题型:阅读理解 题类:常考题 难易度:普通
河南省洛阳市2017-2018学年高一上学期英语期末考试试卷
Writing it down
Unlike some other European languages, English is a little tricky when it comes to writing. How a word is pronounced and how it is actually spelt can be very different things.
Same spelling, different meanings
Imagine, then, a situation where two words are spelt and pronounced exactly the same way, but have completely different meanings. Welcome to the world of homonyms(同形同音异义词). Take, for example, the word "fair"—it can be a kind of festival, an adjective to describe the colour of your hair or how you should play a game. Or "leg", which can be attached to a person, or a table and can also be a distance you travel, or a part of a competition.
Don't take it literally(字面意思)
So how do you know which meaning someone is referring to? You don't, except by the context. Obviously, if someone asks you to "give them a hand", they don't want you to remove what is at the end of your arm.
What's in a name?
Sometimes even the context doesn't help much—the result can be amusing. These sentences play with the double meaning of a noun:
Sentence 1: I used to be a banker, but I lost interest.
Sentence 2: A small boy swallowed some coins and had to go to hospital. When his grandmother phoned to ask how he was, the nurse said: "No change yet".
More ambiguity(歧义)
Sentence 3 plays with the different meanings of a verb:
Sentence 3: I wondered why the ball was getting bigger. Then it hit me.
Double trouble
And sometimes a word can be a noun and a verb, but have different meanings. Can you work this one out?
Sentence 4: Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana.
If you like these homonyms, you will be pleased to know that English has plenty more!
Elephant Reserve Country: Thailand This is a working vacation at a wildlife centre. Anyone can become a volunteer if he/she agrees to help the elephant keepers with tasks. Daily tasks Gather the elephants at 6:30 am. Take them to look for food in the forest. Clean the enclosure(围场). Swim with the elephants in the lake in the afternoon. If volunteers want to relax after work, they can watch satellite television. How this vacation helps If these elephants hadn't been rescued, they would still be living on the streets of Bangkok. The rural environment is much better for them than the urban environment where there is lots of pollution. Your Comment "I love working with these huge gentle animals." |
Gorilla safari(观赏野兽的旅行) Countries: Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda Departures(出发): 2—3 departures per month from Aug. to Dec. Extras: permit £220 If you're lucky, you'll see lions, elephants and rhinos during this safari. The highlight(最好的部分) of the trip is the opportunity to see gorillas in the mountain forests. However, you must be in good health — if a gorilla caught a cold, it would be extremely harmful to its whole family. How this vacation helps There are only about 600 gorillas left in the world as human activity has reduced the area where they can live. When you buy a permit, this will pay for the protection of the national park. Your comment "I'll surely go back as soon as I have enough money!" |
Polar bear watching Area & Country: Arctic, Canada Departures: sixty trips between Oct. 1—Nov.19. Every October and November groups of polar bears gather in Hudson Bay. As they are normally lonely creatures, this is unusual. The bears wait for the ocean to freeze so that they can hunt for seals, so this is the perfect opportunity to see them. Extra activities include dog sledding(狗拉雪橇) and a night trip to see the Northern Lights. How this vacation helps If the Arctic ice cap melts due to global warming, polar bears will be in danger. We give a share of our profits(利益) to the charity that protects polar bears. Your comment "These terrible bears get all the liquid they need from their food." |
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