When I first began to work with international students, I asked someone at a lunch, “What brings you here today?” Looking at me like I was a bit crazy, he answered, “ The bus.” That was my first realization that no matter how good a speaker is, there are phrases that will always tend to cause confusion to non-native speakers. These idiomatic phrases(惯用语) add color and interest to any language and are worth learning if you want to talk fluently with native speakers.

“By no stretch”----The speaker is referring to something that’s very hard to achieve or realize, even with great effort, as in “It was not a good meal, by any stretch of the imagination.” Which means that ______________.

“Half dead”----An expression of extreme tiredness, having nothing to do with actual health. Commonly used at the end of a long and tiring day.

“By the book”----This means that an action should follow the rules exactly. It also describes the nature of someone who won’t deviate(背离) from a set of rules no matter what the situation is.

“More power to you”----This isn’t a wish for you to have better electricity from the power company----it’s a statement, usually slightly ironic(讽刺的), that the speaker thinks that you are unlikely to do a task, but you should try if you think you can complete it. It generally means the speaker has no intention of helping you achieve your goal neither will they discourage you from attempting to reach it. For example, “I don’t think you can meet that deadline, but more power to you.”

“As easy as pie”----A reference that something is as simple or easy as eating a delicious dessert, or that it requires little effort to successfully achieve. In chatting, this phrase does not refer to the process of cooking or eating.

The example given by the author in the first paragraph is used to show__________.

A. the importance of learning idioms           B. the beauty of the English language

C. the foolishness of the student              D. the cause of the misunderstanding

According to the passage, which of the following would be proper to fill in the blank in Paragraph 2?

A. the meal is very delicious           B. it’s very hard to make the meal delicious

C. people make great efforts to make the meal delicious

D. even if people try to believe it, the meal could not be described as good

If someone says he is half dead, he means____________.

A. he is in poor health                       B. he cannot move

C. he has a sound sleep                       D. he is exhausted

If a person daren’t do things in a creative way, you may describe him by using “__________”.

A. by no stretch                            B. by the book

C. as easy as pie                           D. the breaker of rules

I first went to Harrow in the summer term. The school had the biggest swimming pool I had ever seen. It was a good joke to come up behind a naked boy, and push him into the pool. I made quite a habit of this with boys of my own size or less

One day I saw a boy wrapped in a towel on the side of the pool. He was no bigger than I was, so I thought him a fair game. Coming secretly behind, I pushed him in, holding on to his towel so that it would not get wet, I was surprised to see an angry face come out from the water, and a being of great strength making its way by fierce strokes(猛力地划) to the shore. I fled, but in vain. He overtook me, seized me violently, and threw me into the deepest part of the pool. I soon climbed out on the other side, and found myself surrounded by a crowd of younger boys. “Do you know what you have done?” they said, “It’s Amery; he is in Grade Six. He is champion at gym, he has got his football honor.”

I was frightened and felt ashamed. How could I tell his position when be was wrapped in a bath towel and so small. He didn’t seem pleased at all, so I added in a most brilliant word, “My father,  who is a great man, is also small.” At this be laughed, and after some general words about my rude behavior and how I had better be careful in the future, signified the incident was closed.

1. The writer thought Amery “a fair game” because the boy        .

  A. looked like an animal                    B. was fond of games w*w*

C. was of similar size                   D. was good at sports

2. The writer felt “ashamed” because        .

  A. he was laughed at by other boys 

B. Amery turned out to be in the same grade

C. he pushed Amery hard and hurt him     

D. he played a joke on an outstanding athlete

3. By saying “My father, who is a great man, is also small”, the writer        .

  A. tried to please Amery                    B. challenged Amery

C. threatened Amery                   D. admired his father

4. Which of the following is TRUE?

A. The writer could run faster than Amery.

B. The writer liked playing on boys of all sizes.

C. Amery was a student in Grade Four.

D. Amery forgave the writer for his rude behavior

5. What does the underlined word “overtook” mean?

A. catch hold of                                       B. catch up with

C. take a look at                                        D. shout at

Here I must put in a few words about my experience here in China. If I have 36 with a Chinese host, he always presses 37 food onto my plate as soon as I have emptied it of the previous helping. That often makes me 38 very awkward. I have to eat the food even if I don’t 39 it, because it is considered  40 manners in the West to 41 one’s food on the plate.

