A year ago, I paid no attention to English idioms, though my teacher emphasized(强调)the importance again and again. But soon, the importance of English idioms was shown in an amusing experience.
One day, I happened to meet an Englishman on the road, and soon we began to talk. As I was talking about how I was studying English, the foreigner seemed to be surprised. Gently shaking his head, shrugging his shoulders, he said, “You don’t say!” “You don’t say!” I was puzzled. I thought, perhaps this is not an proper topic. “Well, I’d better change the topic. “ So I said to him, “Well, shall we talk about the Great Wall? By the way, have you ever been there?” “Certainly, everyone back home will laugh at me if I leave China without seeing it. It was wonderful.” He was deep in thought when I began to talk like a tourist guide. “The Great Wall is one of the wonders in the world. We are very proud of it.” Soon I was stopped again by his words: “You don’t say!” I couldn’t help asking, “Why do you ask me not to talk about it?” “Well, I didn’t ask you to do so,” he answered, greatly surprised. I said, “Didn’t you say ‘you don’t say’?” Hearing this, the Englishman laughed to tears. He began to explain, ‘You don’t say.’ actually means ‘really’! It is an expression of surprise. Perhaps you don’t pay attention to English idioms.” Only then did I know how foolish I had been. Since then I have been more careful with idiomatic expressions. Remember: what the English teachers said is always right to us students.At first, on hearing “You don’t say”, I thought the foreigner meant_______.
| A．He was not interested in the topic |
| B．He was only interested in the Great Wall |
| C．I had talked too much |
| D．I had to stop talking |
The underlined word in the first paragraph probably means_______.
| A．interesting | B．important | C．terrible | D．unlucky |
Which of the following is true according to the passage?
| A．The Englishman left China without seeing the Great Wall. |
| B．The Englishman wanted to see the Great Wall after I talked about it. |
| C．The Englishman wanted me to act as his guide. |
| D．The Englishman visited the Great Wall and thought it worth (值得) visiting. |
After the Englishman explained the idiom, ________.
| A．I thought the Englishman had made me a fool |
| B．The Englishman became a real fool |
| C．I felt very foolish |
| D．I became more careful in everything |
Dear Mr. Smith,
I currently rent (租) APT#832 in the Canyon Crossing apartments. Overall, I am happy with the location. At the beginning I had planned to live here for at least two years. I like here.
However, I am very disappointed in that there seems to be a terrible roach (蟑螂) problem. I can’t invite any guest over because of this problem and I cannot recommend (推荐) Canyon Crossing to any of my classmates either.
I have left two voice mails for you which are concerned with this problem. You have not returned either one. Therefore, this letter is my next step in hoping to solve the problem. I am kindly asking you to ask an exterminator (灭蟑人) by July 15th. If you fail to do so, I will have no choice but to make a complaint to the BBB (Better Business Bureau).
You are welcome to text me anytime at (435) 234-3452. I hope this problem will be solved soon.
Thank you.
Yours sincerely, Unhappy Ursula
Dear Sir,
I am a new resident (居民) at Sunning Court. I have seen the condition of the building becoming worse and worse since I moved here last year.
First of all, the management of the building is really terrible. Sometimes, there is a bad smell when I walk on the road. I see much rubbish there. No cleaners clean the rubbish. Many roaches and rats run around the building.
My second problem is about the security (安全). I always see the guards reading newspapers or smoking when they are on duty. The security room is very dusty too. When I want to use the phone, they say, “We can’t help.”
I am therefore writing to demand your company’s action to improve the situation. Thank you for your consideration.
