Every English learner hopes to find a patient native speaker who will politely correct mistakes and teach him some useful new vocabulary. But native speakers can be hard to find. If you're having trouble communicating in English, American situation comedies are one good way to help. They can not only give you a lot of information about American culture, but also offer some useful daily expressions. Watching them will help you enlarge your vocabulary and teach you correct language usage in different situations. Best of all, situation comedies are a fun way to learn. The Apprentice The American reality TV show is hosted by the famous businessman Donald Trump. It's based on the idea of the final job interview for the final job. The show picks 16 people to compete for a job with Trump's business. Those who fail their weekly tasks have to meet with Trump. They have to explain why they should not be fired . The Apprentice is useful for English students who want to learn how to make up a persuasive argument. For example, rather than say "I think I did a good job", one may also learn to throw off the possibility of uncertainty by saying, "I did a good job." Desperate Housewives (DH) Desperate Housewives is set in an invented American town, Wisteria Lane. It follows a group of middle-aged women as they go through their daily family lives. But in fact, those women live a life of lies, secrets, criminal acts, and mystery. This program is good at expressing the funny life of American neighbors. And, it's the perfect comedy series for foreign learners wanting to see how to hold a relaxed daily conversation. Another reason for watching DH is to learn some expressions American families use that are not in your English language textbooks. For example, the mothers often use words such as "sport" and "you guys" to speak about their kids. In the author's opinion, learning English through TV series is _ . A) common B) difficult C) enjoyable D) possible
C
(Question)
Probably you have seen photos of the Grand Canyon , the great valley in the desert country of Arizona. But you must go there yourself to feel its true size and beauty. The Grand Canyon is one of the greatest natural wonders of the world The Colorado River formed the Grand Canyon over millions of years.Slowly,the river cut down through hard rock.At the same time,the land was rising.Today,the canyon is 1.5 kilometres deep and 445 kilometres long.The oldest rocks at the bottom of the canyon are more than 1 billion years old.The width varies from about 200 metres to 29 kilometres across.The rim or top of the canyon is about 2,300 metes above sea level on the South Rim,and about 3,000 metres on the other side,the North Rim.As a result,there are different kinds of plants and animals on opposite sides of the canyon.The South Rim is a dry desert country.The North Rim has tall forests. The canyon looks different at different times of day, and in different seasons and weather. At sunrise and sunset the red, gold, brown and orange color1s of the rocks are especially clear and bright. In winter, the canyon is partly covered with snow. The view from the South Rim of the Grand Canyon is the best. Most visitors come here and stay in campgrounds or hotels. Every point along the canyon's edge offers a different view. The North rim of the Canyon is quieter. It takes all day to drive there from the South Rim because there is only one bridge across the Colorado River. On the way, you go through Navado Indian lands, and a color1ful pink desert called "The Painted Desert". The scene of the canyon is _ . A) various depending on different time and places B) almost the same C) various depending on different time D) various depending on different places
(Answer)
A
Ques: "Success begins with belief and ends with doubt."--Larina Kase I remember reading through a book and the author was writing about being a reverse paranoid. In that particular section he mentions how he has a belief that the world he's living in is out to give him everything he absolutely wants and desires. There are times when I think to myself,"Wow,the world is out to get me and make me miserable." Then I thought,why can't I believe that the world is out to make me a better conversationalist. Then I started adapting to the belief of the reverse paranoia. When I started talking to people,I truly believed that I was the most interesting person in the room. I believed that everything I said added value to the conversation. I believed that people stayed behind and chatted with me because they found me _ . As a matter of fact, for about five months I wrote down on my bathroom mirror the following affirmation:"People love me and respect me. It is a privilege to talk to me. People find me interesting and charming and always want to get to know me better!" I would say the affirmation after I brushed my teeth. And I would continue to say it until I felt completely great about myself. There were days that I just wouldn't feel like saying it,because it would feel like a lie to me. But that's the trouble,like the quote says,success ends when there's doubt. And that's why I continued until I had no doubt in my mind. Then strange things happened,I noticed that people did find me more interesting,and that I gained more confidence in talking with people. I was more assertive at work. I was able to control politics and gossip at work to minimal levels,and became a much better manager,and developed better customer relations to the point that sales were up by 20% compared to the year before,on my best month sales were up by 39%,and this was a year that a recession was happening. Sometimes the author didn't feel like saying his affirmation because _ . A) it didn't work as he had expected B) he had become enthusiastic about conversations C) he had felt great about himself D) it didn't sound true to himself
Ans: D
When I was six years old, my mom told me that I could find anyone's number in the phone book. I used to look through the phone book for hours trying to find Michael Jordan's phone number. When I couldn't find it, I just dialed seven numbers. When someone answered, I'd ask, "Is that Michael Jordan?" Obviously, I always had the wrong number. A year later I started playing basketball at my local recreation center. It was very big. I never thought in my wildest dreams that a basketball court could be inside a building. The recreation center had a special smell in it, sort of like hot rubber. I guessed it was from the shoes hitting the floor so fast and hard. The atmosphere on the court was carefree. Our biggest excitement of the day was when we actually made a shot. We celebrated wins over ice cream at a fast food restaurant. I got good at it, and my confidence grew. I played it all the time until the sixth grade. As soon as junior high school came, I stopped playing basketball and focused on school. When senior high school started, I tried out for the school team and made it. We worked hard. Every week we did 300 push-ups and 300 sit-ups on our own. Our coach encouraged the sit-ups to keep stomach power, because it gave us so much control when we were playing basketball. If we didn't want to do the sit-ups and push-ups, we could practice dribbling and shooting more. It's just us, the ball, the court and the net. But don't take my word for it. See for yourself. After all, I'm just one kid playing the game. The author's coach encouraged them to do sit-ups because _ . A) it is the basic preparation to play basketball B) it is more useful than dribbling and shooting C) it is the only way to make people stronger D) it helps keep stomach power
D