Ⅴ. 阅读短文，选择最佳选项。
I had been learning English for 11 years, but I knew few English idioms. When I went to study in America last year, I had trouble communicating with Americans at times.
One day, I asked my roommate Kevin, “Shall we play soccer tomorrow?” He answered, “Let’s play it by ear.” I was so puzzled. “Can ears play soccer?” I asked. He explained, “It means let’s see how things go. The weather report says tomorrow is rainy.”
Last October, I was waiting for the bus at a station. Beside me sat a young man. When he knew I was Chinese, he asked me something about the Great Wall. I told him, “The Great Wall is more than 20, 000 kilometres long.” The man said, “You don’t say.” I was surprised. “There must be something wrong with him,” I thought. Later, I knew he meant “Really?”
I was once invited to my classmate’s home. He said to me, “Let your hair down.” I wondered, “I didn’t put my hair up.” Later my classmate told me he meant I could make myself relaxed in his home.
From then on, I realized English idioms had special meanings. It was wrong to translate them word by word.
1. Why did the writer go to America last year? ()
A. He studied there.
B. He spent holidays there.
C. He did business there.
D. He visited his relatives there.
2. When Kevin says “Let’s play it by ear”, he wants to tell the writer . ()
A. he is good at listening
B. he could play soccer with his ear
C. he refuses the writer’s suggestion
D. whether to play soccer depends on the weather
3. From the third paragraph, we can know . ()
A. the writer wanted to take a train
B. the young man knew the Great Wall well
C. the young man was the writer’s good friend
D. the young man was surprised to know how long the Great Wall was
4. What’s the best title for the text? ()
A. The Most Useful Language—English
B. The Importance of Knowing English Idioms
C. Differences Between Universities in America
D. How to Communicate with Americans

1.A 2.D 3.D 4.B

【分析】
本题为英语阅读理解选择题，解题思路如下：1. 先通读全文，把握文章核心（作者因不懂英语习语在美国遇沟通问题，意识到习语不能逐字翻译）；2. 针对每道小题，先明确问题关键词，再回到原文对应段落定位相关信息；3. 对比选项，选出与原文内容匹配的最佳答案。
【解析】
1. 题目问作者去年去美国的原因，原文第一段明确提到“When I went to study in America last year”，“study”对应选项A的“studied”，故选A。
2. 题目问“Let’s play it by ear”的含义，原文第二段Kevin解释该习语意为“看情况而定”，结合后文“The weather report says tomorrow is rainy”，可知是否踢足球取决于天气，对应选项D，故选D。
3. 第三段中，作者告知年轻人长城超2万公里后，年轻人说“You don’t say”（意为“真的吗？”），体现年轻人对长城长度的惊讶，对应选项D，故选D。
4. 文章围绕作者因不懂英语习语遇沟通问题展开，最终点明英语习语有特殊含义，强调了解英语习语的重要性，对应选项B，故选B。
【答案】1.A 2.D 3.D 4.B
【知识点】英语阅读理解、英语习语理解
【点评】本题考查学生对英语阅读细节的定位及习语含义的推断能力，需结合上下文分析，是常见的英语阅读题型。
【难度系数】0.6