Ilovescienceandsciencefiction.-优题课

Expressions about water are almost as common as water itself. But many of the expressions using water have unpleasant meanings.
The expression “to be in hot water” is one of them. It is a very old expression. “Hot water” was used 500 years ago to mean being in trouble. One story says it got that meaning from the custom of throwing extremely hot water down on enemies attacking a castle．
That no longer happens. But we still get in “hot water”. When we are in “hot water”, we are in trouble. It can be any kind of trouble---serious or not so serious. A person who breaks a law can be in hot water with the police. A young boy can be in hot water with his mother if he walks in the house with dirty shoes．
Being in “deep water” is almost the same as being in hot water. When you are in deep water, you are in a difficult position. Imagine a person who cannot swim being thrown in water over his head. You are in deep water when you are facing a problem that you do not have the ability to solve. You can be in deep water, for example, if you invest in stocks without knowing anything about the stock market.
“To keep your head above water” is a colorful expression that means staying out of debt. A company seeks to keep its head above water during economic hard times. A man who loses his job tries to keep his head above water until he finds a new job．
“Water over the dam” is another expression about a past event. It is something that is finished. It cannot be changed. The expression comes from the idea that water that has flowed over a dam cannot be brought back again．
Another common expression, “to hold water”, is about the strength or weakness of an idea or opinion that you may be arguing about. It probably comes from a way of testing the condition of a container. If it can hold water, it is strong and has no holes in it. If your argument can hold water, it is strong and does not have any holes. If it does not hold water, then it is weak and not worth debating.
“Throwing cold water” also is an expression that deals with ideas or proposals. It means that one doesn’t like an idea. For example, you want to buy a new car because the old one has some problems. But your wife throws cold water on the idea because she says a new car costs too much.
This is our Special English program, WORDS AND THEIR STORIES. It was written by Marilyn Christiano. I’m Rich Kleinfeldt. See you next time.
According to the passage, expressions about water __________.

A．are very common	B．have unpleasant meanings
C．are very interesting	D．are easy to understand

The expression “hot water” _________.

A．is not used nowadays	B．has a long history
C．means arguing with others	D．only means serious trouble

Which of the following expressions have the similar meaning?

A．“Throwing cold water” and “deep water”

B．“Hot water” and “water over the dam”

C．“Deep water” and “water over the dam”

D．“Hot water” and “deep water”

If you signed an agreement with Tom yesterday and want to change it now, Tom may say “_______”.

A．You should keep your head above water

B．You can’t throw cold water

C．It is water over the dam

D．Don’t be in deep water

What would be the best title for the passage?

A．Water	B．Expressions about water
C．Several common expressions	D．Water and everyday English

Thepracticeofstudentsendlesslycopyinglettersandsentencesfromablackboard is a thing of the past. With the coming of new technologies like computers and smart phone, writing by hand has become something of nostalgic (怀旧的 )skill. However, while today’s educators are using more and more technology in their teaching, many believe basic handwriting skills are still necessary for students to be successful---both in school and in life.
Virginia Berninger, professor of educational psychology at the University of Washington, says it’s important to continue teaching handwriting and help children acquire the skill of writing by hand.
Berninger and her colleagues conducted a study that looked at the ability of students to complete various writing tasks---both on a computer and by hand. The study, published in 2009, found that when writing with a pen and paper, participants wrote longer essays and more complete sentences and had a faster word production rate.
In a more recent study, Berninger looked at what role spelling plays in a student’s writing skills and found that how well children spell is tied to know well they can write. “Spelling makes some of the thinking parts of the brain active which helps us access our vocabulary, word meaning and concepts. It is allowing our written language to connect with ideas.” Berninger said.
Spelling helps students translate ideas into words in their mind first and then to transcribe (转换) “those words in the mind written symbols on paper or keyboard and screen,” the study said. Seeing the words in the “mind’s eye” helps children not only to turn their ideas into words, says Berninger, but also to spot (发现) spelling mistakes when they write the words down and to correct then over time.
“In our computer age, some people believe that we don’t have to teach spelling because we have spell checks,” she said. “But until a child has a functional spelling ability of about a fifth grade level, they won’t have the knowledge to choose the correct spelling among the options given by the computer.”
What makes writing by hand a thing of the past? ______________.

