What is an idiom? An idiom is a group of words which, when used together, has a different meaning from the one which the individual words have. For example, “---How do you know that Sid and Nancy have separated ?” “---I heard it on the grapevine(葡萄藤)”.
Of course, the second speaker does not mean he heard the news about John by putting his ear to a grapevine! He is conveying the idea visually of information spreading around a widespread network, similar to a grapevine. We use idioms to express something that other words do not express as clearly or as cleverly. We often use an image or symbol to describe something as clearly as possible and thus make our point as effectively as possible. For example, "in a nutshell" suggests the idea of having all the information contained within very few words. Idioms tend to be informal and are best used in spoken rather than written English.
One of the best ways to learn an idiom is by looking at the context in which it is used. This can be done by concentrating on the rest of the sentence and try to guess the meaning. Many idioms are not that difficult to understand when considered in their context. For example: We are going to have a surprise party for Tom tomorrow. It's a secret so please don't let the cat out of the bag.
'Let the cat out of the bag' is an idiom. Imagine you don't know what this idiom means; by looking at the words preceding, it should be easy to guess that the speaker does not want you to tell Tom about the surprise party. Therefore, 'let the cat out of the bag' must mean something like' reveal a secret' or 'tell a secret'.Which of the following sentences is NOT similar to “I heard it on the grapevine. ” in figures of speech(在修辞方面)？
| A．The exam was a piece of cake. |
| B．You will be paid under the table. |
| C．You eat with that mouth? |
| D．It rained cats and dogs yesterday. |
“I was feeling under the weather so I went to see a doctor.” The underlined idiom means____.
| A．blue | B．homesick | C．unhappy | D．ill |
It is most probable that idioms will be seen______.
| A．in a paper | B．in an preface(序言) | C．in a notice | D．in online chatting |
Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?
| A．Other words can express something as vividly as idioms. |
| B．Written English with spoken English does not use idioms at all. |
| C．There are plant, food, animal idioms used to express something. |
| D．Contexts play not a bit important part in guessing the meaning of idioms. |
There is an English saying :“laughter is best medicine .”Until recently ,few people took the saying seriously .Now however ,doctors have begun to look into laughter and the effects it has on the human body .They have found that laughter really can improve people’s health .
Tests were carried out to study the effects of laughter on the body .People watched funny films while doctors checked their hearts ,blood pressure ,breathing and muscles .It was found that laughter had similar effects to physical exercise .It increases blood pressure ,the heart beating and breathing ; it also works several groups of muscles in the face ,the stomach ,and even the feet .If laughter exercises the body ,it must be beneficial .
Other tests have shown that laughter appears to be able to reduce the effect of pain on the body .In one experiment doctors produced pain in groups of students who listened to different radio programmes .The group that tolerated(忍耐)the pain for the longest time was the groups which listened to a funny programme .The reason why laughter can reduce pain seems to be that it helps to produce a kind of chemicals in the brain which diminish both stress and pain .
As a result of these discoveries ,some doctors in the United States now hold laughter clinics ,in which they help to improve their patients’ condition by encouraging them to laugh .They have found that even if their patients do not really feel like laughing ,making them smile is enough to produce beneficial effects similar to those caused by laughter .Doctors have proved the following EXCEPT that .
| A．smiling does good to health |
| B．laughter can be tolerated |
| C．there is a way to reduce pain |
| D．laughter can work the muscles in the feet |
The main idea of the passage is .
A. laughter and physical exercise have similar effects on the human body
B smile can produce the same effects as laughter
C. pain can be reduced by laughter
D. laughter is the best medicine The students whotolerated the pain for the longest time .
| A．listened to different radio programmes |
| B．could produce a kind of chemical |
| C．don’t have stress of pain |
| D．listened to a funny programme |
The underlined word “diminish” is similar to .
| A．test | B．stop | C．reduce | D．increase |
Doctors hold laughter clinics _________.
| A．to give better condition to their patients |
| B．in order to improve patients’ health |
| C．to make patients smile |
| D．to prove smile and laughter have the same effect |
It was a quiet village in which there was a military camp. It was far from the towns and cities and there were some high mountains around. Of course it was a good place for training the new soldiers. But it was difficult for the young men to go outside. Mr. White, an officer of forty, was strict with them and he hardly let them leave the camp.
