题目内容
A year ago, I paid no attention to English idioms, though my teacher emphasized the importance again and again. But soon, the importance of English idioms was shown in an amusing experience.
One day, I happened to meet an Englishman on the road, and soon we began to talk. As I was talking about how I was studying English, the foreigner seemed to be astonished gently shaking his head, shrugging his shoulders, saying, “You don’t say！”“You don’t say!” I was puzzled. I thought, perhaps this is not an appropriate topic. “Well, I’d better change the topic. ”So I said to him, “well, shall we talk about the Great Wall?” By the way, have you ever been there? “Certainly, everyone back home will laugh at me if I leave China without seeing it. It was magnificent（壮丽的）.” He was deep in thought when I began to talk like a tourist guide, “The Great Wall is one of the wonders in the world. We are proud of it.” Soon I was interrupted again by his order “You don’t say!” I couldn’t help asking .I said, “Didn’t you say you don’t say?” Hearing this, the Englishman laughed to tears. He began to explain, “You don’t say actually means really? It is an expression of surprise. Perhaps you don’t pay attention to English idioms.” Only then did I make a fool of myself. Since then I have been more careful with idiomatic expression.
A year ago, I paid no attention to English idioms because .
A. English idioms were too difficult to master
B. I cared little about the teacher’s instruction
C. my teacher didn’t emphasize the importance
D. I had no interest in English learning
When I first heard “You don’t say!” I thought .
A. the Englishman was not interested in my English
B. the Englishman was only interested in the Great Wall.
C. I had talked too much
D. I had to stop talking at once
Which of the following is true?
A. The Englishman was leaving China without seeing the Great Wall.
B. The Englishman wanted to see the Great Wall after I talked about it.
C. The Englishman wanted me to act as his guide.
D. The Englishman visited the Great Wall and thought it worth visiting
After the Englishman explained the idiom, ___ .
A. the Englishman made me a fool
B. the Englishman made a fool of himself
C. I felt very silly
D.I felt proud of my understanding
Christopher Thomas, 27, was a writer by night and a teacher by day when he noticed he was always tired and was losing weight fast．Diagnosed with diabetes（糖尿病）, Thomas would need to inject himself with insulin（胰岛素） three times a day for the rest of his life or risk nerve damage, blindness, and even death．And if that weren't bad enough, he had no health insurance．
After a month of feeling upset, Thomas decided he’d better find a way to fight back．He left Canton, Michigan for New York, got a job waiting tables, nicknamed himself the Diabetic Rockstar, and created diabeticrockstar.com, a free online community for diabetics(糖尿病患者) and their loved ones ---- a place where over 1,100 people share personal stories, information, and resources．
Jason Swencki’s son, Kody, was diagnosed with type diabetes at six．Father and son visit the online children’s forums（论坛） together most evenings．“Kody gets so excited, writing to kids from all over,” says Swencki, one of the site’s volunteers. “They know what he’s going through, so he doesn't feel alone.”
Kody is anything but alone. Diabetes is now the seventh leading cause of death in the United States, with 24 million diagnosed cases．And more people are being diagnosed at younger ages．
These days, Thomas’s main focus is his charity, Fight It, which provides medicines and supplies to people ---- 225 to date ---- who can’t afford a diabetic’s huge expenses．Fight-it org has raised about $23,000 ---- in products and in cash．In May, Thomas will hold the first annual Diabetic Rockstar Festival in the Caribbean．
Even with a staff of 22 volunteers, Thomas often devotes up to 50 hours a week to his cause, while still doing his full-time job waiting tables．“Of the diabetes charities out there, most are putting money into finding a cure,” says Bentley Gubar, one of Rockstar’s original members. “But Christopher is the only person I know saying people need help now.”
1.Diabeticrockstar.com was created for ____．
A．diabetics to communicate
B．volunteers to find jobs
C．children to amuse themselves
D．rock stars to share resources
2.According to the text, Kody ____．
A．feel lonely because of his illness
B．benefits from diabeticrockstar.com
C．helps create the online kid’s forums
D．writes children’s stories online
3.What can we learn about Fight It?
A．It helps the diabetics in financial difficulties．
B．It organizes parties for volunteer once a year．
C．It offers less expensive medicine to diabetics．
D．It owns a well-known medical website．
4.The last paragraph suggests that Thomas ____．
A．works full-time in a diabetes charity
B．employs 22 people for his website
C．helps diabetics in his own way
D．manages to find a cure for diabetes
An “apple polisher” is one who gives gifts to win friendship or special treatment. It is not exactly a bribe(贿赂), but is close to it.
