Module 1 British and American English
阅读理解提速练——练速度
(限时：20分钟)
A
(2016·哈尔滨市第三中学一模)Babies don't learn to talk just from hearing sounds. They are lipreaders too. It happens during the stage when a baby's babbling (咿呀声) gradually changes from unclear voices into that first “mama” or “dada”. The baby in order to do like you has to figure out how to shape their lips to make that particular sound they are hearing, according to developmental psychologist David Lewkowicz of Florida Atlantic University, who led the study.
Apparently it doesn't take them too long to absorb the movements that match basic sounds. By their first birthdays, babies start changing back to look you in the eye again. It offers more evidence that quality facetime with babies is very important for speech development more than, say, turning on the latest baby DVD.
But Lewkowicz went a step further. He and his student Amy HansenTift tested nearly 180 babies, groups of them at ages 4,6,8,10 and 12 months. How? They showed videos of a woman speaking in English or Spanish to babies of English speakers. They found that when the speaker used English, the 4montholds gazed mostly into her eyes. The 6montholds spent equal amounts of time looking at the eyes and the mouth. The 8and 10montholds studied mostly the mouth. At 12 months, attention started changing back toward the speaker's eyes.
But what happened when these babies accustomed to English heard Spanish? The 12montholds studied the mouth longer, just like younger babies. They needed the extra information to recognize the unfamiliar sounds. That fits with research into bilingualism (双语) that shows babies' brains adjust themselves to distinguishing the sounds of their native language over other languages in the first year of life.
The continued lipreading shows the 1yearolds clearly still are fit for learning. Babies are so hard to study that this is “a fairly heroic data set”， says Duke University cognitive neuroscientist Greg Appelbaum, who found the research so fascinating that he wants to know more.
语篇解读：本文是一篇说明文。主要介绍了一项科学发现：婴儿不仅仅通过听声音来学习说话，他们还会通过观察说话者的口型来学习讲话。
1．According to the first paragraph, babies________.
A．might get its voice “mama” by lipreading
B．learn to talk just from hearing the sounds
C．like to figure out how to shape their lips
D．communicate with parents through gestures
解析：选A 细节理解题。根据第一段第二、三句可知，婴儿可能会通过读唇的方式发出“mama”的声音。故答案选A。
2．What is necessary in developing babies' speech according to Lewkowicz?
A．Playing baby DVD nearby.
B．Teaching babies to read English.
C．Speaking with babies face to face.
D．Speaking different languages in front of babies.
解析：选C 推理判断题。根据第一段最后一句“The baby in order to do ...who led the study.”及第二段第三句“It offers more evidence ...important for speech development”可推知，在婴儿的语言发展阶段，跟婴儿面对面讲话是有必要的。故答案选C。
3．Which of the following shows the right change of babies' eye gaze according to the text?
解析：选A 细节理解题。根据第三段最后四句“They found that ...the speaker's eyes.”并结合所给选项可知，A项坐标图符合文中的描述。故答案选A。
4．What would be the best title of the text?
A．Babies Have Different Methods to Talk
B．Babies Try Lipreading in Learning to Talk
C．Babies Are Suitable to Learn Two Languages
D．Babies Can Easily Accept Foreign Language
解析：选B 标题归纳题。纵观全文，文章主要介绍了一项科学发现：婴儿不仅仅通过听声，还通过观察说话者的口型来学习说话。B项概括了文章主旨。故答案选B。
B
(2016·烟台二中高三期中考试)
“Made in China” has Changed
Many shoppers in the West still prize labels, boasting (吹嘘) a product was made in Italy without knowing that a growing number of Italian products come from factories that are Chineseowned and staffed. The products which were marked “Made in China” gave the buyer an impression of “low pride and low cost, low technology and development”. The statement used to be true, but now it has changed.
“Made in China” is becoming a leading part in the world market. China's garment industry (制衣业) has been investing in producing technology and training for decades, and its workforce has collectively gotten better at sewing garments. As a result, the quality of Chinesemade clothes is rising fast. It has been home to a highlyskilled, highlyspecialized garment industry, one that supplies even some highend (高端的) labels and offers the best mix of price, speed, and quality.
“If I was to make a basic men's jean, I'd make that in Pakistan，” said Edward Hertzman, coowner of the trade publication Sourcing Journal. “If I was going to make a fashionable women's garment, I would move to China because their skill set is better, their hand is better, their finishing is better, and they can handle that type of fashion.”
Indeed, luxury fashion labels now routinely make things in China. Burberry, Armani, and Prada have all produced things there, because they're still able to get good workmanship at a relatively low price. Even the Japanese brand Visvim, known for its crazy attention to detail, also produces highend, handmade footwear in China.
Despite the rising wages and costs of doing business in China, companies have not walked away. “China is viewed by people who make buying decisions as unique and hard to copy elsewhere，” says Josh Green, CEO of Panjiva.