Once Mr. White was ill in bed. He couldn't work and a young officer, Mr. Hunt, began to train the new soldiers instead of him. He knew the young men well and let nine soldiers go to the nearest town to have a holiday. But night fell and none came back to the camp. He was worried about it and stood at the gate. It was five to twelve when Mr. Hunt decided to go to the town and see what was happening with the young men. He started the car quickly and set off. At that moment the nine soldiers came back. It seemed they were all drunk. Of course they found the officer was angry.
"I'm sorry, sir," said the first soldier. "I left the town on time. But something was wrong with my bus on my way here. I had to buy a horse and made it run fast. Bad luck! It died and I had to run back."
And the other seven soldiers said they were late for the same reasons. It was the last soldier's turn. He said, "I'm sorry, sir. I got on a bus on time, but…"
Having heard this, the officer became even angrier and stopped him at once. He called out, "If you say something was wrong with your bus, I'll punish you at once!"
"No, no, sir," said the young man. "My bus was all right, but the dead horses were in its way!"The military camp was built in the village to _______.
| A．stop the soldiers going to towns |
| B．stop the soldiers meeting their friends |
| C．train the new soldiers |
| D．make the young men live quietly |
Mr. Hunt let the nine soldiers have a holiday because _______.
| A．he was kind to them |
| B．they felt lonely |
| C．they had something important to do |
| D．they were the best of all |
The young officer was worried because _______.
| A．a traffic accident had happened |
| B．he was afraid something happened to the nine soldiers |
| C．the nine soldiers didn't come back on time |
| D．the nine soldiers drank too much in the town |
The nine soldiers returned to the camp late because _______.
| A．something was wrong with their buses |
| B．their horses died on the return way |
| C．it took them much time to run back |
| D．they all had drunk much in the town |
Which answer do you think right?
| A．I'll believe only the last soldier. |
| B．The officer believed the nine soldiers. |
| C．I'll believe none of the nine soldiers. |
| D．The officer won't punish his soldiers. |
Animal moms are great moms. You might be surprised at some of these moms.
Octopuses (章鱼)
The mother octopus lays about 50,000 eggs. For about 300 days, she stays with the eggs, cleans them and protects them. She does not leave to feed. However, this animal mom dies as soon as the eggs are hatched (孵化).
Crocodiles(鳄鱼)
A crocodile mother puts a lot of time and effort into raising her babies. She starts by building a nest (巢), which she guards for over two months! When the eggs are ready to hatch, the young crocs call out to their mother, who digs them out and helps them hatch. She then carries them in her mouth down to the water, where she will guard them for several more weeks or months until they learn to hunt on their own.
Bats （蝙蝠）
Bats become moms by hanging head up in a cave, giving birth. Catching the youngster before it can fall to the ground below, she puts it in a pouch (育儿袋). Bat moms may carry babies with them when feeding for the first few days. As the little bats get bigger and heavier, moms help them hang on the wall of their caves and return often to feed them. It continues for about three weeks, until the babies are grown up and able to fly on their own.
Koalas (考拉)
The animal mom gives birth after a pregnancy (怀孕期) of only 35 days. The hairless baby climbs into its mother’s pouch and lives there for another five months. When the little koala is between five and eight months old, it leaves the pouch for short periods of time but returns for safety. Once it is too big to return to the pouch, it will climb onto its mother’s back and ride there until it is about 12 months old.Which animal moms die when their babies are born?
| A．Octopuses. | B．Crocodiles. | C．Bats. | D．Koalas. |
A crocodile mother usually carries her baby to the water _____.
| A．in her mouth | B．on her back | C．in her pouch | D．by her tail |
A bat mom _____.
| A．gives birth by lying in the nest |
| B．gives birth by hanging in a cave |
| C．leaves its babies in the pouch for months |
| D．lets its babies live on their own after birth |
How long does the bat mom help to feed her babies?
| A．About 3 days | B．About 3 weeks | C．About 13 weeks | D．About 3 months |
How long does a young koala usually stay with its mom?
| A．35 days. | B．5 months. | C．8 months. | D．12 months. |
Our world natural park is one of the most famous parks in the world. Millions of visitors from different countries visit this park every year. In order to protect it，please do as follows：
◆Protect the natural and cultural heritage. Don’t damage or deface any buildings，dis-plays and other facilities. Take care of all plants. Put rubbish in the bins provided.
