Idioms are phrases and sentences that do not mean exactly what they say. Even if you know the meaning of each word you see or hear, you may not understand the idiom because you don't understand the culture behind it.
　　 For example, if an American boy asks his mother what's for dinner tomorrow, she may say "I'll play it by ear", that means she doesn't have plans for dinner and she will decide later. "Play by ear" used to mean playing music using the sheet music, but now people often use it when they're not talking about music.
　　 There're many idioms in English. If you learn to use them, your English will be more vivid and colorful. English idioms are more common in spoken English. They can be difficult to remember sometimes. Next time when you hear somebody saying to you, "Give me a hand", you don't necessarily stretch out your hand to him/her, but you do need to be helpful. And when the situation is out of hand, you usually can do very little to manage all that. What about a green hand? It's not about the color of your hand! You're a green hand when you are very new at your work and don't have much experience. If you and your partner always work together hand in glove, you two definitely work together very well.
　　 Can you guess the meanings of some common English idioms to do with parts of your body?
【小题1】An idiom is _______.

A．a phrase or a sentence that means exactly what the words say

B．a phrase or a sentence that doesn't mean exactly what every word says

C．so difficult that nobody can understand

D．something to do with parts of your body

【小题2】If a mother says "I'll play it by ear" to talk about the dinner, she means _______.

A．she will cook dinner while listening to music at the same time

B．she doesn't hear what others are talking about.

C．she will play music using the sheet music instead of cooking dinner

D．She doesn't have plans for dinner and will decide later

【小题3】When one says "Can you give me a hand?", he means _______.

A．he needs to hold your hand.

B．he works well with you

C．he needs your help

D．he is a new comer and can't help with the situation

【小题4】Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?

A．People use English idioms more in spoken English than in written English.

B．To understand the culture behind an idiom is important in understanding the idiom.

C．Idioms make your English more vivid and colorful so they are easy to remember.

D．You may not understand an idiom even though you know the meaning of each word.

【小题5】Here are 4 common English idioms to do with parts of your body and their meanings. Can you match them?
　　1) to learn something by heart a. to depend on oneself
　　2) to have sticky fingers b. to know something very well
　　3) to stand on one's own feet c. to do something secretly
　　4) to go behind someone's back d. to have the habit of stealing

A．badc

B．bdac

C．cbad

D．cdba

America’s love of cars and being on the open road has led to the creation of the modern travel or camping trailer (露营旅行车). Some trailers are so well equipped that people can comfortably live in them full time.
Almost all campers (露营车) are considered as recreational vehicles (RV’s). RV’s include motor homes, trailers, house trailers and truck campers. The smaller trailers usually have just enough room for two people to sleep and store a few personal travel items. Some of the larger motor homes include a kitchen, a bathroom, an eating area and even a bedroom.
While tent camping is always an adventure, campers are a fun way to take a long trip, or to spend some more comfortable time in a beautiful setting, like a lakeside campground. So many camper trailers have been designed for people to live in the trailer long term. Some people choose to park their trailers in trailer parks and live in their trailers full time. In America many retired adults choose to spend their time traveling across the country on the open road and bring their trailers with them. Full time use of trailers for these travelers is considered to be a recreational (休闲的) activity.
Camper trailers can also be rented and used for a shorter period of time, such as a camping trip or a road trip. A camper trailer can be a comfortable alternativeto sleeping in a tent if you are camping. If you like traveling at your own pace, a camper trailer is a good choice.
【小题1】What can we know about camper trailers?

A．They are suitable for both long and short trips.

B．They have to be parked in a trailer park.

C．They are widely used by young people.

D．They are becoming more and more popular all over the world.

【小题2】What does the underlined word “alternative” mean?

A．Impression.

B．Decision.

C．Solution.

D．Replacement.

【小题3】What’s the writer’s purpose of writing the text?

A．To introduce the camper trailer.

B．To explain how to use a camper trailer.

C．To encourage people to use camper trailers.

D．To show the popularity of camper trailers.

