1、 Unit2 Exploring English 第一部分 阅读 共两节，满分 50 分 第一节（共 15 小题；每小题 2.5 分，满分 37.5 分） 阅读下列短文，从每题所给的 A、B、C、D 四个选项中选出最佳选项。 A Some people learn a foreign language because they want to communicate with the local people. Some other people are just curious about foreign cultures. Whatever your reason may be, the
2、best foreign language software around will certainly help you pick up the language in a few weeks. You will be able to speak fluently and understand the language clearly as well. Tell Me More This software is widely used in U.S. schools, and it is believed to be the best foreign language learning so
3、ftware around the world. It offers instructions for learning Arabic, Chinese, Dutch, English, French, German, Italian, Japanese and Spanish. However, the software does not come cheap as it costs around $250. Talk Now If you are looking for cheaper language learning software,then this is just the sui
4、table choice for you. This software will cost you around $40, and even though it is not as useful as Tell Me More, it is still very good software for the purpose. The disadvantage is that there is a clear lack of interactive（互动的） activities for users so it does not result in fluency. Instant Immersi
5、on This software supplies learning material for up to 35 different languages, and it is widely considered as the best software for learning Spanish as well. It will cost you around $30, and this is a very reasonable price for such a piece of highly recommended and loved language learning software. T
6、he learning courses are highly interactive, and the ever present speech recognition feature ensures that you are getting the pronunciation right when you speak. Kid Speak This is a kind of foreign language translation software that you can make use of, and it will cost you around $30. So it is safe
7、to say that the level of performance will be similar to that of Talk Now. This software is designed more for children to use for interesting videos. 1. In learning a language_. A. different people have different purposes B. talking with the natives is quite necessary C. understanding foreign culture
8、s is very important D. using software is the most effective way 2. What is the disadvantage of Tell Me More? A. It lacks language learning methods. B. It costs much more than the others. C. It offers no interactive activities. D. It provides no interesting videos for children. 3. Which of the softwa
9、re best suits users with poor pronunciation? A. Tell Me More. B. Talk Now. C. Ins tant Immersion. D. Kid Speak. B When I met and married a Japanese man in New York, I thought he would learn a bit more English and we would continue to live our lives there. But in lifes twists and turns, we ended up l
10、iving in Tokyo! I was the one who needed to learn Japanese and fast! There is no experience quite as lonely as living in a foreign country without a grasp of the language. Especially to make friends and to break that loneliness, it is the first and foremost goal to attain.always an uphill climb, whi
11、le totally awkward! I was a trained English Language teacher, and while I lived abroad I did that work, and when we moved back to America I planned to continue it. The countrys financial difficulties at the time, however, saw deep cuts to the English as a second language in schools and to refugee la
12、nguage programs. So I simply took a job in a department store, at its Child Playroom. But this store was located near a major company that hired some of its workforce from many other countries. Often a preschooler in my playroom could not speak a word of English, and would look so lost and lonely! M
13、y heart flew to them! We interacted with each other a lot. We would play English language games and they would teach their language to me. Years later, when a small girl who had come from South America could speak good English, she said to me, “Teacher, remember when I called you Maestra?”Another ch
14、ild whose language was only Russian originally-we built a robot from blocks and fed it block food and learned English words that way-would come years afterwards and continue to play that same game! These moments became my life compass-due north is that place where when persons are different, Love Ma
15、tters! 4. What was the authors challenge after marriage? A. She had to give up her job. B. She lost all her best friends. C. She needed to learn a new language. D. She was forced to live overseas. 5. Why did the author change her job after she returned home? A. She set up her own company. B. She los
16、t interest in teaching. C. Better teachers were needed. D. Teaching jobs were greatly reduced. 6. What would the author and the young children do in the playroom? A. They learned each others languages. B. They took language tests. C. They cared for each other. D. They encouraged each other in learni
17、ng. 7. Which word can best describe the authors interactions with children? A. Tiring. B. Helpful. C. Simple. D. Humorous. C Part of the reason that English has grown as a world language is that it easily adjusts to（适应）change. However， this means that what one was taught as a child in school may be
18、out of date many years later. When words or phrases change, it can make speakers feel “wrong because they were taught that something else was “right”. One example of this is a term connected to school itself. Today, it is common for people to say that they “graduated high school” or college. The wor
19、d “graduate” has two common meanings. One is to mark off a series. The other meaning is closely related. As you move through school, you cross off a series of achievements: grade school, middle school, high school, and college. So, in a way, school itself is “graduated.” So, when people used to spea
20、k of getting a degree, they said they “graduated from college.” “To graduate college would have meant to mark it off by year -the first year, the second year etc. Similarly, “to graduate to college” would have meant to complete high school and move up to the next level. But as happens often in Engli
21、sh, when people understand your meaning, smaller words can disappear. “I graduated college is now easy to say. This may distress people who were taught that you had to use “from” to be correct. But this is not the first time this phrase has been simplified. It used to be that you said, “I was gradua
22、ted from college, instead of, “I graduated from college.” You cant know what English will keep and what it will lose. Who could imagine that we would still say we “dial” a phone number when we now push buttons on our cellphone? Yet we know what it means. 8. What do we know about the word “graduate”?
