Question

    Some English words have more than one meaning. These are called multi- meaning words.

Multi-meaning words have the same pronunciation with different meanings. For example, let's look at the word “ball” You could have a “ball” which means you would have a good time. You could toss a “ball” which means you throw an object. You could be on the “ball” which means you know what is happening. You could go to a “ball” which means a dance.

_______Take the word “can”. You “can” ride a bike which means you are able to ride a bike. You have a “can” of soup which means the soup is in a round-shaped holder. You can do the “can-can” which is a dance from the 1920s. And you might get “canned” if you do a poor job at work, which means you might lose your job.

How about “fly”? You can “fly” that is on your food in your house. Or, you can “fly by the seat of your pants” which means you don't make a plan before taking an action. And, you know that the “fly” of the zipper.

There are hundreds of words that are multi-meaning words. The word “set” has more meanings than any other word in the English language. When you have time, why don't you try to think of all the ways the word “set” is used?

If you look at the title of this book Can a Fly, Fly? …you know that the answer is “Yes” because you have seen an insect named a “fly” go up in the air and move around through the air …which is what “fly” means. Can a Fly, Fly? Of course, it can!

1.If Tom is often late for work and fails to finish his tasks, he will___________.

A.do the can-can B.get canned C.be on the ball D.go to a ball

2.From the passage, we know “__________” has the most meanings in the English language.

A.ball B.can C.set D.fly

3.Which of the following is the best sentence to fill in the blank in paragraph 3?

A.Let's try another word. B.Let's make a word list.

C.Here's a survey report. D.Here's the guessing game.

Answer

1.B

2.C

3.A

【解析】

本文讲述了多义词。有些英语单词有不止一个意思。这些词被称为多义词。多义词有相同的发音，但有不同的意思。例如单词“ball”，You could have a “ball”，意思是你会玩得很开心。You could toss a “ball”，意思是你扔一个物体。You could be on the “ball” ，意思是你知道发生了什么事。 You could go to a“ball”，意思你可以去参加舞会。同样的还有can，fly，set等。

1.细节理解题。根据“And you might get “canned” if you do a poor job at work, which means you might lose your job.”如果你工作表现不佳，你可能会被“解雇”，这意味着你可能会失去工作。故选B。

2.细节理解题。根据“The word “set” has more meanings than any other word in the English language”“set”这个词在英语中比其他任何单词都有更多的意思，所以是最多的意思。故选C。

3.推理判断题。根据上文说的是“ball”，所以此处是我们再试一个词，自然过渡到“can”,故选A。