题文
“Can’t hold a candle to” is a popular expression．When there wasn’t electricity, someone would have a servant light his way by holding a candle．The expression meant that the person who cannot hold a candle to you is not fit even to be your servant．Now，it means such a person cannot compare or compete．Another expression is“hold your tongue．”It means to be still and not talk．“Hold your tongue”is not something you would tell a friend．But a parent or teacher might use the expression to quiet a noisy child．
“Hold out”is an expression one hears often in sports reports and labor news．It means to refuse to play or work．Professional football and baseball players“hold out” if their team refuses to pay them what they think they are worth．
The expression“hold up” has several different meanings．One is a robbery．A man with a gun may say,“This is a hold up．Give me your money．”Another meaning is to delay．A driver who was held up by heavy traffic might be late for work．Another meaning is for a story to be considered true after an investigation．A story can hold up if it is proved true．
“Hold on”is another expression，which means wait or stop．As you leave for school，your brother may say,“Hold on，you forgot your book．” It is used to ask a telephone caller to wait and not hang up his telephone．
Our final expression is“hold the line．”That means to keep a problem or situation from getting worse—to hold steady．For example，the president may say he will“hold the line on taxes．”He means there will be no increase in taxes．
小题1:The author introduces the expressions mainly by _____________．A．giving examplesB．making comparisonsC．raising questions D．quoting famous remarks小题2:The expression“can’t hold a candle to”call be used when ____________．A．some footballers refuse to play a gameB．someone else is wanted on the phoneC．someone is not qualified for a positionD．someone was delayed by heavy traffic小题3:The tune ofthe phrase“hold your tongue”is probably a little ___________．A．amusingB．politeC．unfriendlyD．offensive小题4:If some teachers“hold out”，they probably __________．A．change their artitudeB．refuse to workC．make a compromise D．show their devotion小题5:Which of the following sentences can convey positive meanings?A．I was late as I was held up by a hold up．B．Hold on!You have to pay the bill，sir．C．You can’t even hold a candle to Michael．D．I promise to hold the line on house prices． 题型：未知 难度：其他题型
答案
小题1:A
小题2:C
小题3:C
小题4:B
小题5:D
解析
本文介绍了英语中几个常用的短语，介绍了每个短语的内在含义和具体使用语境并举例进行了说明。小题1:A
【试题解析】推理题。根据文章第三段Professional football and baseball players“hold out” if their team refuses to pay them what they think they are worth．先是提出hold out这个短语，然后再举例说明这个短语的用法。所以本文是通过举例说明的方法来组织全文的。故A正确。
小题2:C
【试题解析】推理题。根据第一段后2行The expression meant that the person who cannot hold a candle to you is not fit even to be your servant．Now，it means such a person cannot compare or compete．这个短语是指那些不会给你拿蜡烛的人是不适合做你的仆人的，也就是说这样的人是不合格的。故该短语是指C项含义。
小题3:C
【试题解析】推理题。根据文章第二段Another expression is“hold your tongue．”It means to be still and not talk．“Hold your tongue”is not something you would tell a friend．课hold your tongue表示让对方不要说话，保持安静。这是一个不太礼貌的用语。不是我们经常和朋友讲的用语。故C正确。
小题4:B
【试题解析】推理题。根据文章第三段第二句．It means to refuse to play or work．可知hold out表示罢工或者拒绝工作。如果老师hold out说明老师拒绝上课了。故B项正确。
小题5:D
【试题解析】推理题。根据文章最后一段That means to keep a problem or situation from getting worse—to hold steady可知hold the line表示不让事情失败，让事情保持稳定。这个短语表示的是褒义。故D正确。
【长难句解析】
“Hold out”is an expression one hears often in sports reports and labor news．
【翻译】“Hold out”是一个人们经常在体育报道和劳动法律里经常听见的短语。
【分析】本句中含有一个定语从句one hears often in sports reports and labor news这个定语从句用来修饰先行词an expression,在先行词后面省略了that/which指代先行词在句中做hear的宾语，可以省略。
考点
据考高分专家说，试题““Can’t hold a candle.....”主要考查你对 [政治经济类阅读 ]考点的理解。政治经济类阅读
政治经济类文章的概念：
要做好这类阅读，平时就要注意了解国内外发生的政治经济大事，掌握一定背景知识，对这类文章的叙述特点及内容安排有一定了解，还要扩展这方面的词汇。阅读这类文章，要抓住文章的核心，即文章整体和各段主要在说什么，也要注意段落之间的逻辑关系。
如何备考政治经济类阅读理解题：
【题型说明】政治经济类阅读文章是高考常选材料之一。该类文章时代气息浓郁，语言鲜活，但熟字新义词、超纲词及专业词语多，长句、难句多。政治类文章大多数是同学们感性趣的内容，读起来倒有似曾相识的感觉，经济类文章读起来就像是雾里看花，文章看完，一头雾水。再加之这类文章的命题侧重于词义猜测、推理判断和文章主旨，同学们对这类题材是望而生畏。
【备考策略】建立心理优势。针对不同体裁的文章，我们要采取相应的阅读方法和技巧。政治类文章多采用记叙文形式，我们可采取“顺读法”，以便抓关键语句，领会文章主旨；而经济类文章则多采用说明文形式，我们则可以采取“逆读法”，先读试题，再从文章中查找有用信息。若遇到的确难读的材料。千万不用着急，因为你觉得难，其他人也一定是同感。在高考前，我们就要有这种心理准备，高考试卷肯定有一、两篇难以阅读的材料。不过，我们平时可以有意识地从报刊杂志上找一些较难的阅读材料来阅读，以培养自己迎难而上的心理素质。
【答题方法】
1、寻找主干：
根据英语中五种基本句型结构，把句子中的主语、谓语、宾语、表语等主要成分找出来，其他成分如定语、状语、补语等则易于理解。找到了句子主干，句子的意思至少明白了一半。
2、剔除从句：
在一个长句中可能会出现若干个从句，在理解时，如果把各个从句剔除出来单独理解，然后把大意拼凑起来，整个长句的意思就会明白六、七分。
3、辨别分句：
一个长句如果是由几个并列、转折、递进、对比关系的分句组成，句中往往有表示这些分句关系的连接词，只要能弄清楚分句和分句之间的逻辑关系，再把各层分句的意思加以连贯，整个长句的句意基本上能跃然脑中。
4、寻找关键词：
如果一个句子看完，一点句意的感觉也没有，下下策就是抓住句中的关键词，通过关键词大体弄懂这个长句的意思。
