Has anyone told you that it’s fun to play with English words? For a long time these “words within words” in English have been used to surprise and educate us…and they often make us laugh too. Now we go to learn about them.
| Riddles(谜语) How did the animals open the zoo door? They used a monkey! What’s the longest word in English? Smiles—there’s a “mile” between the first and last letters! These jokes —a question followed by a surprising answer — are known as “riddles”. But the ones above are examples of a special kind of riddle, a riddle which is funny because a word is hidden within another word. Many English speakers are crazy about this kind of words with double meaning. And it can be found in texts written in English a very long time ago. But riddles are not the only example of “words within words”. |
| Hidden words During Victorian times (1837—1901), the game of hiding words within a whole sentence became popular. Look carefully at this sentence—The king eats his lunch in a fine palace. Can you see that the countries “China” and “Nepal” are hidden in it? The Victorians even used hidden words to teach children history and geography at school. Today we still see hidden word games in books and magazines, but we also use hidden words in jokes. |
| Palindromes(回文词) Palindromes are words and phrases which can be read the same forwards and backwards. The pop group “Abba”, for example, is a palindrome. The sentence “Was it a car or a cat I saw?” is also a palindrome. We find them interesting, but they can also be funny: I kept receiving emails about reading maps backwards, but then I realized it was just spam(垃圾邮件)! |
1. Which of the following is a riddle?
| A．step—pets, part—trap | B．hiding words within a whole sentence |
| C．silent—listen, the eyes—they see | D．Which letter is a question? Y (Why) . |
| A．Riddles are the only example of “words within words”. |
| B．Victorians even used riddles to teach kids history at school. |
| C．“Was it a car or a cat I saw?” is a palindrome as well. |
| D．These “words within words” in English often make us cry. |
| A．It’s fun to play with words | B．“Words within words” educate us |
| C．Riddles & Hidden words | D．The pop group “Abba” |
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【推荐1】Every 14 days, another language dies. There are many reasons for this. Some people think more common languages have more economic(经济的)power. Because of this, young people choose to learn a common language as they think it is more useful. Another reason is that some languages aren't written down. Guujaaw is a leader of the Haida Nation, whose people have lived on the Queen Charlotte Islands, Canada, for more than 10, 000 years. Their language is endangered. Traditionally, it wasn’t written down, and, as a result, some people are worried that it will die one day. Guujaaw replies to this, "We talk to each other, listen, visit, and believe in the spoken word. Expressing yourself without writing is natural." However, if Guujaaw's language and others like it are going to stay alive, writing may have to become part of their lives.
When a language dies, a lot of knowledge dies with it. To begin with, language is a huge part of the culture of the people who speak it. Language allows speakers to say certain things: words that describe a cultural idea may not translate exactly into another language. Furthermore, many endangered languages have rich spoken cultures, Stories, songs and histories are passed on from older people to younger generations(一代), Elizabeth Lindsey, an expert in languages, emphasizes(强调) this. “When an elder dies, a library is burned,” she says.
Also, language death affects our knowledge about nature. Local people often have a deep understanding of plants, animals, and the relationship between them. David Harrison, a researcher on endangered languages, reflects, “80% of plant and animal species(物种)have been undiscovered by science. But that doesn’t mean they're unknown to humans.”
Many languages are endangered. However, it s not too late. Children often grow up speaking two languages. "No one ..becomes richer by giving up… one language to learn another,” Harrison said. If children feel both languages are important, they will use both. So, it is necessary that children realize how useful their local language is.
1. How many reasons are mentioned for endangered languages in Paragraph 1?| A．2 | B．3. | C．4 | D．5. |
| A．how cultures are passed on | B．how cultures are discovered |
| C．why languages are written down | D．why languages are important to cultures |
| A．waits for | B．depends on |
| C．is different from | D．has an influence on |
| A．People need to use common languages more often. |
| B．The spoken word is more important than the written word. |
| C．Children are the hope to stop the local language from dying. |
| D．Many animals and plants are in danger because of dying languages. |
②For example, people who show no human emotions or feelings are thought to be cold-blooded. Cold can influence other parts of the body. But the expression “get cold feet” has nothing to do with cold or your feet. The expression means being afraid to do something you have decided to do. For example, you agree to be a CEO of company. But then you learn that all the other officers have resigned(辞职), and all the work of the company will be your responsibility. You are likely to get cold feet about being CEO when you understand the situation.