I have also 42 that when a Chinese sits at an American’s dinner party, he very often 43 the offer of food or drink though he is in fact still hungry or 44 . This might be good manners in China, but it is certainly 45 in the West.

In the United States, it is 46 to keep asking someone again and again or press something on him. Americans are very 47 . If they want something, they will ask for it. If not, they will say, “ 48 ” Here’s an example: When an American is offered 49 by the host, and he doesn’t like beer, he will probably say, “No, thanks. I just don’t feel like it. I’ll 50 some diet Pepsi-Cola if you have it. ” That is 51 an American will do.

52 are taught that “Honesty is the best policy. But in some countries, courtesy(谦虚)might be more important than 53 . So when I am here in China, I have to observe the 54 here. But when you go to 55 , you had better “do as the Romans do”.

36. A. trouble        B. dinner        C. words        D. difficulty

37. A. more         B. a little        C. few          D. little

38. A. think          B. taste             C. feel       D. smell

39. A. eat           B. like           C. drink        D. help

40. A. important       B. bad         C. polite         D. rude

41. A. take           B. leave         C. forget        D. pass

42. A. noticed         B. minded       C. heard        D. informed

43. A. accepts        B. refuses       C. nods         D. gives

44. A. thirsty         B. angry        C. happy        D. full

45. A. so           B. kind         C. not          D. right

46. A. impolite       B. good        C. kind         D. sad

47. A. friendly       B. direct        C. short         D. kind

48. A. I’m sorry     B. Yes, I want    C. No, thanks    D. Yes, please

49. A. food         B. beer          C. coffee        D. tea

50. A. bring        B. offer         C. like          D. take

51. A. that         B. what         C. whether          D. how

52. A. Englishmen    B. Frenchmen    C. Americans        D. Australians

53. A. manners      B. honesty       C. request          D. order

54. A. customs      B. habits        C. action           D. ways

55. A. China       B. Rome        C. the United States   D. the United Nations


Did you know that women’s brains are smaller than men’s? The average women’s brain weighs 10% less than men’s. Since research has shown that the bigger the brain, the cleverer the animal, men must be more intelligent(聪明的) than women. Right? Wrong. Men and women always score similarly on intelligence tests, despite the difference in brain size. Why? After years of study, researchers have concluded that it’s what’s inside that matters, not just the size of the brain. The brain consists of  “grey matter” and
It has been suggested that smaller brain appears to work faster, perhaps because the two sides of the brain are better connected in women. This means that little girls tend to learn to speak earlier, and that women can understand sorts of information from different sources at the same time. When it comes to talking to the boss on the phone, cooking dinner and keeping an eye on the baby all at the same time, it’s women who come out on top every time.
There are other important differences between two sexes. As white matter is the key to spatial(空间的) tasks, men know better where things are in relation to other things. “A great footballer always knows where he is in relation to the other players, and he knows where to go,” says one researcher. That may explain one of life’s great mysteries: why men refuse to ask for directions … and women often need to!
The differences begin when fetuses(胎儿) are about mine weeks old, which can be seen in the action of children ad young as one. A boy would try to climb a barrier (障碍物) before him or push it down while a girl would attract help from others. These brain differences also explain the fact that more men take up jobs that require good spatial skills, while more women speech skills. It may all go back to our ancestors(祖先) ,among whom women needed speech skills to take care of their babies and men needed spatial skills to hunt, according to one research.
If all this disappoints you, it shouldn’t. “The brain changes throughout our lives according to what we do with it.” says a biologist.
【小题1】Which of the following is true according to the first paragraph?

