What's a “gift”? If you look it up in the dictionary, you'll see that it's another word for a present. For example, “They brought him some gifts.” However, if you're German, “gift” means something completely different: poison!

The word “gift” is an example of a “false friend”—a word that looks the same in two languages, but actually has two different meanings. As English is basically a mixture of German, French and Latin, there are many words that are similar in these languages. For example, the English word “education” is “education” in Spanish. And the English words “word”，“book”， “nine”， “house” are “wort”， “buch”， “neun”，“haus” in German.

These similar-looking words can be very helpful when learning other languages—they're our “friends”. However, sometimes they can turn out to be “false friends”. Here are a few examples.

In English, someone who is “sensible” thinks before he acts and shows good judgement. For example, “The sensible thing to do would be to consult a lawyer.” However, in Spanish, “sensible” means “sensitive” (showing understanding of other people's problems, needs or feelings).

The English word “coin” refers to a piece of money made of metal. For example, “I had a few coins in my pocket.” But the French word “coin” means “corner”.

The English word “l(fā)ibrary” is a place where you can go to borrow books. For example, “I borrowed six books from the library.” But the Spanish word “l(fā)ibreria” refers to a bookshop where you buy books.

The English word “actually” means “in fact”. For example, “Actually I'm not Italian; I'm from America.” But the Spanish word “actualmente” means “currently” or “at the moment”.

Finally, the English word “embarrassed” means “ashamed”. For example, “They looked a bit embarrassed.” However, the Spanish term “embarazada” means “pregnant”.

1.We can learn from the first two paragraphs that English ________.

A.is easy to master

B.is simpler than Spanish

C.has a complex background

D.has changed greatly throughout history

2.Which of the following pairs of words are “true friends” according to the author?

A.Nine and neun.

B.Library and libreria.

C.Actually and actualmente.

D.Embarrassed and embarazada.

3.According to the passage, in Spanish ________.

A.“coin” means “corner”

B.“gift” refers to something negative

C.“educacion” simply means “book”

D.“sensible” doesn't necessarily mean “wise”

4.The author develops the passage mainly by ______.

A.following the order of space

B.comparing different ideas

C.providing typical examples

D.analysing the cause and effect

【文章大意】 本文講的是英語是德語、法語、拉丁語的混合語言，有很多單詞看起來很相似，這對學(xué)習(xí)其他語言是有幫助的，但還有很多單詞雖然看起來相似，意思上卻有很大的不同。作者舉了很多這樣的例子。

1.C　細(xì)節(jié)理解題。根據(jù)文章第二段中的“As English is basically a mixture of German, French and Latin…”可知C項(xiàng)正確。

2.A　細(xì)節(jié)理解題。根據(jù)文章第二段中的“…the English word ‘education’ is ‘education’ in Spanish. And the English words ‘word’， ‘book’， ‘nine’， ‘house’ are ‘wort’， ‘buch’， ‘neun’， ‘haus’ in German.”可知A項(xiàng)正確。

3.D　細(xì)節(jié)理解題。根據(jù)第四段的內(nèi)容可知D項(xiàng)正確。

4.C　文章結(jié)構(gòu)題。縱觀全文可知作者給出了很多的例子。