31、

Stephen Hawking was born in 1942．He's a world famous scientist and expert on space and time．

Stephen is trying to find the answers to some very big questions, such as：How did the universe begin? How will it end?

Stephen studied math and science when he was a student at university．Then，at the age of twenty, he became very ill. He was so young，but the doctors said to his family, “He has only two more years to live．"The doctors were wrong--he didn't die．He can't walk now but he uses a wheelchair．He talks with the help of a computer．After Oxford，Stephen went to Cambridge University．Three years later, in 1965，he became a doctor of philosophy（哲學(xué)）．

    Because of his health problems，it was difficult for him to draw diagrams or to write, so he started to think in pictures. With this new way of thinking．he became one of the most famous scientists in the world．In 1981，he met the Pope（教皇）in Rome．They talked about his ideas．Then in l988，he wrote his first important book．A Brief History of Time《時間簡史》．It sold more than 5.5 million copies（冊）in 333 different languages．

1．What did Stephen Hawking study at Oxford University?

2．In which year did he become very ill?

3．How old was Stephen Hawking when he wrote A Brief History of Time?

4．What did the doctors think of his disease?

5．What kind of person do you think Stephen Hawking is?

30、I knocked into a man as he passed by．“Oh，excuse me，please．”I said．He replied，“Please excuse me．too．I didn’t notice where I was going．”

Later that day，while I was cooking，my son stood behind me quietly．When I turned around，I nearly knocked him down．“Move out of the way．”I shouted．He walked away with his little heart broken，

That night while I was lying in bed．a(chǎn) voice came to me，“When saying to that man，you used good manners．But to the child you love，you seemed to act in a bad way．Look at the kitchen floor，and you’ll find some flowers there by the door．Those are the flowers your son brought for you．He picked them himself．He stood quietly to give you a surprise，and you never saw the tears（眼淚）in his eyes．”   

By this time，tears began to run down my face．I took the flowers and went to his bed．I asked him，“Are these the flowers you picked for me?”

He smiled．“I found them by the tree．I picked them because they’re pretty like you．I know you’d like them．”

“Son．I’m sorry for the way I acted today．I shouldn’t have shouted at you that way．”

“Oh，Morn。that’s OK．I love you anyway．”

“Son，I love you too．And I do like the flowers．”

If we die tomorrow．the family we leave behind will feel sad for the rest of their life．Why don’t we spend more time with your family．a(chǎn)nd why aren’t we nice to them?

1．Why did the boy stand quietly behind his mother?

2．Did the writer knock her son down?

3．How did the little boy feel when his mother shouted at him?

4．What did the writer do when she knew the truth?

24、American and British people both speak English, but sometimes it doesn’t seem like the same language.

First of all, they sound very different. Often, Americans don’t say all the letters in each word, especially consonants （輔音） like “t” and “d.” For example, Americans may say “I dun no” instead of “I don’t know”. However, the British usually pronounce their consonants more carefully.

Also, some letters have different sounds. For example, Americans say the “a” in “half” like the “a” in “cat,” but the British say the “a” in “half” like the “a” in “ash.”

Sound is not the only difference between British English and American English. The two languages have different words for some things. For example, the words for clothing are different. Americans use the word “sweater,” but the British say “jumper.”

Many other words and expressions are different in the two countries. In England, if you are going to telephone a friend, you “ring her up.” In America, you “give her a call.” The British use the word “l(fā)ovely” to describe something they like. Americans use the word “cool” or “great”.

There are also some differences in grammar. For example, Americans almost always use the helping verb “do” with the verb “have.” They might say “Do you have an extra pen?” The British often ask the question in a different way. They might say “Have you got an extra pen?”

These differences can be confusing（令人混淆的） if you are learning English. But there is a reason for the differences. Languages change over time. When the same language is used in different places, it changes differently in each place. This is what happened to English. It also happened to other languages, such as French. Many people in Canada speak French, but their French is different from the French spoken in France.

1．Do Americans say all the letters in each word?

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2．Who use the word “sweater”, Americans or the British?

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3．Is French the same in Canada and France?

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4．Why are there some differences in the same language?

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5．What is the main idea of the passage?

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