The reading passages in Lower English Course were designed to introduce a large number of points associated with vocabulary, grammar and construction that often cause difficulties to students. These have been retained within the structure of this edition together with the practice exercises which formed part of most chapters.
　　With the introduction of a considerably modified examination however, a large part of the earlier book has been rewritten so as to ensure adequate preparation for all sections of the new syllabus(大纲). The notes to each chapter have been condensed to essentials to allow additional material to be included together with guidance in pronunciation, special grammatical points and use of prepositions, related in each of these cases to the foregoing comprehension passage.
　　New sections have been added to most chapters, consisting of multiple choice questions based on the comprehension passage, a number of questions of the type that will appear on the Use of English paper and finally considerable practice in spoken English, including conventional usage, conversations, situations to be dealt with orally and discussion topics.
　　The Chapter on spoken English has been adapted to the new “Interview” and “play extract” reading passage with advice and examples included. Other sections deal with the new type of summary and with composition writing, though each of the proposed types of composition is presented separately as part of a chapter.
　　The student undertaking this course should already have a good elementary knowledge of English. When classes have as many as ten weekly lessons most of the material can be dealt with in class, but students in groups which meet for not more than 4-5 hours weekly have to do a good deal of preparation at home with class guidance and checking. A key is available separately and the material is presented clearly enough to enable a student working alone to derive considerable benefit from it.
　　1.Compared with the old edition, this new edition ____.
　　A)adds some new sections to most chapters
　　B)introduces more difficulties to students
　　C)remains almost unchanged
　　D)has considerably improved the balance between theory and practice
　　2.According to author, this new edition has been adapted ____.
　　A)because a new syllabus had been introduced
　　B)so that the notes could be included
　　C)because a number of multiple choice questions had to be dealt with orally
　　D)and advice and examples have been condensed
　　3.It can be inferred from the passage that the major component of the textbook is ___.
　　A)additional materials
　　B)practice exercises
　　C)comprehension passages
　　D)writing compositions
　　4.One of the features of this textbook as mentioned in the last paragraph is that ____.
　　A)its users may be beginners of the English language
　　B)it can be used for different course arrangements
　　C)only advanced learners can benefit from it
　　D)its learners must spend at least 10 hours on it per week
　　5.The passage is most likely a part of ___.
　　A)a scientific paper
　　B)a preface
　　C)an interview
　　D)a news article

　　答案：
　　1.A)adds some new sections to most chapters对应原文第三段第一句New sections have been added to most chapters.
　　2.A) because a new syllabus had been introduced对应原文第二段第一句With the introduction of a considerably modified examination however, a large part of the earlier book has been rewritten so as to ensure adequate preparation for all sections of the new syllabus(大纲).
　　3.C)comprehension passages. 第二段末尾和第三段第一句都出现了comprehension passages, 第四段出现了reading passage, 种种迹象表明: 本书的主要组成部分是阅读文章.
　　4.B)it can be used for different course arrangements. 参考最后一段.
　　5.B)a preface, 序言.
　　参考译文:
　　《初级证书英语教程》中阅读文章编写的目的是：介绍许多与词汇、语法和结构有关的、经常给学生造成困难的语言要点。这个新版本的安排除了仍然保留这些要点之外，还保留了多数章节中的大量练习。
　　然而，由于考试题型的大幅度调整，原版本中大部分内容已经重新进行编写，目的是让学生对新考试大纲要求的所有部分做好充分的准备。为了在每章阅读文章后补充一些相应的材料，以及补充一些相关的发音、特殊语法点和介词用法方面的指导，新版本已缩减了每章的注解。
　　大多数章节都增加了许多新的部分，包括阅读理解的多项选择题，将出现在“英语应用”练习部分的大量题型，还配有大量的口头练习（习惯表达、对话、情景会话和讨论话题）。
　　口语一章已改成了“面谈”和“戏剧节选”的阅读文章，附有建议和举例。其他部分涉及新型的总结和写作，只不过每一种建议的写作类型是作为每章的一个部分单独给出的。
　　学习该课程的学生应具有扎实的英文功底。如果有10周的全天课堂教学，那么大部分的材料就能在课堂上消化掉。每周不超过4-5学时的各类学生，除了课堂指导和检查外，还要在家做大量的准备工作。每章后附有答案，解释详尽，相信自学的读者也能受益匪浅。