You probably enjoy visiting the zoo, but at one time people visited a zoological garden. Zoo is short for zoological garden. When a word has been shortened, it is called a clip. For example, a ref is a short form of the word referee. Over time, many words in English have been clipped. Perhaps you go to and back from school on a bus. Students traveled on an omnibus in the past. Math and exams are short for mathematics and examinations. A mike is a short form of a microphone. Something that is a curio was once a curiosity.

When you visit a zoological garden, you may see "rhinos" if you are lucky enough. This animal certainly has a big nose ﹣﹣ in the Greek language, "rhinos" means "nose". In English, a rhino is the same as a rhinoceros. Other words have rhinos in them, too. A rhinovirus might affect your nose. This virus is what people get when they have a cold. When you have diseases in the nose, you must see a rhinologist, who can treat you.

But on the other hand, some words are really combinations(结合体)of two or more words. The new words are called blends. The meaning of a blend shows the meanings of both words it comes from. For example, the words smoke and fog blend to make smog. Do you know what motor and hotel make when combined? You're right ﹣ it's motel. Which two words do you think brunch comes from?

1.Which of the following is a clip?   

A. Examination.

B. Referee.

C. Curio.

D. Motel.

2.Which of the following is a doctor?   

A. Rhinos.

B. Zoological.

C. Rhinovirus.

D. Rhinologist.

3.What does the underlined word "brunch" mean?   

A. 早午餐

B. 长板凳

C. 大树枝

D. 浅海滩

4.What can you conclude from the passage?   

A. It is hard to learn clipped words.

B. Riding on an omnibus was not safe.

C. Clips are easier to pronounce and spell.

D. People don't like to use short words.

5.What does the last paragraph mainly talk about?   

A. Combining smoke and fog.

B. Learning about blends.

C. How motel got its meaning.

D. Forming combined words.

违法和不良信息举报电话:027-86699610 举报邮箱:58377363@163.com

精英家教网