A

Towards the end of Middle English， a sudden change in pronunciation started， with vowels （元音） being pronounced shorter and shorter. From the 16th century the British had contact with many people from around the world. This meant that lots of new vocabulary entered the language. The invention of printing also meant that there was now a common language in print. Books became cheaper and more people learned to read. Spelling and grammar became fixed， and the dialect of London became the standard. In 1604 the first English dictionary came out.

Early Modern English and Late Modern English are mostly different in the number of words. Late Modern English has many more words， mainly because of the following two reasons： First， the Industrial Revolution led to the need for new words. Second， the British Empire covered one quarter of the earths surface， and the English language took in foreign words from many countries.

From around 1600， the English colonization （殖民） of North America led to American English. Some English pronunciations and words “froze” when they reached America. In some ways， American English is more like the English of Shakespeare than modern British English. Some expressions that are called “American English” are in fact from British expressions. They were kept in the colonies while lost for a time in Britain. Spanish also had an influence on American English. For example， words like canyon， ranch， stampede and vigilante are from Spanish. They entered English by the people of Spain who settled in the American West. French words and West African words also influenced American English.

Today， American English has a greater influence， because of the USAs movies， television， popular music， trade and technology.

1. The main difference between Early and Late Modern English lies in ___ .

A. vocabulary B. pronunciation

C. spelling D. grammar

2. The underlined word “froze” can best be replaced by “___”.

A. remained unchanged B. disappeared

C. improved D. kept active

3. Where is the word “canyon” from according to the passage？

A. American dialect. B. African dialect.

C. Spanish. D. French.

4. What does the third paragraph mainly talk about？

A. English colonies in North America.

B. The development of American English.

C. Other languages influence on American English.

D. The difference between American English and British English.

B

British people have a lot of customs and habits. Three “INGS” are the most famous. The three “INGS” refer to betting， drinking and tipping. The ending for each of them is ING.

As we know， the British people are great lovers of betting. They bet on many things， but they bet mainly on sports activities， such as horse-racing. It is a gambling （赌博） sport. This means that they will risk money on a race or on some other events of which the result is doubtful. Not only the amount of the betted money but also the number of the people who take part in it is very large.

Drinking is another habit of the British people. Most men have the habit of drinking beer， wine and so on. They also drink tea. Their drinking habits are so normal that they have it in pubs， inns and restaurants from 11：00 am to 3：00 pm and again from 5：00 pm to 10：30 pm. But sometimes the hours are different in different places. Every day they have two twenty-minute tea breaks； one is in the morning， the other in the afternoon， during which people stop their work and drink tea. It is reported that the British people use up a quarter of the world total of the tea goods.

Tipping is the last of the three. It seems you should give a certain amount of money to the person who has served you. The number of the money depends on the type and extent of the service you have received. In the hotel， a service charge of 10 to 15 percent will be added to your bill； and you might give something extra to the porter who carried your bags； and you might give some more money to your taxi driver besides your fee.

5. What does the three “INGS” refer to？

A. Playing， drinking and singing.

B. Betting， drinking and tipping.

C. Drinking， singing and tipping.

D. Betting， tipping and playing.

6. The underlined sentence suggests that British people ___ .

A. are very rich

B. like taking risks

C. are fond of betting

D. love sport activities

7. Which is true about British people according to the passage？

A. They drink while they work.

B. They only like drinking beer and wine.

C. They use up half of the tea in the world.

D. They drink not only beer and wine， but also tea.

8. How much might you actually give for a 100 pounds bill when served in a hotel in Britain？

A. From 100 to 115. B. From 110 to 115.

C. From 110 to 120. D. From 115 to 120.

根據短文内容，从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有两项为多余选项。

How to Improve Vocabulary Fast？

Your vocabulary refers to the words in a language you are familiar with. We should learn some ways to expand it.

Read every day. 1 Choose reading material that is slightly above your level and keep a dictionary with you to look up words you do not know.

2 If you do not meet with an unfamiliar word in your daily reading， use your dictionary to search for one.

Learn the correct definition and pronunciation for each new word. Pronunciation is as important as definition because in order to add a word to your active vocabulary， you must be able to use it in speech.

Elaborate （詳尽阐述） on the meaning of the word. If you have just learned the word “stubborn”， think about the neighbor who will not lend you his car. 3

Use your new word in speech and in writing. E-mail your sister about how your cat is stubborn about sleeping on your pillow. 4 But the more you use it， the more fluent you will become in its use. Soon it will be a regular part of your active vocabulary.

