Question

I was asked in an email about learning idioms in a foreign language.Maybe I am different from most people，but I do not bother with them.To me they are kind of dessert of language learning.They come at the end of a meal.Once you have filled up with the solid fare—the key words and phrases that are used in a variety of situations，then you can add a few idioms to spice up things.And by that time you will be able to pick them up naturally anyway.

I find that many learners have an obsession(困擾) with slang and idioms，as if repeating some very colloquial expressions is going to upgrade how they sound in a language.In fact it is the opposite.Idioms are difficult to use correctly.They can easily sound very strange coming from someone who obviously does not have a good sense of the language.

Yes，occasionally you hear idioms or slang and do not understand.But，in my experience，there are always situations where you do not understand.It is best to focus on the most important words，what they mean and how they are used.Certainly，it is best for a non?native speaker to stick to standard speech.

Some teachers even try to teach the “real language”．Then you hear non?native speakers saying things like “I gonna” ，“You wanna” etc.I just cringe(厭煩)．

You will learn all the idioms you need just by exposing yourself to the language.In general，you can save any phrase that you find interesting，and if that includes idioms，go to it.But I would not make any special effort to go after idioms.I，in fact，avoid them.If I come across something in Russian that strikes me as a particularly slangy or idiomatic use of words，I just leave it aside; do not even bother trying to learn it.If it keeps on appearing，then I will learn it.But I would certainly be reluctant(勉強的) to try to use it.

 

1．In the writer's opinion，when one learns a new language，one should learn its idioms ________.

A．a(chǎn)t the beginning　　 B．on one's own

C．in the end　　　 　　 D．without help

2．The underlined word “colloquial” in Para.2 means “________”．

A．oral 　　　　　 B．informal

C．formal　 　　　　 D．written

3．It can be inferred from the passage that________.

A．idioms are the most important part in a language

B．the writer is not very willing to use idioms

C．non?native speakers should learn more idioms

D．there are no ways to master idioms

4．Which of the following is the best title of the passage?

A．It's better to avoid idioms in a language

B．Idioms are very charming in a language

C．How to learn idioms in a language

D．Why it's difficult to use idioms in a language

5．How did the writer develop the passage?

A．By inferring.

B．By comparing.

C．By listing examples.

D．By giving explanations.

 

Answer 1

1.答案與解析：C　細節(jié)理解題。從第一段中的“To me they are kind of...They come at the end of a meal.”可知。

2. 答案與解析：A　詞義猜測題。從畫線詞后的upgrade how they sound in a language，特別是sound一詞可知colloquial 的意思是“口語的”，故A項符合語境。

3. 答案與解析：B　推理判斷題。從第一段提到的最后學idioms和最后一段中的I would not...go after idioms，avoid them(idioms)及be reluctant to try to use it 可知答案為B。

4. 答案與解析：C　標題概括題。從全文尤其是首段第一句話可知作者是在講述如何學習一門語言中的習語。

5.答案與解析：D　篇章結構理解題。綜觀全文可知，作者是通過逐段解釋與說理來展開文章的，故D項正確。