Module 1 British and American English

　　閱讀理解提速練——練速度

　　(限時：20分鐘)

　　A

　　(2024·哈爾濱市第三中學一模)Babies don't learn to talk just from hearing sounds. They are lip-readers too. It happens during the stage when a baby's babbling (咿呀聲) gradually changes from unclear voices into that first “mama” or “dada”. The baby in order to do like you has to figure out how to shape their lips to make that particular sound they are hearing, according to developmental psychologist David Lewkowicz of Florida Atlantic University, who led the study.

　　Apparently it doesn't take them too long to absorb the movements that match basic sounds. By their first birthdays, babies start changing back to look you in the eye again. It offers more evidence that quality face-time with babies is very important for speech development more than, say, turning on the latest baby DVD.

　　But Lewkowicz went a step further. He and his student Amy Hansen-Tift tested nearly 180 babies, groups of them at ages 4,6,8,10 and 12 months. How? They showed videos of a woman speaking in English or Spanish to babies of English speakers. They found that when the speaker used English, the 4-month-olds gazed mostly into her eyes. The 6-month-olds spent equal amounts of time looking at the eyes and the mouth. The 8-and 10-month-olds studied mostly the mouth. At 12 months, attention started changing back toward the speaker's eyes.

　　But what happened when these babies accustomed to English heard Spanish? The 12-month-olds studied the mouth longer, just like younger babies. They needed the extra information to recognize the unfamiliar sounds. That fits with research into bilingualism (雙語) that shows babies' brains adjust themselves to distinguishing the sounds of their native language over other languages in the first year of life.

　　The continued lip-reading shows the 1-year-olds clearly still are fit for learning. Babies are so hard to study that this is “a fairly heroic data set”， says Duke University cognitive neuroscientist Greg Appelbaum, who found the research so fascinating that he wants to know more.

　　語篇解讀：本文是一篇說明文。主要介紹了一項科學發現：嬰兒不僅僅通過聽聲音來學習說話，他們還會通過觀察說話者的口型來學習講話。

　　1．According to the first paragraph, babies________.

　　A．might get its voice “mama” by lip-reading

　　B．learn to talk just from hearing the sounds

　　C．like to figure out how to shape their lips

　　D．communicate with parents through gestures

　　解析：選A　細節理解題。根據第一段第二、三句可知，嬰兒可能會通過讀唇的方式發出“mama”的聲音。故答案選A。

　　2．What is necessary in developing babies' speech according to Lewkowicz?

　　A．Playing baby DVD nearby.

　　B．Teaching babies to read English.

　　C．Speaking with babies face to face.

　　D．Speaking different languages in front of babies.

　　解析：選C　推理判斷題。根據第一段最后一句“The baby in order to do ...who led the study.”及第二段第三句“It offers more evidence ...important for speech development”可推知，在嬰兒的語言發展階段，跟嬰兒面對面講話是有必要的。故答案選C。

　　3．Which of the following shows the right change of babies' eye gaze according to the text?

　　解析：選A　細節理解題。根據第三段最后四句“They found that ...the speaker's eyes.”并結合所給選項可知，A項坐標圖符合文中的描述。故答案選A。

　　4．What would be the best title of the text?

　　A．Babies Have Different Methods to Talk

　　B．Babies Try Lip-reading in Learning to Talk

　　C．Babies Are Suitable to Learn Two Languages

　　D．Babies Can Easily Accept Foreign Language

　　解析：選B　標題歸納題。縱觀全文，文章主要介紹了一項科學發現：嬰兒不僅僅通過聽聲，還通過觀察說話者的口型來學習說話。B項概括了文章主旨。故答案選B。

　　B

　　(2024·煙臺二中高三期中考試)

　　“Made in China” has Changed

　　Many shoppers in the West still prize labels, boasting (吹噓) a product was made in Italy without knowing that a growing number of Italian products come from factories that are Chinese-owned and staffed. The products which were marked “Made in China” gave the buyer an impression of “low pride and low cost, low technology and development”. The statement used to be true, but now it has changed.

