The Queen’s English is now sounding less upper-class, a scientific study of the Queen’s Christmas broadcasts has found. Researchers have studied each of her messages to the Commonwealth countries since 1952 to find out the change in her pronunciation from the noble Upper Received to the Standard Received.
Jonathan Harrington, a professor at Germany’s University of Munich, wanted to discover whether accent changes recorded over the past half century would take place within one person. “As far as I know, there just is nobody else for whom there is this sort of broadcast records,” he said.
He said the noble way of pronouncing vowels (元音) had gradually lost ground as the noble upper-class accent over the past years. “Her accent sounds slightly less noble than it did 50 years ago. But these are very, very small and slow changes that we don’t notice from year to year.”
“We may be able to relate it to changes in the social classes,” he told The Daily Telegraph, a British newspaper. “In 1952 she would have been heard saying ‘thet men in the bleck het’. Now it would be ‘that man in the black hat’. Similarly, she would have spoken of ‘the citay’ and ‘dutay’, rather than ‘citee’ and ‘dutee’, and ‘hame’ rather than ‘home’. In the 1950s she would have been ‘lorst’, but by the 1970s ‘lost’.”
The Queen’s broadcast is a personal message to the Commonwealth countries. Each Christmas, the 10-minute broadcast is put on TV at 3 pm in Britain as many families are recovering from their traditional turkey lunch (传统火鸡午餐).
The results were published (发表) in the Journal of Phonetics.
【小题1】What is the text mainly about?
| A．The relationship between accents and social classes. |
| B．The Queen’s Christmas speeches on TV. |
| C．The changes in a person’s accent. |
| D．The recent development of the English language. |
| A．she has been Queen for many years |
| B．she has a less upper-class accent now |
| C．her speeches are familiar to many people |
| D．her speeches have been recorded for 50 years |
| A．“dutay” | B．“citee” | C．“hame” | D．“lorst” |
| A．speech sounds | B．Christmas customs |
| C．TV broadcasting | D．personal messages |
科目：高中英语 来源：2010届湖北省高考英语总复习练习系列四 题型：阅读理解
As we all know, nature has supplied every animal except man with some covering for his body such as fur, feathers, hair, and shells as a thick hide. But man has nothing but a thin skin.
If someone were to ask you, "Why did human beings start to cover their bodies with clothes?" most would answer, "To keep themselves warm, of course."
It is only when we begin to think about it a little that we realize that clothes are worn for a great many reasons that have nothing to do with our need for warmth at all.
For example, we wear clothes to some degree in order to decorate ourselves－to make ourselves, if possible, look more dignified (尊严) or nicer.
Clothes of a special kind are often worn to show that the wearer has authority or power. The individual wearing them is treated with respect because he occupies a certain office. The judge on the Bench, for example, might look a very ordinary and unimpressive figure without his wig and gown. Clothes are an important part of ceremony, whether it is connected with belief, the law, parliament, and royalty, the fighting forces or the state. How very different the Queen's Coronation ceremony (加冕仪式) would have looked without the robes, coronets and the cloth of gold.
Sometimes, even in some modern countries people wear some article of clothing, or some jewel, because they believe that it will bring them luck or protect them from evil or illness, or because it is connected with their beliefs.
None of these reasons for wearing clothes－to decorate ourselves, to show our position in the world, for ceremonial purposes, for "luck", to give ourselves dignity and authority－have anything to do with our need for warmth.
65.From the passage we know that wearing clothes is man's basic necessity to________.
A. protect skin B. show beauty C. keep warm D. bring luck
66.According to the passage, the judge wearing special clothes on the Bench________.
A. looks nicer B. looks different C. shows wealth D. shows power
67.Even in modern countries, sometimes people wear certain clothes because________.
A. they believe that they will get protected from bad luck and illness
B. it has something to do with their wealth
C. they want to show their power
D. they enjoy wearing such kind of clothes
68.The author's purpose in writing this article is to tell us that clothes are worn________.
