Q:

I’d like to know about fluency．What can I do to feel better when I’m talking to other people? Do you have some ways to learn it faster? Please help me!　　　—Roberto in Brazil

A:

Roberto wants to know how to become more fluent in English, and this is something you want to be able to do “fast”．

First, if you get to meet English speakers much, the important rule is to listen not just to native speakers of English, but also to very good users of English．If you don’t, then listen to the radio, TV or films in English．

The next step is to notice what it is that speakers of English do, which makes them sound fluent．The first trick(訣竅) is to probably have confidence．Some people think they might make mistakes．Don’t worry about that．Your listeners will usually try hard to understand you — a few grammar mistakes aren’t going to worry them．

What you do need to worry about is pronunciation, especially stress(重音)．When you learn a new word or expression, learn it with its stress．Notice how a native speaker says it or look it up in a dictionary．

Another good thing that speakers of English do is to have a few tricks up their sleeves(袖子) for when they need to give themselves thinking time．Sometimes they use “filler sounds” like er, um and so on．

It is also useful to know how to bring other speakers into your conversation so that you keep them interested － and this is often done by asking questions like “What do you think?” “How do you feel about this?” and so on．

So, to become a fluent speaker, you’ll need to put into practice all these kinds of things．And there’s the key: practise, practise, practise．　　　　　　　　　　　　�。璖usan Fearn

56．Susan first encourages English learners to       ．

A．meet English speakers     B．listen to very good speakers

C．talk to English speakers   D．buy a radio or a TV set

57．When mentioning pronunciation, Susan pays special attention to    ．

A．stress B．expressions      C．dictionaries      D．words

58．What do the underlined words “to have a few tricks up their sleeves” probably mean?

A．To wear a lot of clothes．                   

B．To have a secret plan or idea．

C．To hide some tricks into their sleeves． 

D．To have sleeves covering their whole arms．

59．What do we know from the passage?

A．One can only learn stress from dictionaries．

B．Grammar mistakes worry one’s listeners a lot．

C．Asking questions can make one’s conversation attractive．

D．One can become fluent if one practises one of the suggestions．

Lawmakers in the United States have expanded an investigation into the use of location-tracking systems on mobile devices. The action follows recent reports about the storing of information on the Apple iPhone. Some people consider location tracking to be a threat to personal privacy and security.
Allan Friedman, the research director, says, “All wireless companies do some location tracking as part of their networks. This information is usually stored by the companies, not the devices, and there are laws to protect it. Law enforcement(執(zhí)法) agencies, for example, have to have a fairly high standard before it can access that data. And the phone company is also prohibited from selling that information.
Now, two researchers report that location tracking information is being stored directly on Apple devices. They said Apple’s newest operating systems gather global positioning system and timestamp information. The information is stored on the device in a file that is also uploaded (上傳) to any computer that the device is connected to. The researchers say the information is available to anyone who has access to the device or computer.
Allan Friedman says, “This raises additional concerns. There’s the idea that because it’s on my phone and on my computer, rogue applications(惡意程序) that I pay for or that I’m tricked into downloading may be able to access this data and somehow misuse it.”
Apple says it is “not tracking the location of your iPhone”. It is simply keeping a database of Wi-Fi hotspots and cell phone towers near the user’s location. This information is meant to help the iPhone quickly find its location when needed.
Letters have been sent to some of the leading mobile device developers, including Apple and Google. The letters asked for more information about their location tracking systems. Allan Friedman calls this an important start to strengthening privacy laws. He says, “There aren’t strong controls over things like location information, what they are doing with it, how long they are keeping it. And perhaps the most important question is, is my location data with other facts about me?”
【小題1】Why did American lawmakers investigate the use of location-tracking systems on cell-phones?

A．Because the systems can store users’ information

B．Because many users have suffered loss after using them.

C．Because it is thought to threaten users’ privacy.

D．Because many reporters have shown the problem of the systems.

【小題2】Allan Friedman believes that ________.

A．wireless companies focus on personal privacy.

B．people are forbidden to get access to private data at will

C．phone companies may sell private information secretly

D．customers may ask wireless companies to locate their tracking

【小題3】What do we know from Paragraph 3?

A．Location tracking information is stored online.

B．Apple’s newest operating systems collect all kinds of information.

C．Location tracking information may be uploaded to any iPhone.

D．Apple’s newest operating systems may reveal the private information of users.

【小題4】Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?

A．Apple denies that it tracks the location of users.

B．The researchers may misunderstand the Apple’s systems.

C．The global positioning system is to blame for rogue applications.

D．The iPhone can quickly find its location by using its user’s information.

The London Marathon is an annual event and of the thousands of runners who take part, many of them have a story to tell as to why they are running the 26.2 mile (42.2 km) course around London.
The men's race was won by Kenyan, Martin Lel, who finished the race in just two hours and five minutes, a personal best time for him. Irina Mikitenko was the winner of the women's race and this was astonishingly only her second race at marathon distance!
There was also a group of 24 runners who have competed in every single one of the 28 London marathons. Jeff Aston is one of them and at 60 years old, he finished in just over three and a half hours.
A lot of the non-competitive runners take part in the marathon to raise money for charity. Jeff estimates he has raised about ￡25,000 (350,000 RMB) over the 28 years he has been running.
Jane Tomlinson is a well-known name in the UK. She raised millions for charity doing long cycle rides, marathons and triathlons while struggling against terminal cancer, a battle she sadly lost last year. In honor of Jane, her husband and daughter took part in the marathon. They managed to raise ￡20,000 (280,000 RMB) for a charity set up in Jane's name.
Another astonishing one was blind runner Dave Heeley completing the marathon. As if that wasn't enough, this was his seventh marathon in seven days, as he took part in a special challenge which took him to seven countries.
【小題1】Which of the following can be the best title of the passage?