　　“Made in China” is becoming a leading part in the world market. China's garment industry (制衣業) has been investing in producing technology and training for decades, and its workforce has collectively gotten better at sewing garments. As a result, the quality of Chinese-made clothes is rising fast. It has been home to a highly-skilled, highly-specialized garment industry, one that supplies even some high-end (高端的) labels and offers the best mix of price, speed, and quality.

　　“If I was to make a basic men's jean, I'd make that in Pakistan，” said Edward Hertzman, co-owner of the trade publication Sourcing Journal. “If I was going to make a fashionable women's garment, I would move to China because their skill set is better, their hand is better, their finishing is better, and they can handle that type of fashion.”

　　Indeed, luxury fashion labels now routinely make things in China. Burberry, Armani, and Prada have all produced things there, because they're still able to get good workmanship at a relatively low price. Even the Japanese brand Visvim, known for its crazy attention to detail, also produces high-end, handmade footwear in China.

　　Despite the rising wages and costs of doing business in China, companies have not walked away. “China is viewed by people who make buying decisions as unique and hard to copy elsewhere，” says Josh Green, CEO of Panjiva.

　　語篇解讀：本文是議論文。文章討論了“中國制造”發生的變化。中國制造從過去的低端、廉價、質量不高正逐漸向現在的高端、價高、質優上轉變。

　　5．Which of the following is NOT true about “Made in China”？

　　A．It used to be associated with poor quality.

　　B．It has lost its leading status in the world market.

　　C．Its products are recognized by luxury fashion brands.

　　D．It reflects China's investment in producing technology.

　　解析：選B　細節理解題。根據第二段第一句可知中國制造現在在世界上正占據著主導地位。故選B。

　　6．Edward Hertzman thinks highly of “Made in China” in such aspects as ________.

　　workers' skills　low prices　advanced technology　a sense of fashion

　　A．

　　C．

　　D．

　　解析：選D　細節理解題。根據第三段可知Edward Hertzman認為中國制造的優勢在于技術嫻熟、專業、時尚，中國制造已不是低廉的代名詞。

　　7．What is the similarity between Prada and Visvim?

　　A．Both of them are from Japan.

　　B．Neither of them sells at a low price.

　　C．They both make products in China.

　　D．They both produce handmade footwear.

　　解析：選C　細節理解題。根據第四段可知這兩種牌子現在都在中國制造產品。

　　8．What can be learned from the last paragraph?

　　A．Doing business in China costs a lot more now.

　　B．Chinese companies are more creative than others.

　　C．Foreign producers want to copy China's success.

　　D．Rising costs stop the interest of foreign companies.

　　解析：選A　推理判斷題。根據最后一段第一句可知現在中國的工資上漲、制造成本增加，這說明，現在在中國做生意成本更高了。

　　C

　　(2024·太原市第二學段測評)The saying “a penny for your thoughts” is an English idiom simply asking people to volunteer their opinions on an issue being discussed. In modern usage, it is often stated as an indirect way of asking what someone is thinking about.

　　This phrase is basically a proposal (提議), and the speaker is offering to pay to hear the listener's thoughts. It is an idiom, of course, and not meant literally (字面上地) so no real payment generally takes place.

　　When the saying originated, a penny was worth a lot more than it is in the 21st century.Therefore, “a penny for your thoughts” likely indicated the thoughts were more valuable to those asking the listener for them than they are by today's standards. This loss of value can be used ironically (諷刺地), however, through tone (語氣) of voice; it can be used to indicate that someone's idea is bad or worth a penny in modern value.

　　The phrase is generally credited to a man by the name of John Heywood, who was born sometime just before the 16th century. During his life, he was a writer who penned many plays and a book in 1546, later known as The Proverbs of John Heywood. It is likely that Heywood did not actually come up with the phrase “a penny for your thoughts”. Rather, he was simply the first person to have set the phrase down in written form. The actual origins of the term are unknown, and since his book was simply a collection of common idioms and expressions, it was probably familiar to people in the mid 1500s.

　　Another phrase similar to “a penny for your thoughts”is offering “your two cents” after making a statement. Someone might give his or her opinion and then say, “that's my two cents，” to indicate the value of his or her idea. While, much like a penny, “two cents” is relatively low in value now, it would have been more valuable at one time and the expression is used in much the same way.

