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Noah Webster was a teacher when he was very young. At that time, it was the colony (殖民地)of Britain and they wanted to fight for independence from it. The books that American children used in school all came from Britain. The books were all about British people and British places. Webster wanted books that would mean more to American children. So he wrote three books that used American examples ---a grammar book, a spelling book, and a reader. These books were very popular, and millions of them were sold. Webster was interested in changing the spellings of words. He wanted words to be spelled the way they were pronounced. For example, he thought the words “head” should be spelled “hed”, and the word “laugh” should be spelled “laf”. People liked Webster’s suggestions. However ,few words were actually changed . One group of words that were changed was words in which an unpronounced “ u ” followed an “o”. That was why Americans wrote “colour ” and “labour”. With the money he made from his books, Webster was able to write. It was the first American English dictionary, which was published in 1828. Webster’s dictionary had over 70,000 words and gave the meaning and origin (起源) of each. To this day, Webster’s work is the example that most dictionaries of American English follow. 59. Which of the following statement is TRUE? A. Noah Webster had to borrow books from Britain when he was a student. B. Noah Webster had his own government when he was very young. C. As a teacher, Noah Webster wasn’t satisfied with the books he used. D. When Noah Webster taught at schools, he wrote some storybooks. 60. The second paragraph mainly tells us that __________. A. American people didn’t write English as exactly as English people did B. Webster spoke English in a different way. C. Webster was good at correcting mistakes in text books D. American people didn’t like speaking English 61 . In American history , Noah Webster is famous for _____________. A. his teaching methods B. learning foreign languages C. his fighting for freedom D. his dictionary 62. The underline sentence of this text means _____________ . A. most dictionaries in American English have the characteristics (特征) of Webster’s B. most dictionaries in the world are the copies of Webster’s C. most American people followed Webster’s advice on writing D. Webster’s dictionary is the only one used in the United States C Brief News Report Castle fire Winton Castle was damaged in a fire last night. The fire, which was discovered at about 9 o’clock, spread very quickly. Nobody was injured but two people had to rescue from an upstairs room. A number of paintings are believed to have been destroyed. It isn’t known how the fire started. Road delays Repair work started yesterday on the Paxham-Longworth road. The road is being resurfaced and there will be long delays. Drivers are asked to choose another way if possible. The work is expected to last two weeks. Next Sunday the road will be closed and traffic will be diverted(改道). Accident A woman was taken to hospital after her car collided(碰撞) with a truck near Nor-stock yesterday. She was allowed home later after treatment. The road was blocked for an hour after the accident and the traffic had to be diverted. A policeman said afterwards, “The woman was lucky. She could have been killed.” 63. In the passage, we’re informed ______. A. when the fire started B. how the fire started C. many paintings might have been damaged in the fire. D. why nobody was injured 64. As a result of the traffic accident yesterday, _______. A. a lot of valuable things were broken B. five hundred pounds and a car were lost C. the traffic had to be diverted D. a woman was too lucky to kill herself 65. The woman injured in the traffic accident ______. A. was still being questioned by the police B. had a narrow escape C. had escaped in a car earlier in the day D. is being controlled by the police 66. What do you know about the Paxham-Longworth road? A. An accident happened there and the traffic was diverted. B. Another road was open for the drivers during the road repairs. C. The road was blocked for an hour after a traffic accident. D. The surface of the road needed repairing for two weeks. D American can travel almost anywhere they choose. But to protect its people, the government lists a few dangerous places where Americans cannot go. These places are unfriendly countries or countries at war. There, the traveler might not be safe. These countries are listed in a small book called a passport(护照). This passport is a government request for the safety of its traveling people. It is also a government’s pledge(保证)that the people will obey the rules of the host country(东道国). To receive a passport from the government, a traveler must prove(证明) that he is an American citizen(公民). An American can not go overseas(外国)without a passport. Only certain close countries such as Canada and Mexico do not ask for passports. Pasted inside the passport is the traveler’s picture. Children traveling with their parents are included in one parent’s book. Thousands of people from the United States visit other countries every year. An American traveler might carry plane tickets, money, clothing, and many other things. But the most important thing that he carries in another country is his passport. 67. A passport is not needed when an American goes to ______. A. foreign countries B. dangerous areas C. Canada or Mexico D. countries overseas 68. From the passage we can see that ______. A. children can’t travel to foreign countries B. Americans like to travel C. a traveler is not safe in most countries D. Americans like to travel to close countries 69. Why does a traveler need a passport? A. He needs something more to carry when he travels. B. It helps the country to protect the people. C. He needs to have his picture taken more often. D. It helps the traveler to know where he will go. 70. Which statement does the passage lead you to believe? A. People should take care of their passports. B. It is not important to have a passport to travel. C. Children are never included in a passport. (责任编辑：admin) |