The American expression “shoo-in” means someone or something that seems sure to win a race or competition.
Before a big football game, supporters of each are certain to argue about which side will win.
Sometimes, however, one team appears so much stronger than the others that everyone agrees it will win.. The stronger team is a shoo-in. There is no way that it can lose.
The expression “shoo-in” comes from horse racing. It comes from the world “shoo”. That is not the shoe we wear on our feet. It’s another word, S-H-O-O. To shoo is an expression hundreds of years old that means to force an animal to move in a desired direction.
Many years ago dishonest riders sometimes agreed secretly to control their horses so that one chosen horse would win the race. but one of the riders would hold back their horses. The chosen rider would shoo his horse ahead of the others, and win the race.
The other riders would secretly bet large amounts of money that the chosen horse would win. The public soon learned about such about such race. They began to call the winners of such a race a “shoo-in”
These days, people use shoo into describe any athlete or competition that seems certain to win, even without cheating.
American runner Edewin Moses won more than hundred races before he ran the hurdle race in the 1984 Olympic Games. Everyone said Moses was a shoo-in, and that he could not lost. And they were right. He won the gold medal.
阅读上面的短文，从每题所给的四个选项中，选出一个最佳答案One of the dishonest riders was sure to win the race because_______.
| A．be used to be the best in riding |
| B．the pubic had belief in him |
| C．he could not control his horse easily |
| D．the other riders had agreed to fail in the race |
The reason why American runner Edewin Moses was regarded as a
“Shoo-in” is _________.
| A．due to his honest in the races he ran in |
| B．duo to his great effort(努力) shown in more than one hundred races |
| C．that he won over 100 competitions before the 1984 Olympic Games |
| D．that the old meaning of “shoo-in’ had changed |
Which is the following statement is not true?
| A．“Shoo-in” came from the word “shoo”. |
| B．The US runner Moses was worthy of (配得上 ) a shoo-in. |
| C．The public did not know they were being cheated |
| D．Some riders bet a lot of money on the chosen horse. |
The main idea of the passage is that “shoo-in” is_______.
| A．used for anyone or anything that is certain to win a game |
| B．used to admire( 钦佩 ) a person who seems to be sure to win a race |
| C．A word used to describe a dishonest person |
| D．used for any athlete or competitor that too clever to be cheated |
In the last paragraph the author means to tell us ________.
| A．who Edewin Moses was |
| B．Moses won a lot of races |
| C．Moses was the best runners in America |
| D．We can use “shoo-in” to describe an excellent runner. |
A friend of mine named Paul received a car from his brother as a Christmas present. On Christmas Eve when Paul came out of his office, a boy was walking around the shining car. "Is this your car, Paul?" he asked.
Paul answered, "Yes, my brother gave it to me for Christmas." The boy was surprised. "You mean your brother gave it to you and it cost you nothing? Boy, I wish..."He hesitated.
Of course Paul knew what he was going to wish for. He was going to wish he had a brother like that. But what the boy said surprised Paul greatly.
"I wish," the boy went on, "that I could be a brother like that." Paul looked at the boy in surprise. and then he said again, "Would you like to take a ride in my car?"
"Oh yes, I'd love to."
After a short ride, the boy turned and with his eyes shining, said, "Paul, would you mind driving in front of my house?"
Paul smiled a little. He thought he knew what the boy wanted. He wanted to show his neighbors that he could ride home in a big car. But Paul was wrong again. "Will you stop where those two steps are?" the boy asked.
He ran up to the steps. Then in a short while Paul heard him coming back, but he was not coming fast. He was carrying his little crippled (残疾) brother. He sat him down on the step and pointed to the car.
"There he is, Buddy, just like I told you upstairs. His brother gave it to him for Christmas and it didn't cost him a cent. And someday I'm going to give you one just like that…then you can see for yourself all the nice things in the Christmas window that I've been trying to tell you about."
Paul got out and lifted the boy to the front seat of his car. The shining-eyed older brother climbed in beside him and the three of them began an unforgettable holiday ride.The boy was very surprised when _______.
| A．Paul received an expensive car | B．Paul told him about the car |
| C．he saw the shining car | D．he was walking around the car |
From the story we can see the boy _______.
| A．wished to give his brother a car |
| B．wanted Paul's brother to give him a car |
| C．wished he could have a brother like Paul's |
| D．wished Paul could be a brother like that |
We can infer (推断) from the story that _______.
| A．Paul couldn't understand the boy |
| B．the boy had a deep love for his brother |
| C．the boy wished to have a rich brother |
| D．the boy's wish came true in the end |
The best title(标题) of the story is .
| A．A Christmas Present | B．A Boy |
| C．A Brother Like That | D．An Unforgettable Holiday Ride |
This happened in London It was November and the weather was very wet and cold. A Frenchman had caught a very bad cold. He coughed day and night, so he decided to go and get some medicine for his cough. As he did not know much English, he took out his dictionary and looked up the word "cough". But the dictionary did not tell him how to pronounce(发音) the word. He thought it over and remembered that he had learned the word "plough". He remembered that it was pronounced[plav]. So he thought that c-o-u-g-h must be pronounced [kav].
