A year ago, I paid no attention to English idioms（习语）, though my teacher told us 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 a right 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 interrupted（打断）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.” I realized 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．I had no interest in them

B．English idioms were very difficult

C．I did not realize the importance of them

D．my teacher didn’t tell us the importance of them

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

A．I had talked too much                    B．I had to stop talking

C．he was not interested in the topic           D．he was only interested in the Great Wall

3.“…was shown in an amusing experience.” The word “amusing” probably means     .

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

4.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A．The Englishman wanted me to act as his guide.

B．The Englishman left China without seeing the Great Wall.

C．The Englishman wanted to see the Great Wall after I talked about it.

D．The Englishman visited the Great Wall and thought it worth visiting.

5.After the Englishman explained the idiom, ___________.

A．I felt very silly                          B．the Englishman became a real fool

C．I became more careful in everything         D．I thought the Englishman had made me a fool

 

When I was a foreign teacher in China, every day I taught English to my students and they taught me about China. One day the topic turned to saying “ I love you”. I was shocked to learn that not one of my students has said this to their mothers, nor had their mothers said it to them. “Does your mother love you?” “ Of course,” they answered.

“ How do you know?” was my logical question. They responded that their moms cooked and always told them what they were doing wrong to show their caring. I was stunned. So mom’s cooking and criticizing read out as “I love you”. “Then do you say‘I love you’to her?” They agreed that getting good grades, followed by good jobs would be how they showed their love.

I come from a culture where most people are expressive enough, so I repeated these questions in classes over time. Gradually, I began to get different responses. Some of them had exchanged those sentiments with their moms.

One of my favourite stories of change came from a girl. When she came home from university, her mother met her at the door and hugged her. This had never happened before, but her mom said, “ Now that you have gone, I have more time to myself. I noticed that in some places mothers and children hug each other and decided it was a good idea and that I would begin hugging you.”

In my family we all say “I love you” a lot. While it is true that we often say the words without having great depth of feelings at that moment, it is almost like a blessing we give each other. Those three words carry a world of meaning, even when said as a greeting, but most especially if they are the last words we say to or hear from those we love.

1. Chinese people prefer to show love by __________.

A. saying “I love you”      B. cooking

C. getting good grades      D. doing something helpful

2. The underlined word “stunned” mean________ in Chinese.

A. 好笑       B.难受   C. 震惊       D. 有趣

3. In paragraph 4, what’s the real meaning of the mom’s hugging?

A. She is meeting her daughter at the door.

B. She loves her daughter and misses her.

C. She is glad that she has more time to herself.

D. She finds it interesting to hug her daughter.

4. Which of the following statements is RIGHT?

A. Chinese people never show love to their mothers.

B. Chinese students express love to their mothers by studying hard and trying to get good jobs.

C. In foreign countries people have great depth of feelings to say “I love you”.

D. People from different countries will never understand each other.

5. What’s the main idea of the passage?

A. Say “I love you” more to your family.

B. Say “I love you” a lot to Chinese people.

C. Say “I love you” as a greeting to others.

D. Say “I love you” without great depth of feelings.

 

Scientists are placing robotic dogs in the homes of lonely old people to test whether they can improve the quality of life for humans. Alan Beck, an expert(专家) in human-animal relationship, and Nancy Edwards, a professor of nursing, are leading the animal-assisted study on the effect of robotic dogs on old people’s depression (沮丧) , physical activity, and life satisfaction.

         In the study, the robot, called AIBO, is placed for six weeks in the houses of some old people who live alone. Before placing AIBO in the home, scientists will collect baseline data(数据) for six weeks. These old people will keep a diary to note their feelings and activity before and after AIBO. Then, the scientists will review the data to test if it has produced any changes in the life of its owner.

         “I talk to him all the time, and he responds to my voice,” says a seventy-year-old lady. “When I’m watching TV, he’ll stay in my arms until he wants down. He has his own mind.”

The AIBOs respond to certain orders. The scientists say they have some advantages over live dogs, especially for old people. Often the elderly are disabled and cannot care for an animal by walking it or playing with it. A robotic dog removes exercise and feeding concerns.

       “At the beginning, it was believed that no one would relate(与……相关) to the robotic dog, because it was metal and not furry.” Beck says. “Hopefully, down the road, these robotic pets could become a more-valuable health helper. They will record their masters’ blood pressure, oxygen levels or heart rhythms(心律). AIBOs may even one day have games that can help stimulate(刺激) older people’s minds.”

1.The purpose of Beck and Edwards’ study is to _____________.

A. understand human-animal relationship

B. make lonely old people’s life better

C. find the causes of old people’s loneliness

D. improve the animal-assisted research

2. In the research, the old people are asked to _____________.

A. note the activities of AIBOs

B. keep AIBOs at home for 12 weeks

C. record their feelings and activity

D. study the collected information

3.What does the underlined word “removes” mean?

