As you are students of English, it's very possible that you'll be interested in England. That's where the language was first spoken. But England is often called by other names. This often confuses people and I wonder if you know what these names mean. So, now I would like to tell you about this matter of names. I believe that you have heard people use the names--England, Britain or Great Britain. Let's see what each of these names means. If you look at a map of Europe, you'll see a group of islands--one larger island off the northwest coast, one smaller and many tiny ones. These make up what is called the British Isles. The largest island of the British Isles is Britain. It is also called Great Britain. The smaller island is Ireland. Britain is divided into three parts: Scotland, Wales and England. But sometimes the word "England" is used instead of "Britain". Why so? In ancient times, what is Britain now used to be three different countries. People in these different countries spoke different languages. Over many years the three countries became one. England is the largest and richest of the three and it has the most people. So the English people take it for granted that their own name stands for the whole island. There's another thing that confuses people: sometimes you may hear people say "the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland". That is the official name of the country. Northern Ireland is only one sixth of the island of Ireland. The rest of the island is an independent state, called the Republic of Ireland. So we have the names of "England", "Britain", "Great Britain", and "the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland". Now do you know what each of them means? According to the passage, which of the following statements is true? A) Wales is the richest of the three. B) Scotland is the largest of the three. C) Sometimes England is used instead of Britain. D) Britain is the only name of the largest island of British Isles.
C
(Question)
Venice is a city of the sea. It is built on islands which are in the middle of lagoon . Today, the city covers 118 islands. These islands are connected by bridges. There are about 400 bridges which cross 150 canals . It is difficult to forget the sea when you are in the city. Many people of Venice have always been fishermen, because the lagoon is full of fish. They also build ships, and travel to Dalmatia and Greece. Venice is the "Queen " of the Adriatic Sea. Every month thousands of people visit the city, which is very beautiful. But Venice is going down. It is going down and the water is going up. In 2040 Venice will be under water. The Adriatic will cover the city. The Venetians love their city and they want to stay there. They want to save Venice. They do not want to leave. How can they succeed ? They can put some big gates in the sea, which will close, so Venice will not go down. The city is made up of _ . A) 400 bridges B) 150 canals C) 118 islands D) a lagoon
(Answer)
C
Ques: Early in the 16th century men were trying to reach Asia by traveling west from Europe. In order to find Asia they had to find a way past South America. The man who finally found the way from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific was Ferdinand Magellan. Magellan sailed from Seville in August, 1519 with five ships and about 280 men. Fourteen months later, after spending the cold winter on the coast of Patagonia, he discovered the channel which is now called Magellan Strait . In November, 1520, after many months of dangers from rocks and storms, the three remaining ships entered the ocean on the other side of South America. They then continued, hoping to reach Asia. But they did not see any land until they reached the islands off the coast of Asia. Before they arrived at these islands, later known as the Philippines, men were dying of starvation. While they were staying in the Philippines, Magellan was killed in a battle. The remaining officers then had to get back to Spain. They decided to sail round Africa. After many difficulties, one ship with eighteen men sailed into Seville three years after leaving. They were all that remained of Magellan's expedition. However, their achievement was great. They were the first men to sail round the world. The purpose of Magellan's expedition was to _ . A) sail round the world B) find a seaway from the Atlantic to the Pacific C) make a voyage to Asia D) carry men to Philippines
Ans: C
The fictional Chinese-American detective Charlie Chan was the subject of popular books and movies for many decades. In recent years, however, the character has been criticized as an ill image of Asian-Americans. Yunte Huang, an English professor at the University of California, says that's not the case. He has been exploring the character and real-life policeman who inspired him. Charlie Chan has been a familiar character to readers and film-goers, beginning in the 1920s. The detective solved crimes around the world in more than 40 films through the 1940s, and with the invention of television, found a new audience in the 1950s and 1960s. Huang discovered Charlie Chan through books by American author Earl Derr Biggers, who created the character. "One day, I happened to find two Charlie Chan novels. At that point I thought I knew that he was a negative character against Asians, but when I read the book," he says, "I was immediately attracted. Ever since then, I've been a fan of Charlie Chan." As a fan of the books and films, Huang was surprised to learn that Charlie Chan was based on a real detective named Chang Apana, who was born to Chinese parents in Hawaii around 1871. Apana worked as a cowboy, and joined the Honolulu police force in 1898. "He almost immediately became a local legend because as a former cowboy," says Huang, "he would walk the most dangerous areas in Chinatown carrying a bullwhip instead of a gun. He didn't need that." Although some say the image of Charlie Chan, with his broken English, is embarrassing for Asian-Americans, Huang believes Chan's broken English and unusual ancient sayings were part of his charm . "Let me just quote a few - 'Actions speak louder than French,' or 'Mind like parachute . Only function when open.' Charlie Chan always owes these instructive sayings to Confucius' eastern wisdom. For Huang, the fictional Charlie Chan is highly entertaining, while the real-life policeman, Chang Apana, is a Chinese-American success, whose story is worth telling. According to the passage, we know that Charlie Chan _ . A) was a character in books and movies based on a real detective B) was a famous actor starring in movies beginning from the 1920s C) was a famous detective solving crimes all over the world D) was a Chinese immigrant who became a local legend
A