"Can't hold a candle to" is a popular expression.When there wasn't electricity, someone would have a servant light his way by holding a candle.The expression meant that the person who cannot hold a candle to you is not fit even to be your servant.Now,it means such a person cannot compare or compete. Another expression is"hold your tongue."It means to be still and not talk."Hold your tongue"is not something you would tell a friend.But a parent or teacher might use the expression to quiet a noisy child. "Hold out"is an expression one hears often in sports reports and labor news.It means to refuse to play or work.Professional football and baseball players"hold out" if their team refuses to pay them what they think they are worth. The expression"hold up" has several different meanings.One is a robbery.A man with a gun may say,"This is a hold up.Give me your money."Another meaning is to delay.A driver who was held up by heavy traffic might be late for work.Another meaning is for a story to be considered true after an investigation.A story can hold up if it is proved true. "Hold on"is another expression,which means wait or stop.As you leave for school,your brother may say,"Hold on,you forgot your book." It is used to ask a telephone caller to wait and not hang up his telephone. Our final expression is"hold the line."That means to keep a problem or situation from getting worse--to hold steady.For example,the president may say he will"hold the line on taxes."He means there will be no increase in taxes. The tune ofthe phrase"hold your tongue"is probably a little _ . A) amusing B) polite C) unfriendly D) offensive
C
A lot of teachers hate doodlers during classes."Pay attention!"Teachers will often warn doodling students,sure that they must be daydreaming. However, according to a recent study, doodling while listening to a boring lecture helps concentrate the attention: Andrade,a psychology professor in England asked participants to listen to a boring lecture. Half the participants were told to color in squares and circles freely on a piece of paper while listening to the lecture.The other half weren't given a task.After it was over, the participants were asked to retell the lecture. Those given the doodling task(color in squares and circles)remembered 29 percent more information than the non-doodlers.Andrade said. "If someone is doing a boring task,like listening to a dull conversation,they may start daydream,"said Professor Andrade. "Daydreaming distracts them from the task,resulting in poorer performance.A simple task,like doodling,can stop them from daydreaming without affecting their performance at the task,"he said. So the next time you're doodling during a class,and you hear"pay attention",you can tell the teacher with confidence that you've been paying attention to every word. Teachers hate doodlers because they thought _ . A) doodlers are not good at study B) doodlers are doing no task C) doodlers pay no attention in class D) doodlers are not polite to them
C
Q: Some of the most painful moments I spend as a vet ( ) are those spent with my customers assisting my animal patients from this world to the next. Making this final decision is not easy, and I have often felt powerless to comfort the sorrowful owners. That was before I met Shane. I had been called to examine a ten-year-old dog named Belker who had developed a serious health problem. The dog's owner--Ron, his wife, Lisa, and their little boy, Shane--were hoping for a miracle . But I told the family there were no miracles left for Belker, and offered to perform the euthanasia for the old dog in their home. As we made the arrangements, Ron and Lisa told me they thought it would be good for the four-year-old Shane to observe the euthanasia. They felt Shane could learn something from the experience. The next day, _ Shane seemed so calm, patting the old dog for the last time, that I wondered if he understood what was going on. A few minutes later, Belker slipped peacefully away. The little boy seemed to accept Belker's death without any difficulty or confusion. We sat together for a little while after Belker's death, wondering aloud about the sad fact that animal lives are shorter than human lives. Shane, who had been listening quietly, piped up: "I know why." Shocked, we all turned to him. What came out of his mouth next astonished me. I'd never heard a more comforting explanation. He said, "Everybody is born so they can learn how to live a good life: like loving everybody and being nice, right?" The four-year-old continued, "Well, animals already know how to do that, so they don't have to stay as long." Shane's parents wanted Shane to witness the euthanasia mainly because _ . A) they hoped he could gain something from it B) they knew he hated to part with Belker C) they wanted him to remember Belker forever D) they intended him to learn to carry out euthanasia
A: A
Q: "Seven out of ten people have tried to learn a language at some point in their life and most wish they could speak one more fluently," a survey found. "And nine out of ten people want their children to learn foreign languages at primary school," said the poll for the OCR Examing Board .Languages are no longer compulsory for pupils aged 14 and over. But the government wants all primary school pupils in England to learn a language by the end of the decade. A survey of 1000 people was carried out, which is organised by the National Centre of Language .The study suggested people in London were the most likely(78%) to have studied another language, Scots were next at 74%, followed by the northeast of England (71%).In the west of England, more than six in ten have knowledge of another language. Barrie Hunt from OCR said, "People are often very negative about Britain,s grasp of foreign languages but in reality the number of people who can speak a second language is impressive. The great joke is that many of these people will have no formal qualification to show their family, friends and employers what they can do. Whether they are fluent or just able to hold a short conversation in another language is unknown." He said OCR had set a new language scheme called Asset Languages to encourage people of all ages to learn languages in bite-sized amounts and get a qualification. The scheme also provides assessment for community languages spoken at home, such as Chinese, Urdu and Punjabi. Isabella Moore from the National Centre of Languages said, "Employers want evidence of good communication skills, confidence and outward-looking attitudes, so a language qualification is an important addition to anyone,s resume." Which of the following has the most to have studied a foreign language? A) People from Scotland. B) People from the northeast of England. C) People in London. D) People from the west of England.
A: C