阅读短文，根据短文内容回答问题。
Idioms are one of the hardest parts of learning a language. An idiom is a phrase which has a meaning, but the meaning is not clear from the words themselves. They are like puzzles. If you translate an idiom word for word, it sometimes makes no sense at all. That’s why even native speakers can get confused when someone uses a phrase that they’ve never heard of.
Here are four common English idioms every English student should know in a lot of situations.
1.Get your act together (Meaning: you need to improve your behaviour/work)
This might be something your teacher says to you if you score badly in an exam or if you misbehave in class. You can also use it to talk about people in general. For example, if your friend is being mean for no reason, then you can tell them that they need to get their act together.
2.Pull yourself together (Meaning: calm down)
It’s not polite to say “pull yourself together”to tell people to relax while they’re overreacting (反应过激). Only use this if you think the person you are speaking to is getting upset over something important. When your friend tells you that their close relative has died, it is NOT the time to tell them to pull themselves together.
3.I’m feeling under the weather (Meaning: I’m sick)
Yes, it’s longer and more difficult to say than “I’m sick”, but if your English teacher asks you why you haven’t done your homework, he or she is more likely to forgive (原谅) you if you say that you were feeling under the weather.
4.Break a leg (Meaning: good luck!)
This is perhaps one of the most confusing yet well-known English idioms. If someone says this to you, do not think they are frightening you; they are just wishing you luck. It is most often used for people wishing success to actors and actresses before they perform on the stage, but it can be said in other situations, too.
All in all, learning a new language can be challenging. It’s certainly not a piece of cake, especially when there are so many confusing idioms. However, with enough hard work and interest, you will succeed in no time. Break a leg!
1.What is an idiom?
2.How many common English idioms are talked about in the passage?
3.Is it polite to say“pull yourself together”to tell people to relax while they’re overreacting?
4.Which idiom can you use to wish somebody luck?
5.What is the passage mainly about?
Most people hope to have a memory which helps them succeed in study, work and life. Can memory be improved? Luckily, hundreds of studies in the past 50 years have already given us a clear answer.
A healthy lifestyle keeps your brain young and memory sharp. First of all, it is necessary to have a healthy diet. Eating more food rich in B vitamins and Vitamin E, such as vegetables and lean meat, helps you have a better memory. Second, doing exercise can keep your brain alive, too. Proper exercise provides much needed oxygen for the brain. Running, riding a bike, swimming and even walking two or three times a week are helpful. Third, getting enough sleep is important. Only when your brain gets a good rest, can it work well. The healthier your lifestyle is, the better your memory will become, but do not expect a sudden change—it takes a long time to make a difference.
Memory skills help you remember things better. The following three are the most widely used. Chunking is a way of remembering a piece of information by cutting it into smaller ones. For example, to memorize a ten—digit telephone number 2127983630, you can divide the digits into three groups: first 212, then 798, and lastly 3630.This method is much more effective. Organization means organizing information into groups of the same kind. For example, trees, grass and flowers are plants; tigers, pandas, horses and cows are animals. Imagery is remembering newly learnt information by using your imagination and connecting it with something that you are familiar with.
However, memory skills will hardly work if you don't understand the information. What's more, only a regular (有规律的) review can make the memory last long. That is why students are always advised to go over what they have learnt after one day and then after three days, and then use it as regularly as possible.
Human brains are like muscles that need nutrients and exercise to become stronger. If you make a few lifestyle changes and try some memory skills, you can certainly improve your memory.
1.How many ways of keeping a healthy lifestyle are mentioned in the passage?
A.Two B.Three C.Four D.Five
2.Which of the following examples is the use of the skill "organization"?
A.Remembering the word "yellow" by putting it into the group of "color".
B.Remembering the meaning of the word "red" by connecting it with fire.
C.Remembering a long and difficult passage by understanding its meaning.
D.Remembering the post number 0708591 by diving it into 070 and 8571
3.According to the passage, why should students go over what they have learnt?
A.To use it better every day B.To understand it in a better way
C.To improve memory skills D.To remember it for a longer time
4.Which of the following maybe the best title of the passage?
A.Does Good Memory Help You Succeed.
B.A Healthy Lifestyle, A good Memory.
C.Memory Needs Skillful Training.
D.A Healthy Lifestyle with Memory Skills, You Get a good memory.
Do you want to be a very successful person? Being successful needs a lot, such as knowledge, hard work and maybe sometimes luck. Some experts(专家)share advice on how to become successful. Most experts agree on one thing：starting your day on the right foot is the most important.
Collected from the advice, here are some ideas on how to start your day off right:
Get up an hour early. People who get up early in the morning have a jump on the day. The morning may be the best part of your day when you can do your best work. "The early bird gets the worm." It means that people who get up early have a head start so they are more possible to succeed.
Drink a glass of lemon water. Why? Health experts say that drinking some lemon water first in the morning jump-starts the body's metabolism(新陈代谢). Not only does it jump-start your body's cells(细胞), but this kind of drink keeps them moving throughout the day.
Don' t answer email or jump into social media(社交媒体) as soon as you get up. During breakfast, you decide to check your email or open up your Wechat. You see some Wechat moments from friends. They post pictures to tell about something happy, sad, interesting or boring. Before you notice it, 10 minutes has passed! You hurry out of the door not to be late for school. This is not a good way to start your day.
Exercise! Running on the playground with friends may be a great way to start your day. Exercise experts often suggest some exercise in the morning because the middle of the day is busy for most people. By the day's end, you may feel too tired to exercise. How many times have you finished school and said to yourself, "I'm too tired to exercise! I'll do it tomorrow."