All sorts of people are apple polishers, including politicians and people in high offices—just about everybody. Oliver Cromwell, the great English leader, offered many gifts to win the support of George Fox and his party, but failed.
There are other phrases meaning the same thing as “apple-polishing”—“soft-soaping” or “buttering-up”. A gift is just one way to “soft-soap” somebody, or to “butter him up”. Another that is just as effective is flattery, giving someone high praise—telling him how good he looks, or how well he speaks, or how talented and wise he is.
Endless are the ways of flattery. Who does not love to hear it? Only an unusual man can resist the thrill of being told how wonderful he is. In truth, flattery is good medicine for most of us, who get so little of it.
We need it to be more sure of ourselves. It cannot hurt unless we get carried away by it. But if we just lap it up for its food value and nourishment, as a cat laps up milk, then we can still remain true to ourselves.
Sometimes, however, flattery will get you nothing from one who has had too much of it. A good example is the famous 12th century legend of King Canute of Denmark and England. The king got tired of listening to endless sickening flattery of his courtiers(朝臣). They overpraised him to the skies, as a man of limitless might.
He decided to teach them a lesson. He took them to the seashore and sat down. Then he ordered the waves to stop coming in. The tide was too busy to listen to him. The king was satisfied. This might show his followers how weak his power was and how empty their flattery.
1.Which of the following activities has nothing to do with “apple-polishing”?
A．A boy tells his girlfriend how pretty she looks.
B．An employee tells her boss how good he is at management.
C．A knight is said to be of limitless power by his followers.
D．A teacher praises her students for their talent and wisdom.
2.What does the writer want to prove with Cromwell’s example?
A．Everybody can be an apple-polisher.
B．Cromwell was not a good apple-polisher.
C．George Fox and his party were not apple-polishers.
D．There are people who don’t like being apple-polished.
3.Which of the following statements about flattery is true according to the author?
A．Too much flattery can carry us away.
B．Flattery is too empty to do people any good.
C．Flattery can get you nothing but excessive(过度的) pride.
D．Flattery is one of the ways to apple-polish people.
4.Why did King Canute of Denmark and England take his followers to the seashore?
A．Because he was sick of his normal life.
B．Because he disliked being overpraised any more.
C．Because he wanted them to realize how wise he was.
D．Because he wanted them to see how weak he was as a king.
5.Who does the author think that flattery can do good to ?
A．Those who are politicians or in high offices.
B．Those who lack confidence.
C．Those who are really excellent.
D．Those who think highly of themselves.
I never thought I would have a life-changing experience at Wal-Mart.
Although my thoughts were only on speed, the checkout line I was standing in wasn’t moving as quickly as I wanted, and I glanced toward the cashier. There stood a man in his seventies, wearing glasses and a nice smile. I thought, well, he’s an old guy!
For the next few minutes I watched him. He greeted every customer before scanning the items. Sure, his words were the usual, “How’s it going?” But he did something different—he actually listened to people. Then he would respond to what they had said and engage them in brief conversation.
I thought it was odd (古怪的). I have grown accustomed to people asking me how I was doing simply out of robotic conversational habit. After a while, you don’t give any thought to the question and just say something back. I could say, “I just found out I have six months to live,” and someone would reply, “Have a great day!”
But that wasn’t the end. He gave them the change, walked around the counter, and extended his right hand in an act of friendship. He looked the customers in the eyes. “I sure want to thank you for shopping here today,” he told them. “You have a great day. Bye-bye.”
The looks on the faces of the customers were priceless. There were smiles and some sheepish grins (咧嘴一笑). All had been touched by his simple gesture—and in a place they never expected. They would gather their things and walk out, smiling.
Of course, he did the same to me and I got to know his name, Marty.
56. 1.The checkout line the writer was standing in moved slower than expected because ________.
A．the cashier couldn’t work as fast as others
B．there were some big purchases
C．the cashier did more than scanning the items
D．the writer was not patient enough
57．2.According to the writer, when common people ask you “How’s it going?”________.
A．they don’t really care what you may answer
B．they are just practicing their conversation ability
C．they are asking about your private information
D．they don’t expect to hear any negative answers
58．3.What was most customers reaction on Marty’s behaviors?
A．They thought it priceless. B．They were in some way moved.
C．They thought it awful and odd. D．They felt somewhat annoyed..
59．4.What does the writer intend to express through the text?
A．Our everyday life is always full of surprises.
B．Most customers enjoy being treated this way.
C．Being different is a good way of doing business.
D．A little positive action can make a big difference.
Hans was an honest fellow with a funny round good-humored face. Living alone, every day he worked in his garden. In all the countryside there was no garden so lovely as his. All sorts of flowers grew there, blooming in their proper order as the months went by, one flower taking another flower’s place, so that there were always beautiful things to see, and pleasant odors to smell.
