Let's face it-English is a crazy language. There is no egg in eggplant (茄子) nor ham in hamburger; neither apple nor pine in pineapple(菠蘿). English muffins (松餅) weren't invented in England nor French fries in France. Sweetmeats are candies while sweetbreads, which aren't sweet, are meat.

We take English for granted. But if we explore its paradoxes (似是而非的說法),we find that quicksand(流沙) can work slowly, boxing rings are square and a guinea pig is neither from Guinea nor is it a pig.

If teachers taught, why didn't preachers "praught"? If a vegetarian eats vegetables, what does a humanitarian eat?

How can a slim chance and a fat chance be the same, while a wise man and a wise guy are opposites? How can overlook and oversee be opposites, while quite a lot and quite a few are alike? How can a person be "pretty ugly"?

You will be very surprised at the unique lunacy(荒謬) of a language in which your house can burn up as it burns down, in which you fill in a form by filling it out and in which an alarm clock goes off by going on. Why is a "crazy man" an insult(侮辱), while to insert a comma and say "crazy, man" is a compliment (as when clapping for a Jazz performance).

English was invented by people, not computers, and it reflects the creativity of the human race (which, of course, isn't a race at all). That is why, when the stars are out, they are visible, but when the lights are out, they are invisible. And why, when I wind up my watch, I start it, but when I wind up this essay, I end it.

1. According to the passage, which of the following statements is TRUE?

A. A wise man is similar in meaning to a wise guy.

B. "An alarm clock goes on" and"An alarm clock goes off" are opposite.

C. Boxing rings are square rather than round.

D. Sweetmeats are sweet meat while sweetbreads are not sweet at all.

2. Which of the following pairs contains expressions that are opposite in meaning?

A. "A fat chance"and "a slim chance".

B. "To fill in a form"and "to fill out a form".

C. "Crazy man" and "crazy, man".

D. "Quite a lot" and "quite a few".

3. Which of the following statements about the English language is NOT true according to the passage?

A. It is a crazy language.

B. It reflects the creativity of the human race.

C. It was invented by the British people.

D. It can be quite irregular.

1. C。第二段即本題答案出處。按字面意思,ring意為"圓圈;圓環(huán)";而boxing rings(拳擊場(chǎng)) 卻是方形的。 2. C。由第四段最后一句可知,稱一個(gè)人是crazy man,是對(duì)這個(gè)人的侮辱;如果在crazy和man之間加上逗號(hào),則是表"贊揚(yáng)"。 3. C。由第五段第一句可知,"英語(yǔ)是人發(fā)明的,它表現(xiàn)了人類的創(chuàng)造力。"括號(hào)中又進(jìn)一步解釋了human race(意為"人類")根本不是指某一"種族"。

練習(xí)冊(cè)系列答案
相關(guān)習(xí)題

科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來源：2011屆湖北省黃石二中高三二月份調(diào)研考試英語(yǔ)卷 題型：閱讀理解

Why does night fall but never break and day break but never fall?
Why are people who ride motorcycles called bikers and people who ride bikes called cyclists?
In what other language do people drive in a parkway and park in a driveway?
In what other language do they call the third hand on the clock the second hand?
Let’s face it: English is a crazy language. There is no egg in an eggplant, neither pine nor apple in a pineapple and no ham in a hamburger. Sweet-meats are candy, while sweetbreads, which aren’t sweet, are meat.
We take English for granted. But when we explore its paradoxes (探討它的矛盾), we find that quicksand can work slowly, boxing rings are square, public bathrooms have no baths in them.
And why is it that a writer writes, but fingers don’t fing, grocers don’t groce, and hammers don’t ham? If the plural of tooth is teeth, shouldn’t the plural of booth be beeth? One goose, two geese — so one moose, two meese?
How can a slim chance and a fat chance be the same, while a wise man and a wise guy are opposites? How can overlook and oversee be opposites, while quite a lot and quite a few are alike? How can the weather be hot as hell one day and cold as hell the next?
English was invented by people, not computers, and it reflects the creativity of human beings. That’s why, when stars are out, they are visible; but when the lights are out, they are invisible. And why, when I wind up my watch, I start it; but when I wind up this essay, I end it.
【小題1】 According to the passage ______.