Yours faithfully,
Chris WongWhat’s the major problem that Ursula is facing now?
| A．She is being troubled by roaches in her apartment. |
| B．The exterminator fails to kill the roaches on time. |
| C．She has become more afraid of roaches than before. |
| D．She can’t find a cheap and comfortable apartment. |
The first letter is most probably written by .
| A．a student | B．an exterminator |
| C．a housekeeper | D．a BBB official |
How does Chris Wong feel about his living conditions at Sunning Court now? .
| A．A bit confused | B．Quite frightened |
| C．Really excited | D．Very disappointed |
The Pickup
Nadine Gordimer
The book talks about the love between an Arab man and a white South African woman. They come from very different cultures with very different ways of looking at the world.
List price: $16.00
Price: $11.30
You save: $4.70(29%)
Publisher: Picador
The Checklist Manifesto: How to Get Things Right
Atul Gawande
The modern world has given us huge know-how. Yet failures continue to influence us in health care, government, the law, the financial industry and so on. And the reason is simple: there is so much knowledge that it is hard for people to fully command it. Atul Gawande makes an argument that we can do better, using the simplest of methods: the checklist.List price: $15.00
Price: $ 11.76
You save: $3.24(21%)
Publisher: Picador
Isaac Newton: The Last Sorcerer
Micheal White
Micheal White tells the colorful life of the world’s first modern scientist. Interesting yet based on fact. Micheal White’s learned yet readable new book offers a true picture of Newton completely different from what people commonly know about him. Newton is shown as a great scientist with very human weaknesses who stood at the point in history where magic ended and science began.List price: $19.95
Price: $15.01
You save: $4.94(25%)
Publisher: Basic BooksWho has written a book that talks about cultural differences?
| A．Micheal White. | B．Adrian Vickers. |
| C．Atul Gawande. | D．Nadine Gordimer. |
What do The Pickup and The Checklist Manifesto have in common?
| A．They have the same price cut. |
| B．Their list prices are the same. |
| C．Their authors are introduced in detail. |
| D．They share the same publisher. |
In the book Isaac Newton: The Last Sorcerer Newton _____.
| A．is a great but not perfect man |
| B．lives a meaningful and colorful life |
| C．is the same as what we commonly know |
| D．is an old-time gifted scientist and magician |
Which of the following books offers the biggest price cut?
| A．The pickup. |
| B．Isaac Newton: The Last Sorcerer. |
| C．A History of Modern Indonesia. |
| D．The Checklist Manifesto : How to Get Things Right |
English, as we all know, is considered as the universal language. It is spoken all over the world. However, you will also notice that people all over the world are using different types of English. Let’s take a closer look at these two popular types: UK and US English. Even if both types of English are wildly used, there are some differences that will be worth knowing to find out the type of English that you are using.
US English is what we know as the American English which is wildly used in the United States. UK English, on the other hand, is known as the British English. Some also call it the BBC English since it is the English used by British reporters, and another name for it is the Queen’s English.
In terms of vocabulary, some words in US English may mean something different in the UK English. For example, the word biscuit for the British means baked sweet or salty cake that is hard when baked and softened over time; while in the US it is a quick bread served with salty foods.
With regards to pronunciation, American English is more nasal (鼻音的). Stress (重音) is also another difference to consider. Just like in the word princess, British stress the second syllable (音节) while Americans stress the first.
Spelling is another area of difference. American English spelling is more simple. Example of which includes, color for the US and colour for the UK, same goes with honor and honour. The doubling of letters in words is another good example. It will be traveler in the US and traveller in the UK. The use of “-og” instead of “-ogue” in word such as dialog and dialogue or catalog and catalogue.What can be the best title for the passage?
| A．Similarity between US English and UK English |
| B．Difference between US English and UK English |
| C．The future of US English and UK English |
| D．The history of US and UK English |
What does the underlined word “it” refer to according to Paragraph 2?
A The British English.
B The American English.
C The BBC.
