Speed reading is a necessary skill in the Internet age. We skim over articles, e-mails and WeChat to try to get key words and the meaning of the text. With so much information through our electronic device (設(shè)備), it would be impossible to get through everything if we read word by word, line by line. But a new trend calls on people to enjoy reading slowly.

A recent story from The Wall Street Journal reported on a book club in Wellington, New Zealand, where members meet in a cafe and turn off their smartphones. They sit in comfortable chairs and read in silence for an hour. Unlike traditional book clubs, the point of the slow reading club isn’t to share ideas about a certain book, but to get away from electronic devices and read in a quiet, relaxed environment.

Slow readers, such as TheAtlantic’sMaura Kelly, say a regular reading habit sharpens the mind, improves attention, lowers stress levels and deepens the ability to understand others. Some of these benefits have been backed up by science. For example, a study of 300 elderly people published by the journal Neurology last year showed that adults who take part in activities that use their brain, such as reading, suffer (遭受) less memory loss as they get older.

Yet technology has made us less careful readers. Computer and phone screens have changed our reading patterns from the top-to-bottom, left-to-right reading order we traditionally used, to a wild skimming and skipping pattern as we search for important words and information. Reading text online that has many links to other web pages also leads to weaker understanding than reading plain text (純文本). The Internet may have made us stupider, says British journalist Patrick Kingsley from the Guardian, only half joking. Because of the Internet, he says, we have become very good at collecting a large number of interesting news, but we are also gradually forgetting how to sit back, think and relate all these facts to each other.

Slowing reading means a return to an uninterrupted, straight pattern, in a quiet environment. Aim for 30 minutes a day, advises Kelly from The Atlantic. “You can squeeze in (擠出) that half hour pretty easily if only during your free moments — whenever you want to check your favorite site for something to pass the time— you pick up a meaningful work of literature,” Kelly said.

1.The words “backed up” in Paragraph 3 probably mean “______”.

A. given back B. called back C. supported D. disagreed

2.Kingsley believes that the Internet has weaken people’s ability to ______.

A. get key words rapidly B. share ideas about books

C. collect interesting news D. think deeply about information

3.According to the passage, slow reading___________.

A. improves understanding among people

B. treats the memory loss of elderly people

C. provides people with a quiet environment

D. slows down the development of electronic device

4.What’s the best title for the passage?

A. Benefit of Reading Clubs B. Return of Slow Reading

C. Reading of the Internet Age D. Influence of Speed Reading

1.C 2.D 3.A 4.B 【解析】本文介紹了在互聯(lián)網(wǎng)時(shí)代，快讀是必要的閱讀技巧，但是作者鼓勵(lì)慢讀，并介紹了慢讀的好處。 1.C 詞義猜測題。根據(jù)For example, a study of 300 elderly people published by the journal Neurology last year showed that adults ...

閱讀短文，根據(jù)短文內(nèi)容回答問題。

Idioms are one of the hardest parts of learning a language. An idiom is a phrase which has a meaning, but the meaning is not clear from the words themselves. They are like puzzles. If you translate an idiom word for word, it sometimes makes no sense at all. That’s why even native speakers can get confused when someone uses a phrase that they’ve never heard of.

Here are four common English idioms every English student should know in a lot of situations.

1.Get your act together (Meaning: you need to improve your behaviour/work)

This might be something your teacher says to you if you score badly in an exam or if you misbehave in class. You can also use it to talk about people in general. For example, if your friend is being mean for no reason, then you can tell them that they need to get their act together.

2.Pull yourself together (Meaning: calm down)

It’s not polite to say “pull yourself together”to tell people to relax while they’re overreacting (反應(yīng)過激). Only use this if you think the person you are speaking to is getting upset over something important. When your friend tells you that their close relative has died, it is NOT the time to tell them to pull themselves together.

3.I’m feeling under the weather (Meaning: I’m sick)

Yes, it’s longer and more difficult to say than “I’m sick”, but if your English teacher asks you why you haven’t done your homework, he or she is more likely to forgive (原諒) you if you say that you were feeling under the weather.

4.Break a leg (Meaning: good luck!)

This is perhaps one of the most confusing yet well-known English idioms. If someone says this to you, do not think they are frightening you; they are just wishing you luck. It is most often used for people wishing success to actors and actresses before they perform on the stage, but it can be said in other situations, too.

