On October 19, 1959, the first Special English program was broadcast on the Voice of America. It was an experiment. The goal was to communicate by radio in clear and simple English with people whose native language is not English. Experts said the goal was admirable, but the method would not work. They were proved wrong. The Special English programs quickly became some of the most popular on VOA. And they still are.
Forty years later, Special English continues to communicate with people who are not fluent in English. But during the years its role has expanded. It also helps people learn American English. And it provides listeners, even those who are native English speakers, with information they cannot find elsewhere.
Today, Special English broadcasts around the world seven days a week, five times a day. Each half-hour broadcast begins with ten minutes of the latest news followed by 20 minutes of feature programming. There is a different short feature every weekday about science, development, agriculture and environment, and on the weekend, about news events and American idioms.
Three elements make Special English unique. It has a limited vocabulary of 1500 words. Most are simple words that describe objects, actions or emotions. Some are more difficult. They are used for reporting world events and describing discoveries in medicine and science. Special English is written in short, simple sentences that contain only one idea. No idioms are used. And Special English is spoken at a slower pace, about two-thirds the speed of Standard English. This helps people learning English hear each word clearly. It also helps people who are English speakers understand complex subjects.
Through the years, Special English has become a very popular tool for teaching English, even though it was not designed as teaching program. It succeeds in helping people learn English in a non-traditional way. Individuals record the programs and play them over and over to practice their listening skills. In countries around the world, English teachers assign Special English to their students. They praise it for improving their students' ability to understand American English and for the content of the programs. Universities and private companies in many countries produce packages of Special English materials for student use.
【小题1】At the beginning, Special English program was .
A.well received |
B.rejected by native people |
C.doubted by some professionals |
D.intended for teaching English |
A.British English. |
B.American English. |
C.Both British and American English. |
D.Not certain. |
A.a, b, c | B.a, c, d | C.a, b, d | D.b, d, e |
A.Special English has been founded for less than 50 years. |
B.Native English speakers don’t have a great affection for Special English. |
C.Special English usually starts with 20 minutes of the latest news. |
D.People can learn some idioms from Special English. |
A.listening to Special English can be a student’s homework |
B.listening to Special English can improve the content of the program |
C.some student record the Special English material for sale |
D.learning English from VOA is a traditional way for English learner. |
科目:高中英语 来源:河北省20092010学年高一下学期期末考试试题(英语) 题型:阅读理解
第三部分 阅读理解(共20小题;每小题2分,满分40分)
阅读下列短文,从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中,选出最佳选项,并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
On October 16th 1987, southern Britain was hit by a hurricane, the worst storm to hit Britain since 1703.
Twenty years later, Britain is remembering the disaster known as The Great Storm. 15 million trees across the area were uprooted by the wind, and a wet autumn had made the ground very muddy (泥泞的).
The falling trees caused damage to buildings and vehicles, and blocked roads and railway lines, forcing everyone, from adults to schoolchildren to stay at home.
There were also blackouts across the area, as power lines were damaged by falling trees and flying debris (残骸). People used candles and flashlights (手电) for light, and gas stoves and open fires to cook food.
The storm lasted for 4 hours, and killed 18 lives. The bad weather caused so much damage mostly because of the fact that most people were completely unprepared, and be-cause many weather forecasters didn’t think it could cause a problem.
Earlier that week, weather forecasts had predicted severe (严重的) weather, but forecasters thought it would miss Britain and only affect the English Channel. A well-known weatherman, Michael Fish, ever said that the storm wouldn’t happen, though in fact he was talking about a hurricane in Florida at that time.
The unusual storm caused more than £1billion in dam-age, and hundreds of people were injured.
Could the same thing happen today in Britain? Well, as a result of climate change many people think that sudden and severe weather changes are more likely. However, technology has improved, and satellites give us a much more accurate(精确的)picture of future weather. If another Great Storm comes along, the British public will probably be warned earlier and have more time to prepare!