Think about your day at night, Take time at the end of the day to think back on all the things that you have done. You probably didn't have time to do everything you planned. But that's fine. If you did one thing, that means you are one step closer in reaching your goals(目标). And spend a little time thinking about tomorrow.
You will be successful as long as you start your day on the right foot.
1.Some experts think if we want to become successful, it is the most important to ________.
A.have some good luck B.work very hard at night
C.learn some knowledge D.begin our day in the right way
2.According to the passage, the writer believes that ________.
A.it's a great way to share moments on Wechat in the morning
B.drinking lemon water in the morning can help us fight colds
C.people who get up early in the morning are all very successful
D.it's good to do one thing that you plan a day and get close to your goals
3.What does the passage mainly talk about?
A.How to start your day on the right foot B.How to set a goal for tomorrow
C.What exercise to do in the day D.What to think about at night
When I was 14 years old, I used to babysit (做临时保姆) for the lady next door. Every two weeks she would pay me $80. I always looked forward to getting paid so I could go to the shopping centre with my friends on Saturday and spend the money on my favourite things.
One Friday evening I heard my mom on the phone with our neighbor and I heard her say a fewtimes, “Oh, that is terrible.” After my mom hung up, I asked what was wrong. She said that the neighbor had no food in her house and that she didn’t know what she was going to feed her daughter with. Her husband had spent their money on beer and got angry because his wife asked for money to buy groceries (食品杂货). He began to pull dishes out of the cupboards (壁橱) and threw them at the wall. So, the lady didn’t have any groceries or dishes.
I had an idea. I asked my mom to drive me to McDonald’s.I bought the lady and her daughter dinner with the babysitting money she had given me. After I had taken them dinner, I asked my mom to take me to the store and I bought the lady dishes and groceries with the rest of the money. When I knocked on the front door, the lady gave me a big hug and told me how grateful she was that I helped her. When Saturday came around, I didn’t have any money to go to the shopping centre with my friends, but I didn’t care, because I felt great that I was able to help this family.
Later, we moved away from the area. I saw our neighbor three times and she always told me how much she thanked me for caring her and her daughter.
1.The writer always looked forward to getting paid, so she could ________.
A.buy dishes for her mum B.spend money on McDonald’s
C.buy food for the lady’s daughter D.spend the money on her favourite things
2.What did the writer buy for the lady?
A.McDonald’s, dishes and beer. B.Groceries, cupboard and dishes.
C.McDonald’s, dishes and groceries. D.McDonald’s, groceries and cupboard.
3.How did the lady feel when the writer helped her?
A.Surprised. B.Thankful. C.Terrible. D.Angry.
My Favorite Story… |
Mary The Kissing Hand is my favorite story. It’s about Chester and his mum. School is starting, but Chester doesn’t want to go. To help ease Chester's fears, his mum shares a family secret called the Kissing Hand to give him her love. And she told him her love would go with him wherever he went. |
Lily My favorite story is Rent Party Jaz. It’s about Sonny and his mother. They are very poor. One day Sonny meets Jack, a jazz musician. Jack offers to play at a party at Sonny’s house to help raise money. The neighbors all come to drop coins for them. Sonny and his mum are deeply moved with the help of them. |
Tom I enjoy Carla’s Sandwich best. It happens at Carla’s school. When Carla brings her sandwiches to school, her classmates have plenty to say about them. “That’s sick!” says Leslie. “That’s bad!” says Natie. But Carla thinks otherwise. “It’s unique(独特的). It’s creative.” Just like Carla. |
Mike Catching the Moon is my favorite. It’s the story of a young girl’s baseball dream. Marcenia Lyle is interested in baseball. She struggled to overcome the objections of family, friends and coaches. When she finally won a position in a baseball summer camp, she was on her way to catching her dream. |
1.Mary’s favorite story is __________.
A.Rent Party Jaz B.Carla’s Sandwich
C.Catching the Moon D.The Kissing Hand
2.Jack is a __________.
A.student B.musician
C.coach D.creator
3.Marcenis Lyle __________.
A.doesn’t want to go to school B.hasn’t got enough money
C.likes eating sandwiches D.is interested in baseball
One pleasant New Year morning, Edward got up and dressed himself in a hurry. He wanted to be the ______ to wish a happy New Year.
He looked in every room, and shouted "Happy New Year" to every one of his family. Then he ran into the street to repeat it to those he met. When he came back, his father gave him two new dollars. His face lighted ______as he took them. He had wished for a long time to buy some nice ______.
As he ran down the street with a light heart to the bookshop, he saw an old man walking ______ in the cold wind.
"I wish you a happy New Year," said Edward. The man shook his head, because he could not understand or speak English. But he pointed to his mouth, as if to say, "I have had_______to eat for a long time."
Edward quickly understood that the man was poor and in ______. He ______out his dollars and gave them all to the man. He said something in his language, which meant, "Thank you very much, and I will remember you forever." When Edward came home, his father asked what books he had bought. He hung his head a moment, but quickly looked up. "I have bought no books," said he, "I gave my money to a ______ man, who seemed to be very hungry. I think I can wait for my book until next New Year. "My dear boy," said his father, "here are two dollars. I give them to you, more as a reward（奖励） for your kindness than as a New -Year gift."
"Always be ready to help people around you and every year of your life will be a HAPPY NEW YEAR!"
1.A.best B.first C.next D.right
2.A.left B.right C.up D.down
3.A.books B.toys C.clothes D.CDs
4.A.happily B.lively C.slowly D.confidently
5.A.something B.nothing C.everything D.anything
6.A.happiness B.trouble C.chance D.luck
7.A.gave B.sold C.took D.checked
8.A.funny B.crazy C.poor D.lazy