Then he put on his coat and hat and went to a chemist's shop(药店).When the man in the shop asked him what he wanted, the Frenchman said, "I want something for my 'COW' , please." The man in the shop looked at him. Had he heard him correctly?
"I beg your pardon, sir?" he asked.
The Frenchman repeated, "I want some medicine for my 'COW'."
"For your cow?" asked the man, "are you a farmer?"
"A farmer?" said the Frenchman in surprise, "What makes you think I'm a farmer? I come from Paris. I'm not a farmer. "
"But where is your cow?"
"It's here!" answered the Frenchman. He put his hand on his chest(胸口) and began to cough. "Here it is, " he said, "I've a very bad 'cow' here."
Then the man in the shop understood what the Frenchman meant. He wanted some
medicine for his cough.The Frenchman said, "I want something for my 'cow', please." Here by the word "cow" he meant _______.
| A．cow | B．cough |
| C．medicine | D．cold |
What made the man in the shop think the Frenchman was a farmer?
| A．The Frenchman looked like a farmer. |
| B．The word "cough" was pronounced [kau] by him. |
| C．The Frenchman said he came from a farm in Paris. |
| D．We can't learn about it from the story. |
Which of the following is TRUE?
| A．The man in the shop had heard the Frenchman correctly. |
| B．The man in the shop didn't understand the Frenchman clearly at first. |
| C．The Frenchman told the man in the shop he had a very bad cow. |
| D．The Frenchman asked for some medicine for his cow. |
You can see Pizza Hut(必胜客) every some blocks, so it must be a very big business. Indeed it is. But believe it or not, the business was started in 1958 by two college students with a loan of 600 dollars.
The Carney brothers were trying to make some money .so that they could pay their way through college. They borrowed the money from their mother and sold pizza in a small house in their neighborhood. That's how they got the name of the business. On the first day of business, they gave away pizza to draw(吸引) customers(顾客).
Year after year, their business grows and now they often give free meals and work chances to those in need.Pizza Hut has been set up for about _______ years.
| A．21 | B．31 | C．56 | D．100 |
The word "loan" here in the story means _______.
| A．money the brothers borrowed from others |
| B．money the brothers lent to others |
| C．something bought for nothing |
| D．something given away |
What do you think of the two students from the last paragraph?
| A．They are clever. | B．They are hard-working. |
| C．They are generous. | D．They are smart. |
Cinderella
Once upon a time, there lived an unhappy young girl. She was unhappy, for her mother died several years ago, and her father married (结婚) another woman. The woman had two daughters. They were her stepsisters (异父/母之姐妹)now. Her new mother didn’t like her. All the nice dresses, shoes, delicious food, kind thoughts and care were for her own daughters.
For the poor unhappy girl, there was nothing at all. No dresses, only her stepsisters’ hand-me-downs（别人用过的旧东西）. No lovely dishes and no nice rests. For she had to work hard all day, and only when evening came, she could sit for a while by the fire, near the cinders (煤渣,炉渣). That is how she got her nickname-Cinderella. All the good things were for _________.
| A．Cinderella herself | B．her father |
| C．her new mother | D．her stepsisters |
What did Cinderella do all day?
| A．She worked hard. | B．She felt sad. |
| C．She cooked meals. | D．She enjoyed eating. |
Cinderella could have a rest only _________.
| A．in the morning | B．in the afternoon |
| C．in the evening | D．after lunch |
People called her Cinderella because_________.
| A．she lost her mother long ago |
| B．she did not have nice things |
| C．she looked very pretty |
| D．she sat by the cinders sometimes |
A Notice
To Peter Smith,
Just to tell you that you must give back the four overdue (过期的) books.
| Title (标题) |
Writer |
Due (到期) |
| Get Fit, Not Fat |
Mike May |
April 1 |
| Green Gables |
L.M. Montgomery |
April 2 |
| Whistle |
Mary Waylay Bey |
April 5 |
| Tombstones |
Gergg Felsen |
April 5 |
Please return these books tomorrow. Perhaps other people are waiting to borrow them. You can’t borrow other books until these books are back.
Mrs Amy Brown
May 8, 2011 Now, Peter Smith should return all the books on _________.
| A．April 1 | B．April 5 |
| C．May 8 | D．May 9 |
Peter Smith borrowed _________ on the same day.
| A．Whistleand Tombstones |
| B．Green Gables and Get Fit, Not Fat |
| C．Get Fit, Not Fat and Whistle |
| D．Green Gables and Tombstones |
From the notice, we learn that _________.
| A．Mrs Amy Brown is Peter Smith’s mother |
| B．everyone wants to borrow the four books |
| C．Mrs Amy Brown wants to borrow the four books herself |
| D．Peter Smith can’t borrow other books before returning the four books |