56. The bad weather in 1987 in Britain caused a lot of damage because ______.
A. it caused a great flood B. most people were not prepared
C. it happened in the summer D. there was no weather forecast
57. Which of the following was NOT one of the effects of The Great Storm?
A. There were a number of deaths and injuries. B. The electricity went out.
C. It hit Florida first. D. Roads and railway lines were blocked.
58. One week before The Great Storm, weather forecasts ______.
A. could not predict severe weather at all
B. had predicted the severe weather, but some weather forecasters thought it would miss Britain
C. showed that the terrible storm would not hit the English Channel
D. showed that The Great Storm would affect both England and Florida
59. We learn from the last paragraph that ______.
A. this kind of bad weather will not happen in Britain again
B. bad weather will happen more frequently in Britain now
C. people will be better prepared if there is bad weather in Britain now
D. bad weather may be stopped with the development of technology
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科目:高中英语 来源:2011年吉林省高二年级上学期期末英语试卷 题型:完型填空
Edith Cavell
was born on December 4, 1865, in England. When she left school, she became a
teacher. Edith soon found that she had a 36 for nursing(
护理), so she completed her
training 37 any problem. In 1907, a doctor invited Edith to
open a 38 school for nurses in Belgium(比利时).
In August
1914, Germany invaded Belgium. By then, the training school had become a Red
Cross hospital. It required its nurses to care for injured soldiers from every
country---even 39 soldiers. .
German
forces (
军队)
went through Belgium to France. British soldiers were 40 with
the French, trying to 41 the Germans out of France. But they
didn’t 42 . As a result, many British and French soldiers would be
caught. But some of them found their 43 to Edith’s training school.
There, she took care of them and 44 them from the German
forces. Then she heard some 45 people were willing to help
the soldiers escape. Together they organized travels for the soldiers out of
Belgium to Holland, which was a safe country during the whole war.
In august
1915, the German government discovered 46 was happening at
Edith’s training school. Edith was 47 for helping about two
hundred British and French 48 escape. Early on October 12, 1915,
Edith Cavell was 49 . She died for her country, but she
believed that she had only been a nurse trying to do her 50 . History
will remember her for ever.
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科目:高中英语 来源:2010-2011学年山东省诸城市高三2月月考英语试卷 题型:阅读理解
The website YouTube was created in 2005 and became an overnight success.Google bought YouTube for more than $1,600,000 the following year.In May,YouTube announced that two billion videos were watched each day.
In June,the Guggenheim Museum in New York City announced it would hold a competition among YouTube videos.Now,the judges have chosen the top 125 videos.
The Guggenheim and YouTube launched the competition called“YouTube Play.A Biennial(两年一度)of Creative Video.”The information technology companies HP and Intel are supporting the event.23,000 videos entered the competition.They represented 91 countries and every possible style of movie making.
The rules of the competition were few.Video makers had to be eighteen years or older.They could enter only one video.It had to be no more than ten minutes long.Any language,subject,sound,and style were considered.
Eleven people are judging the videos.They include artists,musicians,and filmmakers.Laurie Anderson is all three.She says all her art starts with a story,so she looks for a story as she judges the videos.
Other judges include the filmmaker Darren Aronofsky,the band Animal Collective,and artist and filmmaker,Shirin Neshat.
New Jersey artist Dahlia Elsayed’s video is one of the finalists.She used the camera in her computer to record herself describing her daily food desires for one month.The video is simple,short,and interesting.
A frightening,but beautiful video came from Chile.The video by Niles Atallah,Joaquin Cocina Varas.and Cristobal Leon is called“Luis”.It is an animated ghostly story of a tense,angry boy.It is very dark,but impossible to stop watching.
“Mars to Jupiter”is a video from Canada by Sterling Pache.It is about a survivor of the 1994 genocide(种族屠杀)in Rwanda.The video explores how her past still haunts(萦绕) her.
Other chosen videos are from France,Spain,Taiwan,Australia,and Israel.Almost thirty countries are represented.You can see them if you link to YouTube Play from our website at voaspecialenglish.com.
People can also see the 125 videos at the Guggenheim museums in New York;Bilbao,Spain;Berlin,Germany;and Venice,Italy.
On October 21,the YouTube Play judges will announce the final twenty winning videos at a special event at the Guggenheim in New York.The Videos will be on View there until October 24.
1.Accoding to the text,YouTube might be .
A.a video sharing website
B.a supporting company of the event
C.a museum in New York City
D.a frightening,but beautiful video
2.Who were supposed to enter the contest according to the text?
A.Video makers in English—speaking countries.
B.Video makers from New York City.
C.Video makers all over the world.
D.Video makers under the age of 18.
3.Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the text?
A.The rules of the competition were quite complicated.
B.Twenty videos will finally be picked out as the best.
C.The style of video was strictly limited.
D.Only artists can judge the competitio.
4. is a simple and relaxing story about daily life.
A.“Mars to Jupiter” B.Niles Atallah’s video
C.“Luis” D.Dahlia Elsayed’s video
5.The text is mainly about .