A．A Variety of Athletic Runners	B．London Marathon
C．Inspirational Event	D．Astonishing Marathon Stories

【小題2】What do we know from the passage?

A．The London Marathon is held every year to raise money for charity.

B．Jane Tomlinson together with her husband took part in the marathon.

C．Dave Heeley is an inspiring marathon runner.

D．Kenyan, Martin Lel won the men's race just over three and a half hours.

【小題3】The underlined word “triathlons” in the fifth paragraph probably refers to   .

A．a(chǎn) formal meeting	B．a(chǎn) special challenge
C．a(chǎn) kind of disease	D．a(chǎn)n athletic competition

Vicki Larrieux, a 22-year-old student from Portsmouth, says she is unable to keep a healthy diet because she is frightened of vegetables. She survives on a diet of meat, potatoes, cereals（谷類食品）and apples but refuses even a single slice of carrot on her plate. She suffers from sweating and panics at the slightest sight of a carrot or a pea.

“I have always had a fear of vegetables. Even as a child I used to freak out if some carrots or a few peas were on my plate.” She said. “But as it continued into adult life, I started to think it might not just be a dislike for vegetables but an actual phobia（恐懼癥）. Every time I see vegetables, not just on my plate, but anywhere, I would get feelings of panic and my heart would beat faster.”

Miss Larrieux’s condition makes trips to the supermarket or eating out at a restaurant with her boyfriend a major problem. It is an unpleasant experience for her to go to the supermarket. Luckily, her boyfriend is very understanding and does his best to comfort her.

A spokesman for phobia charity Anxiety UK says that around 13 percent of British people suffer a phobia of some form, there are treatment available（有效的）including medication and self-help groups for all manner of phobias.

1. Larrieux eats the following as a daily diet EXCEPT______.

A. meat        B. potatoes        C. peas       D. cereals

2. The underlined part “freak out” in Paragraph 2 means “_________”.

A. feel scared       B. get interested

C. feel relaxed      D. get sad

3. According to the passage, Larrieux’s fear for vegetables _____.

A. was found out recently            B. is a kind of phobia

C. makes her famous                   D. makes her hard to get along with

4. What do we know from the passage?

A. Only a few people around the world suffer from phobias

B. Larrieux is not confident about her future

C. Larrieux’s boyfriend doesn’t like meat

D. Phobia can be treated.

 

She’s not afraid of anything. Snakes? No problem. Walking alone in the dark? Easy. We’re not talking about a superhero here -- SM is a 44-year-old mother.  And she’s fearless because she happens to be missing part of her brain: the amygdala(扁桃腺).

   Shaped like a pair of almonds sitting in the middle of your brain, the amygdala helps control fear and anxiety. A rare condition called Urbach-Wiethe disease left SM without her amygdala, and seems to have completely erased her sense of fear.

   To try to understand how the amygdala works, a team of researchers made their efforts to scare SM. They showed her horror movies and took her to the Waverly Hills Sanatorium Haunted House in Kentucky. She pushed out one of the monsters(巨物) and laughed. SM said she didn’t like snakes, but at a pet store full of poisonous creatures, she kept asking to touch them. When asked to rate her feelings, SM reported feeling surprised or disgusted, but never fearful.

   “She tends to approach everything she should be avoiding,” says Justin Feinstein of the  University of Iowa. This means the amygdala could control deeper urges to approach or avoid danger. Other scientists have a different opinion, though.  “I don’t believe you can make a general statement about what the amygdala does by a single case study,” Elizabeth Phelps said. In 2002, Phelps published a study on a similar patient with amygdala damage who still showed fear.

It may sound like fun to be totally fearless, but we get scared for a good reason. “The nature of fear is survival and the amygdala helps us stay alive by avoiding situations, people, or objects that put our life in danger,” Feinstein said. SM was once followed in a park after dark by a man with a knife, and she simply walked away. “It is quite remarkable that she is still alive,” said Feinstein.

1.SM dares to walk alone in the dark mainly because ____________.

A. she is a superhero

B. she has experienced such conditions a lot

C. she is a mental patient

D. she has no sense of fear

2.Researchers tried their best to frighten SM in order to find ___________.

A. The function of a particular organ

B. SM’s reaction of fear and anxiety

C. The process of removing amygdale

D. A special way to get along with monsters

3.What do we know from the research on SM?

A. It was easy for her to avoid danger.

B. SM never felt fearful but disgusted.

C. SM was frightened by nothing except monsters.

D. SM got along well with the snakes.

4.What is Elizabeth Phelps’ attitude toward the function of the amygdala based on the research on SM?

A. Indifferent    B. Supportive    C. Disapproving     D. Interested

5.What can we infer from the last paragraph?

A. People can remove their amygdala to be fearless.

B. SM will be admired because of her bravery.

C. No one can survive if their amygdala is removed.

D. The sense of fear is crucial to humans.