Consult the page adapted from an English dictionary and do Questions 53-56.

Important words to learn: E Essential I Improver A Advanced

shoot [ʃu:t]

▲verb (shot, shot) WEAPON→1 E to fire a bullet or an arrow, or to hit, injure or kill a person or animal by firing a bullet or arrow at them: If he’s not armed, don’t shoot. ⊙ The kids were shooting arrows at a target. ⊙She was shot three times in the head.⊙ He has a license to shoot pheasants on the farmer’s land. ⊙ A policeman was shot dead in the city centre last night. ⊙ The troops were told to shoot to kill. SPORT→2 A to try to score points for yourself or your team, in sports involving a ball, by kicking, hitting or throwing the ball towards the goal: He shot from the middle of the field and still managed to score. MOVE QUICKLY→3 A to move in a particular direction very quickly and directly: She shot past me several meters before the finishing line. ⊙ He shot out of the office a minute ago ─ I think he was late for a meeting. ⊙ They were just shooting off to town so we didn’t stop to speak.

shooter ['ʃu:tə] noun[C]He’s thought to be the best shooter in the league.

▲idioms have shot your bolt UK INFORMAL to have already achieved all that you have the power, ability or strength to do and to be unable to do more: He started off the game well but seemed to have shot his bolt by half-time.

• shoot yourself in the foot to do something without intending to which spoils a situation for yourself

• shoot your mouth off INFORMAL to talk too much in a loud and uncontrolled way: It’s just like Richard to go shooting his mouth off about other people’s affairs.

• shoot for the moon US to ask for the best or the most you could hope for: You might as well shoot for the moon and ask for a promotion as well as a raise.

• shoot questions at sb to ask someone a lot of questions very quickly, one after the other: He shot questions at me so quickly that I didn’t even have time to answer.

• shoot the breeze US INFORMAL to talk with someone or a group of people about things which are not important: We sat out on the porch, just shooting the breeze.

▲ phrasal verbs shoot sth down to destroy an aircraft or make an aircraft, bird, etc. fall to the ground by shooting at it: He was killed during the war when his plane was shot down.

shoot sb down to shoot and usually kill someone, showing no sympathy: I saw Tom shoot him down like a dog in the street.

shoot for/at sth US to try to do something: It’s worth taking chances when you’re shooting at a chance of fame and wealth.

shoot out If opposing groups or people armed with guns shoot it out, they shoot at each other until one of the groups or people is dead or defeated.

shoot through AUSTRALIAN INFORMAL to leave a place very quickly, especially in order to avoid having to do something

shoot up INCREASE→INFORMAL to grow in size, or increase in number or level, very quickly: David has really shot up since I saw him last. ⊙ Prices shot up by 25%.

▲ noun PLANT→1[C]the first part of a plant to appear above the ground as it develops from a seed, or any new growth on an already existing plant: Two weeks after we’d planted the seeds, little green shoots started to appear. ⊙ FIGURATIVE The first green shoots (=hopeful signs) of economic recovery have started to appear.

FILM→2[C USUALLY SINGULAR] when photographer take a series of photographs, usually of the same person or people in the same place: We did a fashion shoot on the beach, with the girls modeling swimwear. WEAPON→3[C]an occasion on which a group of people go to an area of the countryside to shoot animals

shooting ['ʃu:tiŋ] noun 1 A [U]when bullets are shot from guns or other weapons: We heard some shooting in the night. 2 A [C]when someone is injured or killed by a bullet shot from a gun: There have been a number of shootings in the capital this week. 3[U]the sport of shooting animals or birds: pleasant/grouse shooting ⊙ He goes shooting most weekends.

53. What does the phrase “green shoots” mean in “You will be bound to see that the green shoots of your English level start to grow.”?

         A. Great efforts.                                                     B. Signs of improving.

         C. Learning ability.                                                 D. Change in method.

54. Fill in the blank in the sentence “When it is achieved, there will be other plans to _________.”

         A. shoot at                          B. shoot up                C. shoot down          D. shoot through

55. If you are suffering from the consequence of the plan without full consideration, we say you are __________.

         A. shooting the breeze                                         B. shooting your mouth off

         C. shooting yourself in the foot                          D. shooting questions at somebody

56. Choose a word to complete the sentence “__________ is one of the oldest sport events, which is popular with people both at home and abroad.”