③The expression “give someone the cold shoulder” probably comes from the physical act of turning your back towards someone, instead of speaking to him face to face. You may give the cold shoulder to a friend who has not kept a promise he made to you, or to someone who has lied about you to others.
④“A cold fish” is not a fish. It is a person. But it is a person who shows no love or warmth to others. A cold fish does not offer much of himself to anyone. Someone who is a cold fish could be cold-hearted. He or she will never feel sorry for those in bad situation.
⑤“Out in the cold” means not getting something that everybody else got. A person might say that everybody but him got a pay raise-he was left out in the cold. And it is not a pleasant place to be.
1. If you get cold feet, this means that .
| A．you feel brave to do something | B．you feel too afraid and nervous to do something |
| C．you feel too cold to do something | D．you feel very angry about doing something |
| A．Henry was treated politely when he asked Mary to have dinner together. |
| B．Henry was afraid to invite Mary to have dinner with him. |
| C．Mary didn’t care about Henry’s invitation and didn’t plan to have dinner with him |
| D．Mary behaved kindly and went to have dinner with Henry happily. |
| A．Opinions about cold weather | B．Expressions connected with “cold” |
| C．Relation between cold and body. | D．Examples of people who have a cold. |
A． | B． | C． | D． |
A new English teacher in a middle school. She hopes she can be a good English teacher. An English learner. Now he is doing his English writing homework. But he has no idea how to describe some words in English. She doesn’t know the meaning of the saying “Where there is a will, there is a way.” A scientist. He is reading an English book of technology（科技）, but there are so many new words. He wants to read an English book. It’s better to be not difficult for middle school students to understand. | A. RESOURCE（资源）BOOK FOR TEACHERS Information and activities that meet the needs of teachers who want to give pupils a special and great class. B. LEARNING TEACHING A guidebook for English language teachers. Ideas on classroom management, the subject matter of English language teaching and other skills of teaching. C. ADVANCED（高级的）ENGLISH GRAMMAR For high school students. Uses of numerals. All kinds of nouns and sentences, etc. D. A CHINESE-ENGLISH DICTIONARY For Chinese students. Don’t know how to say some Chinese words in English? Come and check in it. E. LONGMAN DICTIONARY An English-English dictionary. More than 80,000 words and phrases including scientific and technical terms and latest words. F. ALICE IN WONDERLAND A famous English story. Interesting and full of imagination. Easy to understand for children. G. DICTIONARY OF IDIOMS An English-Chinese dictionary. Uses of over 80,000 idioms. |
【推荐1】These days, more and more people like the “city walk” around China. City walk is a kind of city tour coming from the UK. It means tourists follow a planned route (路线) working deeply on the city’s history and culture. During traditional kind of travel, people need to follow a group of people. But city walk routes are special for every tourist. People probably choose a route on their own and move on foot without a purpose. They can also talk with locals (当地人) and taste local food on their way.
City walkers may be tourists from other places or local young people. For tourists, by taking part in a city walk, they can learn the city’s history and culture. For the local young people, they may spend weekends knowing more about their living places. And they even share their routes and places online. So more people get interested in their cities and come to visit them.
Now city walk is very hot. However, we also find that to make money, some travel agencies (旅行社) may make some routes without understanding the culture and history of a city. That will make tourists lose interest in city walk. What’s more, many young people spend much time taking photos to just show themselves online.
1. What can we learn from Paragraph 1?| A．City walk comes first in China. |
| B．It is up to the tourists to decide the routes. |
| C．City walk is less relaxing than traditional travel. |
| A．To learn more about the city. |
| B．To make themselves more famous. |
| C．To help more tourists know about their living places. |
| A．What can people do during a city walk? |
| B．How much do people pay for a city walk? |
| C．When did people start to have a city walk? |
①The price is too high.
②Some routes are made without culture and history.
③Some people do it just for fun.
| A．①②. | B．①③. | C．②③. |
| A．Interesting Activities. | B．Popular Trips. | C．Wonderful Places. |
【推荐2】Dragons are not real animals, but look like a combination (结合体) of many animals such as snakes, fish and deer. They have two horns (角) and a long moustache (胡子). With fantastic power, they fly in the sky or swim in the sea. They can make rain, too. The Chinese dragon is a symbol of strength and good luck. The emperors of ancient China loved dragons. Their clothes were covered with pictures of dragons.