All in all, learning a new language can be challenging. It’s certainly not a piece of cake, especially when there are so many confusing idioms. However, with enough hard work and interest, you will succeed in no time. Break a leg!

1.What is an idiom?

2.How many common English idioms are talked about in the passage?

3.Is it polite to say“pull yourself together”to tell people to relax while they’re overreacting?

4.Which idiom can you use to wish somebody luck?

5.What is the passage mainly about?

1.An idiom is a phrase which has a meaning, but the meaning is not clear from the words themselves. 1’檔：①Idioms are one of the hardest parts of learning a language. ②They are like puzzles. If...

假如你叫李華，最近你班里的美國交換生Lucy想要感受中國的傳統(tǒng)文化。周末你和父母商議后，打算邀請她去老舍茶館。你通過微信告知她：要去哪，在那要做什么以及何時(shí)何地見面。

提示詞語：Laoshe Teahouse, drink tea, Peking Opera, magic shows, gate

提示問題：Where are you going?

What will you do there?

When and where will you meet?

Hi, Lucy! I know you like Chinese traditional culture. I want to invite you to Laoshe Teahouse this Saturday morning. We are going to drink tea, watch magic shows, enjoy Peking Opera, and eat Chinese ...

作為初三畢業(yè)生，你們首次參加了“英語聽說機(jī)考”（the English Listening and Speaking Online Test）。你應(yīng)邀為初一初二的學(xué)弟學(xué)妹們做聽說機(jī)考的經(jīng)驗(yàn)介紹。請你用英語寫一篇發(fā)言稿，談?wù)勀銓τ⒄Z聽說機(jī)考有什么認(rèn)識，在考試中需要做什么以及你想對他們提出哪些建議。

提示詞語：necessary, answer questions, take notes, retell, read a passage aloud

提示問題： What do you think of theEnglish Listening and Speaking Online Test?

What do they need to do in the test?

What suggestions do you want to give them?

Good morning, everybody. I’m glad that I can share something about the

English Listening and Speaking Online Test with you.

Thanks for listening!

Good morning, everybody. I’m glad that I can share something aboutthe English Listening & Speaking Online Test with you. I think it is necessary for us to take the listening and speaking test. In the ...

（題文）He asked me whom I ________ for.

A. am waiting B. wait C. will wait D. was waiting

D 【解析】 句意：他問我在等誰？這是賓語從句的結(jié)構(gòu)，當(dāng)主句是過去時(shí)態(tài)時(shí)，從句用過去的某一個(gè)時(shí)態(tài)，根據(jù)句意可知這里用進(jìn)行時(shí)態(tài)；故選D。

（題文）He often __________ us funny stories.

A. talks B. says C. tells D. speaks

C 【解析】 句意：他經(jīng)常給我們將有趣的故事。A. talks talk一般為不及物動(dòng)詞，交談，taik to/with sb 和某人交談； B. says說，通常指說話的內(nèi)容，say to sb對某人說； C. tells tell常作及物動(dòng)詞，意思是“講，告訴”，動(dòng)詞常跟雙賓語，tell sb sth告訴某人某事； D. speaks強(qiáng)調(diào)說的動(dòng)作，不強(qiáng)調(diào)說的內(nèi)容，作及物動(dòng)詞時(shí)通常指...

I won’t __________ come here so early.

A. be able to B. am able to C. can D. could

A 【解析】 句意：我不能來這兒那么早。根據(jù)將來時(shí)態(tài)結(jié)構(gòu)will+動(dòng)詞原形；will后不用情態(tài)動(dòng)詞；故選A。

（題文）The window is __________. Please close it. It’s cold outside.

A. opened B. opening C. open D. opens

C 【解析】 句意：這個(gè)窗戶是開著的，請關(guān)上它，外面冷。根據(jù)open在這里是形容詞，開著的，作表語；故選C。

__________ any noise in class.

A. Not make B. Don’t make C. Not to make D. Makes

B 【解析】 句意：不要在課堂上發(fā)出任何噪音。根據(jù)這是祈使句結(jié)構(gòu)，用動(dòng)詞原形，否定形式在句首加don't；故選B。

Her village was 2,000 meters __________ sea level.

A. on B. over C. above D. Under

C 【解析】 試題句意：她的村莊海拔曾經(jīng)是2000米。根據(jù)句意及題干分析“海拔”是above the sea level，故選C。