A. moves again                   B. is movable         C. doesn’t need                      D. need

4.What is the better point of AIBO than live dogs?

A. It is easier to keep at home.

B. It can help the disabled people.

C. It responds to all the human orders.

D. It can watch TV with its owner.

5.The writer seems to suggest that the future robotic dogs may__________.

A. cure certain diseases                                                B. keep old people active

C. change people’s ideas                                                        D. look more like real dogs

 

Scientists are placing robotic dogs in the homes of lonely old people to test whether they can improve the quality of life for humans. Alan Beck, an expert(专家) in human-animal relationship, and Nancy Edwards, a professor of nursing, are leading the animal-assisted study on the effect of robotic dogs on old people’s depression (沮丧) , physical activity, and life satisfaction.

         In the study, the robot, called AIBO, is placed for six weeks in the houses of some old people who live alone. Before placing AIBO in the home, scientists will collect baseline data(数据) for six weeks. These old people will keep a diary to note their feelings and activity before and after AIBO. Then, the scientists will review the data to test if it has produced any changes in the life of its owner.

         “I talk to him all the time, and he responds to my voice,” says a seventy-year-old lady. “When I’m watching TV, he’ll stay in my arms until he wants down. He has his own mind.”

The AIBOs respond to certain orders. The scientists say they have some advantages over live dogs, especially for old people. Often the elderly are disabled and cannot care for an animal by walking it or playing with it. A robotic dog removes exercise and feeding concerns.

       “At the beginning, it was believed that no one would relate(与……相关) to the robotic dog, because it was metal and not furry.” Beck says. “Hopefully, down the road, these robotic pets could become a more-valuable health helper. They will record their masters’ blood pressure, oxygen levels or heart rhythms(心律). AIBOs may even one day have games that can help stimulate(刺激) older people’s minds.”

1.The purpose of Beck and Edwards’ study is to _____________.

A. understand human-animal relationship

B. make lonely old people’s life better

C. find the causes of old people’s loneliness

D. improve the animal-assisted research

2. In the research, the old people are asked to _____________.

A. note the activities of AIBOs

B. keep AIBOs at home for 12 weeks

C. record their feelings and activity

D. study the collected information

3.What does the underlined word “removes” mean?

A. moves again                   B. is movable         C. doesn’t need                      D. need

4.What is the better point of AIBO than live dogs?

A. It is easier to keep at home.

B. It can help the disabled people.

C. It responds to all the human orders.

D. It can watch TV with its owner.

5.The writer seems to suggest that the future robotic dogs may__________.

A. cure certain diseases                                                B. keep old people active

C. change people’s ideas                                                        D. look more like real dogs

 

When I was a foreign teacher in China，every day I taught English to my students and they taught me about China．One day the topic turned to saying “I love you”．I was shocked to learn that not one of my students had said this to their mothers，nor had their mothers said it to them．“Does your mom love you?” “Of course，”they answered．
“How do you know it?” was my logical question．They responded that their moms cooked and always told them what they were doing wrong to show their caring．I was strummed. So mom's cooking and criticizing read out as “I love you”. “Then how do you say ‘I love you’ to her?” They agreed that getting good grades, followed by good jobs would be how they showed their love.
I come from a culture where most people are expressive enough，so I repeated these queries in classes over time．Gradually，I began to get different responses．Some of them had exchanged those sentiments with their moms．
One of my favorite stories of change came from a girl．When she came home from university，her mother met her at the door and hugged（拥抱）her．This had never happened before，but her mom said，“Now that you have gone I have more time to myself.”I noticed that in some places mothers and children hug each other and I decided it was a good idea and that I would begin hugging you．”
In my family we all say “I love you” a lot．While it is true that we often say the words without having great depth of feelings at that moment，and it is almost like a blessing we give each other. Those three little words carry a world of meaning，even when said as a greeting, but most especially if they are the last words we say to or hear from those we love．
【小题1】The foreign teacher _________．

A．comes from America	B．is a young woman
C．is expressive enough	D．knows much about China

【小题2】Chinese students prefer to show love by __________．

A．saying “I love you”	B．cooking
C．getting good grades	D．doing something helpful

【小题3】In paragraph 4, what's the real meaning of the mom's hugging?

A．She is meeting her daughter at the door．

B．She loves her daughter and misses her．

C．She is glad that she has more time to herself．

D．She finds it interesting to hug her daughter．

【小题4】In paragraph 5, what can we know from the sentence “ In my family we all say ‘I love you’ a lot” ?

A．“I love you.” is a daily greeting.

B．“ Love” is the most important word in our country.

C．They worry about each other.

D．“I love you” are the last words we say or hear from those we love.

【小题5】What's the main idea of the passage?

A．Say “I love you” more to your family．

B．Say “I love you” a lot to Chinese people．

C．Say “I love you” as a greeting to others．

D．Say “I love you” without great depth of feelings．