A person's nose is important for breathing and smelling. The nose is also used in many popular expressions. Some people are able to "lead other people by the nose". For example, if a wife "leads her husband by the nose", she makes him do whatever she wants him to do. Some people are said to be "hard-nosed". They will not change their opinions or positions on anything. If someone is "hard-nosed", chances are that he will never "pay through the nose", or pay too much money, for an object or service.
It is always helpful when people "keep their noses out of other people's business"—they do not interfere. The opposite of this is someone who "noses around all the time". This kind of person is interested in other people's private matters. He is considered "nosey". Someone who "keeps his nose to the grindstone "works very hard. This can help a worker "keep his nose clean" or stay out of trouble.
One unusual expression is "it is no skin off my nose". This means that a situation does not affect or concern me. We also say that sometimes a person "cuts off his nose to spite his face". That is, he makes a situation worse for himself by doing something foolish because he is angry. More problems can develop if a person "looks down his nose" at someone or something. The person acts like something is unimportant or worthless. This person might also "turn his nose up" at something that he considers not good enough. This person thinks he is better than everyone else. He is "with his nose in the air".
In school, some students "thumb their noses" at their teacher—they refuse to obey orders or do any work. Maybe these students do not know the correct answers. My mother always told me, if you study hard, the answers should be "right under your nose" or easily seen.
1. Which of the following can best describe a "hard-nosed" person?| A．Stubborn. | B．Wise. |
| C．Jealous | D．Generous. |
| A．"keeps his nose clean" |
| B．"noses around all the time" |
| C．"keeps his nose to the grindstone" |
| D．"keeps his nose out of other peoples business" |
| A．"it is no skin off one's nose" |
| B．"look down one's nose" |
| C．"with one' s nose in the air" |
| D．"thumb one's nose" |
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【推荐1】A popular saying goes, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” However, that’s not really true. Words have the power to build us up or tear us down. It doesn’t matter if the words come from someone else or ourselves — the positive and negative effects are just as lasting.
We all talk to ourselves sometimes. We’re usually too ashamed to admit it, though. In fact, we really shouldn’t be because more and more experts believe talking to ourselves out loud is a healthy habit.
This “self-talk” helps us motivate ourselves, remember things, solve problems, and calm ourselves down. Be aware, though, that as much as 77% of self-talk tends to be negative. So in order to stay positive, we should only speak words of encouragement to ourselves. We should also be quick to give ourselves a pat on the back. The next time you finish a project, do well in a test, or finally clean your room, join me in saying “Good job!”
Often, words come out of our mouths without us thinking about the effect they will have. But we should be aware that our words cause certain responses in others. For example, when returning an item to a store, we might use warm, friendly language during the exchange. And the clerk will probably answer in a similar manner. Or harsh(刻薄的) and critical language will most likely cause the clerk to be defensive.
Words have power because of their lasting effect. Many of us regret something we once said. And we remember unkind words said to us! Before speaking, we should always ask ourselves: Is it loving? Is it needed? If what we want to say doesn’t pass this test, then it’s better left unsaid.
Words possess power: both positive and negative. Those around us receive encouragement when we speak positively. We can offer hope, build self-esteem(自尊) and motivate others to do their best. Negative words destroy all those things. Will we use our words to hurt or to heal? The choice is ours.
1. The main idea of the first paragraph is that ________.| A．not sticks and stones but words will hurt us |
| B．encouraging words give us confidence |
| C．words have a great effect on us |
| D．negative words may let us down |
| A．almost everybody has the habit of talking to themselves |
| B．it does no harm to have “self-talk” when we are alone |
| C．talking to ourselves always gives us courage |
| D．talking to ourselves can have a positive effect on us |
| A．remind ourselves | B．praise ourselves |
| C．make ourselves relaxed | D．give ourselves happiness |
| A．it is better to think twice before talking to others |
| B．negative words may stimulate us to make more progress |
| C．people tend to remember friendly words |
| D．encouraging words are sure to lead to kind offers |
【推荐2】Which language is the hardest to learn? According to the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center (DLIFLC), Chinese Mandarin, Arabic and Japanese top the list of the most difficult languages for native English speakers to learn, with 2, 200 hours spent studying them.
Chinese Mandarin is one of the hardest languages for English speakers to learn in the world. First of all, the writing system is hard.
Next on the list of the hardest languages to learn for English speakers is Arabic. Written Arabic — the language of the Quran — will make you understood everywhere, but spoken Arabic may be more useful, because once the locals start to have conversations with each other, you'll get lost.
These languages are unusual to English speakers due to the differences in the alphabet, grammar rules, pronunciation, etc.
| A．Learning a new language isn't an easy task. |
| B．Chinese Mandarin, for example, has four tones. |
| C．Arabic is another language with a non-Latin alphabet. |
| D．This language doesn't use alphabet but special characters. |
| E．However, it doesn't mean that they are impossible to learn. |
| F．Politeness can be shown through language in the way you call people in Japan. |
| G．Japanese is also one of the things that can give a big headache to English speakers. |
It is one of the most annoying words in the English language and it seems there is no escaping it. The word “huh?” is in worldwide use, a study found.
Researchers discovered that languages spoken in countries from Ghana and Laos to Iceland and Italy all include “huh?”, or something that sounds very like it. They said that while the study may sound silly, the word is an absolutely necessary part of speech. Without it and similar words, it would be impossible to show that we haven’t heard or understood what had been said and this would lead to constant misunderstandings.
But while other words used in the same context, such as “sorry” or “what”, vary widely across languages, “huh?” remains unchanged.
The Dutch researchers carefully studied ten languages from around the world, including Siwu, which is spoken in Ghana, and an Australian Aboriginal language, as well as Italian, Spanish, Dutch and Mandarin Chinese.
They analysed tapes of recorded conversations for words that sounded like “huh?” and were used to request that whatever had just been said be repeated. All contained a version of “huh?”. The word was also found in another 21 languages. While there were subtle differences in each country, all sounded basically the same.
This is surprising because normally unrelated languages will use very different words to describe the same thing. For instance, the Japanese for “dog” is “inu”, while the French is “chien”. It is thought that languages around the world have developed their own version of “huh?” because the sound is quick and simple to form, as well as being easily understood.
The researchers, said that it might seem unimportant to carry out scientific research into a word like “huh?” but in fact this little word is an essential tool in human communication. They also have an answer for those who claim that “huh?” isn’t a word. They say that it qualifies because of the small differences in its pronunciation in different languages. It also can be considered a word because it’s something we learn to say, rather than a grunt or cry that we are born knowing how to make.
1. According to researchers, the word “huh?” is very important in speech because of ________.| A．its stable meaning in language development |
| B．its important function in communication |
| C．its simple and easy sound and spelling |
| D．its popularity in every language |
| A．You should ask her to repeat what she says before that. |
| B．You should apologize to her for speaking in a low voice. |
| C．You should invite her to share her different views politely. |
| D．You should try to repeat what you’ve just said in a clearer way. |
| A．interviewing language experts in universities |
| B．talking with people from ten different countries |
| C．analyzing the recorded conversations in different languages |
| D．comparing different words with the same meaning in different languages |
| A．it is listed in most dictionaries |
| B．it is something humans learn to say |
| C．there is a clear and consistent spelling of the word |
| D．there is a big difference in the way it pronounces in different languages |
| A．To inform readers about research on the worldwide used word “huh?”. |
| B．To argue that “huh?” is the most important word in every language. |
| C．To entertain readers by relating similar idioms in different languages. |
| D．To instruct readers of the differences of “huh?” in different languages. |