23、 A. It has two similar meanings. B. There was a change in its meanings. C. It had nothing to do with school at first. D. It got an extra meaning during its development. 9. Which of the following is the newest usage of “graduate”? A. I was graduated from college. B.I was to graduate to college. C.I g
24、raduated from college. D.I graduated college. 10. The underlined word “distress probably means“ A. change B. correct C. worry D. hurt 11. Whats the best title for the text? A. Right or wrong? B. Words come and go in English C. English is a very changeable language D. How should English be taught in
25、school? D Every year，hundreds of hopeful students arrive in Washington, D. C., in order to compete in the National Spelling Bee, which has been held every year since 1925. In the competition, students under 16 take turns trying to properly spell words. The champion is the only remaining student who
26、does not make a mistake. American students are familiar with the competition because it is practiced in many schools throughout the country. The National Spelling Bee, however, is a much bigger setting and showcases only the best spellers from all parts of the nation. Winning the competition nowaday
27、s requires the ability to perform under much pressure against so many talented students in front of a large audience. A student who wins the event in the twenty-first century will experience a much different challenge than the first winner, Frank Neuhauser, did in 1925 when he defeated only nine oth
28、er competitors. Clearly, the 90 years of the National Spelling Bees existence proves the importance of spelling in the English language. However, struggles with spelling English words go back much more than 90 years. The charming thing about spelling correctly in English is that it is in many ways w
29、ithout rules. English language can absorb new words from other languages and in doing so make them “English” words. Because of this, the number of words in English is much higher than any other languages. Thus, spelling in many other languages has fewer words and fewer strange exceptions to rules. I
30、t turns out that a spelling bee in most other languages would be a waste of time. Why is that? Well, without so many exceptions to common vocabulary, there would be very few words that everyone didnt already know. 12. How is todays competition different from the first National Spelling Bee? A. It pr
31、oduces more winners. B. It draws more talented audience. C. It attracts more competitors. D. It tests more strange words. 13. Why does the author mention “other languages” in Paragraph 3? A. To introduce the new rules of the competition. B. To gather students from other countries. C. To explain the
32、difficulty in English spelling. D. To show the strict rules of written English. 14. Whats the authors attitude toward holding spelling competitions in most other languages? A. Unfavorable. B. Supportive. C. Responsible. D. Doubtful. 15. What does the text mainly talk about? A. Ways to win a Spelling
33、 Bee. B. The most difficult language. C. The best spellers. D. A competition about spelling. 第二节（共 5 小题；每小题 2.5 分，满分 12.5 分） 阅读下面短文，从短文后的选项中选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有两项为多余选项。 English is an excellent language to learn, whether its for business, travel or personal reasons. Improving spoken English is usually
34、 what most English learners need to seek advice for. Here are some useful ways to help you. Speak a little English every day. The best way to learn any new language is just to speak it. Dont wait until you “feel more comfortable speaking in English-you probably wont reach that level for a long time.
