The death of languages is not a new phenomenon. Languages usually have a relatively short life span as well as a very high death rate. Only a few, including Egyptian, Chinese, Greek, Latin, have lasted more than 2,000 years.

What is new, however, is the speed at which they are dying out. Europe’s colonial conquests caused a sharp decline in linguistic diversity, eliminating at least 15 percent of all languages spoken at the time. Over the last 300 years, Europe has lost a dozen, and Australia has only 20 left of the 250 spoken at the end of the 18th century.

The rise of nation-states has also been decisive in selecting and consolidating national languages and sidelining others. By making great efforts to establish an official language in education, the media and the civil service, national governments have deliberately tried to eliminate minority languages.

This process of linguistic standardization has been boosted by industrialization and scientific progress, which have imposed new methods of communication that are swift, straightforward and practical. Language diversity came to be seen as an obstacle to trade and the spread of knowledge. Monolingualism became an ideal.

More recently, the internationalization of financial markets, the spread of information by electronic media and other aspects of globalization have intensified the threat to “small” languages. A language not on the Internet is a language that “no longer exists” in the modern world. It is out of the game.

The serious effects of the death of languages are evident. First of all, it is possible that if we all ended up speaking the same language, our brains would lose some of their natural capacity for linguistic inventiveness. We would never be able to figure out the origins of human language or resolve the mystery of “the first language”. As each language dies, a chapter of human history closes.

Multilingualism is the most accurate reflection of multiculturalism. The destruction of the first will inevitably lead to the loss of the second. Imposing a language without any links to a people’s culture and way of life stifles the expression of their collective genius. A language is not only used for the main instrument of human communication. It also expresses the world vision of those who speak it, their ways of using knowledge. To safeguard languages is an urgent matter.

1.Which of the following does not contribute to the death of languages?

A. Colonial conquests of Europe

B. The boom of human population

C. Advances in science and industrialization

D. The rise of nation-states

2.The underlined word “ stifles” in the last paragraph probably means “_____”.

A. boosts B. fuels C. imposes D. kills

3.The serious effects of the death of languages include all except that_______.

A. People would fail to understand how languages originated

B. Language diversity would become an obstacle to globalization

C. Monolingualism would lead to the loss of multiculturalism

D. Human brains would become less creative linguistically

4.What is the author’s purpose of writing this passage?

A. To explain the reasons why languages are dying out.

B. To warn people of the negative aspects of globalization.

C. To call people’s attention to the urgency of language preservation.

D. To argue how important it is for people to speak more languages.

One in 20 people have been reprimanded (訓斥) at work for sending an ill-advised email, according to a survey.

Inappropriate jokes, angry messages sent in the heat of the moment, and scathing email replies forwarded to the wrong people are among some of the email gaffes that have landed office workers in hot water with their employers or clients.

One in five of those questioned said they had sent an inappropriate email in the heat of the moment, while almost a third said they had accidentally hit “reply all” instead of “reply”.

More than one in 10 of the 2,000 people surveyed admitted they had mistakenly sent an email criticizing a colleague to the person they were insulting.

According to the research, carried out to mark the DVD release of Going Postal, the television adaptation of Terry Pratchett’s novel, men were more likely to make an email gaffe than women, with 28 per cent admitting to sending an ill-judged message, compared to 17 per cent of women.

There have been a number of well-documented email gaffes. Last year, a worker at Deloitte had to resign after emailing colleagues asking them to name the best-looking man in the office, while in 2000, nine members of the Financial Services Authority were suspended after forwarding copies of explicit emails.

1.Which takes up the highest percentage of the mistaken-sending?

A. Sending an unwise email.

B. Sending to a wrong person.

C. Sending an unsuitable email.

D. Sending to all instead of a particular one.

2.Compared with women, men, in dealing with emails, are .

A. more careless B. more conscious

C. more unreasonable D. more critical

3.The underlined word “well-documented” in the last paragraph probably means “ ”.