【小题4】We can learn from the text that smaller trailers ______.

A．usually use less petrol

B．are easier to drive

C．usually have room for no more than two people

D．run faster than bigger ones

There are plenty of creams etc on the market that help you look younger, but today, Dr Oz is going to show how some people are actually living longer.
“We are going to talk about extreme life extension,” he says. “I am talking in details about allowing us to go into our second century of life with the energy that you have when you are a young person.”
Owing to advances in technology and research on how diet affect the aging process, Dr Oz says it might be possible for some people to live to see their 120th birthdays.
There’s one man in Oprah’s audience who Dr Oz says may become the first man in history to live to be 150 years old. Joe Cordell is one of thousands around the world who believe they’ve found the key to an extreme long life --- calorie restriction leads to a longer, healthier life.
At 59 Joe weighs 130 pounds. He may not look like a person who needs to count calories, but as part of his life extension program, he inspects every mouth of food that passes through his system.
Every day for the past seven years, Joe has limited himself to about 1,950 calories.
He believes that by eating less and restricting his caloric intake, he will trigger a genetic switch that slows the aging process.
Joe doesn’t take away himself of food. Instead, the then 52-year-old father filled up on natural fruits, vegetables and lean proteins(瘦蛋白) that were packed with necessary vitamins and nutrients. “Whenever you are thinking about calorie restriction, you should continually think about getting the most nutritional amount per calorie,” Joe says.
In keeping with this principle, Joe starts every morning with three apples…but he only eats the peels. “Most of the fiber is in the peel, and more importantly, most of the nutrients are in the peel,” he says.
“It is important to eat some nuts with breakfast so that you do take in some fat, some healthy fats,” he says. “I think it helps the absorption of the nutrients, and it is very filling.”
For lunch, Joe usually eats a large salad, loaded with vegetables. At dinnertime, he and his family enjoy lean meat or fish and more vegetables.
When Joe started practicing calorie restriction, he weighed 175 pounds. Since then, he has lost 45 pounds, and he says he hasn’t had a cold in seven years. Though he is in his “golden years”, researchers studying Joe say he has the body of a 20-year-old athlete.
【小题1】 According to Joe, the appropriate fat intake may help ______?

A．people lose weight

B．feel always full

C．the absorption of the nutrients

D．people to live longer

【小题2】What can we learn about Joe since he started the calorie restriction program?

A．Joe counts the amount of every meal

B．Joe has never had a cold

C．Joe eats three apples every morning

D．Joe has a large salad with vegetables for dinner

【小题3】The underlined word “trigger” in paragraph 7 can probably be replaced by ______.

A．turn on

B．break down

C．take up

D．cut off

【小题4】According to the passage, the extreme life extension refers to _______.

A．living very long even sick

B．how to make people lead a happy life

C．living long and having a healthy body

D．how to arrange our foods every day

Many people who work in London prefer to live outside it, and to go in to their offices or schools every day by train, car or bus, even though this means they have to get up early in the morning and reach home late in the evening. 
One advantage of living outside London is that houses are cheaper. Even a small flat in London without a garden costs quite a lot to rent. With the same money, one can get a little house in the country with a garden of one’s own. 
Then, in the country one can rest from the noise and hurry of the town. Even though one has to get up earlier and spend more time in trains or buses, one can sleep better at night and during weekends and on summer evenings, one can enjoy the fresh, clean air of the country. If one likes gardens, one can spend one’s free time digging, planting, watering and doing other jobs which are needed in a garden. Then, when the flowers and vegetables come up, one has the reward of one who has shared the secret of Nature. 
Some people, however, take no interest in country things: for them, happiness lies in the town, with its cinemas and theatres, beautiful shops and busy streets, dance-halls and restaurants. Such people would feel that their life was not worth living if they had to live it outside London. An occasional walk in one of the parks and a fortnight’s (two weeks) visit to the sea every summer is all the country they want: the rest they are quite prepared to leave to those who are glad to get away from London every night. 
【小题1】Which of the following statements is NOT true? 

