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.

1.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

2.The underlined word in the first paragraph probably means_______.

A. interesting          B. important    C. terrible        D. unlucky

3.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.

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 foolish

D. I became more careful in everything

 

完形填空(共20小题；每小题1.5分，满分30分)

阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后从36~55各题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。

Until 1954 it was thought that no man could run one mile in less than four minutes.As years

   36   ，the record came closer and closer to four minutes and Roger Bannister,a young English

   37   , began to believe he might   38   this almost magic barrier.

It was a cold afternoon on May 6th,1954,when Bannister knew he had a    39    chance. Bannister had been     40     hard and was very fit,but the weather conditions were a real   41  

to him.Describing the     42     later,Bannister said,“On the way to the track the wind blew strongly.As I     43     for the start I glanced at the flag.It moved   44   now.This was the moment when I made my decision.

“The gun fired.My legs   45   to meet no resistance,as if I was   46   forward by some unknown force.The noise from the faithful   47   gave me greater strength.I felt the   48   of a lifetime had come.”

“I was driven on by a   49   of fear and pride.My body had long since used up all its energy   50   it went on running just the same.This was the critical moment when my legs were strong enough to carry me over the last few yards as they   51   could have done in previous years.When I leapt at(冲向) the   52   tape,I fell,almost__ 53_____.”

“I knew I had done it,even before I   54   the time.The announcement came.‘Result of the one mile...Time,three minutes...’ the rest was   55   in the noise of excitement.”

36.A.passed along         B.passed down              C.went by              D.went over

37.A.coach                   B.athlete                       C.captain               D.judge

38.A.defeat                   B.move                        C.beat                   D.break

39.A.real                      B.lucky                        C.serious               D.false

40.A.competing            B.training                     C.fighting              D.attending

41.A.eagerness              B.pleasure                    C.relief                 D.worry

42.A.accident                B.event                        C.issue                  D.topic

43.A.did up                  B.made up                    C.put up                D.lined up

44.A.safely                   B.heavily                      C.thinly                 D.gently

45.A.seemed                 B.used                          C.happened            D.had

46.A.dragged                      B.drawn                       C.pulled                D.pushed

47.A.mass                    B.residents                    C.crowd                D.team

48.A.moment                B.period                       C.while                 D.date

49.A.concentration        B.collection                  C.combination              D.classification

50.A.so                        B.but                           C.or                      D.as

51.A.never                   B.ever                          C.even                  D.still

52.A.starting                 B.lasting                       C.finishing            D.running

53.A.unconcerned         B.unconscious               C.unknown            D.unnoticed

54.A.offered                 B.told                          C.announced          D.heard

55.A.stuck                    B.involved                    C.lost                    D.spread

 

Pass Your Love On

Waiting for the airplane to take off, I was happy to get a seat by myself. Just then, an air hostess approached me and asked, “Would you mind   36   your seat? A couple would like to sit together.” The only   37  seat was next to a girl with her arms in casts (石膏绷带)，a black-and-blue face, and a sad expression. “   38   am I going to sit there,” I thought immediately. But a soft voice spoke, “She needs help.” Finally, I     39 _  to move to that seat.

The girl was named Kathy. She   40   in a car accident and now was on her way for_ 41   .

When the snack and juice arrived, it did not take me long to   42   that Kathy would not be able to   43   herself. I considered   44   to feed her but hesitated, as it seemed too   45   to offer a service to a   46___. But then I realized that Kathy’s need was more   47   than my discomfort. I offered to help her eat, and   48   she was uncomfortable to accept, she   49   as I expected. We became closer and closer in a short period of time. By the end of the five-hour trip, my heart   50   , and the   51   was really better spent than if I had just sat by myself.

I was very glad I had reached   52   my comfort zone(地带) to sit next to Kathy and feed her. Love   53  flows beyond human borders（边界） and removes the fears that keep us   54  . When we   55   to serve another, we grow to live in a larger and more rewarding world.