A. causing preventable problems

B. being copied without exception

C. having been frequently recorded

D. existing unexpectedly in people’s daily life

4.What may be the best title for the text?

A. Think before you send

B. Reduce email mistakes

C. Be aware of the result of a survey

D. Make good use of modern technology

May the first is an important date in the college admission process in the United States．This is the last day for high school seniors to accept or reject offers of admission in the fall．But according to a recent report, there is a great change. Acceptance rates at the top colleges this year were lower than ever.1.

These days, college applicants are applying to more colleges because online and common applications make the process easier.2.On the other hand, deciding students for top colleges to accept can be difficult because it takes much time. Students may not like being put on waiting lists. Also, common colleges work more to get the students they accept to accept them. Some colleges hold visiting days that offer a chance to attend classes and stay overnight. Some universities send gifts.3.

For many families, the most important thing colleges can do is show them the money, especially this year; the weak economy makes parents nervous.4.The recent problems that spread from the housing market to credit markets have even affected student’s loans. So lately, top schools have to spare lots of money to increase their financial aid for students.

5.The Education Department expects the number of high school graduates to start to go down. This will happen as the last of the children of the baby boom generation finishes high school. The number is not expected to start rising again until 2015.

E. They have international students who know English.

F. It can mean several acceptances to choose from.

G. They cannot afford college as planned.

“Stop that man!” Vernon shouted. “He has a bomb!” Everywhere, passengers were ____ their feet and screaming. Guerrero stopped with his ____ to the toilets. “___ away from me!” he shouted.

“Guerrero, listen to me!” Vernon ____ him over the heads of the others. There was a silence as Guerrero ____ back at him.

“We know who you are,” Vernon went on. “And we know ____ you' re trying to do. We know all about the insurance and the bomb. That ____ that the insurance is no ___. Do you understand? It's worth nothing. If you die you'll die for nothing and your family will get nothing. ___ than that, they'll be blamed and made to ____ . Think of that, Guerrero.”

Guerrero hesitated. Vernon kept talking and hoped that Guerrero would ___ him.

A man came out of one of the ____ behind Guerrero. At the ____ of the door opening, he ___.

“Get the guy with the case! He's got a bomb. ” Somebody shouted.

Guerrero ____ past the man and ran into the toilet. He had not really understood ____ that had happened in the last few minutes, but he understood that, ___ so many things in his life, his great plan had ___. His life had been a failure, and now his ____ would be a failure too.

As he pulled the string(導火索), he wondered ____whether the bomb would be another failure. In the last second of his life he learned that it was not.

1.A. running over B. jumping over C. running to D. jumping to

2.A. back B. body C. side D. face

3.A. Walk B. Take C. Stay D. Put

4.A. cried out B. called to C. shouted at D. spoke against

5.A. stared B. fought C. talked D. hit

6.A. that B. what C. how D. when

7.A. tells B. explains C. means D. expresses

8.A. harm B. good C. value D. profit

9.A. Sooner B. Better C. Rather D. Worse

10.A. suffer B. worry C. argue D. fight

11.A. hear B. listen to C. see D. look at

12.A. toilets B. kitchens C. seats D. passages

13.A. movement B. sight C. sign D. sound

14.A. hid B. fell C. turned D. rolled

15.A. pushed B. walked C. rushed D. hurried

16.A. everything B. anything C. nothing D. something

17.A. unless B. after C. like D. as

18.A. lost B. broken C. failed D. removed

19.A. power B. life C. plan D. death

20.A. proudly B. bitterly C. excitedly D. curiously

Polar bears are suffering in a 1. (warm) world than ever before.

Polar bears live in environments too cold for most animals. 2. much of the year, they live and hunt on the frozen Arctic sea ice. Nature has prepared  3.  for the cold conditions. But nothing has prepared the bears for the danger that 4.(threat) the only home they know.