A. for ceremonial occasions B. for many other reasons besides warmth
C. to keep people impressive and nicer D. to show people's authority or power
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科目：高中英语 来源：2011-2012学年吉林省龙井市三中高二11月月考英语试卷 题型：阅读理解
Over a hundred years ago people in London were surprised to see a very unusual boat come sailing up the Thames River. The boat was eighty feet long flat-bottomed, with big wooden eyes on both sides in the front and was colorfully painted at the back.
People came to know that it was a sailing boat from Fuzhou in distant China. The boat had sailed round the Cape of Good Hope(好望角) up the western coast of Africa, and finally to England. It had covered fifteen thousand miles—more than half of the distance round the world.
Although it was unexpected, the Chinese were warmly welcomed. The boat carried goods such as silk and tea as well as a number of gifts from the Emperor of China for the Queen of England.
People had always mistakenly thought of the Chinese as a people not used to sea. However, from centuries of trading and sailing in dangerous seas, the Chinese had learned how to build good boats and sailed them well. The coming of this sailing boat to London proved once again that the Chinese could sail to distant countries in the world.
【小题1】The boat was considered unusual because _________.
| A．it was a small wooden boat |
| B．it carried Chinese silk and tea |
| C．it had traveled fifteen thousand miles |
| D．it looked strange in several ways |
| A．The distance round the earth measures less than thirty thousand miles. |
| B．The Chinese Emperor gave silk and tea to the English Queen as gifts. |
| C．The Chinese boat came to London by accident. |
| D．The Chinese people were not good at sailing in dangerous seas. |
| A．round the southern end of Africa |
| B．up the west coast of England |
| C．through the Arctic Ocean |
| D．round Asia and Europe |
| A．carried silk, tea and other goods to England |
| B．could reach many parts of the world by sea |
| C．could sail along the Thames River |
| D．surprised Londoners with an unusual boat |
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科目：高中英语 来源：2014届天津市高三上期第一次月考英语卷（解析版） 题型：阅读理解
|
WELCOME Welcome to Windsor Castle, the oldest and largest occupied castle in the world. Windsor is one of the official residences(住所) of the Queen, who sometimes stays here.
Audio tours Free audio tours are available on leaving the Admission Centre at the start of your visit. There is a descriptive audio tour for blind and poor-sighted visitors. Guided tours Visitors can explore the history of the Castle through a tour of the Precincts with an expert guide. Tours depart（出发，起程）at regular intervals（每隔一定时间/距离）throughout the day from the Courtyard and finish at the entrance to the State Apartments. Visitors with children For those visiting with children, a special family tour and various activities are offered during school holidays and at weekends. Please note that, for safety reasons, pushchairs are not permitted in the State Apartments. However, baby carriers are available to borrow. St George's Chapel Visitors arriving at the Castle after 15:00 from march to October are advised to visit St George's Chapel first, before it closes. |
Shopping Shops offer a wide range of souvenirs designed for the Royal Collection, including books, postcards, china, jewellery, and children's toys. Please ask at the Middle Ward shop about our home delivery service（送货服务）. Refreshments Bottled water can be purchased from the Courtyard and Middle Ward shops. From April to September ice cream is also available. Visitors wishing to leave the Castle for refreshments in the town may obtain re-entry permits from the castle shops. Eating and drinking are not permitted in the State Apartments or St George's Chapel. Photography and mobile phones Non-commercial photography and filming are welcomed in the Castle. Photography, video recording and filming are not permitted inside the State Apartments or St George's Chapel. Mobile phones must be switched off inside the State Apartments and St George's Chapel in consideration of other visitors. Security As Winter Castle is a working royal palace, visitors and their belongings should get through airport-style security checks. For safety and security reasons a one-way system operates along the visitor route.[来源:] |
1.A visitor can apply for a free audio tour ___________.
A. in the Courtyard B. in the State Apartments
C. at the Admission Center D. at St George's Chapel
2.What is specially offered to visitors with kids?
A. A security guard B. A pushchair C. A free toy D. A baby carrier
3.Who can get re-entry permits?
A. Visitors wishing to eat outside the Castle
B. Visitors buying gifts in the castle shops
C. Visitors buying water from the Courtyard
D. Visitors eating outside St George's Chapel
4.Why are visitors required to turn off their mobile phones?
