March 26, 2009 @ 4:03 am
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Once upon a time, specifically back in 1962, I spoke German fluently enough to fool all native speakers some of the time and some native speakers all of the time into thinking I was a native speaker of German.
That was then.
This is now, and now I couldn't convince a two-year-old German toddler that I'm not just another weird, inarticulate, incompetent foreigner.
I haven't been back to Germany often since the year I spent here in Freiburg way back when, and in all this time I've been busily losing the brain cells that contained my knowledge of the language.
Now I'm at the end of a month spent at a research institute at the university, and because all my linguist acquaintances speak English so well, I haven't had much luck in reactivating any latent German skills — it'd be cruel to make people puzzle over my inept German when we could instead be chattering away productively in English.
Forty-seven years is a long time, and prominent in the long list of things I've forgotten are words and grammatical gender assignment.
I could get away with some variation in noun gender, if only my problem were a bit more restricted.
Take Schorle, for instance.
I've been drinking a lot of Apfelschorle this month — it's very good, a mixture of apple juice and fizzy mineral water.
(You can tell that I'm typing this on my own computer and not on the German computer in my office here, because I'm not putting z's where my y's belong and vice versa.)
There's also Weinschorle, a mixture of wine and that, I wouldn't particularly recommend.
At lunch a couple of weeks ago, I asked a bunch of doctoral students and postdocs what the gender of Schorle is.
Much inconclusive discussion resulted.
For one postdoc they're both feminine (die Apfelschorle, die Weinschorle); for another, they're both neuter (das Apfelschorle, das Weinschorle); and still another has die Apfelschorle but das Weinschorle.
The German Wikipedia, de.wikipedia.org, says that the term Schorle, in a different formation, dates back to the 18th century, and that the word is feminine, except in southern Germany — where Freiburg is — where occasionally, rarely, it is neuter.
If only more words were like Apfelschorle, I could assign whatever gender I wanted to any given noun, and my German would sound a whole lot better than it does.
Meanwhile, Freiburg has changed a lot since 1962.
Then, there was no McDonald's sign on the ancient city gate called the Martinstor.
(Also I now have enough mo in 1962, after months of eating almost nothing but Eintopf in the university Mensa, I collapsed with a rather serious case of malnutrition.)
And the presence of English is more striking now than it was back then, although even then I had to join the Russischer Chor der Universit&t Freiburg to find people whose English wasn't a great deal better than my then-incipient German.
Take the wonderful research institute I'm visiting this month, for instance.
It's called FRIAS, which stands for Freiburg Institute for Advanced Studies.
That's right: the name of the university's elegant new research institute is English.
They tell me that it reflects the international outlook of the institute, and I but speaking as someone who finds English ultimately a bit boring, compared to other languages, I'm unenthusiastic about yet another instance of English encroachment.
And then there's the brewery and restaurant Martin's Br&u ("Martin's Brew").
It is spelled with that apostrophe, like an English possessive but unlike normal German (compare, for instance, the name of the Tor mentioned above: Martinstor).
Don't take my word for it — look at the logo:
I don't know that the apostrophe in the possessive Martin's has anything to do with English influence — for one thing, like the brewery-restaurant itself, it's old, and as far as I can discover it has always had the apostrophe.
I've asked German friends to explain this.
They say they have no idea why that apostrophe is there.
Bernd Kortmann did tell me that apostrophes are creeping into borrowed nouns that are pluralized with -s (native German nouns tend to have different plural formations, not a suffix -s); but this new practice (though interesting) seems quite different from Martin's Br&u.
In spite of all the English-language advertising signs, the desecration of the old city gate by an American fast-food chain, and the occasional wayward apostrophe, Freiburg remains a beautiful and congenial city.
We can walk from our university guest-house apartment in several directions and get up into the Schwarzwald, on paths that lead to pleasant cafes with gorgeous views.
We can conform to local custom by sitting at outdoor cafe tables in near-freezing temperatures eating ice-cream.
