Question

【题目】Cold weather has a great effect on how our minds and our bodies work. Maybe that is why there are so many expressions that use the word “cold”. For centuries, the body's blood has been linked closely with the emotions. People who show no human emotions or feelings, for example, are said to be cold－blooded. Cold－blooded people act in a merciless way. They may do brutal things to others, and not by accident. For example, a newspaper says the police are searching for a cold－blooded killer. The killer murdered someone, not in self－defense. He seemed to kill with no emotion.

Cold can affect other parts of the body, the feet, for example. Heavy socks can warm your feet，if your feet are really cold. But there is an expression—to get cold feet—that has nothing to do with cold or your feet. The expression means being afraid to do something you decided to do. For example, you agree to be president of an organization. But then you learn that all the other officers have resigned. All the work of the organization will be your responsibility. You are likely to get cold feet about being president when you understand the situation.

Cold can also affect your shoulder. You “give someone the cold shoulder” when you refuse to speak to him. You treat him in a distant, cold way. The expression probably comes from the physical act of turning your back towards someone, instead of speaking to him face－to－face. You may give a cold shoulder to a friend who has not kept a promise he made to you or to someone who has lied about you to others.

“A cold fish” is not a fish. It is a person. But it is a person who is unfriendly, unemotional and show no love or warmth. A cold fish does not offer much of himself to anyone.

“Out in the cold” is an expression often heard. It means not getting something that everybody else got. A person might say that everybody but him got a pay raise. He was left out in the cold. And it is not a pleasant place to be.

【1】The passage is intended to tell us that ________.

A. cold weather has a great effect on human bodies

B. many English expressions contain the word “cold”

C. cold is a word closely linked with human emotions

D. the word “cold” has many different meanings in English

【2】The underlined word “brutal” in Paragraph 1 most probably means“________”．

A. impolite B. illegal

C. cruel D. extreme

【3】You can say Tom ________ if the teacher gives all the boys except him a pen as a prize.

A. is given the cold shoulder

B. is left out in the cold

C. has got cold feet

D. is murdered by a cold－blooded killer

【4】We can draw a conclusion from the passage that ________.

A. all the expressions containing the word “cold” have negative meanings

B. all the expressions containing the word “cold” have something to do with cold

C. people who show no human emotions or feelings have cold blood

D. many parts of the human body can be badly affected by cold

Answer 1

【答案】

【1】B

【2】C

【3】B

【4】A

【解析】本文选自VOA Special English，介绍了英语中一些含有cold这个单词的习惯用语。

【1】B主旨大意题。本题考查考生对文章主旨大意地把握，文章重点解释了很多含有cold的习语，故选B。A、C选项都很片面。

【2】C猜测词义题。根据前文Cold-blooded people act in merciless ways可知brutal意为“残忍的，野蛮的”。故C正确。

【3】B词义理解题。本题同样是考查考生对文中所介绍的含有cold的几个短语的理解，从文章最后一段可知。be left out in the cold：被冷落；被排斥。故B正确。

【4】A归纳判断题。文中所介绍的含有cold的几个短语均为负面或贬义词。B项不对，因为并非所有含cold短语都与cold（寒冷）有关，从第一段的最后一句可知选A。