When you don’t have anything planned for the day or it’s rainy outside and your
题型：不详难度：来源：
When you don’t have anything planned for the day or it’s rainy outside and your children are stuck in the house, why not sit around and tell them riddles? Telling riddles will make your family laugh and sometimes even scratch their heads, trying to figure out what the answer is.
Riddles have been a pastime for centuries. Not only have riddles been something for passing the time, but they have also been used to pass on secret information during the Second World War. Even the ancient Greeks used riddles. They would tell riddles at parties and whoever was the first to get them right would receive prize.
Most riddles use words that have double meanings or share the same sound like “hear” and “here”. So in order to get the riddle, you will have to do some creative thinking and think of all the possibilities of different words. The difficulty of figuring out the riddle is based on the riddle itself. The riddle has to provide you with enough clues to come to the right answer, but that doesn’t mean that the clues have to be easy.
If you are looking to tell riddles but don’t know any, you can look online and you will find a large number of sites that will have hundreds of different riddles to choose from. If you would like to look somewhere else then you could look at your local bookstore, where you will be able to find many different books with thousands of riddles to choose from. You can even find websites and books that will tell you how to write your own riddles.
After you have found some resources that have different riddles, you will need to read through them to find the right ones for you and your family: You will also need to make sure that your kids will have a chance to figure out the answers. So take your time and choose the right family riddles to tell.
小题1:What is the author’s main purpose in writing the text?| A．To recommend an interesting family activity. | | B．To stress the importance of family activities. | | C．To encourage children to read more books. | | D．To introduce the history of riddles. |
小题2:From the text we know that riddles _______.| A．do not have enough clues | B．have a very long history | | C．were used in World War One | D．were first used in ancient Rome |
小题3:In Paragraph 3, the author mainly ________.| A．discusses how riddles are created | | B．explains why fiddles are interesting | | C．tells people how to solve riddles | | D．shows the benefits of telling riddles |
小题4:To collect riddles, the author suggests ________.| A．one way | B．two ways | C．three ways | D．four ways |
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答案
小题1:A
小题2:B
小题3:C
小题4:B |
解析
试题分析：【文章大意】本文是一篇说明文。文章介绍了一种好的家庭活动——猜谜语。文章从谜语的历史，猜谜语的方法；收集谜语的途径以及如何选择合适的家庭谜语等方面介绍了谜语。
小题1:A考查作者的写作目的。国家文章第一段中的Telling riddles will make your family laugh and sometimes even scratch their heads, trying to figure out what the answer is.可知，猜谜语使全家大笑，有时苦思冥想才能找到答案。所以这种活动很有好处。这就是作者的写作目的。故选A。
小题2:B考查细节理解。根据文章第二段中的Riddles have been a pastime for centuries.可知，谜语已经有好几个世纪的历史，故选B。A错是因为谜语有充足的线索；C错在谜语在二战使用不是一战；D错在古代希腊使用谜语，但也没说是首先使用，更不是罗马。
小题3:C考查段落的主旨要义。根据文章第三段中的So in order to get the riddle, you will have to do some creative thinking and think of all the possibilities of different words. The riddle has to provide you with enough clues to come to the right answer, but that doesn’t mean that the clues have to be easy.可知，这里作者在告诉读者如何猜测谜语。故选C。
小题4:B考查细节理解。根据文章第四段可知，作者给出了两个收集谜语的方法：一、上网查找；二、到书店找。故选B。 |
举一反三
Do you know the following expressions?
Faustian bargain
According to most stories, Faust was a German scholar who was rather unhappy with his life．The devil（魔鬼）, Mephistopheles, promises him that in return for his soul．he will give Faust unlimited power and knowledge．Faust agrees and experiences all kinds of pleasures, but, in the end, his soul goes to the hell．A “Faustian bargain” therefore is a deal that finally results in one"s ruin．It means a bargain made for temporary gain without taking future consequences into consideration．
A three-ring circus
When you refer to a situation as being a three-ring circus, you are saying that it is a situation of complete confusion．There are so many activities taking place all together that they leave you confused or annoyed．The expression comes from the world of entertainment—the circus．The area where the artists perform their acts is called the “ring”．In the past, some of the circuses were so large that they had three acts taking place meanwhile in three different “rings”．The audience had to decide which “ring” they wanted to focus on．
In the swim（of things）
When someone is in the swim of things, he is actively participating in the things happening around him, as in “I"ve been ill, but soon I"ll be back in the swim of things.” In the world of fishing, fishermen use the word “swim” to refer to the section of the lake/river where fish can be found in plenty．So, if you are a fish man and wish to catch a lot of fish, where would you be? You would be “in the swim”!