We can stroll around the Altstadt on tiny-smooth-cobblestone sidewalks and examine the latest scaffolding on the always-scaffolded Cathedral.
But after we leave tomorrow, I'll continue to regret my inability to magically resuscitate my former German fluency this past month.
March 26, 2009 @ 4:03 am
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浙江省南马高级中学10-11学年高一5月月考（英语）
南马高中2011年上学期第二次月考试卷高一英语第一部分：英语知识运用第一节
单项选择（共20小题；每小题1分，满分20分）1．It is
waste of time for young men to devote themselves to playing computer gameson
Internet only for
pleasure.A．/; /
D．a; /2．In fact , Peter would rather have left for Shanghai than
in New York.A．to stay
C．staying
D．stay3．Anything worth
is worthy of
well.A． being done
B． to be doneC． doing
D． being done4．She divides her time
work, child care and play.A．into
D．between5．The baby was playing on the carpet
by all kinds of toys.A．surrounding
B．surrounded
C．surrounds
D．having surrounded6．The new teacher made a good
on the students by her rich knowledge and　　humorous talk.A．feeling
D．impression7．The fruit
fresh in his fruit stall sells well.A．looking
D．to be looked8．--How come a simple meal like this costs so much?--We have
in your bill the cost of the cup you broke just now.A．added
B．included
C．contained
D．charged9．
a mobile phone can you ring
you want to talk with anywhere .A．U whoever
B．O whomeverC．O whatever
D．W anyone10．--What you said made her unhappy.　--I regret
that.　A．saying
D．to have said11．Finally the farmer was reduced
his land .　A．to sell
B．to have sold
C．to selling
D．selling12．--In your opinion , who is the best golf player in the world?　--Tiger Woods . I think he has a（n）
for golf.　A．award
B．present
D．gift13．--Which would you like to see , my passport or my ID card ?　--Oh,
.　A．either one will do
B．each will be fine　C．each one is good
D．either does well14．It will be five years
we meet again.　A．since
D．when15．Your education will
you to earn a good living . Work hard from now on.　A．associate
D．feed16．Just as sound travels through the air in waves , so electricity travels through the air inradio waves.A．what is called
B．which is called
C．what it is called
D．which it is called17．What led you
the conclusion?A．from
from media reports , the result has been unclear.A．To judge
B．Having judged
C．Judging
D．Judged19．It was a really
experience. Afterwards everybody was very
.A． shocking
B． shockingC． shocked
D． shocked20．He argued
smoking, and insisted that it was
argument that smokingwas harmful to health.A． beyond
D． beyond第二节：完型填空（共20小题；每小题1.5分，满分30分）　　阅读下面短文，从短文后所给各题的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。　　I met Mrs. Neidl in the ninth grade on a stage-design team for a play and she was one of the directors. Almost instantly I loved her. She had an unpleasant voice and a direct way of speaking,21
she was encouraging and inspiring. For some reason, she was impressed with my work and me.　　Mrs. Neidl would ask me for my
. She wanted to know how I thought we should23
things. At first I had no idea how to answer because I knew
about stage design! But I slowly began to respond to her
. It was cause and effect: She believed I had opinions, so I began to
them. She trusted me to complete things, so I completed them perfectly. She loved how
I was, so I began to show up to paint more and more. She believed in me, so I began to believe in myself.　　Mrs. Neidl's
that year was, "Try it. We can always paint over it
!"I began to take
. I had been so afraid of failing but suddenly there was no failing--only things to be
upon. I learned to dip my brush into the paint and
create something.　　The shy, quiet freshman achieved success that year. I was
in the program as "Student Art Assistant" because of the time and effort I'd put in. It was that year that I
I wanted to spend the rest of my life doing stage design.　　Being on that stage-design team
Mrs. Neidl changed me completely. Not only was I stronger and more competent（胜任的；有能力的）than I had thought, but I also
a strong interest and a world I hadn't known existed. She taught me not to
what people think I should do: She taught me to take chances and not be
. Mrs. Neidl was my comforter when I was upset. Her
in me has inspired me to do things that I never imagined