　　語篇解讀：本文是一篇說明文。文章主要介紹了一個習語。

　　9．When someone says “a penny for your thoughts”， he or she________.

　　A．wants to ask you for advice

　　B．considers your thoughts unique

　　C．is curious about what's on your mind

　　D．will pay for what you're thinking about

　　解析：選C　細節理解題。根據第一段中的“asking people to volunteer their opinions on an issue being discussed”和“asking what someone is thinking about”可知答案。

　　10．The modern meaning of

　　“a penny for your thoughts” ________.

　　A．is more closely connected to the value of the penny

　　B．can differ greatly according to a speaker's tone of voice

　　C．can confuse the listener easily

　　D．is more popularly accepted

　　解析：選B　推理判斷題。根據第三段內容可知，由于便士的價值在古代和現在相差甚遠，因此現在也可以用“a penny for your thoughts”來表達對方的主意一文不值，也就是說，根據說話人的語氣，這個習語的意思大相徑庭。

　　11．In what way is Heywood related to the phrase “a penny for your thoughts”？

　　A．He came up with it while he was writing.

　　B．He helped to explain the origins of it.

　　C．He contributed to the wide use of it.

　　D．He was the first person to use it.

　　解析：選C　推理判斷題。根據倒數第二段中的“he was simply the first person to have set the phrase down in written form”和“his book was simply a collection of common idioms ...the mid 1500s”可推測，Heywood 由于將“a penny for your thoughts”這個習語編寫到自己關于常用習語和表達的書籍中，從而使得這個習語被人們所熟知。因此，他間接推廣了這個習語的應用。

　　12．What do we know about the phrase “your two cents”？

　　A．It is usually used at the end of a statement.

　　B．It comes from “a penny for your thoughts”．

　　C．It has witnessed some changes since the 16th century.

　　D．It is more familiar to people than “a penny for your thoughts”．

　　解析：選A　細節理解題。根據最后一段中的“offering ‘your two cents’ after making a statement”可知答案。

　　Module 1 British and American English

　　閱讀理解提速練——練速度

　　(限時：20分鐘)

　　A

　　(2024·哈爾濱市第三中學一模)Babies don't learn to talk just from hearing sounds. They are lip-readers too. It happens during the stage when a baby's babbling (咿呀聲) gradually changes from unclear voices into that first “mama” or “dada”. The baby in order to do like you has to figure out how to shape their lips to make that particular sound they are hearing, according to developmental psychologist David Lewkowicz of Florida Atlantic University, who led the study.

　　Apparently it doesn't take them too long to absorb the movements that match basic sounds. By their first birthdays, babies start changing back to look you in the eye again. It offers more evidence that quality face-time with babies is very important for speech development more than, say, turning on the latest baby DVD.

　　But Lewkowicz went a step further. He and his student Amy Hansen-Tift tested nearly 180 babies, groups of them at ages 4,6,8,10 and 12 months. How? They showed videos of a woman speaking in English or Spanish to babies of English speakers. They found that when the speaker used English, the 4-month-olds gazed mostly into her eyes. The 6-month-olds spent equal amounts of time looking at the eyes and the mouth. The 8-and 10-month-olds studied mostly the mouth. At 12 months, attention started changing back toward the speaker's eyes.

　　But what happened when these babies accustomed to English heard Spanish? The 12-month-olds studied the mouth longer, just like younger babies. They needed the extra information to recognize the unfamiliar sounds. That fits with research into bilingualism (雙語) that shows babies' brains adjust themselves to distinguishing the sounds of their native language over other languages in the first year of life.

　　The continued lip-reading shows the 1-year-olds clearly still are fit for learning. Babies are so hard to study that this is “a fairly heroic data set”， says Duke University cognitive neuroscientist Greg Appelbaum, who found the research so fascinating that he wants to know more.

　　語篇解讀：本文是一篇說明文。主要介紹了一項科學發現：嬰兒不僅僅通過聽聲音來學習說話，他們還會通過觀察說話者的口型來學習講話。

　　1．According to the first paragraph, babies________.

