30、How men first learned to invent words is unknown; in other words, the origin of language is a mystery．All we really know is that men, unlike animals, somehow invented certain sounds to express thoughts and feelings, actions and things, so that they could communicate with each other; and that later they agreed upon certain signs, called letters, which could be combined to represent those sounds, and which could be written down．Those sounds, whether spoken, or written in letters we call words．

　　The power of words, then, lies in their combinations — the things they bring up before our minds．Words become filled with meaning for us by experience; and the longer we live, the more certain words recall to us the glad and sad events of our past; and the more we read and learn, the more the number of words that mean something to us increases．

　　Great writers are those who not only have great thoughts, but also express these thoughts in words which appeal powerfully to our minds and feelings．This charming and telling use of words is what we call literary （文字的） style．Above all, the real poet is a master of words．He can convey his meaning in words which sing like music, and which by their position and association can move men to tears．We should therefore learn to choose our words carefully and use them accurately, or they will make our speech silly and rude．

1．The origin of language _____．

A．is reflected in sounds and letters

　   B．is handed down from generation to generation

　   C．dates back to the prehistoric period

D．is a problem not yet solved

2．According to the passage, words are _____．

A．visual letters　              B．represented by sounds

C．represented either by sounds or letters       D．signs called letters

3．The secret of a writer’s success is the use of words that _____．

A．recall to us the glad and sad events of our past

B．a(chǎn)re arranged in a creative way

C．a(chǎn)re as beautiful as music

D．a(chǎn)gree with certain literary style

4．The author of the passage advises us _____．

A．to use words carefully and accurately         B．not to use silly and rude words

C．to become a slave of words                  D．to use emotional words

26、從A、B、C、D四個選項中，選出可以填入空白處的最佳選項。

1．break        A．heat                    B．breakfast          C．lead                 D．great

2．blanket      A．excellent              B．interrupt           C．a(chǎn)nxious            D．many

3．busy         A．bury                   B．minute             C．lunch               D．funny

4．around      A．apple                   B．catch               C．game               D．umbrella

5．clothes      A．knives               B．horses            C．houses           D．languages

23、

Can you do the math：What is one hundred times four，divided by the square root of a hundred? How can you work it out quickly?

The answer is forty．Years ago，three scientists at Texas Instruments，Jerry Merryman，James Van Tassel and Jack Kilby，invented the handheld electronic calculator．Their first device could add，subtract，multiply and divide and it was small and easy to take．

Yet after forty years，calculators in the classroom still add up to the same old debate Generally calculators are considered to be useful——especially with more complex math．Some math teachers at every level support the use of calculators and students are even permitted to use them when they take college entrance tests．But it is also thought that young students should know basic calculation before they begin using them．

Some education experts think calculators are used too much. Children，they say，learn to depend on these electronic brains instead of their own．Calculators may not only give students answers to questions they do not really understand，they may also keep them from discovering ideas for themselves．

Other experts，though，say calculators have helped make mathematics more understandable to more students．They say calculators give students more time to understand and solve problems，and to develop a better sense of what numbers mean．That way，the reasoning goes，they can feel better about their abilities．

1．Which of the following calculation agrees with the question raised in the 1st paragraph?

A．             B．             C．           D．

2．Three scientists at Texas Instruments invented                 

A．the first electronic calculator              B．the calculator handle

C．the portable electronic calculator        D．the first calculator

3．We can infer from the passage that         in the past．

A．math teachers supported using calculators everywhere．

B．students were not allowed to use calculator in tests．

C．using calculators in classrooms was under argument．

D．young students had to know how to use calculators．

4．According to experts，calculators benefit students in many ways EXCEPT             

A．providing them with answers to the questions

B．stopping them discovering ideas for themselves

C．making mathematics more understandable

       D．developing a better feeling of their abilities