D The Queen of UK.he word biscuit in UK English refers to the cake which may be finally.
| A．sweet and hard |
| B．salty and sweet |
| C．hard and salty |
| D．salty and soft |
Which of the following may belong to UK English?
| A．Color. | B．Traveler. |
| C．Dialog. | D．Catalogue. |
In the 1950s，a family who owned a farm near Beulah，Michigan kept a bull chained to an elm (榆树)．The bull paced around the tree，dragging the heavy iron chain，which led to a groove (槽) in the bark.The groove deepened over the years，though for whatever reason，it did not kill the tree.
After some years，the family took their bull away.They cut the chain，leaving the loop (圈) around the tree and one link hanging down.
Then one year，agricultural disaster struck Michigan in the form of Dutch Elm Disease.All of the elms lining the road leading to the farm became infected and died.Everyone thought that the old elm would be next.
The farm’s owners considered doing the safe thing：pulling it out and cutting it up into firewood before it died.But they simply could not bring themselves to do it.It was as if the old tree had become a family friend.So they decided to let_nature_take_its_course.
Amazingly，the tree did not die.Nobody could understand why it was the only elm that was still standing in the country!
Plant pathologists(病理学家) from Michigan State University came out to observe the tree.They observed the scar left by the iron chain，now almost completely covered by bark.The plant experts decided that it was the chain that saved the elm’s life.They reasoned that the tree must have absorbed so much iron from the chain that it became immune (免疫) to the fungus (真菌)．
It’s said that what doesn’t kill you will make you stronger.Or，as Ernest Hemimgway put it，“Life breaks us all，but afterwards，many of us are strongest at the broken places.”What happened to the elms in Michigan during the agricultural disaster?
| A．The elms were tied by iron chains. |
| B．Some of the elms were cut up into firewood. |
| C．All the elms were infected by a disease and died. |
| D．Nearly all of the elms died of a disease. |
From the passage we can learn that the old elm was saved by________.
| A．the groove in the bark | B．the fungus in the tree |
| C．the iron remaining in it | D．its own immune system |
The underlined sentence “let_nature_take_its_course” means______.
| A．leave the elm at the mercy of nature |
| B．help the elm grow normally |
| C．let nature take the elm away |
| D．have nature give a lesson to the elm |
What is the best title for the text?
| A．Never Lose Heart in Trouble |
| B．Strike While the Iron is Hot |
| C．Brave to Face Failure |
| D．Stronger after Suffering |
Shu Pulong has helped at least l000 people bitted(咬) by snakes. "It was seeing people with snake bites(伤口) that led me to this career" he said.
In l963, after his army service, Shu entered a medical school and later became a doctor of Chinese medicine. As part of his studies he had to work in the mountains. There he often heard of people who had their arms and legs cut off after a snake bite in order to save their lives.
"I was greatly upset by the story of an old farmer I met. It was a very hot afternoon. The old man was pulling grass in his fields when he felt a pain in his left hand. He at once realized he had been bitten by a poisonous snake. In no time wrapped a cloth tightly around his arm to stop the poison spreading to his heart. Rushing home he shouted 'bring me the knife!' Minutes later the man lost his arm forever."
"The sad story touched me so much that I decided to devote myself to helping people bitten by snakes," Shu said.The best headline (标题) fot this newspaper article is ______.
| A．Astonishing Medicine | B．Farmer Loses Arm |
| C．Dangerous Bites | D．Snake Doctor |
The farmer lost his arm because______.
| A．the cloth was wrapped too tightl | B．he cut it off to save his life |
| C．Shu wasn't there to help him | D．he was alone in the fields |
Shu decided to devote himself to snake medicine because______.
| A．he wanted to save people's arms and legs |
| B．he had studied it at a medical school |
| C．he had seen snakes biting people |
| D．his army service had finished. |
Why did Shu go into the mountains?
| A．He wanted to study snake bites. |
| B．He wanted to help the farmers. |
| C．He was being trained to be a doctor. |
| D．He was expected to serve in the army. |
Which of the following words can take the place of the word career in the first paragraph (段) ?
| A．conclusion | B．story | C．incident | D．job |
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