A．People who like country things prefer to live outside the city.

B．People who work in London prefer to live in the country.

C．Because of certain disadvantages of living outside London, some people who work in London prefer to live inside London.

D．Because of certain advantages of living outside London, many people who work in London prefer to live outside London.

【小题2】One can use the same money for ________ to buy a little house with a garden in the country.

A．getting a small flat with a garden

B．having a small flat with a garden

C．renting a small flat without a garden

D．buying a small flat without a garden

【小题3】When the flowers and vegetables in the garden come up, those _______ have the reward of one who has shared the secret of Nature. 

A．who live in the country

B．who have spent time working in the garden

C．who have a garden of their own

D．who have been digging, planting and watering

【小题4】People who think happiness lies in the town would feel that _______ if they had to live outside London.

A．their life was meaningless

B．their life was invaluable

C．they didn’t deserve a happy life

D．they were not worthy of their happy life

Finding a suitable place to live is not easy for a student who first arrived in a strange place . I was lucky because I had booked a dormitory with the school before I arrived .. I t was a flat with seven independent rooms and a shared bathroom and kitchen . all of my flatmates are all students form Britain . I thought I was lucky to be part of this flat with these energetic young men . However , I found myself unhappy with them only a few days after I stayed there . These young people seemed never to be quiet . Usually they would not come back until late into the night .They even played football in the room whenever they like , whether it was early morning or late night . Worse still , they always had parties . Those loud music and laughter made me sleepless the whole night . Finally , I had no choice but to ask the authority to move me to another flat where most of the students were international students pursuing their master degrees . They were older in age and hold heavier study burden . So they were quieter .
My advice for those who want to study in the UK is to get in touch with the international student accommodation service of your school first and tell them to arrange for you to share a flat with graduates before you come here.
【小题1】What was the trouble while living with the British students?

A．They loved football too much

B．They often held parties .

C．They disturbed the writer’s living greatly .

D．They went to bed too late and got up too early .

【小题2】The measure the writer took to solve the problem was     .

A．asking some older students for help

B．giving the British students heavier study burden

C．asking the authority to make the British student burden

D．changing a place to live

【小题3】The advice the writer gave us was      .
A. don’t live with young British students
B live with students who have study burden
C. get your housing fixed before your arrival
D. better live in your school
【小题4】The underlined word “it” in the first paragraph refers to “        ” .

A． the room

B． football

C．time

D．the night

Parking has long been a major headache for drivers in Shanghai. The Transportation Department is mapping out a new plan for the city’s parking system. There are one million cars on the road in Shanghai but only enough public parking space to provide room for 15 percent of these vehicles(交通工具). It is no wonder that local drivers get so worried trying to find a place to park.
The city is seeing a rise in private car owners. In March, the city sent out 2,000 private car licenses, the highest number of licenses ever sent out in a month. And prices rose to 14,600 yuan, 500 more than in February. Industry experts say this suggests that local people have a strong, active interest in buying cars.
By the year 2020, the number of automobiles in Shanghai will probably reach two million. If one parking lot is for each car, then a lot of parking space should be built for these vehicles.
Downtown Shanghai is most short of parking space. However, experts point out that simply building more parking lots in downtown areas is not practical and doesn’t provide an ideal solution. The idea of “ Park & Ride” system has been suggested. This means that drivers can leave their vehicles in car parks nearby subway or bus stations and ride public transport to go downtown. Based on this idea, the city will limit the number of parking lots in downtown areas and demand higher parking fees but build more parking areas near main subway and bus stops.
【小题1】The underlined phrase “mapping out” in the first paragraph means __________.

A．making

B．arguing

C．demanding

D．requesting

【小题2】About __________ drivers can find places to park their cars in Shanghai now.

A．850,000

B．1,000,000

C．150,000

D．2,000,000

【小题3】What can we infer from the second paragraph?

A．The city sent out more private licenses in February.

B．Less and less people bought cars in March.

C．The city sent out less private licenses in March.

D．More and more people are going to buy cars.