1. A. losing          B. changing   C. taking      D. bringing

2. A. comfortable  B. suitable  C. available   D. favorite

3. A. No problem       B. No way    C. Nowhere     D. No doubt

4. A. decided      B. wanted    C. regretted   D. refused

5. A. was          B. would be  C. used to be  D. had been

6. A. treatment    B. travel    C. pleasure    D. business

7. A. see          B. say       C. realize     D. recognize

8. A. eat        B. feed           C. choose        D. support

9. A. offering  B. needing        C. stopping      D. trying

10. A. impolite B. far            C. good          D. fast

11. A. interpreter  B. neighbor     C. passenger        D. stranger

12. A. unusual    B. direct        C. important     D. shameful

13. A. when       B. although      C. since         D. as

14. A. refused    B. wondered      C. cried         D. did

15. A. had warmed     B. had jumped    C. had broken    D.hadcheered

16. A. life       B. money         C. time          D. energy

17. A. below          B. through       C. across        D. beyond

18.  A. seldom    B. never         C. hardly        D. sometimes

19. A. separate  B. independent   C. silent        D. upset

20. A. happen         B. offer         C. wait          D. continue

 

Dear Guys,

I’d like to talk to you about the shame you subjected me to last night. Let me first refresh your memory: You, a group of fit, young men, were playing soccer on the field across from my apartment building. I, a better-than-average looking young woman, was walking along the sidewalk with my groceries. That’s when your ball came flying over the fence and landed in front of me.

One of you approached and asked politely if I would throw the ball back to you. Fighting the urge to drop my bags and run screaming down the street, I reluctantly (勉强地) agreed.

Before I continue, let me explain something that I didn’t have a chance to mention last night: I hate sports. More specifically, I hate sports involving balls. This results from my lack of natural ability when it comes to throwing, catching and hitting. I’m bad at aiming too. So you can understand why I’d be nervous at what I’m sure seemed to you like a laughably simple request.

However, wanting to appear agreeable, I put my bags down, picked up the ball and, eyes half-shut, threw it as hard as I could.

It hit the middle of the fence and bounced back to me.

Trying to act casually, I said something about being out of practice, then picked up the ball again. If you’ll remember, at your command, I agreed to try throwing underhand. While outwardly I was smiling, in my head, I was praying, Oh God, oh please oh please oh please. I threw the ball upward with all my strength, terrified by what happened next.

The ball hit slightly higher up on the fence and bounced back to me.

This is the point where I start to take issue with you. Wouldn’t it have been a better use of your time, and mine, if you had just walked around the fence and took the ball then? I was clearly struggling; my smiles were more and more forced. And yet, you all just stood there, motionless.

Seeing that you weren’t going to let me out of the trouble, I became desperate. Memories of middle school softball came flooding back. I tried hard to throw the ball but it only went about eight feet, then I decided to pick it up and dash with ball in hand towards the baseline, while annoyed thirteen-year-old boys screamed at me that I was ruining their lives. Children are cruel.

Being a big girl now, I pushed those memories aside and picked up the soccer ball for the third time. I forced a good-natured laugh while crying inside as you patiently shouted words of support over the fence at me.

“Throw it granny-style!” one of you said.

“Just back up a little and give it all you’ve got!” another offered.

And, most embarrassing of all, “You can do it!”

I know you thought you were being encouraging, but it only served to deepen the shame.

Anyway, I accepted your ball-throwing advice, backed up, rocked back and forth a little, took a deep breath and let it fly.

It hit the edge of the fence and bounced back to me.

I surprised myself-and I’m sure you as well-by letting out a cry, “DAMN IT!!!” I then willed myself to have a heart attack and pass out in front of you just so I’d be put out of my misery.

Alas, the heart attack didn’t happen, and you continued to look at me expectantly, like you were content to do this all night. I had become a sort of exhibition for you. I could feel your collective thoughts drifting through the chain-link: “Can she really not do it? But I mean, really?”

