1.From the passage we learn that locusts________.

A. are small animals 　　　B. are easily found by birds

C. are dangerous to their enemies D. change their colors to protect themselves

4. A。短文从一个英国女孩被邀请时的答语，说到政客们的所谓许诺。我们从中不难看出短

　文的主旨，那就是条件句在日常交际中的运用。不言而喻，答案非A莫属。

　Passage 5

　Do you know why different animals or pests (昆虫) have their special colors? Colors in them seem to be used mainly to protect themselves.

　Some birds like eating locusts (蝗虫), but birds cannot easily catch them. Why? It is because locusts change their colors together with the change of the colors of crops. When crops are green, locusts look green. But as the harvest time comes, locusts change to the same brown color as crops have. Some other pests with different colors from plants are easily found and eaten by others. So they have to hide themselves for lives and appear only at night.

　If you study the animal life, you’ll find the main use of coloring is to protect themselves. Bears, lions and other animals move quietly through forests. They cannot be easily seen by hunters (猎人). This is because they have the colors much like the trees.

　Have you ever noticed an even stranger act? A kind of fish in the sea can send out a kind of very black liquid (液体)when it faces danger. While the liquid spreads over (散开), its enemies (敌人)cannot find it. And it immediately swims away. So it has lived up to now though it is not strong at all.

3. B。由“The use of the conditional here makes room for argument although the speaker is using the second conditional form, which shows improbability.”这句话，可以看出条件句的使用给政客们所说的话留有商量的余地。换句话说，政客们表面上好像答应了工人们的请求，实际上并没有给出什么承诺。因此，只有B才是正确的答案。

2. D。由短文第三自然段所举的例子，可以推断出作者对政客们的这种做法是持否定态度的，所以选项A是错误的。选项B仅仅从短文中举的一个例子就得出结论，未免太片面了些。而C项所讲的意思以偏概全，也是不合文意的。短文第四自然段详细说明了if一词的不同含义，它不仅仅可以表示礼貌，用在间接引语中，而且也可以表示可能性、不大可能，或者不可能。故D项是正确的。

1.C。短文首句就说英国人很有礼貌。在接下来的第二自然段中，作者举例说明了英国人使用条件句的目的，那就是为了使自己的谈话委婉些。考虑到“…as she uses the first conditional that shows probability.”和“Being polite can make life very difficult!”这两句话的含义，可知条件句的使用并不能使谈话的内容更加清楚。恰恰相反，它使得生活变得困难起来。由此，迷惑性较大的A项可予以排除。

4. This passage is mainly talking about _________.

　A. the conditional in communication　B. how to invite a girl in Britain

　C. British people and their life　D. some language points in daily English

　(选自2003年北京海淀区试题)

　[解题思路点拨]这篇夹叙夹议的小品文难度颇大。短文就条件句在人际交往中的运用这一内容展开。在日常生活中，英国人是很讲礼貌的，他们通常使用表示条件的句式，以便使说出的话更委婉些。条件句的使用固然能使双方都不失体面，但它实际上非但不能使谈话的内容更加清楚，而且使得生活变得困难起来。条件句通常为政客所用，这样可以给他们的谈话留有商量的余地。文章最后讲到“if”这个词的众多含义，它不仅表示委婉和可能性，还能表示不大可能，甚至表示不可能。

3. In the passage, “If we could pay you more, we would.” probably means __________.

　A. the workers will make more money　B. the spokesman doesn’t give any promise

　C. the spokesman keeps his word　D. the workers’ problems aren’t difficult

2. Which of the following is true according to the passage?

　A. Language used in the news should make room to argue.

　B. Usually English girls are not easy to catch.

　C. English people never speak out their ideas in public.

　D. The word “if” can show different meanings.

1. The using of the conditional can make a speech _________.

　A. clearer　 B. Quicker　 C. more polite　 D. more exciting

4.B。根据前面三个人的经历，第四个人便依次类推，认为自己的妻子会生下七个孩子。如果事情真的巧合的话，也许会是这样。但依据生活常识，这个人的妻子至少会生下一个妻子，算上已经降生的九个孩子，总共是十个。所以答案非D莫属。本题是一道考查学生推断能力的好题目，但选项设计不够合理，通读全文就会很容易排除前三个选项。所以如果将四个选项设计成：A. 9. B. 10. C. 11. D. 16. 这样会增加题目的迷惑性，更能考查学生的逻辑推理能力。

　Passage 4　It is sometimes said that the English are polite people. This can make life difficult for foreigners. Suppose a foreign boy asks an English girl to go out with him and she says, “If I finish my work, I’ll meet you in the cafe at 7 o’clock.” Is she saying “ yes ” or “ no ” to his invitation?

　In grammatical terms, she is using the conditional structure. By using the conditional, speakers of English can avoid giving a “yes ” or “no ” answer to a question. It enables people to be diplomatic. If the girl doesn’t want to go out with the boy, she won’t turn up at the cafe. She will let him understand she is still working. If she wants to go out with him, but doesn’t want to appear too easy to catch, she has achieved that with her reply. But in this case, as she uses the first conditional that shows probability; she is quite likely to turn up at the cafe. Being polite can make life very difficult!

　The conditional is often used by people in the news-politicians, for example-who wish to avoid speaking out their ideas. This is very important if they are on their way to discuss an agreement. No one wants to give away his or her points before he or she starts. A government spokesman might say to a group of workers, “If we could pay you more, we would.” The use of the conditional here makes room for argument although the speaker is using the second conditional form, which shows improbability. So it is unlikely the workers will get their rise.

　“If ” is a small word, which appears often in the English language. It can show politeness, reported speech and conditionals such as the First -- probability -- if I can come to your party, I will; the Second -- improbability -- if I saw you tomorrow, I’d give you the book; and the Third -- impossibility (meaning it is too late to change something that has happened) -- if you have told me, I would have helped you.

　注：conditional structure 表示条件的句式 avoid 避免 diplomatic 婉转的

　achieve 达到 politician 政客