A. To ensure the safety of others
B. To ensure the security of the Castle
C. To prevent them from disturbing others
D. To prevent the use of the built-in cameras
5.In the last part, a "working royal palace" refers to one_____.
A. still being constructed B. still used by the royal family
C. where the Queen usually works D. where works of art are on show
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科目：高中英语 来源：2013届江苏省高三上学期第一次质量检测英语试卷（解析版） 题型：单词拼写
单词拼写（共10题，每小题0．5分，满分5分）
1.New York is famous for its s______ and Empire State Building is one of its symbols．
2.The 2012 Olympic Games held in London was a great event and apart from the queen almost all the members of the r______ family attended the opening ceremony．
3.My father always s______ the importance of working hard, which I’m fed up with．
4.Glasses are f______ and must be handled with great care．
5.Many of Charles Dickens’s novels were o______ published in serial form in magazines．
6.How long will the ______（注册）trade-mark remain valid?
7.The government has promised stricter ______（管理） of the stock market．
8.The sale of ice cream is ______（部分）determined by the weather．
9.The ancient buildings are part of the national ______（遗产）and we should preserve them．
10. ______ （摩擦力）against the rock, combined with the weight of the climber, caused his rope to break．
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科目：高中英语 来源：2010年广东省高二上学期10月月考英语卷 题型：阅读理解
London has more than nine million visitors every year. They come and visit some of the most famous places in England: Big Ben, the Tower of London and the River Thames.
You can see some of the most interesting places in London by getting on the tour buses. Or you can take a ride on the London Eye. This large wheel slowly takes you 135m above the River Thames.
The River Thames is London’s main waterway. It has shaped the capital’s landscape, history and geography. So one of the best ways of knowing more about the city is to take a trip along the river.
The clock tower of the Houses of Parliament, Big Ben, has become one of the main symbols of London. The sound of the bell, which you can hear at the beginning of many television and radio programmes, has become well-known throughout the nation.
No visit to London is complete without a look at the Tower of London, in the eastern part of the city. After Big Ben, the Tower may be London’s most visited tourist spot. Directly south is Tower Bridge, which is more than100 years old.
Along all the palaces in London, Buckingham Palace is the most famous. It has been the main London home of the royal family since Queen Victoria moved there in 1873. You can visit some of the rooms in August and September. And most mornings of the year you can watch the soldiers
outside changing the guard.
About one hour by train out of London is the Tower of Windsor. Here you can visit another of the Queen’s homes-Windsor Castle. There was a fire in 1992 and many of the rooms were badly burned. But now they are full of beautiful pictures, tables and chairs again.
Sightseeing in London is great, but it can get very tiring. So, the best way to start the day is to fill up with an English breakfast.
You can buy an English breakfast in nearly every hotel, and at many restaurants and cafes. An English pub is a good place to stop for lunch and a drink. You can get hot or cold food and try one of England’s many ales(浓啤酒). Fish and chips are also a traditional English meal. So look out for fish and chip shops in cities as well as by the sea.
Or you can sit outside one of the many roadside pubs and cafes in London, and simply watch the busy world go by.
1.We can learn from the text that ____________.
|
A．Windsor Castle has been rebuilt |
|
B．the Big Ben can be heard everywhere in London |
|
C．only some of the hotels in England serve breakfast. |
|
D．the London Eye can carry you where you like to go |
2. Which place may be London’s most visited tourist spot?
|
A．Buckingham Palace |
B．The Tower of London |
|
C．Big Ben |
D．The River Thames |
3.If you go to London in December, you will not be able to ___________
|
A．visit Windsor Castle |
|
B．tour the Buckingham Palace |
|
C．tour the city along the River Thames |
|
D．watch the soldiers outside the Buckingham Palace changing guards. |
4.The underlined word “landscape” (paragraph 3) is closest in meaning to _________.
|
A．sights |
B．interests |
C．characteristics |
D．culture |
5.The whole passage mainly introduces the ________________.
A. tourism in London B. tourists in London
B. history in London D. sightseeing in London
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