A.Women’s brain is 10% less than men’s
B.Grey matter plays the same role as white matter.
C.Grey matter controls thinking in the brain.
D.Both sexes have the same amount of white matter.
【小题2】What can we infer from the second and third paragraphs?
A.Women prefer doing many things at a time.
B.Men do better dealing with one job at a time.
C.Women do not need to tell directions.
D.Men have weaker spatial abilities.
【小题3】 Which of the following do you agree with according to the fourth paragraph?
A.Young boys may be stronger than young girls.
B.More women take up jobs requiring speech skills
C.Women may have stronger feelings than men.
D.Our ancestors needed more spatial skills.
【小题4】What is the writer’s attitude in writing this passage?
A.Defensive.B.Persuasive.C.Supportive.D.Objective.

When it is Tom’s turn for a cut, Mr. Smith places a wooden board covered with a piece of red leather across the arms of the chair, so that the barber doesn’t have to bend to cut the boy’s hair.

“Hey, young man, you’re       , you won’t need this soon, you’ll be able to sit in the chair.” the barber says.

“Wow,” says Tom, turning round to look at his dad. “Dad, Mr. Smith said I could be sitting in the chair soon, not just on the      !”

“So I hear,” his father replies. “I expect Mr. Smith will start       me more for your hair then.”

In the       Tom sees a little head sticking out of a long nylon cape. Occasionally he       glances at the barber as he works. He smells a(n)       of smelly sweat and aftershave as the barber moves around him, combing and cutting.

Tom feels like he is in another world,       except for the sound of the barber’s shoes rubbing on the plastic carpet and the       of his scissors. In the       from the window he could see through the window, a few small clouds moved slowly through the frame, moving to the       of the scissors’ click.

Sleepily, his eyes dropping to the front of the cape where his hair       softly as snow and he       sitting in the chair just like the men and older boys, the special       left leaning against the wall in the corner.

When Mr. Smith has      , Tom hops down from the seat.      , he sees his own thick,       hair mixed among the browns, greys and blacks of the men who have sat in the chair before him. For a moment he wants to reach down and       the broken blonde hair, to       them from the others, but he does not have time.

They reach the pavement outside the shop. “I tell you what, boy, let’s get some fish and chips to take home,       your mum from cooking tea,” says Tom’s dad.

Tom is excited and catches his dad’s hand. He is surprised to find, warming in his father’s palm, a handful of his own       .

1.A. building up        B. sending up                       C. bringing up D. shooting up

2.A. desk                     B. board                               C. couch                      D. sofa

3.A. paying                  B. blaming                            C. charging                  D. accusing

4.A. mirror                           B. book                                C. shelf                      D. catalogue 

5.A. steals                   B. discovers                         C. returns                    D. transforms

6.A. lack                     B. memory                           C. mixture                   D. expression

7.A. helpless               B. noiseless                          C. fearless                   D. thoughtless

8.A. control                B. direction                          C. effect                     D. click

9.A. immigration        B. opposition                       C. reflection               D. assumption

10.A. rhyme               B. trail                                  C. pattern                    D. sound

11.A. falls                   B. covers                              C. melts                       D. explodes

12.A. considers                   B. succeeds                         C. approves                D. imagines

13.A. package            B. bench                               C. scissors          D. carpet

14.A. treated              B. compromised                 C. finished                   D. entertained

15.A. Looking into     B. Looking forward             C. Looking up             D. Looking down

16.A. blonde              B. red                                    C. black                        D. white

17.A. send for            B. find out                            C. gather up                D. show off

18.A. punish               B. separate                           C. deliver                    D. confirm

19.A. persuade          B. save                                  C. excuse                   D. relax

20.A. money               B. tip                                    C. fish                           D. hair

 

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