A．sweet-meats and sweetbreads are different things
B．there should be egg in an eggplant
C．pineapples are the apples on the pine tree
D．boxing rings should be round
【小題2】Which of the following includes two items which have the similar meaning?
A．A wise man and a wise guy.
B．Overlook and oversee.
C．Quite a lot and quite a few.
D．Hot as hell and cold as hell.
【小題3】The underlined words “wind up” in the last paragraph probably mean “______”.
A．blowB．roll upC．get hurt D．finish
【小題4】 Through the many paradoxes in the English language, the writer wants to show that human beings are ______.
A．cleverB．crazyC．lazyD．dull

查看答案和解析>>

科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來源：2015屆山東省威海市高一上學(xué)期期末考試英語(yǔ)試卷（解析版） 題型：其他題

閱讀下面短文，回答文后的5個(gè)問題，并把答案寫在答題卡指定區(qū)域內(nèi)。

[1] If you read a newspaper or listen to a newscast(news report) recently, you may hear or read a strange word, “staycation.” Staycation is a new word the American press(newspapers, radio, and television) is using to describe a vacation very close to your own home, or simply staying at home during your vacation. It is a combination of the words “stay” and “vacation”.

[2] According to many news reports, these staycations are very popular among American families this year. Why? The high price of gasoline for cars and airplanes has made it very expensive for Americans to travel compared to past years. When you combine this with the weak American dollar, it all adds up to people deciding to stay close to home during their traditional summer vacations. Of course, some places are more interesting to “stay home at” than others. And if you live in a very small town, well, you may just want to skip your vacation and save your time up to next year!

[3] Everything is expensive nowadays, and let’s face it—a vacation just may not be in your plan this year. You don’t have to give up family fun just because you can’t              ; instead, follow my tips for an economical staycation filled with old favorites and new adventures! Staycations have achieved high popularity in current hard economic times in which unemployment levels and gas prices are high. 

1.What is this passage mainly about? (within one word)

2.Which two words make the new word “staycation”? (within 3 words)

3.What’s the meaning of “staycation”? (within 20 words)

4.Why are staycation popular this year? Please list two reasons. (each within 5 words)

5.Please fill in the blank with a phrase in the last paragraph. (with 3 words)

 

查看答案和解析>>

科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來源：安徽省巢湖市2010屆高三上學(xué)期期末教學(xué)質(zhì)量檢測(cè)（英語(yǔ)） 題型：閱讀理解

In classrooms across the USA, students from different speech backgrounds give speeches in English. It is important to remember that the major goal of the speech is communication of ideas, not perfection of language skills. Therefore, as you listen to a speaker who is not fluent in the language, seek to understand what is being said by concentrating on the ideas of the message rather than on the specific words of the speaker. This may require a special kind of patience as well as the ability to take the perspective (視角) of the communicator. Perspective taking means that you can put yourself in the other person’s shoes. That is, you try to imagine what it would be like to give a speech in a foreign language to a group of native speakers of that language. Keep in mind that non-fluency is not linked to low intelligence or lack of education~ it is linked to experiences with the second language.

These guidelines can help you be a better listener in these situations.

1. Approach the speech with a positive attitude, and expect to understand.

2. Listen all the way through. Make special efforts to keep your mind from wandering in the middle of the speech. It may help to take notes.

3. Plan to give proper nonverbal (非語(yǔ)言的) feedback to prove your interest, patience, and support for the speaker.

4. Control your negative emotional responses. Let's face it, it is difficult to deal with linguistic barriers (語(yǔ)言障礙), and people often get disappointed or bored when there are language differences.

5. Do not laugh, even if the speakers do, at their language skills. Often they laugh nervously to relieve tension.

68. What is the main idea of this passage?

A. How to become a good listener.

B. How to become a good speaker.

C. We should take a positive attitude towards speech.

D. How to communicate with others

69. The underlined phrase "put yourself in the other person’s shoes" in the first paragraph means ____.

A. to know one's shoes is to know one's problem

B. try to wear the other person’s shoes

C. understand others by trying on their shoes

D. look at something from the point of others

70. What can we learn from the passage?

A. People should be strict with speakers speaking in a foreign language.

B. Taking notes helps keep your mind from wandering in listening to a speech.

C. Whenever the speaker is nervous, he laughs.

D. It's hard to concentrate when the speaker is not fluent.

71. What advice is given on listening to a speech?

A. Believing you can understand every word of the speech.

B. Showing your support for the speaker nonverbally.

C. Laughing when the speaker laughs at himself.

D. Commenting on the speech at times.

 

查看答案和解析>>

科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來源：2014屆度廣東省高一11月月考英語(yǔ)題 題型：閱讀理解

English is the most widely used language in the history of our planet. One in every seven human beings can speak it. More than half of the world’s books and three quarters of international mail are in English. Of all languages, English has the largest vocabulary—perhaps as many as two million words.

However, let’s face it: English is a crazy language. There is no eggs in an eggplant, neither pine nor apple in a pineapple and no ham in a hamburger. Sweet-meats are candy, while sweetbreads, which aren't sweet, are meat.