【小题4】According to the idea of a “ Park & Ride ” system, the city will __________.

A．send out more private car licenses

B．build more parking lots near bus stops

C．encourage people to buy more cars

D．build more parking areas downtown

Too many people want others to be their friends, but they don’t give friendship back. That is why some friendships do not last very long. To have a friend, you must learn to be one. You must learn to treat your friend the way you want your friend to treat you. Learning to be a good friend means learning three rules. Be honest; be generous; be understanding.
Honesty is where a good friendship starts. Friends must be able to trust one another. If you do not tell the truth, people usually find out. If a friend finds out that you haven’t been honest, you may lose your friend’s trust. Good friends always count on one another to speak and act honestly.
Generosity means sharing and sharing makes a friendship grow. You do not have to give your lunch money on your clothes, of course. Instead, you have to learn how to share things you enjoy, like your hobbies and your interest. Naturally, you will want to share your ideas and feelings. These can be very valuable to a friend. They tell your friend what is important to you. By sharing them you help your friend know you better.
Sooner or later, every one needs understanding and help with a problem. Something may go wrong at school. Talking about the problem can make it easier to solve. Turning to a friend can be a first step in solving the problem. So to be a friend, you must listen and understand. You must try to put yourself in your friend’s place so you can understand the problem better.
No two friendships are ever exactly alike. But all true friendships have three things in common. If you plan to keep your friends, you must practice honesty, generosity, and understanding.
【小题1】Some friendships don’t last very long because ________.

A．they don’t know friendship is something serious.

B．there are too many people who want to make friends.

C．those who give others friendship receive friendship from others.

D．those who never give others friendships receive no friendship from others.

【小题2】According to the passage honesty is ________.

A．something good	B．the base of friendship
C．as important as money	D．more important than anything else

【小题3】Which of the following will a friend not approve of according to the passage?

A．Always tell your friend the truth.

B．Sharing your mind with your friend is of great value.

C．A friend who gives you his lunch money is a true friend.

D．Discussing your problems with your friend often helps to solve the problem.

Below is adapted from an English dictionary. Use the dictionary to answer the following questions.

figure / fīg? / noun, verb                            ●noun 1 [C, often pl.] a number representing a particular amount, especially one given in official information: the trade /sales figures 2 [C] a symbol rather than a word representing one of the numbers between 0 and 9: a six-figure salary 3 [pl.] (informal)the area of mathematics that deals with adding, multiplying, etc. numbers  4 [C] a person of the type mentioned: Gandhi was both a political and a religious figure in Indian history. 5 [C] the shape of a person seen from a distance or not clearly  6 [C] a person or an animal as shown in art or a story: a wall with five carved figures in it  7 [C] the human shape, considered from the point of view of being attractively thin: doing exercise to improve one’s figure  8 [C] a pattern or series of movements performed on ice: figure-skating [IDM] be/become a figure of fun: be/become sb. that others laugh at  cut a…figure: (of a person) to have a particular appearance He cut a striking figure in his dinner jacket.  put a figure on sth.: to say the exact price or number of sth.

a fine figure of man / woman: a tall, strong-looking and well-shaped person  figure of speech: a word or phrase used in a different way from its usual meanings in order to create a particular mental image or effect  figurehead: someone who is the head or chief in name only (with no real power or authority) ●verb  1 to think or decide that sth. will happen or is true: I figured that if I took the night train, I could be in Scotland by morning.  2 to be part of a process, situation, etc. especially an important part: My opinion of the matter didn’t seem to figure at all. 3 to calculate an amount or the cost of sth.: We figured that attendance at 150,000.  [PHRV] 1 figure in: to include (in a sum): Have you figured in the cost of hotel?  2 figure on: to plan on; to expect sth. to happen: I haven’t figured on his getting home too late.  3 figure out: to work out; understand by thinking: Have you figured out how much the trip will cost?   [IDM] It/That figures! (informal): That seems reasonable, logical and what I expect.

【小题1】— She was coming late again for the work.
— ________! It is just like her to be late. You just can’t do anything to stop her doing that.