.21．A．andB．yetC．soD．for22．A．opinionB．impressionC．informationD．intention23．A．makeB．keepC．handleD．change24．A．anythingB．somethingC．everythingD．nothing25．A．questionsB．commentsC．explanationsD．remarks26．A．holdB．followC．evaluateD．form27．A．happyB．livelyC．reliableD．punctual28．A．messageB．mottoC．sayingD．suggestion29．A．againB．moreC．insteadD．later30．A．stepsB．controlC．chargeD．risks31．A．improvedB．actedC．lookedD．reflected32．A．easilyB．carefullyC．confidentlyD．proudly33．A．introducedB．recognizedC．identifiedD．considered34．A．confirmedB．decidedC．realizedD．acknowledged35．A．withB．belowC．ofD．by36．A．developedB．discoveredC．tookD．fostered37．A．acceptB．careC．judgeD．wonder38．A．boredB．lazyC．sadD．afraid39．A．trustB．patienceC．curiosityD．interest40．A．accessibleB．enjoyableC．possibleD．favorable第三节：阅读理解（共15小题：每小题2分，满分30分）　　阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项，并在题卡上将该项涂黑。A　　We are often asked to make a speech in life. Most of us are afraid of it and don't do a good job. Here are some simple steps to make your speech a successful one. First of all, find out everything you can about your subject and at the same time find out as much as you can about your audience（听众）. Who are they? What do they know about your subject? Put yourself in their shoes as you Prepare your speech. Then try to arrange（安排）your material so that your speech is clear and easy to follow. Use as many examples as possible. Never forget your audience.　　Don't talk over their heads or talk down to them. When you are giving your speech, speak slowly and clearly and look at your audience. Pause for a few seconds from time to time to give your audience chance to think over what you've said. Just remember: be prepared, know your subject and your audience, say what you have to say and be yourself so that your ideas will bring you and your audience together.41．"Put yourself in their shoes as you prepare your speech." means that while preparing yourspeech, you must
.　　A．put your shoes aside and put on theirs　　B．try their shoes to see if they fit you　　C．wear the shoes with the same size as theirs　　D．try to imagine yourself to be in their position42．When he is giving his speech, the speaker is to
.　　A．let his eyes rest to the subject
B．follow the audience step by step　　C．face the audience in a natural way
D．look up and down from time to time43．During the course of the speech it isn't right for a speaker to
.　　A．think nothing of the audience
B．speak in a loud voice　　C．take a short stop at times
D．refer to the notes once in a while44．Which title best gives the main idea of the passage？
.　　A．How to Remember the Audience?　　B．How to Improve One 's Speech?　　C．How to Prepare the Material for a Speech?　　D．How to Pick Out the Topic for a Speech?B　　Never go into a supermarket hungry! This is a good piece of advice. If you go shopping for food before lunchtime, you'll probably buy more than you plan to. Unfortunately, however, just this advice isn't enough for consumers these days. Modern shoppers need an education in how and how not to buy things at the store. First, you check the weekly newspaper ads. Find out the items that are on sale and decide if you really need these things. In other words, don't buy anything just because it's cheaper than usual! "New and Improved!" or "All Natural" on the front of a package influence you. Instead, read the list of ingredients（contents）on the back. Third, compare prices: that is, you should examine the prices of both different brands and different sizes of the same brand.　　Another suggestion for consumers is to buy ordinary items instead of famous brands. Ordinary items in supermarkets come in plain packages. These products are cheaper because producers don't spend much money on packing or advertising. The quality, however, is usually as good as the quality of well-known name brands. In the same way, in buying clothes, you can often find high quality and low prices in brands that are not famous. Shopping in discount clothing stores can help you save a lot of money. Although these stores aren't very attractive, and they usually do not have individual dressing rooms, not only are the prices low, but you can often find the same famous brands that you find in high-priced department stores.　　