –square –mile island was settled around the 5th century，supposedly by people who were lost at sea. They had no connection with the outside world for more than a thousand years, giving them plenty of time to build more than 1,000 huge stone figures, called moai, for which the island is most famous.

On Easter Sunday, 1722, however, settlers from Holland moved in and gave the island its name. Today, 2,000 people live on the Chilean territory (智利領(lǐng)土). They share one street, a small airport, and a few hours of television per day.

It can be learned from the text that the island of Tristan da Cunha ________.

A. was named after its discoverer

B. got its name from Holland settlers

C. was named by the British government

D. got its name from the Guinness Book of Records

Which of the following is most famous for moai?

A. Tristan da Cuha.  B. Pitcairn Island.  C. Easter Island.  D. St. Helena.

Which country does Easter Island belong to?

A. Britain.   B. Holland.   C. Portugal.   D. Chile.

   The global energy crisis is approaching. What can we do? Here are some steps you can take.

   Cooling puts the greatest stress on your summer energy bill and the power grid(電網(wǎng)). Just as t tune-up for your car can improve your gas mileage, a yearly tune-up of your heating and cooling system can improve efficiency and comfort. Clean or replaces filters monthly or as needed.

   For central air conditioning systems and room air conditioners, look for the ENERGY STAR, the federal government’s symbol for energy efficiency. For central air, purchase the system with the highest possible Seasonal Energy Efficiency Raton. (SEER)

   Use energy-efficient ceiling fans either alone or with air conditioning. Ceiling fans do a great job of circulating air. When used with air conditioning, fans allow you to raise the thermostat(恒溫器) and cut costs. Ceiling fans cool people, not rooms, so before you leave; turn off the ceiling fan.

Let a programmable thermostat! “remember for you” to automatically adjust the indoor climate with your daily and weekend patterns to reduce cooling bills by up to 10 percent. You can come home to a comfortable house without wasting energy and cresting pollution all day while you are at work.

 Try to make your home airtight enough to increase your comfort, make your home quieter and cleaner and reduce your cooling costs up to 20 percent.

 Gut your air conditioning load, and reduce pollution by planting planting leafy trees around your home and fixing reflective bricks on your roof.

 Close blinds or shades on south-and west-facing windows during the day, or fix shading equipment to avoid heat build-up.

  Turn off everything not in use: lights, TVs, computers. And use fluorescent bulbs(熒光燈), which provide bright, warm light while using at least two-thirds less energy, producing 70 percent less heat and lasting up to 10 times longer than incandescent bulbs(白熾燈).

 Drive the car that gets better gas mileage whenever possible if you own more than one vehicle. If you drive 12,500 miles a year, switching 10 percent of your trips from a car that gets 20 mils per gallon to one that gets 30 mpg will save you more than ￡65 per year.

 Carpool. The average U.S. commuter(乘車上班族) could save about ￡260 a year by sharing cars twice a week with two people in a car that gets 20.1 mpg---assuming the three passengers share the cost of gas.

According to the passage, the thermostat is used to ______.

A. make rooms quieter              B. control room temperature

C. turn off the air conditioner         D. reduce room air pollution

We can conclude from the passage that the author probably discourages ______.

A. planting leafy trees around your home

B. turning off the ceiling fan before you leave your house

C. keeping your south-facing windows open during the day

D. using fluorescent bulbs instead of incandescent bulbs

According to the passage, you can save fuel by ______.

A. using energy-efficient ceiling fans      B. sharing cars with others on workdays         

C. turning off everything not in use       D. reducing 10% of your car trips every year

This passage is mainly about ______.

A. energy-saving tips          B. fuel-saving tips         

C. do-it-yourself tips           D. environment-protecting tips

“詞、句、段”寫作導(dǎo)練

Write a short passage based on your answers to the following questions.

(1)Which is the largest salt－water lake in China?

(2)Where is it? How large is it? (4 400 km², 25 meters deep)

(3)How high is it? (3 260 meters above sea level)

(4)What is the weather like around the lake? (not very hot in summer )

(5)How salty is its water? (not very salty).

(6)How do people like it?

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