The English language started about 1500 years ago in England.Three groups of people came to the country.They were the Angles,the Saxons,and the Jutes.These three groups brought their languages with them to England.After some time,the three languages became one new languageEnglish.The name "English" comes from the Angles.They lived in most of England."England" means "Angle Land" or "Country of the Angles". The language that we speak todayModern Englishis not the same as the English that people used 1500 years ago,including Old English(before 1150)and Middle English(up till 1500).That languageOld Englishsounds different,and it has some different rules of grammar. There were only a few thousand words in Old English.But Modern English does come from Old English,and it is still like it in many important ways. How many languages did Old English come from? A) One. B) Two. C) Three. D) Four.
C
Our "Mommy and Me" time began two years ago. My next-door neighbor and fellow mother, Christie, and I were our in our front yards, watching seven children of age six and under ride their bikes up and down. "I wish I could take one of my children out alone," said Christie. Then we worked out a plan. When Christie takes one of her children out alone, I'll watch her other three. And when she watched two of mine, I will take someone out. The children were extremely quick to accept the idea of "Mommy and Me" time. Christie's daughter, McKenzie, went first. When she returned, the other children showered her with tons of questions. McKenzie was smiling broadly. Christie looked refreshed and happy. "She is like a different kid when there's no one else around," Christie shared with me quietly. With her mother all to herself, McKenzie didn't have to make any effort to gain attention. Just as Christie had noticed changes in McKenzie, I also discovered something different in each of my children during our alone times. For example, I'm always surprised when my daughter, who is seldom close to me, holds my hand frequently. My stuttering son, Tom, doesn't stutter once during our activities since he doesn't have to struggle for a chance to speak. And the other son, Sam, who is always a follower when around other children, shines a leader during our times together. The "Mommy and Me" time allows us to be simply alone and away with each child--talking, sharing and laughing, which has been the biggest gain. Every child deserves an only child at least once in a while. The author seems to believe that _ . A) Having brothers and sisters is fun B) it's tiring to look after three children C) every kid needs parents' full attention D) parents should watch others' kids
C
Q: In the age of reality television,success isn't the only way to the public eye. Failure can also create fame,just like William Hung,21,a native of Hong Kong. Hung recently has made an agreement with USbased entertainment firms Koch Records and Fuse Music Network. They'll publish a record,titled TheTrueIdolon April 6. The idol is a civil engineering student at the University of California at Berkeley. He did a version of Ricky Martin's SheBangson the television showAmericanIdol3,on January 27.The Fox TV singing contest searches for pop stars among ordinary people. In the case of Hung,however,his act was so bad that the judges cut him off in midact. Hung's response?"I already did my best,so I have no regrets at all." That's good,because any common person would have found plenty to regret:the offkey singing,the blue Hawaiian shirt worn with pants pulled up too high,the terrible dancing and the hips jerking to a beat that did not belong to the song,maybe not even to this planet. It was,by all accounts,bad. However,it was this very bad act that sold well. Mare Juris,president of Fuse,explained it this way:"Every one of us is happily guilty of singing our favorite song at the top of our lungs with complete freedom,completely offkey and completely unworried. That's what William did and immediately won the hearts of America." Whatever _ is,for the moment it's big.Three websites devoted to Hung have gone up on the Internet in the past few weeks. Versions of his performance have been remixed with hip hop and technomusic and have made it to the top 10 request list at a Chicago radio station. So,what does Hung think of this? "There were all these people saying things about me. A lot were saying I was very courageous and that I was great on the show,but some didn't have much respect for me and some were kind of mean." Now he says he's not so sure whether to distance himself from the glamour or to accept it.Returning to normal hasn't been easy. Why was Hung able to win the hearts of America? A) He was goodlooking though he didn't sing well. B) His character was completely different from other idols' C) His success was based on his own hard work. D) He attracted people's attention in the contest.
A: A
*Question*
To develop one's fine taste in English, one of the most effective ways is to read English books widely. Yet one may be at a loss to choose the proper 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, but my experience was somewhat discouraging. When I read it, I had great difficulty in understand the novel , let alone enjoying it. It's not the words that troubled me, but rather the way Austen organized sentences, and her way of thinking, which seemed too distant to me at that time. So my first suggestion is, as a beginner, you should choose modern novels instead of classical ones. I do not mean you shouldreject (say no to) classical novels completely but start with something easier. Actually , my second reading ofPride and Prejudicegreatly pleased me. However, reading novels is not the only way to improve your English . In fact, English essays can at once inform you, entertain you, and improve your taste in English. The best example is Bertrand Russell's works. Its language is not simple, yet you cannot help feeling the elegance and wisdom of his writing. Last but not least, never follow others' suggestions and opinions blindly. Some days ago, I read Somerset Maugham's autobiography The Summing Up. In a chapter he regards Edward Gibbon and Samuel Johnson's style as pompous . Though I admire Maugham's works, I can't agree with his view. Probably one can say this about Johnson's works, but definitely not Gibbon's . In fact, Gibbon's clear style makes his works highly readable, and you can hardly believe they were written over 200 years ago. So we should be open to various ideas, but always think and decide for ourselves. What discouraged the author from enjoying Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice? A) Difficult words B) The sentence structure . C) Lack of interest D) Poetic writing style.
**Answer**
B