We are proud to call ourselves the “descendants (传人) of the dragon”. In Chinese, “excellent” people are often called “dragons”. A number of Chinese sayings and idioms talk about dragons. For example, “Hoping one’s child will be a dragon.” which means hoping he or she will be successful.
It is said that people born in the Year of the Dragon have certain characteristics. They are creative, confident, brave and quick-tempered. There are some famous “dragons” who have done excellent things, for example, the great man Deng Xiaoping, the famous businessman Li Jiacheng and the movie star Zhao Wei. They are all very successful.
There are also some festivals about dragons in China, such as Dragon Head-Raising Day and the Dragon Boat Festival. We have different kinds of activities to celebrate them. These two festivals come every year, but the Year of the Dragon comes every twelve years.
2024 is the Year of the Dragon. Good luck to you!
1. What characteristics may the people born in the Year of the Dragon have? They may be ________.| A．creative, confident, brave and powerful |
| B．creative, confident, brave and quick-tempered |
| C．lovely, confident, brave and quick-tempered |
| D．lucky, confident, creative and successful |
| A．龙马精神 | B．龙飞凤舞 | C．望子成龙 | D．龙腾虎跃 |
| A．1998. | B．2000. | C．2008. | D．2018. |
| A．Dragons are real animals. |
| B．People born in the Year of the Dragon must be successful. |
| C．The “descendants of the dragon” are often called “dragons”. |
| D．There are many Chinese sayings and idioms about dragons. |
Enjoy travelling, enjoy museums. In different countries, there are many fantastic museums. Museums can open your eyes and bring you into the world of knowledge.
1. In which country can people find the failed products from Apple?
| A．In Sweden. | B．In Mexico. | C．In Croatia. |
| A．Over 100. | B．Over 300. | C．Over 3,000. |
| A．Museum of Failure. | B．Cancun Underwater Museum. | C．Museum of Broken Relationships. |
| A．I can know about the history of snacks. |
| B．I can taste the ice-cream balls carefully. |
| C．I can find different kinds of sweet food models. |
| A．Objects in Museum of Broken Relationships have their stories. |
| B．Each sculpture has a sweet story in Cancun Underwater Museum. |
| C．People can learn interesting stories about success in Museum of Failure. |
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| The Weekend By Rosie | June 6， 2016 Hi! I’m on vacation here in London… and it’s fantastic! On Saturday I was in the British Museum for three hours. On Sunday I visited Tower Bridge. Where were you over the weekend? Tell me your news! | ||||||
| DISCUSSION | ||||||
| Sophia·9；30 Glad you’re having a great vacation. I was in the Summer Palace in Beijing on Saturday. I was there for a flower show. It was amazing! And there were lots of people. But on Sunday it was rainy and I wasn’t very well. I stayed in bed for a whole day. | ||||||
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| Steve·10；10 It was cloudy the whole weekend in Paris. On Saturday I was at a football game with my classmates. It was exciting! On Sunday I was at the shops with Ann for four hours. | ||
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| Jack·11；00 I wasn’t at home over the weekend. On Saturday I was in Scotland for a trip. It was a lovely， warm day and I had a picnic with friends. It was great! Sunday was boring. It took me five hours to get back home. It was a long journey. | ||
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| Kate·11；20 On Saturday I was at Heathrow Airport. I met a friend there and we talked together for two hours. I was very happy. On Sunday I was in Sydney for a concert. It is winter in Australia， and it was windy and cold! | ||
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1. On Saturday Rosie was ______.
| A．in the Summer Palace |
| B．in the British Museum |
| C．at Tower Bridge |
| D．at Heathrow Airport |
| A．Cloudy. | B．Warm. | C．Rainy. | D．Cold. |
| A．Two hours |
| B．Three hours |
| C．Four hours |
| D．Five hours |
| A．a flower show |
| B．a concert |
| C．a football game |
| D．a trip |
【推荐2】Let's enjoy some movies!