The polar bears’ world is melting. Studies show that the polar ice has reduced by 9.8% every 10 years 5.1978. Now about 20,000 to 25,000 polar bears live in the Arctic. Polar bears depend on the sea ice for their 6. (survive). “The sea ice is more than just this platform that the bears walk over,” says Andrew Derocher ,  7. scientist who studies North American polar bear populations. “  8. it, they can’t exist.”

Some melting and refreezing of the polar ice is natural. 9.  in a warmer world, these cycles speed up, and bears have less time to hunt. Normally, they have three months in the spring when they gain more weight. The extra fat is used later,  10. the bears are not actively hunting.

假定英語課上老師要求同桌之間交換修改作文,請你修改你同桌寫的以下作文。文中共有10處語言錯誤,每句中最多有兩處。每處錯誤僅涉及一個單詞的增加、刪除或修改。

增加:在缺詞處加一個漏字符號(∧),并在其下面寫出該加的詞。

刪除:把多余的詞用斜線(劃掉。

修改:在錯的詞下畫一橫線,并在該詞下面寫出修改后的詞。

注意:1.每處錯誤及其修改均僅限一詞;

2.只允許修改10處,多者(從第11處起)不計分。

短文改錯：

In autumn of 1935,when I was a young man, I was traveling in the north of Indian. One evening, after hunt in the forest all day, I was returning to the place that I had put up my tent. It was getting dark, but I was walking along a road. Suddenly I saw two eye glaring at me from among the trees. What can I do? Should I jump into the river to save my life? Then I looked at the right. In the river there had a big crocodile waiting to welcome me with its mouth was wide open.

假定你是學生會主席李華，學校將舉行每年一次的18歲成人儀式，請你給外教Steven寫一封電子郵件邀請他參加活動。內(nèi)容包括：

時間：3月12日上午9點至11點

地點：學校大禮堂

對象：全體高三師生和家長

活動意義：內(nèi)容自定

注意：1.詞數(shù)100詞左右；

2.可以適當增加細節(jié)，以使行文連貫；

3.開頭語已為你寫好。

參考詞匯：成人儀式coming-of-age ceremony; 禮堂auditorium

Dear Steven,

I would like to invite you to the annual Coming-of-age Ceremony of our school._______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Yours,

Li Hua

When it comes to applying for a new job, your CV is the ticket to secure an interview and hopefully, a job. Read the following tips to help you get started in creating a successful CV.

Get the basics right-These include: personal and contact information; education and qualifications; work history or experience; relevant skills to the job in question; your own interests, achievements or hobbies; and some references.

Presentation is key-A successful CV is always carefully and clearly presented, and printed on clean, white paper. The design should always be well-structured and CVs should never be wrinkled or folded. Stick to no more than two pages of A4 paper. A good CV is clear and brief.

Tailor your CV-When you’ve made sure what the job you are applying for involves, create a CV specifically for that job. Any CV you send to a potential employer should be adjusted to that particular job. Don’t be lazy and hope that a general CV will work because it won’t. Employers want to know why you would be a good choice to fill the specific job on offer.

Make the most your skills-Under the skills section of your CV mention key skills that can help you to stand out from the crowd. These could include; communication skills; organizational skills; computer skills; team working and problem solving. Emphasize the things that show off skills you’ve gained and employers look for.

Include references- References should be from someone who has employed you in the past and can confirm your skills and experience. They can also be from a teacher or a principal from your school. Try to include two if you can.

1.What is a CV according to the passage?

A. A ticket needed for a job interview.

B. A basic description of work experiences

C. A well-chosen present for a potential employer

D. A written self-introduction for job application

2.Why do you have to tailor your CV?

A. To make sure what the job you are applying fro involves

B. To show the potential employer that you are not lazy

C. To show you are the right person for the job

D. To make it clear, brief and wll-structured

3.Which of the following skills are the most important?

A. Skills relevant to the job B. Communication skills

C. Organizational skills D. Computer skills

A family had had a cat for years-a much loved pet who also loved them. Then, one day, the children finally managed to persuade their parents to get them a puppy as well. And so a cute little Labrador made his entrance.

