The number of speakers of English in Shakespeare’s time is estimated(估计) to have been about five million. Today it is estimated that some 260 million people speak it as a native language, mainly in the United States, Canada, Great Britain, Ireland, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand. In addition to the standard varieties of English found in these areas, there are a great many regional and social varieties of the language as well as various levels of usage that are employed both in its spoken and written forms.

In fact, it is impossible to estimate the number of people in the world who have acquired an adequate(足够的) working knowledge of English in addition to their own languages. The purpose for English learning and the situations in which such learning takes place are so varied that it is difficult to explain and still more difficult to judge what forms an adequate working knowledge for each situation.

The main reason for the widespread demand for English is its present-day importance as a world language. Besides serving the indefinite needs of its native speakers, English is a language in which some of important works in science, technology, and other fields are being produced, and not always by native speakers. It is widely used for such purposes as meteorological and airport communications, international conferences, and the spread of information over the radio and television networks of many nations. It is a language of wider communication for a number of developing countries, especially former British colonies. Many of these countries have multilingual populations and need a language for internal communication in such matters as government, commerce, industry, law and education as well as for international communication and for entrance to the scientific and technological developments in the West.

1.What would be the best title for this passage?

2.Which of the following statements is NOT true?

3.According to the passage, what is the main reason for the widespread use of English?

4.What forms an adequate working knowledge of English?

5.What type of developing countries would be most likely to use English?

6.C。细节题。根据文章最后一段倒数第2句可推知此题

根据下列各句句意及所给单词的首字母或汉语提示，用正确形式的单词填空。
【小题1】I can see many beautiful Christmas __________ (装饰) on the streets.
【小题2】She was always __________ (乐观的), even when things were at their worse.
【小题3】A cinema is a public place of __________ (消遣).
【小题4】He prefers going on with his work to __________ (退休).
【小题5】He is to be __________ (祝贺) for his success.
【小题6】It is reported that an aircraft c__________ near the city but luckily no one was killed.
【小题7】Little Tom wrote “Granny, Heaven” on the e__________, and then gave it to his father to post.
【小题8】A few of the students failed in the examination, you i__________.
【小题9】I don’t know if we can help – that d__________.
【小题10】The doctor had to cut off his left leg and fix an a__________ leg for him.

请阅读下列应用文及其相关信息，并按照要求匹配信息。
下面是几条与节日有关的报道，首先请阅读这些报道的标题和插图：
（注意：如果选择E，则在答题卡上同时填涂A和B选项；如果选择F，则在答题卡上同时填涂C和D选项。）

A.		Father’s Day Shortchanged? Humble History, Fewer Gifts With Father’s Day 2011 here, find out how the holiday started, why Dad doesn’t mind being shortchanged on gifts, and more.
B.		Why Mother’s Day Horrified, Ruined Its Own Mother Born of war, Mother’s Day grew to horrify its own mother, whose fight to fix the holiday “cost her everything, financially and physically.”
C.		Valentine’s Day Facts: Gifts, History, and Love Science Where did Valentine’s Day come from? What does it cost? And why do we fall for it, year after year?
D.		Thanksgiving 2010 Myths and Facts Before the big dinner, debunk the myths—for starters, the first “real” Thanksgiving wasn’t until the 1800s—and get to the roots of Thanksgiving 2010.
E.		4th of July Facts: 1st Fests, Number of Fireworks, More How did Founding Fathers Celebrate 4th of July? How many 4th of July fireworks explode each year? Answers and more.
F.		Earth Day at 40: What Good Is It Now? After 40 years, outsourced activism is replacing traditional Earth Day activities, and green’s gone mainstream, experts say. So what’s the point?

What image does the word “Britain” conjure up（令人想到）in your mind? Big Ben，the frequently changing weather, fish and chips… But have you ever wondered what British people think means “Britain”?
English playwright William Shakespeare and pop group The Beatles are the icons which inspire a sense of national pride in British people, according to a recent survey.
More than 2,000 people were asked what aspect of Britain made them feel most proud. Shakespeare topped the list, followed by the National Trust, a charity which protects places of historical or environmental interest. These beat the British currency, the pound, and the BBC.
Surprisingly, the royal family only made it to seventh on the list. “The royal family, while popular, does not inspire widespread pride,” said a spokesman for Demos, the think tank(智囊团) which carried out the research. “However, it is certainly the case that — through their unique capacity to hold and lead national events — the royal family has a central role to play in developing pride.”
Terence Blacker, a reporter for The Independent, believes the study shows the nature of new patriotism（爱国主义）． “It turns out that modern British patriotism is not really about nationhood at all,” he wrote.
According to the poll, the most impressive symbols of national pride concerned private conduct and character. Volunteering topped the list, followed by politeness and patience.
【小题1】 According to the passage, the following statements are British most outstanding symbols except   .

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。

E

         All areas of the world face a nurses shortage. But the shortage is most severe in developing countries. Many of their nurses move to the more developed nations for better pay, better working conditions and better chances for career development. For example, nearly 2,000 nurses left the Caribbean between 2002 and 2006.

         The Caribbean nations currently have about 1 nurse for every 1,000 people. The ratio(比例) of nurses to population is about 10 times higher in the United States and countries in the European Union(EU). Now, more than 21,000 nurses who trained in the Caribbean are working in the United States, Canada and Britain.

         Gaetan Lafortune is an official of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development(O.E.C.D) in Paris. He says the nurses shortage also affects industrialized countries. He says, “There is concern in most O.E.C.D.countries that the number of nurses is too small to meet the demand. And what is more worrying is that their concern is sort of growing.” Mr Lafortune says a large number of nurses are expected to retire within the next 10 years. At the same time, the health care needs of aging populations are expected to grow, intensifying the shortage of nurses.

         Gaetan Lafortune said, “In the U.S., for instance, some researchers have found that there may be a shortage of close to a million nurses by 2020.” The United States is 1 of the 21 countries in the O.C.E.D. Gaetan Lafortune says in the recent years many of the countries increased their efforts to hire foreign nurses. As a result of that, O.E.C.D. countries were mainly exporting their shortage problem to countries that may have an even greater need for these nurses.

【小题１】What will be the main causes of the global nurses shortage in the next 10 years?

         a. The demand for nurses will decrease.                           

b. Many nurses will be too old to work.

         c. Many rich countries will hire more foreign nurses.    

d. Nurses are often looked down upon.

         e. Aging populations will increase rapidly

         A. a and b                   B. b and c                   C. b and e                   D. c and d

【小题１】The underlined word “intensify” in para. 3 means “________”.

         A. strengthen           B. neglect              C. reduce                   D. cause

【小题１】We know from this text that America and the EU countries ______.

         A. refuse to offer equal pay to foreign nurses

         B. have at least one nurse out of 100 people

         C. don’t like to train nurses of their own countries

         D. have more serious nursing problems than the Caribbean nations

【小题１】What does the text mainly tell us?

         A. Nursing is no longer a worthwhile profession in most countries.

         B. The different attitudes towards nursing in different countries.

         C. Nurses shortage will result in serious consequences.

         D. The health care industry needs more nurses.