A．It figures her out	B．It figures
C．It cuts a poor figure	D．She is a figure of fun

【小题2】The phrase “watch my figure” in the sentence “Don’t tempt(引诱) me with chocolate; I am watching my figure.” means “________”.

A．add the numbers	B．have sports
C．try not to get fat	D．watch games

【小题3】Which underlined word in the following sentences is used as figure of speech(修辞格)?

A．John is fond of animals and raises a rabbit as a pet.

B．In some countries, bamboo can be used to build houses.

C．We all regard Mr. Smith as an important figure in our company.

D．I didn’t really mean my partner was a snake.

I live in the land of Disney, Hollywood and year-round sun. You may think people in such a splendid, fun-filled place are happier than others. If so, you have some mistaken ideas about the nature of happiness.
Many intelligent people still equate happiness with fun. The truth is that fun and happiness have little or nothing in common. Fun is what we experience during an act. Happiness is what we experience after an act. It is a deeper, more lasting emotion.
Going to an amusement park or ball game, watching a movie or television, are fun activities that help us relax, temporarily forget our problems and maybe even laugh. But they do not bring happiness, because their positive effects end when the fun ends.
I have often thought that if Hollywood stars have a role to play, it is to teach us that happiness has nothing to do with fun. These rich, beautiful individuals have constant access to glamorous parties, fancy cars, expensive homes, everything that spells“happiness”. But in memoir（回忆录）after memoir, they reveal the unhappiness hidden beneath all their fun: depression, alcoholism ,drug addiction, broken marriages, troubled children and profound loneliness.
Ask a bachelor why he resists marriage, if he’s honest, and he will tell you that he is afraid of making a commitment, for commitment is in fact quite painful. The single life is filled with fun, adventure and excitement. Marriage has such moments, but they are not its most distinguishing features.
Similarly, couples that choose not to have children are deciding in favor of painless fun over painful happiness. They can dine out whenever they want and sleep as late as they can. Couples with infant children are lucky to get a whole night’s sleep or a three-day vacation. I don’t know any parent who would choose the word fun to describe raising children.
Understanding and accepting that true happiness has nothing to do with fun is one of the most liberating（解放性的）realizations. It liberates time: now we can devote more hours to activities that can genuinely increase our happiness. It liberates money: buying that new car or those fancy clothes that will do nothing to increase our happiness now seems pointless. And it liberates us from envy: we now understand that all those rich and glamorous people we were so sure are happy because they are always having so much fun actually may not be happy at all.
【小题1】We can learn from the passage that ________.

A．fun creates long-lasting satisfaction

B．fun provides enjoyment while pain leads to happiness

C．happiness is lasting whereas fun is short-lived

D．fun that is long-standing may lead to happiness

【小题2】To the author, the role Hollywood stars play is to ________.

A．write memoir after memoir about their happiness

B．tell the public that happiness has nothing to do with fun

C．teach people how to enjoy their lives

D．bring happiness to the public instead of going to parties

【小题3】In the author’s opinion, marriage ________ .

A．affords greater fun	B．leads to raising children
C．indicates duty and devotion	D．usually ends up in pain

【小题4】Which of the following is the best example of“painful happiness”?

A．Winning lottery by accident

B．A bachelor resisting marriage

C．Raising children

D．Buying some fancy clothes

【小题5】If one gets the true sense of happiness, he will ________.

A．stop playing games and joking with others	B．keep himself with his family
C．give a free hand to money	D．use his time to increase happiness

