阅读理解-兴趣爱好与语言学习·链接高考One of the greatest contributors to the first Oxford English Dictionary was also one of its most unusual. In 1879, Oxford University in England asked Prof. James Murray to serve as editor for what was to be the most ambitious dictionary in the history of the English language. It would include every English word possible and would give not only the definition but also the history of the word and quotations (3130 showing how it was used.
This was a huge task, so Murray had to find volunteers from Britain, the United States, and the British colonies to search every newspaper, magazine, and book ever written in English. Hundreds of volunteers responded, including William Chester Minor. Dr. Minor was an American surgeon who had served in the Civil War and was now living in England. He gave his address as "Broadmoor, Crowthome, Berkshire," 50 miles from Oxford.
Minor joined the army of volunteers sending words and quotations to Murray. Over the next 17 years, he became one of the staff 's most valued contributors.
But be was also a mystery'. In spite of many invitations, he would always decline to visit Oxford. So in 1897, Murray finally decided to travel to Crowthome himself. When he arrived, he found Minor locked in a book-lined cell at die Broadmoor Asylum(精神病院) for the Criminally
Insane.
Murray and Minor became friends, sharing their love of words. Minor continued contributing to the dictionary, sending in more than 10.000 submissions in 20 years. Murray continued to visit Minor regularly, sometimes taking Walks with him around the asylum grounds.
In 1910, Minor left Broadmoor for an asylum in his native America. Murray was at the port to wave goodbye to his remarkable friend.
Minor died in 1920, seven years before the first edition of the Oxford English Dictionary was completed. The 12 volumes defined 414.825 words, and thousands of them were contributions from a very scholarly and devoted asylum patient.
61. According to the text, the first Oxford English Dictionary______.
A. came out before Minor died
B. was edited by an American volunteer
C. included the English words invented by Murray
D. was intended to be the most ambitious English dictionary
62. How did Dr. Minor contribute to the dictionary?
A. He helped Murray to find hundreds of volunteers.
B. He sent newspapers, magazines and books to Murray.
C. He provided a great number of words and quotations.
D. He went to England to work with Murray.
63. Why did Dr. Minor refuse to visit Oxford?
A. He was shut in an asylum. B. He lived far from Oxford.
C. He was busy writing a book. D. He disliked traveling.
64. Prof. Murray and Dr. Minor became friends mainly because .
A. they both served in die Civil War
B. they had a common interest in words
C. Minor recovered with the help of Murray
D. Murray went to America regularly to visit Minor 65. Which of die following best describes Dr. Minor?
A. Brave and determined. B. Cautious and friendly.
C. Considerate and optimistic. D. Unusual and scholarly.
66. What does the text mainly talk about?
A. The history of the English language.
B. The friendship between Murray and Minor
C. Minor and the first Oxford English Dictionary. D. Broadmoor Asylum and its patients.
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2010江西卷
Every day we experience one of the wonders of the world around us without even realizing it. ②It is not the amazing complexity of television, nor the impressive technology of transport. The universal wonder we share and experience is our ability to make noise without mouths, and so transmit ideas and thoughts to each other’s minds. ③This ability comes so naturally that we tend to forget what a miracle it is.
Obviously, the ability to talk is something that marks humans off from animal. Of course, some animals have powers just as amazing, Birds can fly thousands miles by observing positions of the stars in the sky in relation to the time of day and year. In Nature’s talent show, humans are a species of animal that have developed their own special act. If we reduce it to basic terms, it’s an ability for communicating information to others, by varying sounds we make as we breathe out.
Not that we don’t have other powers of communication. Our facial expressions convey our emotions, such as anger, or joy, or disappointment. The way we hold our heads can indicate to others whether we are happy or sad. This is so-called “body language”. Bristling (直立的) fur is an unmistakable warning of attack among many animals. Similarly, the bowed head or drooping tail shows a readiness to take second place in any animal gathering.
Such a means of communication is a basic mechanism that animals, including human beings, instinctively acquire and display. Is the ability to speak just another sort of instinct? If so, how did human beings acquire this amazing skills ? Biologist can readily indicate that particular area of our brain where speech mechanisms function, but this doesn’t tell us how that part of our bodies originated in our biological history.
72. According to the passage, the wonder we take for granted is________ .
A. our ability to use language
B. the miracle of technology
C. the amazing power of nature
D. our ability to make noises with mouth
73. What feature of “body language” mentioned in the passage is common to both human and animals?
A. Lifting heads when sad.
B. Keeping long faces when angry.
C. Bristling hair when ready to attack.
D. Bowing heads when willing to obey.
74. What can be inferred from Paragraph 3?
A. Body language is unique to humans.
B. Animals express emotions just as humans do.
C. Humans have other powers of communication.
D. Humans are no different from animals to some degree.
75. This passage is mainly about
.
