(A)

　　The English language is changing, and fast, thanks to the rapid progress of technology. We all have a choice: we can either bury our heads in the sand and spend the rest of our lives wishing Shakespeare were alive and well, or we can embrace(拥抱) the new English, enter into the spirit of the Internet age and call it Weblish.

　　"You can't avoid it, for the simple reason that whenever a new variety of language comes along, it inevitably impacts (冲击) on the language as a whole," says Dr. David Crystal, honorary professor of linguistics (语言学家)at the University of Wales in Bangor, whose book "Language and the Internet" has just been published.

　　The trouble with keeping up with the new English is not so much that there are so many new words but that the old words no longer mean what we thought they did. In the past, if someone said they did not have Windows, you would have to suppose they lived in a cave. These days, it is probably because they use a Mac(which is a computer, not a raincoat). Spam is as disliked as it ever was, but whereas it once meant an unappetizing (引不起食欲的) canned meat, it now stands for unwanted "junk" email. Spellings are changing, too. Not only is text-messaging playing "hvc wth vrbs "(havoc (混乱) with verbs), but the conventions of email communication place little emphasis on "perfick speling".

　　Weblish loves to see nouns happily become verbs ("Please bookmark this site"), and verbs become nouns("Send me the download"). Verbs and prepositions are regularly thrown together to become new nouns or adjectives (dial-up, logon, print-out, pull-down, upload), while others are created from simply pairing nouns: cyberspace, ethernet, Internet, hyperlink, metatag, netspeak.

　　(301 words; 5 minutes)

　　1. The best title of this passage would be ________.

　　A. Keep Up with the Latest Weblish

　　B. Keep Up with the Latest Development in English

　　C. Newly-invented English Words

　　D. Technology and English

　　2. We can infer from the first paragraph that ________.

　　A. some people wish Shakespeare were still alive

　　B. people may have different attitudes to wards weblish

　　C. all people welcome weblish

　　D. weblish causes fear among people

　　3. The third paragraph is mainly about________.

　　A. different meanings of English words

　　B. the rapid changes of English words

　　C. the difficulty in understanding words related to computer and the Internet

　　D. common words used on the Internet

　　4. The author thinks the main difficulty for people in keeping up with weblish is that________.

　　A. old words take on new meanings

　　B. there are so many new words

　　C. the technology is changing too fast

　　D. weblish words are full of spelling mistakes

　　5. Dr. David Crystal would probably agree that________.

　　A. people should not accept weblish

　　B. weblish can cause misunderstandings among people

　　C. weblish will destroy the English language

　　D. people should know something about weblish

　　(B)

　　H5N1 avian influenza, commonly known as bird flu, has killed at least 15 people across Asia and was confirmed in China on January 27. No human cases have been found in the mainland but, 13 of the country's 31 provinces, autonomous regions , and municipalities(直辖市) have reported the disease in poultry.

　　The Chinese government has taken measures to prevent and control the disease. Poultry within 3km of infected farms is to be killed and those within 5km vaccinated (进行接种疫苗). Meanwhile, there will be constant monitoring and daily reports on the disease across the country, and increased production of bird flu vaccines.

　　Among the 11 Asian countries and regions affected by bird flu in animals, only Vietnam and Thailand have reported human cases. The people infected were reported to have caught the disease from poultry.

　　While the World Health Organization (WHO) said there is " no proof of human-to-human transmission(传播)" of bird flu, the big fear is that the disease could combine with a human influenza virus(病毒) to create a deadly new disease that will kill millions of people across the globe. Many Asian farmers live closely with their animals and sell live chickens in the market. This greatly increases the possibility of humans being infected with bird flu.

　　A spokesman of the WHO said that Asian countries affected by bird flu should introduce a more healthy way of raising and selling chickens. The people there have to completely change their lifestyle and attitude towards animals. Here are some safety measures for people to stay healthy:

　　* Keep fit through regular exercise;

　　* Avoid infected poultry and infected people;

　　* Avoid eating raw or under-done poultry and eggs;

　　* Make sure there is always fresh air in your home;

　　* Cover your mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing;

　　* Wash your hands frequently.(301 words; 5 minutes)

　　6. What does the underlined word "poultry"mean?

　　A. Wild birds. B. Wild animals.

　　C. Home-raised birds.

　　D. Home-raised animals.

　　7. From the passage, we learn that________.

　　A. infected poultry within 3km was killed in China

　　B. the first bird flu case was proved in China on Jan. 27

　　C. human infected cases were found in 11 Asian countries

　　D. over two thirds of China have been affected by the bird flu

　　8. What do people fear most?

　　A. Poultry will infect many people.

　　B. The disease can spread quickly among people.

　　C. There will be human-to-human transmission.

　　D. A new disease combining bird flu and a human flu will break out.

　　9. One of the best ways for us to avoid bird flu is to ________.

　　A. kill all the poultry

　　B. not eat anymore chicken

　　C. form a healthy habit

　　D. keep separated from others

　　10. Which of the following changes to lifestyle must Asians not make?

　　A. Farmers should live more closely with their poultry.

　　B. Farmers should vaccinate their poultry regularly.

　　C. Farmers should avoid selling live poultry in the market.

　　D. People should avoid buying live poultry in the market.

　　(文/刘景田；英语通高三版2003-2004学年第8期；版权归英语辅导报社所有，独家网络合作伙伴新浪教育，未经许可，不得以任何形式进行转载。)