　　A．might get its voice “mama” by lip-reading

　　B．learn to talk just from hearing the sounds

　　C．like to figure out how to shape their lips

　　D．communicate with parents through gestures

　　解析：選A　細節理解題。根據第一段第二、三句可知，嬰兒可能會通過讀唇的方式發出“mama”的聲音。故答案選A。

　　2．What is necessary in developing babies' speech according to Lewkowicz?

　　A．Playing baby DVD nearby.

　　B．Teaching babies to read English.

　　C．Speaking with babies face to face.

　　D．Speaking different languages in front of babies.

　　解析：選C　推理判斷題。根據第一段最后一句“The baby in order to do ...who led the study.”及第二段第三句“It offers more evidence ...important for speech development”可推知，在嬰兒的語言發展階段，跟嬰兒面對面講話是有必要的。故答案選C。

　　3．Which of the following shows the right change of babies' eye gaze according to the text?

　　解析：選A　細節理解題。根據第三段最后四句“They found that ...the speaker's eyes.”并結合所給選項可知，A項坐標圖符合文中的描述。故答案選A。

　　4．What would be the best title of the text?

　　A．Babies Have Different Methods to Talk

　　B．Babies Try Lip-reading in Learning to Talk

　　C．Babies Are Suitable to Learn Two Languages

　　D．Babies Can Easily Accept Foreign Language

　　解析：選B　標題歸納題?？v觀全文，文章主要介紹了一項科學發現：嬰兒不僅僅通過聽聲，還通過觀察說話者的口型來學習說話。B項概括了文章主旨。故答案選B。

　　B

　　(2024·煙臺二中高三期中考試)

　　“Made in China” has Changed

　　Many shoppers in the West still prize labels, boasting (吹噓) a product was made in Italy without knowing that a growing number of Italian products come from factories that are Chinese-owned and staffed. The products which were marked “Made in China” gave the buyer an impression of “low pride and low cost, low technology and development”. The statement used to be true, but now it has changed.

　　“Made in China” is becoming a leading part in the world market. China's garment industry (制衣業) has been investing in producing technology and training for decades, and its workforce has collectively gotten better at sewing garments. As a result, the quality of Chinese-made clothes is rising fast. It has been home to a highly-skilled, highly-specialized garment industry, one that supplies even some high-end (高端的) labels and offers the best mix of price, speed, and quality.

　　“If I was to make a basic men's jean, I'd make that in Pakistan，” said Edward Hertzman, co-owner of the trade publication Sourcing Journal. “If I was going to make a fashionable women's garment, I would move to China because their skill set is better, their hand is better, their finishing is better, and they can handle that type of fashion.”

　　Indeed, luxury fashion labels now routinely make things in China. Burberry, Armani, and Prada have all produced things there, because they're still able to get good workmanship at a relatively low price. Even the Japanese brand Visvim, known for its crazy attention to detail, also produces high-end, handmade footwear in China.

　　Despite the rising wages and costs of doing business in China, companies have not walked away. “China is viewed by people who make buying decisions as unique and hard to copy elsewhere，” says Josh Green, CEO of Panjiva.

　　語篇解讀：本文是議論文。文章討論了“中國制造”發生的變化。中國制造從過去的低端、廉價、質量不高正逐漸向現在的高端、價高、質優上轉變。

　　5．Which of the following is NOT true about “Made in China”？

　　A．It used to be associated with poor quality.

　　B．It has lost its leading status in the world market.

　　C．Its products are recognized by luxury fashion brands.

　　D．It reflects China's investment in producing technology.

　　解析：選B　細節理解題。根據第二段第一句可知中國制造現在在世界上正占據著主導地位。故選B。

　　6．Edward Hertzman thinks highly of “Made in China” in such aspects as ________.

　　workers' skills　low prices　advanced technology　a sense of fashion

　　A．

　　C．

　　D．

　　解析：選D　細節理解題。根據第三段可知Edward Hertzman認為中國制造的優勢在于技術嫻熟、專業、時尚，中國制造已不是低廉的代名詞。

　　7．What is the similarity between Prada and Visvim?

　　A．Both of them are from Japan.