35、 16 Youll be amazed at how quickly your language skills improve. 17 Pay particular attention to any sounds that you are unfamiliar with or that do not exist in your native tongue. For example some people have difficulty pronouncing the “r” sound, as it does not exist in their native language. Be awa
36、re that the pronunciation of certain English words varies greatly depending on the part of the world its spoken in. 18 If you intend to travel to or live in an English-speaking country, this is something you should take into account when learning how to pronounce certain words. Attend an English cla
37、ss or discussion group. A class will teach you the grammatically correct way of speaking-which includes proper sentence structure and verb conjugation and will generally provide a very structured approach to language learning. 19 This setting can help you to become more comfortable with speaking in
38、front of other people. Both of these language-learning settings have their pros and cons, So its best to do both if you can! Carry a dictionary. Carrying an English dictionary with you at all times. 20 Having a dictionary means that you will never be stuck for a word. It can save you a lot of embarr
39、assment if youre having a conversation with an English-speaker and forget a word in the middle of the sentence-all you have to do is take a second to look it up! A. Ignore your pronunciation. B. Work on your pronunciation. C. Referring to a dictionary is usually forbidden in an exam. D. Whether its
40、an actual book or a phone app can be very useful. E. For example, American English is very different from British English. F. Attending a discussion group is a more informal and relaxed way of learning English. G. Therefore, push yourself outside of your comfort zone and start speaking English today
41、. 第二部分 语言运用 共两节，满分 30 分 第一节（共 15 小题；每小题 1 分，满分 15 分） 阅读下面短文，从每题所给的 A、B、C、D 四个选项中选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项。 Here are tips for you, I suppose, when youd like to speak to Englishmen, travelling in England. If you are learning English because youre going to travel in England and wish to be 21there, dont try to spe
42、ak English perfectly, 22 if you do so, no one will understand you. In London ninety-nine in every hundred people speak 23 English. You may say that even if they dont speak English well themselves, they can 24 understand it when it is well spoken. They 25 when the speaker is English. But when the spe
43、aker is a foreigner, the better he speaks, the 26 it is to understand him. No foreigner can 27 stress the syllables and make the tone 28 and fall in question and answer, exactly as a 29 does. Therefore, the first thing you have to do is to speak with a strong 30 accent, and speak broken English, tha
44、t is, English without any 31 . Then every English person you 32 will at once know you are a foreigner, and try to understand you and be ready to 33 you. He will not expect you to be polite and use grammatical phrases. He will be 34 by his cleverness in making out your 35 and being able to tell what
45、you want to know. 21. A. settled B. heard C. understood D. known 22. A. because B.unless C.until D.though 23. A.American B.bad C.standard D.no 24.A.hardly B.really C.at least D.at most 25.A.say B.can C.think D.hope 26.A.better B.easier C.harder D.clearer 27.A.never B.even C.ever D.hardly 28.A.right
46、B.exact C.raise D.rise 29.A.native B.foreigner C.child D.reporter 30.A.London B.British C.foreign D.country 31.A.grammar B.mistake C.idiom D.words 32.A.know B.see C.ask for D.speak with 33.A.welcome B.help C.teach D.praise 34.A.strict B.surprised C.pleased D.praised 35.A.way B.meaning C.mistake D.co
47、untry 第二节（共 10 小题；每小题 1.5 分，满分 15 分） 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入 1 个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。 Keeping a diary in English is one of the effective ways to improve our English writing ability. Compared with other forms of writing, it is shorter and takes 36 (little) time. It can help us to develop the habit of thinking in E
48、nglish. If we persist（坚持）in this practice, gradually well learn how 37 (express) ourselves in English. In keeping a diary in English, we certainly run up against many 38 (difficulty).In the first place, it often happens that we have trouble in 39 (find) proper words and phrases to give expression to
49、 our mind. Secondly, there 40 (be) many idiomatic ways of saying things in Chinese. And it is extremely hard for us to put them into English 41 (proper). As far as I am 42 (concern) ,we should always have a notebook and a Chinese-English dictionary within easy reach. When we meet a word 43 is new to
50、 us, we can first put it down in our notebook and then consult our dictionary. We can also ask our English teacher 44 help, if necessary. In short, I believe that it is of great use to keep a diary in English for 45 development of our writing skills. 第三部分 写作 共两节，满分 40 分 第一节（满分 15 分） 你校“英语角”（English