A．The absence of blackboard in classroom.

B．The use of new technologies in teaching.

C．The lack of practice in handwriting.

D．The popular use of smartphones.

Berninger’s study published in 2009 ___________.

A．focused on the difference between writing by hand and on a computer.

B．indicated that students prefer to write with a pen and paper.

C．found that good essays are made up of long sentences.

D．discussed the importance of writing speed.

Whichofthefollowingbestshowstheroleofspelling?

A．Spelling improves one’s memory of words.

B．Spelling abilityis closely related to writing ability.

C．Spelling benefits the translation from words into ideas.

D．Spelling slows down finding exact words to express ideas.

What does “mind’s eye” in paragraph 5 mean? ______________.

A．Window.

B．Soul

C．Picture.

D．Imagination.

What conclusion could be drawn from the passage? ______________.

A．Computers can help people with their choice of words.

B．Spell checks can take the place of spelling teaching.

C．Handwriting still has a place in today’s classrooms.

D．Functional spelling ability develops fast in the fifth grade.

Societies all over the world name places in similar ways. Quite often there is no official naming ceremony but places tend to be called names as points of reference by people. Then an organized body steps in and gives the place a name. Frequently it happens that a place has two names: One is named by the people and the other by the government. As in many areas, old habits died hard, and the place continues to be called by its unofficial name long after the meaning is lost.
Many roads and places in Singapore are named in order that the pioneers will be remembered by future generations. Thus we have names such as Stamford Road and Raffles Place. This is in keeping with traditions in many countries ---- in both the West and the East.
Another way of naming places is naming them after other places. Perhaps they were named to promote friendships between the two places or it could be that the people who used to live there were originally from the places that the roads were named after. The mystery is clearer when we see some of the roads named in former British bases. If you step into Selector Airbase you will see Piccadilly Circus ---- obviously named by some homesick Royal Air Force personnel.
Some places were named after the activities that used to go on at those places. Bras Basah Road is an interesting example, “Bras Basah” means “wet rice” in Malay(马来语). Now why would anyone want to name a road “Wet Rice Road”? The reason is simple. During the pioneering days, wet rice was laid out to dry along this road.
A few roads in Singapore are named by their shapes. There is “Circular Road” for one. Other roads may have part of their names to describe their shapes, like “Paya Lebar Crescent”. This road is called a crescent (月牙) because it begins on the main road, makes a crescent and comes back to join the main road again.
We learn from Paragraph 1 that _____.

A．the government is usually the first to name a place

B．many places tend to have more than one name

C．a ceremony will be held when a place is named

D．people prefer the place names given by the government

What does the underlined phrase “die hard” in Paragraph 1 probably mean?

A．Change suddenly.

B．Change significantly.

C．Disappear mysteriously.

D．Disappear very slowly.

Which of the following places is named after a person? ______________.

A．Raffles Place.

B．Selector Airbase.

C．Piccadilly Circus.

D．Paya Lebar Crescent.

Bras Basah Road is named _______.

A．after a person

B．after a place

C．after an activity

D．by its shape

What can be inferred from the passage? ______________.

A．Some place names in Singapore are the same as in Britain.

B．Some places in Singapore are named for military purposes.

C．The way Singaporeans name their places is unique.

D．Young Singaporeans have forgotten the pioneers.

I was telling my boy Sonny the story of the hare and the tortoise. At the end I said, “ Son, remember: Be slow and steady, and that will win the race. Don’t you think there’s something to learn from the tortoise?”
Sonny opened his eyes wide, “Do you mean next time when I’m entering for the 60-metre race I should wish that Billy, Tony and Sandy would all fall asleep halfway?”
I was shocked, “But the tortoise didn’t wish that the hare would fall asleep!”
“He must have wished that,” Sonny said, “Otherwise how could he be so foolish as to race with the hare? He knew very well the hare ran a hundred times faster than he himself did.”
“He didn’t have such a wish,” I insisted. “He won the race by perseverance, by pushing on steadily.”
Sonny thought a while. “That’s a lie,” he said. “He won it because he was lucky. If the hare hadn’t happened to fall asleep, the tortoise would never have won the race. He could be as steady as you like, or a hundred times steadier, but he’d never have won the race. That’s for sure.”
I gave up. Today’s children are not like what we used to be. They’re just hopeless.
The writer argued with his son because _______.