A. Shooter                           B. Shoot                      C. Shot                        D. Shooting

 

Consult the page adapted from an English dictionary and do Questions 53-56.
Important words to learn: E Essential I Improver A Advanced
shoot [?u:t]
▲verb (shot, shot) WEAPON→1 E to fire a bullet or an arrow, or to hit, injure or kill a person or animal by firing a bullet or arrow at them: If he’s not armed, don’t shoot. ⊙The kids were shooting arrows at a target.⊙She was shot three times in the head.⊙He has a license to shoot pheasants on the farmer’s land. ⊙A policeman was shot dead in the city centre last night. ⊙ The troops were told to shoot to kill. SPORT→2 A to try to score points for yourself or your team, in sports involving a ball, by kicking, hitting or throwing the ball towards the goal: He shot from the middle of the field and still managed to score. MOVE QUICKLY→3 A to move in a particular direction very quickly and directly: She shot past me several meters before the finishing line. ⊙ He shot out of the office a minute ago ─ I think he was late for a meeting.⊙They were just shooting off to town so we didn’t stop to speak.
shooter ['?u:t?] noun[C]He’s thought to be the best shooter in the league.
▲idioms have shot your bolt UK INFORMAL to have already achieved all that you have the power, ability or strength to do and to be unable to do more: He started off the game well but seemed to have shot his bolt by half-time.
? shoot yourself in the foot to do something without intending to which spoils a situation for yourself
? shoot your mouth off INFORMAL to talk too much in a loud and uncontrolled way: It’s just like Richard to go shooting his mouth off about other people’s affairs.
? shoot for the moon US to ask for the best or the most you could hope for: You might as well shoot for the moon and ask for a promotion as well as a raise.
? shoot questions at sb to ask someone a lot of questions very quickly, one after the other: He shot questions at me so quickly that I didn’t even have time to answer.
? shoot the breeze US INFORMAL to talk with someone or a group of people about things which are not important: We sat out on the porch, just shooting the breeze.
▲ phrasal verbs shoot sth down to destroy an aircraft or make an aircraft, bird, etc. fall to the ground by shooting at it: He was killed during the war when his plane was shot down.
shoot sb down to shoot and usually kill someone, showing no sympathy: I saw Tom shoot him down like a dog in the street.
shoot for/at sth US to try to do something: It’s worth taking chances when you’re shooting at a chance of fame and wealth.
shoot out If opposing groups or people armed with guns shoot it out, they shoot at each other until one of the groups or people is dead or defeated.
shoot through AUSTRALIAN INFORMAL to leave a place very quickly, especially in order to avoid having to do something
shoot up INCREASE→INFORMAL to grow in size, or increase in number or level, very quickly: David has really shot up since I saw him last. ⊙Prices shot up by 25%.
▲ noun PLANT→1[C]the first part of a plant to appear above the ground as it develops from a seed, or any new growth on an already existing plant: Two weeks after we’d planted the seeds, little green shoots started to appear. ⊙FIGURATIVE The first green shoots (="hopeful" signs) of economic recovery have started to appear.
FILM→2[C USUALLY SINGULAR] when photographer take a series of photographs, usually of the same person or people in the same place: We did a fashion shoot on the beach, with the girls modeling swimwear. WEAPON→3[C]an occasion on which a group of people go to an area of the countryside to shoot animals
shooting ['?u:ti?] noun 1 A [U]when bullets are shot from guns or other weapons: We heard some shooting in the night. 2 A [C]when someone is injured or killed by a bullet shot from a gun: There have been a number of shootings in the capital this week. 3[U]the sport of shooting animals or birds: pleasant/grouse shooting ⊙ He goes shooting most weekends.
【小题1】What does the phrase “green shoots” mean in “You will be bound to see that the green shoots of your English level start to grow.”?

A．Great efforts.	B．Signs of improving.
C．Learning ability.	D．Change in method.

【小题2】Fill in the blank in the sentence “When it is achieved, there will be other plans to _________.”

A．shoot at

B．shoot up

C．shoot down

D．shoot through

【小题3】If you are suffering from the consequence of the plan without full consideration, we say you are __________.

A．shooting the breeze	B．shooting your mouth off
C．shooting yourself in the foot	D．shooting questions at somebody

【小题4】Choose a word to complete the sentence “__________ is one of the oldest sport events, which is popular with people both at home and abroad.”

A．Shooter

B．Shoot

C．Shot

D．Shooting

Reading Comprehension

Read the following passages, and choose the best answer that can answer the question.