A. the development of body language.
B. the special role humans play in nature
C. the power to convey information to others
D. the difference between humans and animals in language use
分析解读：
B: 人类在自然中扮演的特殊角色C: 给他人传递信息的力量D: 人类和动物在语言使用中的差异整篇文章谈论的都是给他人传递信息的力量, 使用语言的能力。专项训练 Trimming (修剪) Stamps Never try to take a stamp off its paper backing by pulling at it, even if it appears to be loose enough to do so. First, trim the paper around the stamp with a pair of sharp scissors making sure not to cut off the edge of the stamps. I suggest that you leave a quarter inch safety area from the edge of the stamp when you trim the paper before you are good at doing it. 1. This passage is written for people who _____. A. have no money to collect stamps B. want to sell their stamps C. want to collect stamps D. don’t know how to sort stamps 2. The writer didn’t mention collecting stamps from a ____. A. hobby shop B. shopping website
C. post office D. stamp dealer 3. According to the writer, at the very beginning, stamp-collecting beginners shouldn’t ____. A. collect common stamps B. borrow some stamps from their friends C. act as an inexperienced collector D. spend a lot of money in buying stamps 4. What does the writer suggest not do when trimming stamps? A. Pull at them to take them off the paper backing when they look loose. B. Trim the paper around the stamp with a pair of sharp scissors. C. Leave a quarter inch safety area from the edge of the stamp. D. Make sure not to cut off the edge of the stamps. 5. In the author’s opinion, collecting stamps ____. A. can make a lot of money B. is not a difficult hobby C. doesn’t require any money at all D. requires a lot of time
B
Language learning begins with listening. Children are greatly different in the amount of listening they do before they start speaking, and later starters are often long listeners. Most children will “obey” spoken instructions some time before they can speak, though the word 搊bey?is hardly accurate as a description of the eager and delighted cooperation usually shown by the children. Before they can speak, many children will also ask s.questions by gesture and by making questioning noises.
Any attempt to study the development from the noises babies make to their first spoken words leads to considerable difficulties.It is agreed that they enjoy making noises, and that during the first few months one or two noises sort themselves as particularly expressive as delight, pain, friendliness, and so on.
But since these can’t be said to show the baby’s intention to communicate, they can hardly be regarded as early forms of language. It is agreed, too, that from about three months they play with sounds for enjoyment, and that by six months they are able to add new words to their store. This self imitation leads on to deliberate imitation of sounds made or words spoken to them by other people. The problem then arises as to the point at which one can say that these imitations can be considered as speech.
It is a problem we need to get our teeth into. The meaning of a word depends on what a particular person means by it in a particular situation; and it is clear that what a child means by a word will change as he gains more experience of the world. Thus the use, at seven months, of “mama”as a greeting for his mother cannot be dismissed as a meaningless sound simply because he also uses it at another time for his father, his dog, or anything else he likes.
Playful and meaningless imitation of what other people say continues after the child has begun to speak for himself. I doubt, however, whether anything is gained when parents take advantage of this ability in an attempt to teach new sounds.
1. Before children start speaking ____________.
A. they need equal amount of listening
B. they need different amounts of listening
C. they are all eager to cooperate with the adults by obey spoken instructions
D. they can’t understand and obey the adult’s oral instructions
2.Children who start speaking late ____________.
A. may have problems with their listening
B. probably do not hear enough language spoken around them
C. usually pay close attention to what they hear
D. often take a long time in learning to listen properly
3. A baby’s first noises are ____________.
A. an expression of his moods and feelings
B. an early form of language
C. a sign that he means to tell you something
D. an imitation of the speech of adults
4. The problem of deciding at what point a baby’s imitations can be considered as speech ____________.
A. is important because words have different meanings for different people
B. is not especially important because the changeover takes place gradually
C. is one that should be properly understood because the meaning of words changes with age
D. is one that should be completely ignored because children’s use of words is often meaningless
5. The speaker implies ____________.
A. parents can never hope to teach their children new sounds
B. children no longer imitate people after they begin to speak
C. children who are good at imitating learn new words more quickly
D. even after they have learnt to speak, children still enjoy imitating
C
The English language has clearly changed in pronunciation over the years. For example, "Mom, do you wish me to unload the groceries?" is now said shorter like', "Ma, do ya want me to get the bags?" In our fast past society, we sometimes forget to use proper English and indeed some
of us have forgotten to use it at all.