语篇解读：本文是议论文。文章讨论了“中国制造”发生的变化。中国制造从过去的低端、廉价、质量不高正逐渐向现在的高端、价高、质优上转变。
5．Which of the following is NOT true about “Made in China”？
A．It used to be associated with poor quality.
B．It has lost its leading status in the world market.
C．Its products are recognized by luxury fashion brands.
D．It reflects China's investment in producing technology.
解析：选B 细节理解题。根据第二段第一句可知中国制造现在在世界上正占据着主导地位。故选B。
6．Edward Hertzman thinks highly of “Made in China” in such aspects as ________.
workers' skills low prices advanced technology a sense of fashion
A．
C．
D．
解析：选D 细节理解题。根据第三段可知Edward Hertzman认为中国制造的优势在于技术娴熟、专业、时尚，中国制造已不是低廉的代名词。
7．What is the similarity between Prada and Visvim?
A．Both of them are from Japan.
B．Neither of them sells at a low price.
C．They both make products in China.
D．They both produce handmade footwear.
解析：选C 细节理解题。根据第四段可知这两种牌子现在都在中国制造产品。
8．What can be learned from the last paragraph?
A．Doing business in China costs a lot more now.
B．Chinese companies are more creative than others.
C．Foreign producers want to copy China's success.
D．Rising costs stop the interest of foreign companies.
解析：选A 推理判断题。根据最后一段第一句可知现在中国的工资上涨、制造成本增加，这说明，现在在中国做生意成本更高了。
C
(2016·太原市第二学段测评)The saying “a penny for your thoughts” is an English idiom simply asking people to volunteer their opinions on an issue being discussed. In modern usage, it is often stated as an indirect way of asking what someone is thinking about.
This phrase is basically a proposal (提议), and the speaker is offering to pay to hear the listener's thoughts. It is an idiom, of course, and not meant literally (字面上地) so no real payment generally takes place.
When the saying originated, a penny was worth a lot more than it is in the 21st century.Therefore, “a penny for your thoughts” likely indicated the thoughts were more valuable to those asking the listener for them than they are by today's standards. This loss of value can be used ironically (讽刺地), however, through tone (语气) of voice; it can be used to indicate that someone's idea is bad or worth a penny in modern value.
The phrase is generally credited to a man by the name of John Heywood, who was born sometime just before the 16th century. During his life, he was a writer who penned many plays and a book in 1546, later known as The Proverbs of John Heywood. It is likely that Heywood did not actually come up with the phrase “a penny for your thoughts”. Rather, he was simply the first person to have set the phrase down in written form. The actual origins of the term are unknown, and since his book was simply a collection of common idioms and expressions, it was probably familiar to people in the mid 1500s.
Another phrase similar to “a penny for your thoughts”is offering “your two cents” after making a statement. Someone might give his or her opinion and then say, “that's my two cents，” to indicate the value of his or her idea. While, much like a penny, “two cents” is relatively low in value now, it would have been more valuable at one time and the expression is used in much the same way.
语篇解读：本文是一篇说明文。文章主要介绍了一个习语。
9．When someone says “a penny for your thoughts”， he or she________.
A．wants to ask you for advice
B．considers your thoughts unique
C．is curious about what's on your mind
D．will pay for what you're thinking about
解析：选C 细节理解题。根据第一段中的“asking people to volunteer their opinions on an issue being discussed”和“asking what someone is thinking about”可知答案。
10．The modern meaning of
“a penny for your thoughts” ________.
A．is more closely connected to the value of the penny
B．can differ greatly according to a speaker's tone of voice
C．can confuse the listener easily
D．is more popularly accepted
解析：选B 推理判断题。根据第三段内容可知，由于便士的价值在古代和现在相差甚远，因此现在也可以用“a penny for your thoughts”来表达对方的主意一文不值，也就是说，根据说话人的语气，这个习语的意思大相径庭。
11．In what way is Heywood related to the phrase “a penny for your thoughts”？
A．He came up with it while he was writing.
B．He helped to explain the origins of it.
C．He contributed to the wide use of it.
D．He was the first person to use it.
解析：选C 推理判断题。根据倒数第二段中的“he was simply the first person to have set the phrase down in written form”和“his book was simply a collection of common idioms ...the mid 1500s”可推测，Heywood 由于将“a penny for your thoughts”这个习语编写到自己关于常用习语和表达的书籍中，从而使得这个习语被人们所熟知。因此，他间接推广了这个习语的应用。
12．What do we know about the phrase “your two cents”？
A．It is usually used at the end of a statement.
B．It comes from “a penny for your thoughts”．
C．It has witnessed some changes since the 16th century.
D．It is more familiar to people than “a penny for your thoughts”．
解析：选A 细节理解题。根据最后一段中的“offering ‘your two cents’ after making a statement”可知答案。