My People, My Homeland A series of five short stories. In different parts of the countryside of China, different people try to make their homes special. ◆ Language: Chinese ◆ Running Time: 2 Hours 23 Minutes ◆ Price: Jinyi Cinema （￥35） ◆ Douban Ratings (评分): 7.7/10 | Legend of Jiang Ziya A hero named Jiang Ziya has to kill a monster to return to the heaven and become a god. This is a must-see cartoon this year! ◆ Language: Chinese ◆ Running Time: 1 Hour 50 Minutes ◆ Price: AMG Cinema (IMAX:￥65 Others:￥40) ◆ Douban Ratings: 6.9/10 |
Leap After 12 years, the Chinese women's volleyball team again reached the Olympic final. This movie is about the ups and downs of the Chinese women's volleyball team for more than thirty years. ◆ Language: Chinese ◆ Running Time: 2 Hours 15 Minutes ◆ Price: Oscar Cinema (Weekdays:￥25 Weekends:￥35) ◆ Douban Ratings: 7.4/10 | Mulan A classic legend, but a new story-telling. Now Liu Yifei will play the role to take us back to the brave girl who dressed up to save her father and fought for her country. ◆ Language: English ◆ Running Time: 1 Hour 55 Minutes ◆ Price: Poly Cinema (Adults:￥35 Kids under 6:￥20) ◆ Douban Ratings: 5.0/10 |
1. Kevin is studying in China now. He loves stories about Chinese heroes and hopes to improve his Chinese through movies. Which movie can he watch?
| A．My People, My Homeland | B．Legend of Jiang Ziya |
| C．Leap | D．Mulan |
| A．40 yuan | B．50 yuan | C．70 yuan | D．80 yuan |
| A．Jinyi cinema | B．AMG Cinema | C．Oscar Cinema | D．Poly Cinema |
There is an old saying：one good turn deserves another. It means you do a helpful or kind act for someone who has done something good for you. Denson is a mechanic（机修工），but he lost his job a few months ago. He is kind and helpful, but always feared applying for a new job.
One day, he gathered up all his strength and decided to attend a job interview. His appointment was at 10 a.m. and it was already 8:30. While waiting for a bus to the office where he was supposed to be interviewed, he saw an elderly man wildly kicking the tyre（轮胎）of his car. Obviously（很显然）there was something wrong with the ear. Denson immediately went up to lend him a hand. When Denson finished working on the car, the old man asked him how much he should pay for the service. Denson said there was no need to pay him and he just helped someone in need, and he had to rush for an interview. Then the old man said,“Well, I could take you to the office for your interview. It’s the least I could do. Please, I insist.”Denson agreed.
On arrival, Denson found a long line of applicants（求职人）waiting to be interviewed. Denson still had some grease（油脂）on him after the car repair, but he did not have much time to wash it off or have a change of shirt. One by one, the applicants left the interviewer’s office with disappointed looks on their faces. Finally his name was called. The interviewer was sitting on a large chair facing the office window. Rocking the chair back and forth, he asked,“Do you really need to be interviewed?”Denson’s heart sank.“With the way I look now, how could I possibly pass this interview?”he thought to himself. Then the interviewer turned the chair and to Denson’s surprise, it was the old man he helped earlier in the morning. It turned out he was the General Manager of the company.“Sorry I had to keep you waiting, but I was pretty sure I made the right decision to have you as a member of the company before you even stepped into the office. I just know you’d be a trustworthy（值得信赖的）worker. Congratulations!”Denson sat down and they shared a cup of coffee as he landed himself a new job.
1. Why did Denson apply for a new job? _____________| A．He was out of work. | B．He was bored with his job. |
| C．He wanted a higher position. | D．He hoped to find a better boss. |
| A．A friend’s car had a flat tyre. | B．A wild man was pushing a car. |
| C．A terrible car accident happened. | D．An old man’s car broke down. |
| A．paid Denson some money for the repair work |
| B．gave Denson a free ride for the repair work |
| C．offered Denson some advice on his interview |
| D．asked Denson to drive his car to the office |
| A．He was sorry for the other applicants. | B．There was no hope for him to get the job. |
| C．He regretted helping the old man. | D．The interviewer was very rude. |
| A．Denson was too shy to apply for a job. |
| B．Denson repaired the car for the elderly man in order to get the job. |
| C．Denson applied for a new job so that he could get a good pay. |
| D．Denson is such a warm-hearted man that he could get a good pay. |
| A．Where there’s a will, there’s a way. | B．A friend in need is a friend indeed. |
| C．Good is rewarded with good. | D．Two heads are better than one. |
【推荐1】With an announcement made on April 1, Xiong'an has risen from nowhere to become a well-known name in China overnight. The Xiong'an New Area, in Hebei Province, has been set up in a move which is a “major historic and strategic (战略的) choice”, said the CPC Central Committee and the State Council. This is another new area of national meaning after the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone and the Shanghai Pudong New Area.