When a tornado touched down in a small town nearby, many families were left completely destroyed. Afterward all the local newspapers carried many human-interest stories featuring some of the families who suffered the hardest.
One Sunday, a particular picture especially touched me. A young woman stood in front of an entirely shattered mobile home, a depressed expression twisting her features. A young boy, seven or eight years old, stood at her side, eyes downcast. Clutching  (紧握)  at her skirt was a tiny girl who stared into the camera, eyes wide with confusion and fear.
The article that went with the picture gave the clothing sizes of each family member. With growing interest, I noticed that their sizes closely matched ours. This would be a good opportunity to teach my children to help those less fortunate than themselves. I taped the picture of the young family to our refrigerator, explaining their difficulty to my seven-year-old twins, Brad and Brett, and to three- year-old Meghan.
“ We have so much. And these poor people now have nothing,” I said.“We’ll share what we have with them.”
I brought three large boxes down from the room upstairs and placed them on the living room floor. Meghan watched seriously, as the boys and I filled one of the boxes with canned goods and foods.
While I sorted through our clothes, I encouraged the boys to go through their toys and donate some of their less favorite things. Meghan watched quietly as the boys piled up discarded toys and games.
“I’ll help you find something for the little girl when I’m done with this,” I said.
The boys placed the toys they had chosen to donate into one of the boxes while I filled the third box with clothes. Meghan walked up with Lucy, her worn, faded, much-loved rag doll hugged tightly to her chest. She paused in front of the box that held the toys, pressed her round little face into Lucy’s flat, painted-on-face, gave her a final kiss, then laid her gently on top of the other toys.
“Oh, Honey,” I said.“You don’t have to give Lucy. You love her so much.”
Meghan nodded seriously, eyes glistening with held-back tears. ‘”Lucy makes me happy, Mommy. Maybe she’ll make that other little girl happy, too．”
Swallowing hard, I stared at Meghan for a long moment, wondering how I could teach the boys the lesson she had just taught me. For I suddenly realized that anyone can give their cast-offs away. True generosity is giving that which you value most.
Honest benevolence  (善行)  is a three-year-old offering a valuable, though shabby, doll to a little girl she doesn’t know with the hope that it will bring this child as much pleasure as it brought her. I, who had wanted to teach, had been taught.
The boys had watched, open-mouthed, as their baby sister placed her favorite doll in the box. Without a word, Brad rose and went to his room. He came back carrying one of his favorite action figures. He hesitated briefly, clutching the toy, then looked over at Meghan and placed it in the box next to Lucy.
A slow smile spread across Brett’s face. Then he jumped up, eyes twinkling as he ran to fetch some of his prized Matchbox cars.
Astonished, I realized that the boys had also recognized what little Meghan’s gesture meant. Swallowing back tears, I pulled all three of them into my arms.
Taking the cue from my little one, I removed my old jacket from the box of clothes. I replaced it with the new hunter green jacket that I had found on sale last week. I hoped the young woman in the picture would love it as much as I did.
It’s easy to give that which we don’t want any more, but harder to let go of things we cherish, isn’t it? However, the true spirit of giving is to give with your heart..
【小题1】Why does the author give a detailed description of a particular picture in the Sunday newspaper?

A．To create an atmosphere of fear and depression brought by the tornado.

B．To appeal to unconcerned people to donate for the poor families.

C．To show the helplessness and hopelessness of the family mentioned in the paper.

D．To stress what touched her and made her decide to help the hopeless family.

【小题2】Why did Brad and Brett also donate their favorite things finally?

A．They were encouraged to donate some valuable things by the mother.

B．Meghan’s decision inspired them to donate their favorite things.

C．They also wanted to show generosity by giving away their valuable things.

D．Meghan’s gesture reminded them to replace their favorite things with new ones.

【小题3】By “ swallowing hard”, the writer means that   _   _ .

A．she was deeply puzzled by what the little girl did

B．she had trouble persuading Meghan not to give away Lucy

C．she was greatly moved by Meghan’s unexpected decision

D．she was uncertain what consequences Meghan’s action would bring about

【小题4】It is suggested in the sentence “the true spirit of giving is to give with your heart” that ______.

A．sincere donation means offering help to others whole-heartedly

B．true giving means giving others what you treasure most

C．true generosity means helping others at the cost of your own benefit

D．honest benevolence means devoting yourself to the career of donation

【小题5】What’s the best title for this passage?

A．The Greatest Love	B．A Beautiful Heart
C．True Generosity	D．A Precious Gift