What are the specific "roles" today when teaching children the English language? Dean, a former third grade teacher says, "Students are just not reading, nor are they writing enough in today’s world … Furthermore, I can remember enjoying reading aloud. Once I even read a book on a rubber in Lake Tahoe -- an almost unforgettable experience."
In my own personal life, years before any understanding of reading, my mind was left to try and develop the mechanics of the English language. As a result, I can understand what it is like for a student trying to learn the language. My fellow students and I had to continually practise speaking, writing, and reading. Another comment my third grade teacher colleague made was, "Children today are not investing enough time in English."
English, I believe, should be taught like a foreign language. English is the most widely used language in the world and students' failure to learn it shouldn’t be tolerated by parents and teachers. In my opinion, one of the best ways that a teacher can teach English is to never allow a student to answer a question using incorrect grammar.
⑥Because using English properly will help you be a better communicator, promote yourself, and gain more respect and appreciation(感激) from others.
1. What’s the purpose of the passage ?
A. To give teachers some advice on how to teach English well.
B. To suggest that students learn to use proper English.
C. To tell us why students today aren' t interested in learning English.
D. To tell us why it is important to learn English.
2. In Dean' s opinion, students today _______.
A. are not as hard-working as he used to be
B. are not spending enough time on English
C. sometimes forget to use proper English
D. don' t have any unforgettable experiences
3.The underlined word “tolerated” in the fourth paragraph probably means ________
A. left out
B. set up
C. put up with
D. kept up with
4. Which of the following sentences has been left out oft the last paragraph?
A. Why don’t students learn to use proper English nowadays ?
B. Why are children today not interested in grammar ?
C. Why has English greatly changed over the years?
D Why is proper English usage important in daily life?
5. After reading the passage, we can guess that the author is most probably a(n)_______ person.
A. funny
B. serious
C. 0pen-minded :
D. Kind—hearted
B篇：1. B 细节题。根据第一段 Children are greatly different in the amount of listening they do before they start speaking 可知此题答案为 B。
2. D 细节题。根据第一段中的 ... later starters are often long listeners 可知答案选 D。
3. A 细节题。根据第二段 ... the first few months one or two noises sort themselves as particularly expressive as delight, pain ,friendliness, and so on可知正确答案为 A。
4. C 细节题。根据第三段...and it is clear that what a child means by a word will change as he gains more experience of the word 可知 C 为正确答案。
5. D 推断题。根据第四段Playful and meaningless imitation of what other people say continues after the child has begun to speak for himself可推知此题答案为D。
C 篇：1. B。作者意图题。根据文章最后一段可知作者的写作目的是建议现在的学生学会正确使用英语。
2. B。理解推断题。根据Dean 所说的 Students are just not reading, nor are they writing enough in today’s world 可知他认为现在的孩子花在英语学习上的时间不够多。
3. C。词义猜测题。根据 English is the most widely used language in the world 可知作者强调了英语的重要性，接下来他说如果没有掌握好英语，那么对于父母和老师来说，是一件不能容忍的事，故选C。
4. D。理解推断题。根据最后一段的内容，可知作者问的是为什么学会正确使用英语如此重要。
5. B。推理判断题。通读文章，可知作者对现在的孩子的英语学习状况很不满意，他要求老⑤But since these can’t be said to show the baby’s intention to communicate, they can hardly be regarded as early forms of language.但是这些既然不能说是婴儿的交际意图，那么他们是几乎不能被认为是早起的语言的。
⑥Because using English properly will help you be a better communicator, promote yourself, and gain more respect and appreciation from others.因为正确使用英语将会帮助你成为一个好的交际者，提升自己，从别人那里赢得更多的尊重和感激。
·单词百宝箱
perspective n.观点,想法The event is very important to me when viewed in perspective.从长远来说,那件事对我非常重要。miracle n.奇迹The doctors said that his recovery was a miracle.医生们说他的复原是件奇事。mechanism n. 构造,组织The mechanism of the machine is very complicated.这台机器的结构是复杂的。ssume vt. 假定,猜想He assumes a look of innocence.他装出一副天真无邪的样子。eliberate adj.故意的,蓄意的 He told us a deliberate lie.他故意跟我们撒谎。echanic n. 过程; 方法The mechanics of fixing a car are very long.修理一部汽车的过程很长。Promote vt. 提升The new policy promoted the development of agriculture.这项新的政策促进了农业的发展。