　　One morning in April, Jim Reed checked his e－mail. He found a strange message on the e－mail. It was from a woman in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He had talked to her on c mail many times in the last ten days. All the other messages were fun and interesting to read. This message was different.

　　The message said, “Good－bye loved kowihn yu I amj leavig.”

　　Mr Reed was frightened by the message. He tried to understand the words that were not spelled right. He quickly wrote a message to his new friend.

　　“What do you mean by the message you just sent me?”

　　He waited but did not get an answer. He wrote back, “Please talk to me.”

　　Finally, she wrote, “I m falllljg aseep wat ti sat gildgye tin y frnds.” Mr Reed thought hard about this message. “Is she going to kill herself?” he thought.

　　“What is your phone number?” he typed. The woman sent a phone number. Mr Reed called. At first the phone was busy. Then it just rang and rang. He called help in Pittsburgh. They connected him with the police. Reed told his story. Then he told them what his friend wrote.

　　The police and paramedics quickly went to the woman's house. When she didn't answer the doorbell, they broke in. they found her on the floor near the computer. She told them, “I took 60 pills.” The paramedics rushed her to the hospital.

　　“Mr Reed did a great job of saving this woman,” the police captain said. “If he hadn't guessed at the e－message, she would be dead now.” the woman is fine now, and she thanks Mr Reed for saving her life.

1．How did Mr Reed meet his new friends?

[　　]

A．By writing letters.

B．By sending e－mail.

C．By meeting them.

D．By talking over the phone.

2．How long did they write e－mail to each other?

[　　]

A．Less than ten days.

B．More than ten days.

C．Ten days exactly.

D．Ten days or so.

3．What was different about the e－mail message this time?

[　　]

A．The words were not spelled right.

B．His friend suddenly said goodbye to him.

C．His friend said she wanted to go home.

D．She said she wanted to go to bed.

4．How did the woman try to kill herself?

[　　]

A．She had too much wine.

B．She slept too much.

C．She had too much pills.

D．She hadn't eaten anything for days.

5．Which of the following is closest to “I m falllljg aseep wat ti sat gildgye tin y frnds”?

[　　]

A．I am falling asleep want to say goodbye to my friends.

B．I am feeling a sheep what till sat guilty to my friends.

C．I am falling a sheep want till say good day to your friends.

D．I am falling my sleep what to say to get a tin for my friends.

When you leave school，you can breathe sigh of relief and leave learning behind，right？Wrong！Learning should last a lifetime. You exercise your body to stay strong，and you should exercise your mind to stay sharp.

An English idiom says，“You can’t teach an old dog new tricks.” But scientists have discovered that isn’t true. Older people can learn，and they should，in order to keep their brain active. Now a new trend has begun in several states in the US that encourages learning. Adults can attend One Day University. They can spend a Saturday or Sunday hearing four 70-minute lectures. Each one is given by a top university professor. One of the original participants said，“It’s like a health club for the brain.” Also，universities like MIT have made all of their courses and lectures available online for free！Libraries offer learning programs too. With so much available，there is no excuse not to learn!

Learning is a habit. Don’t leave it behind after you leave school. On the website lifehack.org，author Scott Young mentions several things to help you.

Always have a book. It doesn’t matter if you read fast or slow. Just read. If you read just one book a week，you’ll read 52 over the course of a year. Think of the knowledge you’ll gain!

Practice it. As you read，do something with what you’ve learned. Don’t just enjoy the mental exercise. Use the knowledge. If you read about painting，try it!

Make a “to learn” list. Compose a “to learn” list for yourself. Maybe you want to speak better English，play the piano，or cook French food. Whatever interests you，put it on your list and then make the time to do it.

Teach others. Whatever you learn，teach someone else. You’ll not only help others but also understand what you’ve learned.

What’s the best title for this passage?

  A．Make learning last a lifetime.

  B．What you should do after leaving school.

  C．Several tips on learning.

  D．A new trend in learning.

What does the underlined part in Paragraph 1 mean?

  A．You don’t need to consider what you have learnt after graduation.

  B．You can relax as you have escaped from the hard life of studying.

  C．Leaving learning behind is what you should do after a break.

  D．You should have a good rest and then go on learning.

How many ways of learning for adults in the US are mentioned in Paragraph 2?

  A．One.   B．Two.   C．Three.     D．Four.

Which of the following is NOT a suggestion made by Scott Young in the passage?

  A．Keep learning as a habit.

  B．Always have a book.

  C．List what you want to learn.

  D．Teach others what you learn.