小题1:If a person makes a Faustian bargain, _____．| A．he might come to a bad end | | B．he would be considered clever | | C．his life would become satisfying | | D．he would gain power and knowledge |
小题2:In the past, why did a circus perform different acts at the same time ?| A．It was the audience’s requirement. | | B．The time was limited. | | C．The circus was very big. | | D．They wanted to earn more money. |
小题3:What do we learn about the expression “in the swim（of things）”?| A．It means having a lot of things to do． | | B．It has nothing to do with swimming． | | C．Originally it was used to refer to "going fishing"． | | D．Patients use it to express their desire for health. |
小题4:What is the text mainly about?| A．The development of English phrases | | B．Some old and interesting stories | | C．Some phrases" meanings and origins | | D．Some misunderstandings about words |
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New technology links the world as never before. Our planet has shrunk. It’s now a “global village” where countries are only seconds away by fax or phone or satellite link. And, of course, our ability to benefit from this high-tech communications equipment is greatly increased by foreign language skills.
Deeply involved with this new technology is a kind of modern businesspeople who have a growing respect for the economic value of doing business abroad. In modern markets, success overseas often helps support domestic business efforts.
Overseas assignments (指派) are becoming increasingly important to advancement within executive (行政) ranks. The executive stationed in another country no longer need fear being “out of sight and out of mind.” He or she can be sure that the overseas effort is central to the company’s plan for success, and that promotions often follow or accompany an assignment abroad. If an employee can succeed in a difficult assignment overseas, superiors will have greater confidence in his or her ability to manage back in the United States where cross-cultural considerations and foreign language issues are becoming more and more common.
Thanks to a variety of relatively inexpensive communications devices (装置) with business applications, even small businesses in the United States are able to get into international markets.
English is still the international language of business. But there is an ever-growing need for people who can speak another language. A second language isn’t generally required to get a job in business, but having language skills gives a candidate the edge when other qualifications appear to be equal.
The employee posted abroad who speaks the country’s language has an opportunity to fast-forward certain negotiations, and can have the cultural insight (洞察力) to know when it is better to move more slowly. The employee at the home office who can communicate well with foreign customers over the telephone or by fax machine is an obvious asset (有价值的人或物) to the firm.
小题1:With the increased use of high-tech communications equipment, businesspeople ________.| A．are eager to work overseas | | B．have to get familiar with modern technology | | C．are gaining more economic benefits from domestic operations | | D．are attaching more importance to their overseas business |
小题2:In this passage, “out of sight and out of mind” (Line 3, Para. 3) probably means ________. | A．leaving all care and worry behind | | B．being unable to think properly for lack of insight | | C．being totally out of touch with business at home | | D．missing opportunities for promotion when abroad |
小题3:According to the passage, what is an important consideration of international corporations in employing people today? | A．Ability to speak the customer’s language. | | B．Connections with businesses overseas. | | C．Technical know-how. | | D．Business experience. |
小题4:The advantage of employees having foreign language skills is that they can ________. | A．fast-forward their proposals to headquarters | | B．better control the whole negotiation process | | C．easily make friends with businesspeople abroad | | D．easily find new approaches to meet market needs |
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Shopping is not as simple as you may think! There are all sorts of tricks at play each time we reach out for that particular brand of product on the shelf.
Colouring, for example, varies according to what the producers are trying to sell. Health foods are packaged in greens, yellows or browns because we think of these as healthy colours. Ice cream packets are often blue and expensive goods, like chocolates, are gold or silver.
When some kind of pain killer was brought out recently, researchers found that the colours turned the customers off because they made the product look weak and ineffective. Eventually, it came on the market in a dark blue and white package—blue because we think of it as safe, and white as calm.
The size of a product can attract a shopper. But quite often a bottle doesn’t contain as much as it appears to.
It is believed that the better-known companies spend, on average, 70 percent of the total cost of the product itself on packaging!
The most successful producers know that it’s not enough to have a good product. The founder of Pears soap, who for 25 years has used pretty little girls to promote (推销) their goods, came to the conclusion: “Any fool can make soap, but it takes a genius to sell it.”
小题1:Which of the following may trick a shopper into buying a product according to the text?| A．The cost of its package. | B．The price of the product. | | C．The colour of its package. | D．The brand name of the product. |
小题2:The underlined part “the colours turned the customers off” (in Para.3) means that the colours _________.| A．attracted the customers strongly | | B．caused the customers to lose interest | | C．tricked the customers into shopping | | D．had weak effects on the customers |
小题3:Which of the following is the key to the success in product sales?| A．The way to promote goods. | | B．The discovery of a genius. | | C．The team to produce a good product | | D．The brand name used by successful producers. |
小题4:Which of the following would be the best title for this text?| A．Choice of Good Products | | B．Disadvantages of Products | | C．Effect of Packaging on Shopping | | D．Brand Names and Shopping Tricks |
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Jockeys(职业赛马骑师) are the smallest athletes. They are rarely over five feet six, or 120 pounds. The lighter the weight on the horse, the faster it can go.
Riding fast horses on the track is tough on the small jockeys. The jockey doesn’t“sit”on the horse. He leans forward on his legs. The strain is on his thighs(大腿) and calf(小腿) muscles. As jockeys age, their legs“go”first. Jockeys also need arm strength. It’s a strain holding a 1000-pound racehorse.
On muddy days, jockeys get a pounding of mud. The mud comes flying off the hooves(蹄) of the horses in front. “It feels like someone is punching you all over,”says one rider.