　　B．Neither of them sells at a low price.

　　C．They both make products in China.

　　D．They both produce handmade footwear.

　　解析：選C　細節理解題。根據第四段可知這兩種牌子現在都在中國制造產品。

　　8．What can be learned from the last paragraph?

　　A．Doing business in China costs a lot more now.

　　B．Chinese companies are more creative than others.

　　C．Foreign producers want to copy China's success.

　　D．Rising costs stop the interest of foreign companies.

　　解析：選A　推理判斷題。根據最后一段第一句可知現在中國的工資上漲、制造成本增加，這說明，現在在中國做生意成本更高了。

　　C

　　(2024·太原市第二學段測評)The saying “a penny for your thoughts” is an English idiom simply asking people to volunteer their opinions on an issue being discussed. In modern usage, it is often stated as an indirect way of asking what someone is thinking about.

　　This phrase is basically a proposal (提議), and the speaker is offering to pay to hear the listener's thoughts. It is an idiom, of course, and not meant literally (字面上地) so no real payment generally takes place.

　　When the saying originated, a penny was worth a lot more than it is in the 21st century.Therefore, “a penny for your thoughts” likely indicated the thoughts were more valuable to those asking the listener for them than they are by today's standards. This loss of value can be used ironically (諷刺地), however, through tone (語氣) of voice; it can be used to indicate that someone's idea is bad or worth a penny in modern value.

　　The phrase is generally credited to a man by the name of John Heywood, who was born sometime just before the 16th century. During his life, he was a writer who penned many plays and a book in 1546, later known as The Proverbs of John Heywood. It is likely that Heywood did not actually come up with the phrase “a penny for your thoughts”. Rather, he was simply the first person to have set the phrase down in written form. The actual origins of the term are unknown, and since his book was simply a collection of common idioms and expressions, it was probably familiar to people in the mid 1500s.

　　Another phrase similar to “a penny for your thoughts”is offering “your two cents” after making a statement. Someone might give his or her opinion and then say, “that's my two cents，” to indicate the value of his or her idea. While, much like a penny, “two cents” is relatively low in value now, it would have been more valuable at one time and the expression is used in much the same way.

　　語篇解讀：本文是一篇說明文。文章主要介紹了一個習語。

　　9．When someone says “a penny for your thoughts”， he or she________.

　　A．wants to ask you for advice

　　B．considers your thoughts unique

　　C．is curious about what's on your mind

　　D．will pay for what you're thinking about

　　解析：選C　細節理解題。根據第一段中的“asking people to volunteer their opinions on an issue being discussed”和“asking what someone is thinking about”可知答案。

　　10．The modern meaning of

　　“a penny for your thoughts” ________.

　　A．is more closely connected to the value of the penny

　　B．can differ greatly according to a speaker's tone of voice

　　C．can confuse the listener easily

　　D．is more popularly accepted

　　解析：選B　推理判斷題。根據第三段內容可知，由于便士的價值在古代和現在相差甚遠，因此現在也可以用“a penny for your thoughts”來表達對方的主意一文不值，也就是說，根據說話人的語氣，這個習語的意思大相徑庭。

　　11．In what way is Heywood related to the phrase “a penny for your thoughts”？

　　A．He came up with it while he was writing.

　　B．He helped to explain the origins of it.

　　C．He contributed to the wide use of it.

　　D．He was the first person to use it.

　　解析：選C　推理判斷題。根據倒數第二段中的“he was simply the first person to have set the phrase down in written form”和“his book was simply a collection of common idioms ...the mid 1500s”可推測，Heywood 由于將“a penny for your thoughts”這個習語編寫到自己關于常用習語和表達的書籍中，從而使得這個習語被人們所熟知。因此，他間接推廣了這個習語的應用。

　　12．What do we know about the phrase “your two cents”？

　　A．It is usually used at the end of a statement.

　　B．It comes from “a penny for your thoughts”．

　　C．It has witnessed some changes since the 16th century.

　　D．It is more familiar to people than “a penny for your thoughts”．

　　解析：選A　細節理解題。根據最后一段中的“offering ‘your two cents’ after making a statement”可知答案。