| 阅读理解。 |
| The American expression "shoo-in" means someone or something that seems sure to win a race or competition. Before a big football game, supporters of each are certain to argue (争论) about which side will win. Sometimes, however, one team appears so much stronger than the others that everyone agrees it will win. The stronger team is a shoo-in. there is no way that it can lose. The expression "shoo-in" comes from horse racing. It comes from the word "shoo". That is not the shoe we wear on our feet. It's another word, S-H-O-O. To shoo is an expression hundreds of years old that means to force an animal to move in a desired direction. Many years ago dishonest (不诚实) riders sometimes agreed secretly to control their horses so that one chosen horse would win the race. All but one of the riders would hold back their horses. The chosen rider would shoo his horse ahead of the others, and win the race. The other riders would secretly bet (打赌) large amounts of money that the chosen horse would win. The public (公众) soon learned about such races. They began to call the winner of such a race a "shoo-in". These days, people use shoo-into describe (描述) any athlete (运动员) or competitor that seems certain to win, even without cheating. American runner Edewin Moses won more than hundred races before he ran the hurdle race (跳拦赛) in the 1984 Olympic Games. Everyone said Moses was a shoo-in, and that he could not lose. And they were right. He won the gold medal. |
| 1. One of the dishonest riders was sure to win the race because ________. |
| A. be used to be the best in riding B. the public had belief in him C. he could not control his horse easily D. the other riders had agreed to fail in the race |
| 2. The reason why American runner Edewin Moses was regarded as a "shoo-in" is ________. |
| A. due to his honest in the races he ran in B. due to his great effort (努力) shown in more than one hundred races C. that he won over 100 competitions before the 1984 Olympic Games D. that the old meaning of "shoo-in" had changed |
| 3. Which of the following statements is not true? |
| A. "shoo-in" came from the word "shoo". B. The US runner Moses was worthy of (配的上) a shoo-in. C. The public did not know they were being cheated. D. Some runners bet a lot of money on the chosen horse. |
| 4. The main idea of the passage is that "shoo-in" is ________. |
| A. used for anyone or anything that is certain to win a game B. used to admire (钦佩) a person who seems to be sure to win a race C. a word used to describe a dishonest person D. used for any athlete or competitor that seems too clever to be cheated |
| 5. In the last paragraph the author means to tell us ________. |
| A. who Edewin Moses was B. Moses won a lot of races C. Moses was the best runner in America D. We can use "shoo-in" to describe an excellent runner |