Tell everyone you are trying to increase your vocabulary. Encourage them to ask you what your latest word is. 5

The more you explain the meaning of a word to someone， the more likely you are to remember it.

A. Find a new word every day.

B. The vocabulary can be increased.

C. Your vocabulary contains the words you understand.

D. The more often you read， the faster your vocabulary can grow.

E. Or let them ask for the definition of a new word you have used.

F. The first time you use a new word in speech it may seem strange.

G. Imagine him shaking his head， and think of him as “stubborn in his refusal”.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Two parachutists （伞兵） had been flown behind enemy lines early in the morning. They were 1 to gain as much information as possible on a new experimental factory.

The two men 2 their parachutes and dressed as laborers to avoid being easily 3 . Soon they reached a road. At the roadside， they noticed a deep pit （矿井） where rainwater had been 4 ， with some tools， and a broken-down truck nearby. The men were making their way 5 towards the truck when the sound of a truck in the distance made them dash for 6 . At that moment， they had no choice but to jump into the pit， as the countryside was so 7 . There was a great splash （飞溅声） ， and very soon all was 8 . The water was quite shallow， and the men had to press themselves 9 the sides of the pit wondering if they had attracted the attention of the truck driver. They 10 anxiously as the truck came nearer and nearer， and hoped it would 11 . But， much to their disappointment， the truck seemed to stop almost directly 12

them. They heard voices and the truck door shut loudly overhead. From their discussion， they 13 that some men in the truck had come to collect the 14 . Suddenly， the men were frightened by a piece of wood which was 15 into the pit and which struck the water just behind them. They could do nothing but 16 their breath and wondered what would happen next. Then the sound of the engine started up again， setting them 17 ， for they knew as the men were leaving， they had narrowly 18 being caught. But very soon， their joy quickly turned to 19 ， because when they looked up， they found that the pit was much 20 than they had thought. Its sides were wet and slippery and there was no way out.

1. A. warned B. instructed C. advised D. allowed

2. A. destroyed B. found C. took D. forgot

3. A. defeated B. spotted C. killed D. disturbed

4. A. dropped B. dried C. kept D. collected

5. A. carefully B. impatiently C. awkwardly D. easily

6. A. water B. cover C. enemy D. help

7. A. bare B. strange C. poor D. dangerous

8. A. dark B. still C. unusual D. clear

9. A. in B. from C. against D. with

10. A. listened B. watched C. stood D. wondered

11. A. stop B. pass C. stay D. work

12. A. near B. beside C. above D. behind

13. A. understood B. hoped C. imagined D. pretended

14. A. wood B. sticks C. weapons D. tools

15. A. struck B. poured C. forced D. laid

16. A. catch B. hold C. save D. lose

17. A. at ease B. in surprise C. in fear D. on guard

18. A. risked B. escaped C. survived D. remembered

19. A. expectation B. anger C. reality D. sorrow

20. A. wider B. bigger C. deeper D. narrower

用方框里單词的正确形式填空，使其句意完整，每空一词。

announce confuse compare omit queue

refer remark steady settle variety

1. There are several ____ books which can help you make your choice.

2. Its good manners to ____ up at the bus stop for the bus.

3. What he said was very ____ and I couldnt understand.

4. ____ with our first house， this new one has a better view.

5. Two groups were ____ from the survey—the old and women.

6. There are wide ____ of projects to choose from in building this house.

7. Early ____ had an extremely difficult life in opening up and developing the new continent.

8. James was ____ upon the subject when I came into the room.

9. The darkness was ____ growing， and the people were becoming more and more worried.

10. ____ of births， marriages and deaths appear in some newspapers.

下列各句均有1个错误，请改正。

1. It was obviously to everyone that the child had been badly treated. ____

2. He didnt come to my birthday party for variety of reasons.

____

3. The two sisters differ widely from their hobbies. ____

4. It was a very confused situation and we didnt know how to deal with it. ____

5. He was given the suitcase his father and grandfather have taken along to school. ____

1. 裁掉老员工的决定遭到了俱乐部中大多数人的批评。（criticise）

2. 除说同一种语言以外，我们没有什么共同点。（have... in common）

3. 化学老师告诉我们食用过多的糖会引起健康问题。（lead to）

4. 他是否出席会议对我来说无关紧要。（make a difference）

5. 如果你在理解这篇文章上有什么困难的话，请立刻告诉我。【have difficulty （in） doing sth】