And a jockey can be hurt. A jockey can have a leg jammed between two horses. Or it can get caught between horse and the rail. The worst accidents are from falls. A horse may fall on his rider. Or horses behind may trample if he hits the track. In one year about 240 riders are hurt badly. That’s one out of six jockeys.
But the jockeys are well-paid. A jockey keeps about ten percent of the money his horses win. Jacinto Vasquez, a five-foot-three comer, has ridden horses to ＄7,000,000 in wins in the last eight years, which means he does almost ＄100,000 a year.
Why do some jockeys do better than others? “It isn’t the way a boy sits on a horse or uses the reins or the whip,”says Conn McCreary. McCreary was a top jockey of the 1950’s. He rode two Kentucky Derby winners. “Most jockeys do this the same. It’s the ‘feel’ he has for the horses.”
“When you come right down to it, it just seems that horses run better for some riders,” McCreary says. “A real good jockey doesn’t lose with the best horse. And sometimes he’ll win with the second or third best.”
Many Latin-American riders, like Jacinto, seem to have the knack. “Maybe it’s because we grew up with horses,”says Jacinto. “Maybe it’s because we like to ride. There was a strike at Aqueduct last year. We, Jorge Velasquez, and Angel Cordero (two other top Latin riders) went to a park. We rented horses, and rode around the bridle path(骑马专用道)!”
小题1:The main idea of Paragraph 1 is about ______________.| A．the size of jockeys. | B．the age of jockeys | | C．the size of the horse | D．the speed of the horse |
小题2:When a jockey is riding a fast horse, he doesn’t __________.| A．really sit on the horse | B．lean forward on his legs | | C．use much arm strength | D．get any mud on wet track |
小题3: The most dangerous problem for a jockey arises __________________.| A．when his leg is jammed between two horses | | B．when his clothes are splashed over with mud. | | C．when the jockey’s horse falls on the jockey | | D．when the jockey is not well paid |
小题4:A really good jockey can often win a race ____________.| A．only when he rides on the best horse | | B．even when he rides the second best horse | | C．when he rides on a rented horse | | D．if the horse is just a Kentucky Herby |
小题5: The underlined word “Knack” in the last paragraph probably means__________________.| A．special skill | B．dangerous hobby | | C．riding culture | D．excellent horses. |
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Why does most of the world travel on the right side today? Theories differ, but there’s no doubt Napoleon was a major influence. The French have used the right since at least the late 18th century. Some say that before the French Revolution, noblemen drove their carriages on the left, forcing the peasants to the right. Regardless of the origin, Napoleon brought right-hand traffic to the nations he conquered, including Russia, Switzerland and Germany. Hitler, in turn, ordered right-hand traffic in Czechoslovakia and Austria in the 1930s. Nations that escaped right-hand control, like Great Britain, followed their left-hand tradition.
The U.S. has not always been a nation of right-hand drivers; earlier in its history, carriage and horse traffic travelled on the left, as it did in England. But by the late 1700s, people driving large wagons pulled by several pairs of horses began promoting a shift（改变）to the right. A driver would sit on the rear（后面的）left horse in order to wave his whip（鞭子）with his right hand; to see opposite traffic clearly, they travelled on the right.
One of the final moves to firmly standardize traffic directions in the U.S. occurred in the 20th century, when Henry Ford decided to mass-produce his cars with controls on the left (one reason, stated in 1908: the convenience for passengers exiting directly onto the edge, especially… if there is a lady to be considered). Once these rules were set, many countries eventually adjusted to the right-hand standard, including Canada in the 1920s, Sweden in 1967 and Burma in 1970. The U.K. and former colonies such as Australia and India are among the Western world’s few remaining holdouts(坚持不变者). Several Asian nations, including Japan, use the left as well--- though many places use both right-hand-drive and left-hand-drive cars.
小题1:Why did people in Switzerland travel on the right?| A．They had used the right-hand traffic since the 18th century. | | B．Rich people enjoyed driving their carriages on the right. | | C．Napoleon introduced the right-hand traffic to this country. | | D．Hitler ordered them to go against their left-hand tradition. |
小题2:Of all the countries below, the one that travels on the right is_________. | A．Austria | | B．England | | C．Japan | | D．Australia |
小题3:Henry Ford produced cars with controls on the left __________.| A．in order to change traffic directions in the U.S. | | B．so that passengers could get off conveniently | | C．because rules at that time weren’t perfect | | D．though many countries were strongly against that |
小题4:According to the passage, which of the following is TRUE?| A．Before the French Revolution, all the French people used the right. | | B．People in Britain and the U.S. travel on the same side nowadays. | | C．The Burmese began to travel on the right in 1970. | | D．All the Asian nations use the left at present. |
小题5:What would be the best title for this passage?| A．Who made the great contribution to the shift of traffic directions? | | B．How cars have become a popular means of transportation? | | C．How Henry Ford produced his cars with controls on the left? | | D．Why don’t people all drive on the same side of road? |
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