"Colour"and "color", "favourite" and "favorite", "honour" and "honor"…..Have you ever wondered why Americans spell those words without a "u"? Is it because they are lazy?
Of course not. In fact, the difference in spelling was started by Noah Webster(1758-1843). He was a teacher who reformed（改革）English to make American identity（特征）stronger. Linguists（语言学家）celebrate his birthday on October 16 every year.
After the Revolutionary War(1775-1783), Webster believed that Americans should have their own dictionary, rather thanrely onBritish dictionaries.
He dropped the British "u" in some words. And he changed "centre"into "center" for children to learn English by spelling words more like what they sounded. He used "subway" instead of British word "underground". Some other examples are "soccer" and "football", "fall" and "autumn".
Webster wasn't shy about expressing his opinions. In defining（定义）preposterous (unreasonable), he wrote: "A republican government in the hands of female is preposterous.
Webster spent 28 years on the project before completing the 70, 000-word dictionary with his American-style spelling in 1828.He also added local words.
His dictionary was widely used in schools. Linguists believed it helped a new country achieve unity（统一）and cultural independence at a time when most people cared about political freedom.
"He was the creator of our language and the creator of American identity," said Joshua Kendall, who is working on a book about Webster. "He at last brought us together through our language."
61. Why do Americans spell some words without a "u"?
A. Because the Americans are very lazy.
B. Because the American English developed when people used it.
C. Because the American government reformed the spelling of words.
D. Because a linguist named Noah Webster started the reform in spelling.
62. Which isNOTtrue about Webster's dictionary?
A. It has local words in it.
B. It is a 70, 000-word dictionary.
C. All the words are spelled without "u".
D. Its words are in American-style spelling.
63.What does the underlined phrase "rely on" in paragraph 3 mean?
A.依赖
B.信任
C. 容忍
D. 放弃
64. What do people think of Webster's dictionary?
A. It is the only dictionary that Americans still use today.
B. It helped to bring Americans together besides its cultural influence.
C.It has no influence on the development of American English.
D. It helped to make American English more useful than British English.
65. What's the main idea of the passage?
A. The development of the British English.
B.American English is better than British English.
C. Noah Webster added local words to the dictionary.
D.Noah Webster wrote an American English dictionary and reformed English.
第三节∶阅读短文, 根据其内容, 补全下面表格, 每空不超过两个词。（每小题1分, 满分5分）
To forgive is a virtue（美德）, but no one has ever said it is easy. When someone has deeply hurt you, it can be extremely difficult to let go of your hate. However, forgiveness is possible. People who forgive show less sadness, anger and stress and more hopefulness, according toa recent research.
How should you start to forgive? Try the following steps:
Calm yourself. You can take a couple of breaths and think of something that gives you pleasure: a beautiful scene in nature, or someone you love.
Don’t wait for an apology（道歉）. Many times the person who hurt you does not mean to apologize. If you wait for people to apologize, you could be waiting an awfullylong time. Keep in mind that forgiveness does not necessarilymean becoming fiends again with the person who upset you.
Take the control away from your offender（冒犯者）. Rethinking about your hurt gives power to the person who causes you pain. Instead of focusing on your wounded feelings, learn to look for the love, beauty and kindness around you.
Try to see things from your offenders angle（角度）. If you understand your offender, you may realize that he or she was acting out of unawareness fear and even love. You may want to write letter to yourself from your offender's point of view.
Don’t forget to forgive yourself.For some people, forgiving themselves is the biggestchallenge. It can rob you of your self-confidence if you don't do it.