To develop one's taste in English,the most effective way is to read English books extensively. However, one may be at a loss to choose the appropriate books,especially as a beginner.I would like to share some of my experience. My first English novel was Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice,recommended by many English teachers and professors as an ideal book for English learners. But I had great difficulty in understanding the novel,let alone enjoying it. It's not the vocabulary that troubled me,but rather the way Austen constructs sentences,and her way of thinking,which seemed too remote to me at that time. My fading enthusiasm was much recovered after reading Hemingway's novel Farewell to Arms. I particularly liked his brief and lively style. So my first suggestion is,as a beginner, you'd better choose contemporary novels instead of classical ones. However,reading novels is not the only way to improve your English. English essays can at once inform you,entertain you, and improve your taste in English. The best example is Bertrand Russell's work. Its language is plain, yet you cannot help feeling the elegance and the unique sense of humor. His simple language enables his philosophy within the reach of ordinary people. Here comes my second suggestion--essays are _ . Never follow other's opinions blindly,however famous or influential the person might be. As a saying goes,one man's meat is another man's poison. With that in mind,we are sure to find out our favorite writers through reading and develop our fine taste in English. What is the author's purpose of writing the passage? A) Give comments on literature works. B) Tell beginners how to choose English books. C) Encourage people to read more English books. D) Recommend first-class books to English learners.
B
(Question)
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - People who drink two or more sweetened soft drinks a week have a much higher risk of pancreatic cancer , an unusual but deadly cancer, researchers reported on Monday. People who drank mostly fruit juice instead of sodas did not have the same risk, the study of 60,000 people in Singapore found. Sugar may be to blame but people who drink sweetened sodas regularly often have other poor health habits, said Mark Pereira of the University of Minnesota, who led the study. "The high levels of sugar in soft drinks may be increasing the level of insulin in the body, which we think contributes to pancreatic cancer cell growth," Pereira said in a statement. Writing in the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, Pereira and colleagues said they followed 60,524 men and women in the Singapore Chinese Health Study for 14 years. Over that time, 140 of the volunteers developed pancreatic cancer. Those who drank two or more soft drinks a week had an 87 percent higher risk of being among those who got pancreatic cancer. Pereira said he believed the findings would apply elsewhere. "Singapore is a wealthy country with excellent healthcare. Favorite pastimes are eating and shopping, so the findings should apply to other western countries," he said. But Susan Mayne of the Yale Cancer Center at Yale University in Connecticut was cautious. "Although this study found a risk, the finding was based on a ly small number of cases and it remains unclear whether it is a causal connection or not," said Mayne, who serves on the board of the journal, which is published by the American Association for Cancer Research. Pancreatic cancer is one of the deadliest forms of cancer, with 230,000 cases globally. In the United States, 37,680 people are diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in a year and 34,290 die of it. The best title of the text might be _ . A) The Deadliest Forms of Cancer B) Sugary Soft Drinks Lead to Cancer C) A Study in University of Minnesota D) Drink Fruit Juice Instead of Sodas
(Answer)
D
Ques: Not so long ago, most people didn't know who Shelly Ann Francis Pryce was going to become. She was just an average high school athlete. There was every indication that she was just another American teenager without much of a future. However, one person wants to change this. Stephen Francis observed then eighteen-year-old Shelly Ann as a track meet and was convinced that he had seen the beginning of true greatness. Her time were not exactly impressive, but even so, he seemed there was something trying to get out, something the other coaches had overlooked when they had assessed her and found her lacking. He decided to offer Shelly Ann a place in his very strict training seasons. Their cooperation quickly produced results, and a few year later at Jamaica's Olympic games in early 2008, Shelly Ann, who at that time only ranked number 70 in the world, beat Jamaica's unchallenged queen of the sprint . "Where did she come from?" asked an astonished sprinting world, before concluding that she must be one of those one-hit wonders that spring up from time to time, only to disappear again without signs. But Shelly Ann was to prove that she was anything but a one-hit wonder. At the Beijing Olympic she swept away any doubts about her ability to perform consistently by becoming the first Jamaican woman ever to win the 100 meters Olympic gold. She did it again one year on at the World Championship in Briton, becoming world champion with a time of 10.73--- the fourth record ever. Shelly-Ann is a little woman with a big smile. She has a mental toughness that did not come about by chance. Her journey to becoming the fastest woman on earth has been anything but smooth and effortless. She grew up in one of Jamaica's toughest inner-city communities known as Waterhouse, where she lived in a one-room apartment, sleeping four in a bed with her mother and two brothers. Waterhouse, one of the poorest communities in Jamaica, is a really violent and overpopulated place. Several of Shelly-Ann's friends and family were caught up in the... What made Maxime decide to train her daughter on the track? A) Her success and lessons in her career. B) Her interest in Shelly-Ann's quick profit. C) Her wish to get Shelly-Ann out of poverty. D) Her early entrance into the sprinting world.
Ans: C
Question: In China, chain restaurants - especially the big multinational ones - are cool. Going to Starbucks, for example, is a status symbol. It not only says, "I'm rich enough to buy this overpriced coffee," but also, "I'm cosmopolitan enough to be part of globalization." Where I come from in the UK, however, chains are neither fashionable nor gourmet . Chains are where you go on New Year's Day when nowhere else is open, or when you are 5 years old and your parents can't stand hearing, "I'm huuuuuungry!" any longer. In my own case (with regards to McDonald's), a chain is where you are taken on your first "date". Even at the age of 13, I knew to give the guy the "let's just be friends" phone call the next day. In the UK, independent cafes and restaurants are making a comeback on the fashion scene. Nowadays, a Londoner who says "let's meet for a coffee at Monmouth" (an independent cafe) is much cooler than one who says "let's go to Starbucks". Even if Monmouth's coffee is a little more expensive, there's a satisfaction in knowing your pounds aren't going straight to the big corporations. Of course, there are chain stores all over the UK; you can't go five minutes without spotting a Costa Coffee. But numbers do not add up to good taste. I do, however, have a confession . After moving to China I had moments when all the rice and Kung Pao Chicken became too much. I, too, have retreated to McDonald's. We can infer from the article that _ . A) the author doesn't like food from Pizza Hut B) the author doesn't like to follow fashion trends C) many Britons think that numbers mean poor quality D) many Britons don't like big corporations
Answer:
D