Hans had many friends, the most devoted being the Miller. So devoted was the rich Miller to Hans that he’d never go by his garden without plucking a large bunch of flowers or a handful of sweet herbs, or filling his pockets with fruits. The Miller used to talk about noble ideas, and Hans nodded and smiled, feeling proud of having such a friend.
The neighbors thought it strange that the rich Miller never gave Hans anything in return, though he had hundreds of sacks of flour, many cows and sheep, but Hans never troubled his head about these, and nothing gave him greater pleasure than to listen to all the wonderful things about the unselfishness of true friendship.
In spring, summer, and autumn Hans was very happy, but when winter came, and he had no fruit or flowers to sell, he suffered from cold and hunger. Though extremely lonely, the Miller never came to see him then.
“There’s no good in going to see Hans while the snow lasts.” The Miller said to his wife, “When people are in trouble they shouldn’t be bothered. So I’ll wait till the spring comes when he’s happy to give me flowers.”
“You’re certainly very thoughtful,” answered his wife, “It’s quite a treat to hear you talk about friendship.”
“Couldn’t we ask Hans up here?” said their son. “I’ll give him half my meal, and show him my white rabbits.”
“How silly you are!” cried the Miller. “I really don’t know what’s the use of sending you to school. If Hans came up here, and saw our warm fire, our good supper, and our red wine, he might get envious, and envy is a most terrible thing, and would spoil anybody’s nature. I am his best friend, and I’ll always watch over him, and see that he’s not led into any temptation. Besides, if Hans came here, he might ask me for some flour. Flour is one thing, and friendship is another, and they shouldn’t be confused. The words are spelt differently, and mean quite different things. Everybody can see that.” He looked seriously at his son, who felt so ashamed that he hung his head down, and grew quite scared, and began to cry into his tea.
Spring coming, the Miller went down to see Hans. Again he talked about friendship. “Hans, friendship never forgets. I’m afraid you don’t understand the poetry of life. See, how lovely your roses are!”
Hans said he wanted to sell them in the market to buy back his things which were sold during the hard time of the winter.
“I’ll give you many good things. I think being generous is the base of friendship.” said the Miller. “And now, as I’ll give you many good things, I’m sure you’d like to give me some flowers in return. Here’s the basket, and fill it quite full.”
Poor Hans was afraid to say anything. He ran and plucked all his pretty roses, and filled the Miller’s basket, imagining the many good things promised by the Miller.
The next day he heard the Miller calling: “Hans, would you mind carrying this sack of flour for me to market?”
“I’m sorry, but I am really very busy today.”
“Well,” said the Miller, “considering that I’m going to give you my things, it’s rather unfriendly of you to refuse. Upon my word, you mustn’t mind my speaking quite plainly to you.”
Poor Hans was driven by his friendship theory to work hard for his best friend, leaving his garden dry and wasted.
One evening Hans was sitting by fire when the Miller came.
“Hans,” cried the Miller, “My little boy has fallen off a ladder and hurt himself, and I’m going for the Doctor. But he lives so far away, and it’s such a bad windy night. It has just occurred to me that you can go instead of me. You know I’m going to give you my good things, so you should do something for me in return.”
“Certainly,” cried Hans. He struggled into the stormy night, and got the doctor to ride a horse to the Miller’s house in time to save the boy. However, Hans got lost in the darkness, and wandered off into a deep pool, drowned.
At Hans’ funeral, the Miller said, “I was his best friend. I should walk at the head of the procession.” Every now and then he wiped his eyes with a handkerchief.
1.From the passage, we can learn that Hans ___________.
A．was extremely wise and noble
B．was highly valued by the Miller
C．admired the Miller very much
D．had a strong desire for fortune
2.“Flour is one thing, and friendship is another” can be understood as ___________.
A．“Different words may mean quite different things.”
B．“Interest is long-lasting while friendship is flexible.”
C．“I’m afraid you don’t understand the poetry of life.”
D．“I think being generous is the base of friendship.”
3.From the Miller’s talk at home, we can see he was ___________.
A．serious but kind
B．helpful and generous
C．caring but strict
D．selfish and cold-hearted
4.What’s the main cause of Hans’ tragedy?
A．True friendship between them.
B．A lack of formal education.
C．A sudden change of weather.
D．Blind devotion to a friend.
5.The author described the Miller’s behavior in order to ___________.
A．entertain the readers with an incredible joking tale
B．show the friendship between Hans and the Miller
C．warn the readers about the danger of a false friend
D．persuade people to be as intelligent as the Miller
