I was asked in an email about learning idioms in a foreign language.Maybe I am different from most people，but I do not bother with them.To me they are kind of dessert of language learning.They come at the end of a meal.Once you have filled up with the solid fare—the key words and phrases that are used in a variety of situations，then you can add a few idioms to spice up things.And by that time you will be able to pick them up naturally anyway.

I find that many learners have an obsession(困扰) with slang and idioms，as if repeating some very colloquial expressions is going to upgrade how they sound in a language.In fact it is the opposite.Idioms are difficult to use correctly.They can easily sound very strange coming from someone who obviously does not have a good sense of the language.

Yes，occasionally you hear idioms or slang and do not understand.But，in my experience，there are always situations where you do not understand.It is best to focus on the most important words，what they mean and how they are used.Certainly，it is best for a non?native speaker to stick to standard speech.

Some teachers even try to teach the “real language”．Then you hear non?native speakers saying things like “I gonna” ，“You wanna” etc.I just cringe(厌烦)．

You will learn all the idioms you need just by exposing yourself to the language.In general，you can save any phrase that you find interesting，and if that includes idioms，go to it.But I would not make any special effort to go after idioms.I，in fact，avoid them.If I come across something in Russian that strikes me as a particularly slangy or idiomatic use of words，I just leave it aside; do not even bother trying to learn it.If it keeps on appearing，then I will learn it.But I would certainly be reluctant(勉强的) to try to use it.

1．In the writer's opinion，when one learns a new language，one should learn its idioms ________.

A．at the beginning　　 B．on one's own

C．in the end　　　 　　 D．without help

2．The underlined word “colloquial” in Para.2 means “________”．

A．oral 　　　　　 B．informal

C．formal　 　　　　 D．written

3．It can be inferred from the passage that________.

A．idioms are the most important part in a language

B．the writer is not very willing to use idioms

C．non?native speakers should learn more idioms

D．there are no ways to master idioms

4．Which of the following is the best title of the passage?

A．It's better to avoid idioms in a language

B．Idioms are very charming in a language

C．How to learn idioms in a language

D．Why it's difficult to use idioms in a language

5．How did the writer develop the passage?

A．By inferring.

B．By comparing.

C．By listing examples.

D．By giving explanations.

If you visit a big city anywhere in the world,you will probably find a restaurant which serves the food of your native country.Most large 　1 in the United States offer an international sample of 　2 .Many people enjoy eating the food 　3 other nations.This is probably one reason 　4 there are so many different kinds of restaurants in the United States.A second is that Americans 　5 from all the parts of the world.They enjoy tasting the foods of their 　6 lands.

In the city of Detroit, 7 ,there are many people from Western Europe,Latin America 8 the Far East.There are many restaurants in Detroit 9 serve the foods of these areas.There are many

10 international restaurants,too.Americans not only like the foods in these restaurants but also enjoy the chance to 　11 understand the foreign people and their 　12 of life.

One of 　13 most common international restaurants to be 　14 in the US is an Italian restaurant.The restaurant is a small business 　15 by a single family.The mother of the 　16

cooks all the dishes and the 　17 and children serve the customers who come to eat there.Or it may be a 18 restaurant which can 　19 many customers during one evening.So a restaurant may be owned 　20 one family,one person,or by several different people who work together in the business.