Wise consumers read magazine ads and watch TV commercials, but they do this with one advantage: knowledge of the psychology behind the ads. In other words, well-informed consumers watch for information and check for misinformation. They ask themselves questions: Is the advertiser hiding something in small print at the bottom of the page? Is there any real information in the commercial, or is the advertiser simply showing an attractive image? With the answers to these questions, consumers can make a wise choice.45．All the following statements are true about the phrase "ordinary items" in Paragraph 2 except.　　A．ordinary items never say "New and Improved" or "All Natural"　　B．ordinary products are usually cheaper than famous brands　　C．producers spend less money on packaging of ordinary items　　D．the quality of ordinary items is usually as good as that of famous brands46．One of the author's suggestions to consumers is
.　　A．not to buy items with words like "New and Improved" or "All Natural"　　B．to make use of ads　　C．to buy high quality items such as famous brands after lunch　　D．to buy any ordinary items instead of famous brands47．The author implies that
.　　A．going into the supermarket hungry, you may buy more than you plan to　　B．the quality of ordinary items is usually high and the prices are relatively low　　C．discount clothing stores are good places to go to　　D．ads sometimes don't tell the truthC　　On Halloween Night, children go trick-treating in their neighborhoods. Dressed up as ghosts, skeleton devils, and various other characters, children knock on doors to collect their treats. Seldom do they actually perform a "trick".　　It is thought that trick-or-treating comes from an old English custom. On All Souls Day, poor people went begging and promised to say prayers in exchange for food. Apple bobbing, still a favorite Halloween game, was originally an ancient ceremony honoring the harvest time.　　A jack-o'-lantern is placed on porches and windows to tell children that treats are available. The legend was that a man named Jack could enter heaven because he played tricks on the devil. As punishment, he had to wander the earth carrying a lantern waiting to be judged fit to get into heaven.　　People believed that Halloween marked the connection between the world of the living and the world of the dead. This meant that ghosts would roam the earth on this night. Some believed that these ghosts would go back to the homes they lived in before they died.　　Thankfully, Halloween is an amusing night when children can dress up and get a bag full of candy. We don't have to worry about ghosts. Or do we? gkstk48．A jack-o'-lantern on porches and windows is used to
.　　A．punish Jack
B．welcome the ghosts back home　　C．keep the ghosts out of the house
D．let the children know there're treats for them49．Apple bobbing was an ancient ceremony held originally to
.　　A．honor the harvest time
B．honor the dead　　C．honor the living
D．play a trick on each other50．The underlined word "roam" is close in meaning to
.　　A．come back
C．collect
D．wander51．Which of the following is not true?　　A．On Halloween Night, children often dress up as ghosts.　　B．On Halloween Night, children often perform tricks.　　C．Trick-or-treating comes from an old English custom.　　D．Children can get a lot of candy on Halloween Night.52．According to the passage, Halloween is a（n）
festival.　　A．sad
C．interesting
D．romanticD　　The Internet has become a part of teenage life. A new report on 3,375 students aged from 10 to 18 in seven Chinese cities found that 38 percent of them believe they use the Internet often While most of them get useful information and use the Internet to help in their studies, some are not using it in a good way. In order to help young people use the Internet in a good way, a textbook on good Internet behavior has started to be used in some Shanghai middle schools this term. The book uses real examples to teach students good ways of using the Internet.　　The book gives useful advice such as it's good to read news or find helpful information to study. Some students also make on-line friends. But if you are meeting a friend off-line, make sure your parents know. Teachers and parents think the book is of great help. A teacher said the book would be a guide for teens using the Internet. She believes it will keep students away from bad sites. "Many students are using the Internet without guidance from their parents," she said. "The book will teach students how to be a good person in the on-line world."53．The textbook mainly tells us