Unfortunately for you, I wasn’t really game to continue your experiment. Three failed attempts at a simple task in front of a group of people in a two-minute period was just enough blow for me for one night. I picked up the ball one last time, approached the fence and grumbled, “Please just come get the damn ball.”

And you did. And thanks to you, I decided at that very moment to never throw anything ever again, except disrespectful glances at people who play sports.

Sincerely, Jen Cordery

1.The writer agreed to throw the ball because ______.

A. she needed to have a relax carrying the heavy groceries

B. she wanted to refresh her childhood memories

C. she could not refuse the polite request from the young man

D. she had fallen in love with the young man at first sight

2.Why did the writer mention her middle school memory?

A. To explain why she failed the attempts to throw the ball back.

B. To complain that she had not mastered the ball throwing skills.

C. To show how cruel those 13-year-old boys were.

D. To express her dislike towards softball.

3. What the boys said before the writer’s third attempt actually made the writer _______.

A. inspired                B. encouraged             C. embarrassed                  D. depressed

4.What happened to the ball at last?

A. The writer managed to throw the ball back.

B. The boy got the ball back by himself.

C. The writer threw the ball away out of anger.

D. The boys got angry and left without the ball.

 

We lived in a very quiet neighborhood. One evening I heard a loud crash in the street. Earlier that evening my wife had asked me to go to the store to get some soft drinks. It seemed like this would be a good time to let my teenage daughter Holly practice her driving, so I sent her to the store in my truck. At dinner my son talked about how much he liked my truck. I enjoyed having it, but I said, "Guy, my heart is not set on that truck. I like it but it is just metal and won't last forever. Never set your heart on anything that won't last." After hearing the loud noise, the whole family ran outside. My son shouted, "Dad! Dad! Holly crashed your truck."

   My heart sank and my mind was flooded with conflicting thoughts. Was anyone hurt? Who else was involved? As I ran to the door, I heard a voice in my heart say, "Here is a chance to show Holly what you really love. She'll never forget it."

   The accident had occurred in my own driveway. Holly had crashed my truck into our other vehicle, the family van. In her inexperience, she had confused the brakes and the gas pedal (油门). Holly was unhurt physically but when reached her, she was crying and saying, “Oh, Dad, I'm sorry. I know how much you love this truck." I held her in my arms as she cried.

   Later that week a friend dropped by and asked what had happened to my truck. I told her the whole story. Her eyes moistened（润湿） and she said, "That happened to me when I was a girl. I borrowed my dad's car and ran into a log that had fallen across the road. I ruined the car. When I got home, my dad knocked me to the ground and began to kick me."

   Over 40 years later, she still felt the pain of the night. It was a deep wound on her soul. I remember how sad Holly was on the night she crashed our truck, and how I comforted her. One day, when Holly thinks back on her life, I want her to know that I love her a thousand times more than any piece of property. I repaired the van, but the dent (凹陷） in my truck is still there today. Every day it reminds me of what really matters in my life.

1.What caused the crash?

A. The brakes weren't working.

B. Holly stepped on the gas pedal instead of the brakes.

C. Holly was drinking a soft drink while driving.

D. The car got a fiat tire and Holly lost control.

2.What happened to the author's friend after she ruined her dad's car?

A. She suffered physical pain for a long time.

B. She lost the courage to drive.

C. Her father kicked her out of the house.

D. Her father was violent towards her.

3.Which of the following descriptions is true according to the passage?

A. When the author first learned about the crash, he regretted sending his daughter to the store.

B. The author allowed his daughter to use his truck because his son was too young to drive.

C. When the author saw the crash, he was sorry for the damage to his beloved car.

D. By comforting his daughter, the author showed how much more he loved her than his truck.

4.What does the underlined sentence imply?

A. The wound recovered after 40 years.

B. Her soul was deeply hurt.

C. The hurt caused by her father affected her all the time.

D. Parents shouldn't beat their children.

5.The main idea of the story is that ______.

A. love is more important than possessions

B. parents should never let a teenager drive

C. there is no point blaming someone after an accident

D. we should always forgive others' mistakes