1.A.cities　　　　　 B.countryside　　　 C.nations　　　　　 D.families

2.A.waiters　　　　 B.restaurants　　　 C.foods　　　　　　 D.cooks

3.A.about　　　　　 B.of　　　　　　　　 C.on　　　　　　　　 D.with

4.A.as　　　　　 B.when　　　　　 C.which　　　　　　 D.why

5.A.arrive　　　 B.come　　 　　　 C.go　　　　　　　　 D.leave

6.A.garden　　　 B.country　　　　　 C.state　　　　　　 D.native

7.A.as　　　　　 B.like　　　　　 C.for example　　　 D.such as

8.A.and　　　　　　 B.with　　　　　 C.of　　　　　　　　 D.then

9.A.where　　　 B.which　　　　　　 C.when　　　　　 D.why

10.A.other　　　 B.others　　　　　　 C.another　　　　　 D.other’s

11.A.worse　　　 B.better　　　　　　 C.hardly　　　　　　 D.more

12.A.hope　　　 B.wish　　　　　 C.place　　　　　　 D.way

13.A.the　　　　　　 B.a　　　　　　　 C.this　　　　　 D.that

14.A.cooked　　　　 B.enjoyed　　　　 C.found　　　　　　 D.eaten

15.A.built　　　 B.run　　　　　　 C.driven　　　　　　 D.lived

16.A.family　　　　 B.city　　　　　 C.business　　　 D.restaurant

17.A.mother　　　　 B.guests　　　　　　 C.visitors　　　　　 D.father

18.A.small　　　 B.large　　　　　　 C.tiny　　　　　 D.bad

19.A.deal　　　　　 B.work　　　　　 C.serve　　　　　　 D.prepare

20.A.by　　　　　　 B.with　　　　　 C.of　　　　　　　　 D.for

                            B

　　What is language for? Some people seem to think it's for practicing grammar rules and learning lists of words—the longer the lists，the better. That's wrong. Language is for the exchange（交流）of ideas and information. It's meaningless knowing all about a language if you can't use it freely. Many students I have met know hundreds of grammar rules, but they can't speak correctly or fluently. They are afraid of making mistakes. One shouldn't be afraid of making mistakes when speaking a foreign language. Native speakers make mistakes and break rules, too. Bernard saw once wrote, "Foreigners often speak English too correctly." But the mistakes that native speakers make are different from those that Chinese students make. They're English mistakes in the English language. And if enough native speakers break a rule, it is no longer a rule. What used to be wrong becomes right. People not only make history, they make language. But a people can only make its own language. It can't make another people's language. So Chinese students of English should pay attention to grammar, but they shouldn't overdo（做过头）it. They should put communication first.　

1.Language is used to ________.

A. express oneself　　　        B. practice grammar rules

B. talk with foreigners only    D. learn lists of words

2.Generally, when an American or an Englishman speaks English, he ________.

A. never makes mistakes　　         B. often makes mistakes

C. can't avoid making mistakes      D. always makes mistakes

3."Foreigners often speak English too correctly. "This sentence means that ________.

A. foreigners speak correct English

B. foreigners speak incorrect English

C. foreigners speak English according to the grammar rules

D. foreigners never make mistakes when they speak English

4.If too many native speakers break a rule, ________.

A. what they use will become right  B. they are against the law

C. they should say sorry to others  D. they will become heroes

5.When we speak a foreign language, we should ________.

A. speak in Chinese way       B. speak by the rules

C. speak to native speakers   D. not be afraid of making mistakes

　　完型填空

“Have you 1 asked yourself why children go to school? You will probably say they go to learn their 2 language and other languages, arithmetic (算术),geography, history, science and all the other 3 . That's quite true; but 4 do they learn these things? And are these things all __5__ they learn at school?

　　We send our children to go to school to 6 them for the time __7__ they will be big and will begin to work for 8 . Nearly everything they study at school has some 9 use in their life. But is that the __10__ reason why they go to school?

　　There's more in education (教育) than just 11 facts. We go to school 12 all to learn how to learn, so that when we have left school we can 13 to learn. A man who really knows how to learn will always be __14__,because whenever he has to do something new which he has never had to do 15 he will rapidly teach himself how to do it 16 the best way. The uneducated (未受教育的) person, on the 17 hand, is __18__ unable to do something new, or 19 it badly. The purpose (目的) of schools, therefore (因此),is not just to teach languages, arithmetic, geography, etc, 20 to teach pupil the way to learn.

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