A.a famous wetsite B.a famous museum
C.some interesting videos D.a video competition
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科目:高中英语 来源:2010年湖南省高二水平考试三模英语试卷 题型:阅读理解
Soong Mei-ling was one of the most well-known Chinese women of the twentieth century.
Mei-ling was born in Hainan in 1898, the youngest daughter of Charlie Soong. At the age of 8, she was sent to the United States to go to school, where she did well. She graduated from Wellesley College in Massachusetts in 1917 with a degree in English Literature. Because of her education Mei-ling spoke excellent English.
After graduation Mei-ling returned to China and she met Chiang Kai-shek(蒋介石) in 1920. She married him in 1927 after his divorce. During the war against Japan, Mei-ling acted as her husband’s interpreter and translator. She worked hard to promote the Chinese cause during the war, especially in the United States. In 1943 she became the first Chinese national and only the second woman to speak before the US Congress(国会).
After the defeat(溃败) of her husband’s government in 1949, Mei-ling moved to Taiwan. She lived there until her husband’s death in 1975. She then emigrated to the USA and lived on her family’s estate(别墅) in Lattington, Long Island, near New York. She spent much of time painting.
Mei-ling died peacefully at her apartment in New York on October 23, 2003 at the age of 105.
41. Mei-ling was born in ______
A. 1920 B. 1927 C. 1917 D. 1898
42. After graduation Mei-ling_______
A. went back to China B. studied English Literature
C.. lived in Massachusetts D. spoke little English
43. During the war against Japan, Mei-ling________
A. was her husband’s interperter and translator
B. toured the United States
C. spent her time in Long Island
D. lived in Tai’wan
44. Soong Mei-ling ______
A. was the oldest Soong sister B. loved money
C. died in the USA D. married Dr Sun Yat-sen(孙中山)
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科目:高中英语 来源:2010年浙东北三校高一下学期期中联考英语 题型:填空题
Wendy ,Carol, Jenny, Tom 和Mark 想观看演出或参加培训.阅读下列材料, 从所给的6个选项中,选出符合各自要求的最佳选项。其中一项是多余的。(5分)
1.Wendy, a student who is interested comedy and acting,will be free on Oct.12th .She wants to relax herself by enjoying some performances, but she has no more than $4.
2.Carol is expected to be free on October 15th. She plans to enjoy some
performances while having a cup of coffee.
3.Jenny, a student who majors in art, is interested in Italian art as well as Chinese art. She will be free after school at 4:30.
4.Tom will go to study in the USA for a master’s degree. He wants to have a full-time special training for several months to improve his oral English.
5.Mark , a worker of an export company, needs to improve his writing and oral English. He can only go to the training class after work every day.
A.ENGLISH LANGUAGE CENTER
Classes for beginners for 3 months.
Focus on grammar as well as writing and oral English.
3:00 p.m to 9:30 p.m
Small classes with a maximum of 8 students
Course fee: $300 (10% discount for the first to enroll)
B.HALIFAX PLAYHOUSE
Ring’s Cross Street, Halifax.
Oct.10th--- Oct 17th on Golden Pond by Emest Thompson.
This is a magical comedy about real people. A well-acted play for everyone.
Don’t miss it.
Time: 7:30 p.m
Price: $3
Tel:36599988
C.LONDON COLLEGE OF ENGLISH
Classes for foreign students of all levels.
3 months, 6 months,9 months and 1 years course.
Focus on spoken language.
Open through all year from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Small class with a maximum of 12 students.
Course fee for English for one year: ;$1,200
Discount at shorter period of study.
Tel:22342381
D.EXHIBITIONS OF OIL PAINTINGS
Gallery of the Central Academy of Fine Art
A combination of Eastern and Western Art 8:00 a.m.
Price: $2 for adults, $1 for students
Tel: 33569875
E.WESTERN ART SHOW
China National Art Museum
European modern art, Chinese art and African ancient art
Open from 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m from Oct. 6th to 20th
Price : $3 for adults, $1.5 for middle school students.
Tel:25545569
F.GRAND THEATRE
Oxford Street, Leeds
Restaurant and Cafe.
Sep.1st—19th
Admission:Tues.--Thurs. $2-6; Fri.& Sat.$4-8
Sue Townsend’s musical play.
Time: Evenings 7:45. Oct 10th—17th, at 2:30 p.m.
No Monday performance.
All kinds of drinks offered
Tel :52011611
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