.　　A．why we should use the Internet
B．how to study through the Internet　　C．how to use the Internet correctly
D．how to get help from others54．According to the passage, teenagers are NOT encouraged to
.　　A．meet a friend off-line without letting their parents know　　B．make friends with other schools' students　　C．find helpful information on line　　D．read on-line news55．From this passage we know that
.　　A．more and more students have given up visiting bad websites　　B．schools and teachers begin to pay attention to students' use of the Internet　　C．no more homework will be given in Shanghai middle schools　　D．less and less information can be found in the Internet第II卷第一节：单词拼写（共10小题；每小题l分，满分10分）1．He m
the rope to see if it was long enough.2．It is a
（传统） that women get married in long white dresses in that area.3．Altogether, our
（成就）are very great.4．Your
（支持）has meant a lot to me during this difficult time.5．The new teacher soon won the r
of his students6．It was a hard
（斗争；努力）to get my work done in time7．We now e
all kinds of industrial products to other countries.8．The telegram was d_
early this morning.9．Joan
（评论；议论）that it was a better play than usual, and I agreed.10．Many great d
have been made in the field of science.第二节：改错（满分I0分）　　假如英语课上老师要求同学们交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌写的以下作文。文中共有10处语言错误，要求你在错误的地方增加、删除或修改某个单词。　　增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号（∧），在其下面写上该加的词。　　删除：把多余的词用斜线（ \ ）划掉。　　修改：在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写上修改后的词。　　注意：1．没处错误及其修改均仅限一词。　　　　　2．只允许修改10处，多者（从11处起）不记分。　　Wore a pair of worn-out shoe, he wandered in the street. Though hungry, he can not find a penny in his pockets. Unfortunate, he became homeless；everyone in her family had cut off connection with him. Mild songs from nearest house reminded him of his every particular in acting. Up to now, he have starred in more than 80 films, that have entertained many people. He was considered to be an outstanding actor. It was convincing that he would picked out to challenge the Oscar this year. But in now everything has changed.第二节：书面表达：（20分）　　针对班上部分同学抄袭他人作业的现象，请你以My opinion on copying others' homework为题写一篇100词左右的英语作文，谈谈主要原因、危害及自己的看法。　　注意：文章开头已给出，不计入总词数。
生词consolidate（巩固）My Opinion on Copying Others' HomeworkIt is known to us all that some students copy others' homework.南马高中2011年上学期第二次月考试卷高一英语答题卷短文改错　　Wore a pair of worn-out shoe, he wandered in the street. Though hungry, he can not find a penny in his pockets. Unfortunate, he became homeless；everyone in her family had cut off connection with him. Mild songs from nearest house reminded him of his every particular in acting. Up to now, he have starred in more than 80 films, that have entertained many people. He was considered to be an outstanding actor. It was convincing that he would picked out to challenge the Oscar this year. But in now everything has changed.书面表达My Opinion on Copying Others' HomeworkIt is known to us all that some students copy others' homework.南马高中2011年上学期第二次月考试卷高一英语参考答案单选1-5
ABCCD完型21-25
BBDAC阅读41-44
CAB单词gkstk1．measured
2．tradition
3．achievements
4．support
5．respect6．struggle
8．delivered
9．commented
10．discoveries短文改错1．Wore-Wearing
2．shoe-shoes
3．can-could4．Unfortunate-Unfortunately
5．her-his
6．nearest前加the7．have-has
8．that-which
9．picked前加be10．去掉in书面表达My Opinion on Copying Others' Homework　　It is known to us all that some students copy others' homework. We students have to do a large amount of homework both at home and at school. It is also true that sometimes we have some problems which are too difficult for us to work out. On the other hand, lazy and uninterested in their lessons, some students copy others' homework both to finish the assignments and please their teachers.　　In a word, copying others' homework is a bad habit. We should be honest and work hard to achieve high grades. If we have difficulties, we can turn to our teachers or our classmates for help. And what's more, we will fail to consolidate what we've learn and lose the ability to think if we often copy others' homework. So we should get rid of the bad behavior and try to prevent it from spreading. gkstk