◆Take care when you are going up and down steps or stairs and when you are walking nearby the waters.
◆Please buy tickets before entering the scenic spot. One ticket is only for one person. A-dult：＄60 per ticket. Children over 6 and under 18，half price. People over 60 and children un-der 6 are free.
◆If you are going into the wooded and hilly lands，for your own safety，please go with three people at least and don't take any tinder(易燃物）along with you. The hill is steep, so please take care of yourself.
◆This scenic spot is the reserve of water source: No fishing，swimming，washing and any behaviors that are harmful to the water source. Meanwhile，please follow the management rules of the scenic spot conscientiously.
◆Opening time：From Monday to Friday，8：00 a. m.～18：00 p. m.；From Saturday to Sunday，6：00 a. m:一24：00 p. m.
◆Small animals such as rabbits，peacocks，squirrels，frogs must be taken care of: None of them shall be killed.
If you have any trouble in visiting our world natural park，please call 477一866一7044．Our staff will do our best to help you.How much will be paid for a 65-year-old man with his 8-year-old grandson?
| A．Free. | B．＄30. | C．＄60. | D．＄120. |
On weekends，the opening time is＿hours longer than weekdays.
| A．4 | B．6 | C．8 | D．10 |
From the passage，we can infer that the water in this park is＿．
| A．clean | B．polluted | C．dangerous | D．colorful |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage？
| A．Tourists can hike alone in the hilly lands. |
| B．Small animals are under protection in the park. |
| C．Children can play with small animals. |
| D．Tourists can have a swim in the water. |
All police officers should be made to take a fitness test every year，with a pay cut for those who repeatedly fail，a review said.
In the Metropolitan Police，more than half（52 percent）of its men officers are over- weight, a fifth (22 percent) are obese, and one in 100 are“morbidly（病态地）obese"．For women officers in the Met，a third（32 percent) are overweight，16 percent are obese and 2 per-cent are morbidly obese.
Tom Winsor，who has carried out the widest-ranging research of police pay and conditions in more than 30 years，said those who fail the test three times should face a pay cut. Chief constables(郡警察局局长）should be able to fire any officer as part of budget cuts， ending a job for life. It also recommended that applicants should be able to enter the police service directly at inspector rank，and，"after strict testing"，at superintendent(主管）rank.
Mr Winsor said：“I think the public will be surprised that after passing a fitness test when they join the police，physical fitness is not tested again in a 30，35-year career.＂
An initial(最初的）yearly test requiring officers to reach level 5’4 on the bleep test should be brought in by September next year. This is equal to an average speed of 8. 8kph（5．5mph) for three minutes 35 seconds，he said. But this should get tougher by September 2018，along similar lines to the test currently used in Northern Ireland. This includes climbing over walls and pulling bodies and was designed to reflect situations which“police officers do and can become involved in"．
Mr Winsor expected that many officers would welcome the proposals，saying they would see it“as a necessary protection for themselves and the public"．According to the passage，most of the police officers．
| A．do their work well | B．are out of shape |
| C．are relatively healthy | D．take regular exercise |
It is suggested that if they fail the fitness test three times．they should
| A．have their pay reduced | B．have to be fired |
| C．have to do other jobs | D．pay money as a guarantee |
In order to cut the budget，Chief constables．
| A．try their best to make policeman a life-long career |
| B．must hire policemen after strict testing |
| C．have the right to fire those who are unfit for the job |
| D．recommend applicants become police directly at inspector rank |
It is predicted that many officers would like the yearly test because·
| A．they would get healthier after the test |
| B．they could protect themselves and others |
| C．they would be able to get higher pay |
| D．they could practise rock climbing |