Everyone loved the puppy. However, the cat made it very clear she did not appreciate another pet in the house. She hissed(發(fā)出嘶嘶聲)and tried to scratch the little puppy---but the puppy just loved the cat anyway. He followed her everywhere, trying to play with her. What a sight it was—the little dog trying to make friends with the angry cat. No amount of bad behavior from the cat could persuade the puppy not to love the cat. The family figured the cat would never like the dog.

A few weeks passed. Then one day they heard horrible screaming from their back yard. They ran to the window to see what was happening. It took a while for them to believe their eyes. A lynx(猞猁)was on their back yard and it was just planning on grabbing their cat for lunch. The poor cat had no chance—it was screaming but had nowhere to run or hide. It would only be a matter of seconds and their cat would be dead.

And then the unimaginable happened. Out of nowhere a black lighting ran to the rescue. The little Labrador was only half grown but it attacked the lynx with all its might. It was barking on top of its lungs, ready to bite the other to bits. The lynx decided it was time to go and disappeared into the woods.

And ever since that day the cat’s behavior toward the dog changed totally. Now it was the cat that followed the hero dog everywhere.

1.What does the underlined word “Labrador” refer to?

A. A little cat B. A type of dog

C. A nice toy D. A cute child

2.What does Paragraph 2 mainly tell us?

A. Everyone loved the puppy

B. The cat tried to scratch the little puppy

C. The puppy’s bad behavior made the cat angry

D. The puppy had difficulty making friends with the cat

3.What happened on the back yard one day?

A. The dog saved the cat from a lynx

B. The family members screamed horribly

C. A black lighting tore the lynx to bits

D. The cat attacked a lynx with all its might

4.What can be inferred from the last paragraph?

A. The dog proved a better pet than the cat

B. The cat and the dog lived in harmony at last

C. Lynxes often came to their back yard to hunt for food

D. The hero dog did not like the cat following him everywhere

Chicago’s Children’s Hospital is the lucky receiver of a surprise 18 million gift from Gladys Holm. She once was a secretary who never earned more than $15,000 a year and never married. She lived alone in a small flat in Chicago, and was a volunteer at the Children’s Hospital. She was called the “Teddy Bear Lady” because she brought toy animals to sick children on her regular visits. But Miss Holm, who died in 1996 at the age of 86, was also a longtime buyer of stocks(股票).Over the years, she saved money that rose up to 18 million, which she left to the Children’s Hospital. It was the largest single donation in the hospital’s 115-year history. The hospital president, Jan Jennings, was shocked when she heard the news. “When Miss Holm’s lawyer called to tell me how much that money was, I asked him to repeat it , since I was certain I had misheard”.

Why did Gladys Holm fell so strongly about the Children’s Hospital? Jennings said the hospital first touched Miss Holm’s heart nearly 50 years ago，when doctors there saved the life of her friend’s daughter. She never forgot the happiness she felt all those years ago.

Holm’s gift will be devoted to heart disease research. People at the hospital said they regretted that they couldn’t thank Miss Holm for the surprising gift.

1.According to the text, how did Miss Holm build up her fortune?

A. By working as a secretary

B. By playing Teddy Bear Lady

C. By buying stocks

D. By helping in the hospital

2.Why did Jan Jennings ask the lawyer to repeat what he said?

A. she couldn’t believe her ears

B. She had seldom received donations before.

C. She want to make sure who Gladys Holm was.

D. She never expected Miss Holm would donate anything.

3.What made Miss Holm love the Children’s Hospital so much?

A. A happy life living with the children B. A valuable gift from the hospital

C. A satisfying job given by the hospital D. An unforgettable experience many years ago

4.How will the donated money be used?

A. To build up a new children’s hospital B. To support research on heart disease

C. To help sick children and their parents D. To buy more boys for sick children