We take English for granted. But when we explore its paradoxes ( 探討它的矛盾)， we find that quicksand can work slowly, boxing rings are square, public bathrooms have no baths in them.

And why is it that a writer writes, but fingers don’t fing, grocers don't groce, and hammers don’t ham? If the plural(復(fù)數(shù)形式) of tooth is teeth, shouldn't the plural of booth be teeth? One goose, two geese—so one moose, two meese?

How can a slim chance and a flat chance be the same, while a wise man and a wise guy are opposites? How can overlook and oversee be opposites, while quite a lot and quite a few are alike? How can the weather be hot as hell one day and cold as hell the next?

English was invented by people, not computers, and it reflects( 反映) the creativity of human beings. That’ why, when stars are invisible. And why , when I wind up my watch, I start it; but when I wind up this essay, I end it.

1.According to the passage ______.

A. sweet-meats and sweetbreads are different things

B. there should be an egg in an eggplant

C. pineapples are the apples on the pine tree

D. boxing rings should be round

2.Which of the following is the correct plural?

  A. Beeth   B. Greese   C. Meese  D. Tooth

3.Which of the following includes two items which have the similar meaning?

  A. A wise man and a wise guy    B. Overlook and oversee

  C. Quite a lot and quite a few.  D. Hot as hell and cold as hell.

4.The underlined words “wind up” in the last paragraph probably mean “___”.

   A. blow   B. roll up   C. get hurt   D. finish

5.Through the many paradoxes in the English language, the writer wants to show that human beings are _______.

A. clever   B. crazy   C. lazy   D. dull

 

查看答案和解析>>

科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來源：2010屆貴州省高三下學(xué)期3月月考英語(yǔ)試題 題型：完型填空

完型填空（共20小題；每小題1.5分，滿分30分）

閱讀下面短文，掌握其大意，然后從36—55各題所給的四個(gè)選項(xiàng)（A、B、C和D）中，選出最佳選項(xiàng)，并在答題卡上涂黑。

As a physician who travels quite a lot, I spend a lot of time on planes listening for that dreaded “Is there a doctor on board?” announcement. I’ve been  36 only once-for a woman who had merely fainted. But the   37 made me quite curious about how  38 this kind of thing happens. I wondered what I would do if  39 with a real mid-air medical emergency-without access  40 a hospital staff and the usual emergency equipment. So   41 the New England Journal of Medicine last week   42 a study about in-flight medical events, I   43 it with interest.

The study estimated that there are a(n)  44 of 30 in-flight medical emergencies on U.S. flights every day. Most of them are not   45 ; fainting and dizziness are the most frequent complaints.  46 13% of them-roughly four a day-are serious enough to   47 a pilot to change course. The most common of the serious emergencies   48 heart trouble, strokes, and  difficult breathing.

Let’s face it: plane rides are   49 . For starters, cabin pressures at high altitudes are set at roughly   50 they would be if you lived at 5,000 to 8,000 feet above sea level. Most people can tolerate these pressures pretty   51 , but passengers with heart disease   52 experience chest pains as a result of the reduced amount of oxygen flowing through their blood.  53 common in-flight problem is deep venous thrombosis（血栓）-the so-called economy class syndrome（綜合癥）.  54 happens, don’t panic. Things are getting better on the in-flight emergency front. Thanks to more recent legislation（立法）, flights with at   55 one attendant are starting to install emergency medical equipments to treat heart attacks.

36. A. called         B. informed       C. addressed      D. surveyed

37. A. accident       B. incident       C. condition      D. disaster

38. A. soon           B. many           C. long           D. often

1,3,5

 

39. A. met            B. identified     C. treated        D. provided

40. A. for            B. by             C. to             D. through

41. A. before         B. when           C. since          D. while

42. A. collected      B. discovered     C. conducted      D. published

43. A. consulted      B. read           C. consumed       D. considered

44. A. amount         B. sum            C. average        D. number

45. A. significant    B. common         C. heavy          D. serious

46. A. For            B. But            C. And            D. So

47. A. require        B. engage         C. inspire        D. command

48. A. include        B. imply          C. confine        D. contain

49. A. enjoyable      B. favorable      C. peaceful       D. stressful

50. A. who            B. which          C. what           D. that

51. A. mentally       B. easily         C. neatly         D. naturally

52. A. ought to       B. used to        C. may            D. need

53. A. Any            B. Other          C. One            D. Another

54. A. Whatever       B. Whenever       C. Whichever      D. Wherever

55. A. most           B. least          C. worst          D. best

 

查看答案和解析>>

同步練習(xí)冊(cè)答案