People use their mouths for many things. They eat, talk, shout and sing. They smile and they kiss. In the English language, there are many expressions about the word“mouth”. But some of them are not so nice. For example, if you say bad things about a person, the person might protest and say “Do not bad mouth me.” Sometimes, people say something to a friend or family member that they later regret because it hurts that people’s feelings. Or they tell the person something they were not supposed to. The speaker might say: “I really put my foot in my mouth this time”. If this should happen, the speaker might feel down in the mouth, In other words, he might feel sad for saying the wrong thing.

Information is often spread through word of mouth. This is general communication between people, like friends talking to each other.” How did you hear about that new movie?” someone might ask,” Oh, by word of mouth.” A more official way of getting information is through a company or government mouthpiece. This is an official spokesperson. Government –run media could also be called a mouthpiece.

Sometimes when one person is speaking, he says the same thing that his friend was going to say. When this happens, the friend might say: “You took the words right out of my mouth!” Sometimes a person has a bad or unpleasant experience with another person. He might say that experience “left a bad taste in my mouth”. Or the person might have had a very frightening experience, like being chased by an angry dog. He might say : “ I had my heart in my mouth.”

1.The underlined words “ down in the mouth” in Paragraph One can be best replaced by _______.

A．ashamed          B．regretful          C．satisfied           D．excited

2.Which could be used to describe one’s fear?

A．By word of mouth                       B．Put one ‘s foot in one’s mouth

C．Take the words right out one’s mouth.      D．Have one’s heart in one’s mouth.

3.The second paragraph of the passage mainly tells us _____.

A．the meaning of two expressions            B．information from folk communication

C．information from official-run media          D．two different ways to get information

4.The author writes the passage in order to _____.

A．introduce some expressions               B．enjoy learning English

C．learn about English culture                D．use words correctly

(2013·高考安徽卷)If you want to learn a new language，the very first thing to think about is why.Do you need it for a____ reason，such as your job or your studies？____ perhaps you’re interested in the ____，films or music of a different country and you know how much it will help to have a ____ of the language.

Most people learn best using a variety of ____，but traditional classes are an ideal(理想的)start for many people.They ____ an environment where you can practice under the ___ of someone who’s good at the language.We all lead ____ lives and learning a language takes ____.You will have more success if you study regularly，so try to develop a ___.It doesn’t matter if you haven’t got long.Becoming fluent in a language will take years，but learning to get by takes____.

Many people start learning a language and soon give up.“I’m too____，”they say.Yes，children do learn languages more ____ than adults，but research has shown that you can learn a language at any ____.And learning is good for the health of your brain，too.I’ve also heard people ___ about the mistakes they make when ____.Well，relax and laugh about your mistakes ____ you’re much less likely to make them again.

Learning a new language is never ____.But with some work and devotion，you’ll make progress.And you’ll be ____ by the positive reaction of some people when you say just a few words in ____ own language.Good luck!

1.A.technical??? B．political

C．practical??? D．physical

2.A.After?? B．So

C．Though??? D．Or

3.A literature?? B．transport

C．agriculture? D．medicine

4.A view? B．knowledge

C．form??? D．database

5.A paintings?? B．regulations

C．methods? D．computers

6.A.protect? B．change

C．respect??? D．provide

7.A.control? B．command

C．guidance??? D．pressure

8.A.busy? B．happy

C．simple? D．normal

9.A.courage?? B．time

C．energy? D．place

10.A.theory?? B．business

C．routine? D．project

11.A.some risks? B．a lot less

C．some notes?? D．a lot more

12.A.old?? B．nervous

C．weak? D．tired

13.A.closely? B．quickly

C．privately?? D．quietly

14.A.age?? B．speed

C．distance??? D．school

15.A.worry?? B．hesitate

C．think?? D．quarrel

16.A.singing? B．working

C．bargaining??? D．learning

17.A.if?? B．and

C．but??? D． before

18.A.tiresome?? B．hard

C．interesting??? D．easy

19.A.blamed??? B．amazed

C．interrupted?? D．informed

20.A.their??? B．his

C．our??? D，your

Do dogs understand us?

Be careful what you say around your dog. It might understand more than you think.

A border collie博德牧羊犬 named Rico recognizes the names of about 200 objects, say researchers in Germany. The dog also appears to be able to learn new words as easily as a 3-year-old child. Its word-learning skills are as good as those of a parrot or chimpanzee(黑猩猩).

In one experiment, the researchers took all 200 items that Rico is supposed to know and divided them into 20 groups of 10 objects. Then the owner told the dog to go and fetch one of the items and bring it back. In four tests, Rico got 37 out of 40 commands right. As the dog couldn't see anyone to get clues, the scientists believe Rico must understand the meanings of certain words.

In another experiment, the scientists took one toy that Rico had never seen before and put it in a room with seven toys whose names the dog already knew. The owner then told Rico to fetch the object, using a word the dog had never heard before.

The correct object was chosen in seven out of l0 tests, suggesting that the dog had worked out the answer by the process of elimination(排除法). A month later, Rico remembered half of the new names, which is even more impressive.          

Rico is thought to be smarter than the average dog. For one thing, Rico is a border collie, a breed (品种)known for its mental abilities. In addition, the 9-year-old dog has been trained to fetch toys by their names since the age of nine months.

It's hard to know if all dogs understand at least some of the words we say. Even if they do, they can't talk back. Still, it wouldn't hurt to sweet-talk your dog every now and then. You might just get a big, wet kiss in return!

1.From paragraph 2 we know that ____________..

A．animals are as clever as human beings

B．dogs are smarter than parrots and chimpanzees

C．chimpanzees have very good word-learning skills

D．dogs have similar 'learning abilities as 3-year-old children

2.Both experiments show that             .

A．Rico is smart enough to get all commands right

B．Rico can recognize different things including toys

C．Rico has developed the ability of learning mathematics

D．Rico won't forget the names of objects once recognizing them

3.Which of the following statements is true?

A．The purpose of the experiments is to show the border collie's mental abilities.

B．Rico has a better memory partly because of its proper early training.

C．The border collie is world-famous for recognizing objects.

D．Rico is born to understand its owner's commands.

4.What does the writer want to tell us?

A．To train your dog.

B．To talk with your dog.

C．To be friendly to your dog.

D．To be careful with your dog.

A year ago, I paid no attention to English idioms, though my teacher emphasized 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 astonished, gently shaking his head, shrugging his shoulders, he said,“You don’t say!” I was puzzled. I thought, perhaps this is not an appropriate 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 magnificent.” 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 interrupted 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 request 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 I had made a fool of myself. Since then I have been more careful with idiomatic expressions. Remember: what the English teachers said is always right to us students.

1.A year ago, I paid no attention to English idioms because_________.

A．English idioms were not important

B．I had no interest in English learning

C．my teacher didn’t emphasize the importance of them

D．I cared little about the teacher’s instruction

2.At first, on hearing “You don’t say”, I thought the foreigner meant_________.

A．I had talked too much

B．he was only interested in the Great Wall

C．he was not interested in the topic

D．I had to stop talking

3.The underlined word “amusing” in paragraph 1 means_________.

A．funny            B．important         C．lucky             D．terrible

4.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 silly

D．I became more careful in everything

5.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 visiting.

—You can't get a profit without any risk or effort.

—There's _________ in what you say.I'll take your advice.

A.something                 B.nothing                            C.anything             D.everything