The Xiong'an New Area, about 100 kilometers southwest of downtown Beijing, sits at the center of the triangular area formed by Beijing, Tianjin and Shijiazhuang. It will cover around 100 square km at the beginning and will be expanded to (扩展到) 200 square km in the mid-term and about 2,000 square km in the long-term.
It's hoped that the plans will help solve problems such as traffic jams and air pollution in Beijing by reducing the capital's population growth. And by moving manufacturing (制造业) and logistics (物流) to nearby areas, it may reduce some of Beijing's noncapital functions.
Talking about key points for the development of Xiong'an, President Xi Jinping said it should be built into a green, modern and smart area with a beautiful environment, high-end industries (产业) and easy transportation. The area should also be open to the outside world and become a new platform for further development.
1. How many new areas of national meaning have there been in China so far?| A．One. | B．Two. | C．Three. | D．Four. |
| A．100 | B．200 | C．2,000 | D．2,300 |
| A．manufacturing | B．traffic jams |
| C．air pollution | D．noncapital functions |
| A．In a travel magazine. | B．In CCTV news. |
| C．In a guide book. | D．In a storybook. |
【推荐2】Bob was cutting a branch（树枝） off a tree in his garden. While he was sawing（锯）, another man passed in the street. He stopped and said, “ Excuse me, but if you continue (继续)to saw（锯） that branch like that, you will fall down with it.” He said this because Bob was sitting on the branch and cutting it at a place between himself and the trunk（树干） of the tree.
Bob said nothing. He thought, “ This is some foolish（愚笨的） person who has no work to do and goes about telling other people what to do and what not to do.”
The man continued on his way. Of course, after a few minutes. The branch fell and Bob fell with it.
“My God!” he cried. “That man knows the future!” and he ran after him to ask how long he was going to live. But the man had gone.
1. One day Bob was cutting a branch_______a tree in his garden.| A．on | B．in | C．at | D．off |
| A．told him to stop working | B．told him he would fall down |
| C．would borrow something from him | D．would help him saw that branch |
| A．that was a foolish person. | B．that was a wise person |
| C．that was a proud person | D．that fellow cheated him |
| A．The branch fell. | B．Bob fell down to the ground. |
| C．Bob was hurt himself. | D．Both A and B. |
| A．a foolish man | B．a wise man | C．cutting a tree | D．that we need to take good advice |
【推荐3】We often hear the words "a red-letter day" in everyday life. But what's "a red-letter day"? It is a day that people are very happy. It may be a day that you have long waited for. Or it may be a day with a happy surprise. You might tell a friend that yesterday was a red-letter day, because you won some money in the lottery（彩原）.
Rolling out the red carpet "is also a popular group of words. It tells a very warm welcome of any kind. A city may" roll out the red carer" for its basketball team, when the team arrives home after winning a game. A lot of people go to the airport to meet the team The red-carpet welcome has a lot of cheering by thousands of fans, a parade, music and speeches of praise by some famous Red is also used in some word groups that are not happy. "red-handed" is one, To be caught red-handed" is to be found in an act of wrong doing. It is clear that you are guilty or you do bad things. Today "to be caught red-handed" is not so serious. For example, a mother might say she caught her son red-handed, taking cookies out of the cookie box.
1. The passage mainly talks about__________.| A．how people celebrate important days | B．the expression about the colour "red" |
| C．different culture in different countries | D．how to learn some important word groups |
| A．lost your wallet | B．wrote a letter in red pen |
| C．failed an exam | D．went to Jays concert |
| A．The meaning of "to be caught red-handed "is changing |
| B．The same word has different meanings in different situations |
| C．If you won some money in the lottery, you may "roll out the red carpet |
| D．A red-letter day can be a day that you have long expected |
