Do you know the following expressions?
Faustian bargain
According to most stories, Faust was a German scholar who was rather unhappy with his life．The devil（魔鬼）, Mephistopheles, promises him that in return for his soul．he will give Faust unlimited power and knowledge．Faust agrees and experiences all kinds of pleasures, but, in the end, his soul goes to the hell．A “Faustian bargain” therefore is a deal that finally results in one's ruin．It means a bargain made for temporary gain without taking future consequences into consideration．
A three-ring circus
When you refer to a situation as being a three-ring circus, you are saying that it is a situation of complete confusion．There are so many activities taking place all together that they leave you confused or annoyed．The expression comes from the world of entertainment—the circus．The area where the artists perform their acts is called the “ring”．In the past, some of the circuses were so large that they had three acts taking place meanwhile in three different “rings”．The audience had to decide which “ring” they wanted to focus on．
In the swim（of things）
When someone is in the swim of things, he is actively participating in the things happening around him, as in “I've been ill, but soon I'll be back in the swim of things.” In the world of fishing, fishermen use the word “swim” to refer to the section of the lake/river where fish can be found in plenty．So, if you are a fish man and wish to catch a lot of fish, where would you be? You would be “in the swim”!If a person makes a Faustian bargain, _____．
| A．he might come to a bad end |
| B．he would be considered clever |
| C．his life would become satisfying |
| D．he would gain power and knowledge |
In the past, why did a circus perform different acts at the same time ?
| A．It was the audience’s requirement. |
| B．The time was limited. |
| C．The circus was very big. |
| D．They wanted to earn more money. |
What do we learn about the expression “in the swim（of things）”?
| A．It means having a lot of things to do． |
| B．It has nothing to do with swimming． |
| C．Originally it was used to refer to "going fishing"． |
| D．Patients use it to express their desire for health. |
What is the text mainly about?
| A．The development of English phrases |
| B．Some old and interesting stories |
| C．Some phrases' meanings and origins |
| D．Some misunderstandings about words |
Climbing attracts people because it’s good exercise for almost everyone. You use your whole body, especially your arms and legs. This sport gives your body a complete workout. When you climb, both your mind and your body can become stronger. The word workout underlined in the last paragraph most probably means________．
| A．settlement | B．exercise | C．excitement | D．tiredness |
Remember that people on line may not be who they seem, because you can't see or even hear the person. It would be easy for someone to misrepresent himself/herself. Thus someone who says that “she is a 12-year-old girl.” could really be an old man.The underlin
ed word misrepresent means _____.
| A．making a wrong judgment about | B．understanding somebody wrongly |
| C．giving a wrong description of | D．forming a wrong opinion about |
The sun was shining as Kevin walked to the old bench(长凳) where he met Mike
every aft
ernoon after school. They were good friends and loved to play football. They didn’t have enough money 
to buy a real football, but Mike had made a ball out of old socks covered with a piece of plastic. It wasn’t beautiful, but it worked well. The two friends didn’t stop kicking and running until very late.
The next afternoon, Mike and Kevin met again at the old bench. Soon the home-made ball was spinning(旋转) across the grass as the boys laughed and shouted happily. The ball was stopped by a boy wearing a nice pair of sneakers(运动鞋). Kevin was upset when he saw it was Steven.
The next morning, Kevin’s mother gave him an envelope(信封). “Your uncle sent you a birthday present,” she smiled. Kevin’s eyes grew big when he saw the $100 bill. Later that day, a pair of new sneaker lay next to his chair, and in the corner, a real football.
The next afternoon, Steven invited Kevin to play football on the field next to the library. Steven did not want Mike to join them only because Mike’s sneakers were dirty and he was not good at football. When the game was over, Kevin and Steven walked past the old bench where Mike was sitting. Steven picked up a stone and threw it at him. Kevin, holding his new football in his hands, walked on and did not look back.
One afternoon, as Kevin walked past the old bench, he saw something lying under it. He looked closer and saw it was the home-made ball. Kevin was full of sorrow at the sight of his old home-made ball, and he let out a sad sigh(叹气). As his sadness turned to anger, he picked up his new football and kicked it into the air. Kevin kicked it so hard that it flew past the library and over the school gate. Then Kevin walked to the bench and picked up his home-made ball. Holding it in his hands, Kevin sat down and waited.The best title for this passage is ______.
| A．A Home-Made Football | B．Playing Football |
| C．Two Close Friends | D．A New Football |
Have you ever stayed up late? If so, you know that not getting enough sleep can make you tried and grumpy. Not sleeping enough sleep can also make it harder to think clearly the next day.
Sleep scientists have long known that getting a good night’s sleep is very important. It helps kids be able to do their best during the day.
A recent study shows that sleep helps improve problem-solving skills and creative(创造性的) thinking. For the study, two groups of students answered a math problem. The group that slept for eight hours solved the problem correctly more often than the group that did not get enough sleep.
While you sleep at night, your brain is busy doing its “homework”. It sorts out(整理) al
l the informa
tion that you get in the day. Getting enough sleep each night can improve your thinking ability. That will surely help you do your best at school. Experts say that, i
n return, can lead to better grades.The underlined word grumpy in the first paragraph means_______.
| A．excited and happy | B．active and creative |
| C．impatient and angry | D．bored and weak |
Choose the best title for this pass
age.
| A．Sleep to Success | B．A Recent Study |
| C．Do Sleep Well | D．The More Sleep, the Better |
Mr.Clinton and his 13-year-old son Tony are basketball fans. Last October 10th was Tony’s birthday, so Mr.Clinton decided to drive him to New York, for the first game of the World Series. They had no ticket but hoped to buy a pair from scalpers.
It was a two hours’ ride. After they arrived, they walked in the street for two hours, carrying a sign(牌子) that read, “
We need two tickets.” There were many scalpers around, but the cheapest ticket was $200. They were about to leave when suddenly a man stopped them. He took out two tickets and handed them to Mr. Clinton.
“How much do you want?”
“Just a present,” said the man. “Enjoy the game.”
Mr. Clinton wouldn’t accept, so the man explained, “I’m Jackson. Hans is my boss. He and his wife haven’t missed a World Series in 18 years. But he is ill and can’t watch the game this time. So he told me to give the two tickets to people who I thought would actually enjoy the game. A lot of people looked as if they might just take th
e tickets and sell them. Then I saw you and I followed you for a while. You seemed very disappointed. You made me think of my dad and me when I was a child. I dreamed of going to a World Series game with my father. But my dream never came true.”
How do you suppose this made Mr. Clinton and his son feel? Here is what Mr. Clinton said: “This is the most wonderful thing that ever happened to us. My boy and I must have turned to each other over 30 times and said, ‘I can’t believe this.’ We still never forget Jackson and Hans.” The underlined word scalpers in the first paragraph means ____
__.
| A．people who buy tickets at a reasonable price |
| B．people who sell tickets at a reasonable price |
C．p eople who buy tickets at a high price |
| D．people who sell tickets at a high price |