A．he liked tortoises while his son liked hares

B．they disagreed about whether the tortoise was stupid

C．he tried to teach his son the moral lesson of the story but the son refused it

D．he liked the story of the hare and the tortoise while his son didn't

Sonny believed that the tortoise ______________.

A．won the race by his own hard working

B．took a risk by agreeing to run a race

C．was not given a fair chance in the race

D．in fact did win the race luckily

Billy, Tony and Sandy must be_______________.

A．boys who were unknown to Sonny’s father

B．boys who Sonny has run races with before

C．boys who Sonny has never raced with before

D．boys who Sonny did not expect to race with again

The writer thinks that his generation (一代人) ______________.

A．are cleverer than Sonny’s generation

B．have the same ideas about life as Sonny’s generation

C．are more hopeful than Sonny’s generation

D．have different ideas about life from Sonny’s generation

According to the passage, who do you think learnt a lesson? ______________.

A．The tortoise	B．Sonny
C．The hare	D．Sonny’s father

Please excuse me if I'm a little sad today. Mark is leaving, and I'm feeling kind of sad.
You probably don't know Mark, but you might be lucky enough to know someone just like him. He's been the heart and soul of the office for a couple of years combining great professional skills with a sweet nature. He just wants to do his job, and to do it superbly well. And now he's moving on to an exciting new professional opportunity. It sounds like it could be the chance of a lifetime, and we're genuinely, sincerely pleased for him. But that doesn't make it any easier to say goodbye to a dear friend and trusted colleague.
Life has a way of throwing these curve balls at us. Just when we start to get comfortable with a person, a place or a situation. A terrific neighbor moves away. Someone in the family graduates. A child finds new love and loyalties through marriage. The family's principle bread-winner is laid off.
But how do we do that? A friend of mine who works for the government once told me that the answer to life's problems can be summed up in four words: "Go with the flow."
"It's like surfing," Chris explained. "You can't organize the ocean. Waves just happen. You ride them where they take you, then you paddle back out there and catch the next one. Sure, you're always hoping for the perfect wave where you can get. But mostly you just take them the way they come.
I'm not exactly sure, but I think Chris was saying that life is a series of events—both good and bad. There will always be life-influencing factors over which you have no control. That doesn't mean you don't keep trying to make all your dreams come true. It just means that when things come up that aren't exactly in your plan, you work around them—and then you move on. Of course, some bumps along the road of life are easier to take than others. A rained-out picnic, for example, is easier to cope with than the sudden death of a loved one. But the principle is the same.
We're going to miss Mark, just like you'll miss that graduate, that neighbor or that newlywed. But rather than drown ourselves in the sadness of our parting, we'll focus on our hopes for a brighter future—for him, and for us. And then we'll go out and do everything we can to make that future happen.
The passage is mainly about ___________.

A．how to change yourself successfully

B．how to do if your colleague (同事) leaves

C．how to deal with unhappy things in life

D．how to deal with unexpected things in life

In Paragraph 1 , the writer tells the story about Mike to _________.

A．let us know his colleague	B．praise his colleague
C．introduce a topic	D．describe his life

The leaving of Mike makes the writer feel _________________.

A．really unpleasant	B．very angry
C．both happy and sad	D．a little disappointed

Which is not an unexpected thing in life mentioned in the passage?

A．A rained-out picnic.

B．A terrific neighbor’s apology.

C．The sudden death of a loved.

D．The graduation of a family member.

In the writer’s opinion, one should ________ when unexpected things come up.

A．accept them and hope for a better future

B．do as planned

C．overcome difficulties and let them in control

D．never give up until he succeeds