6．Every language has its own special words and expressions．And a story can be told about each of them．"Hot"is a simple，easily-understood word．So are most of the expressions made with the word"hot"．But not always，as we shall see．
Take the phrase"hot potato"for example．The potato is a popular vegetable in the United States．Many people like baked potatoes，cooked in an oven or fire．Imagine trying to carry a hot，baked potato in your hand．It would be difficult，even painful，to do so．One such hot potato is taxes．Calling for higher taxes can mean defeat for a politician．And yet，if taxes are not raised，some very popular government programs could be cut，which can also make a politician very unpopular．
Another expression is"not so hot"．If you ask someone how she feels，she may answer："Not so hot．"What she means is that she does not feel well．"Not so hot"is also a way of saying that you do not really like something．
"A hot shot"is a person，often a young person，who thinks he can do anything．At least he wants to try．He is very sure he can succeed．But often he fails．The expression came from the army．A hot shot was a soldier who fired without aiming carefully．
A person who becomes angry easily is called"a hothead"．An angry person's neck often becomes red．We say he is"hot under the collar"．You could say that your friend is no hothead．But he got hot under the collar when someone took his radio．
The hot line was a direct communication link between the leaders of the Soviet Union and the United States．The hot line had an important purpose：to prevent accidental war between the two competitors during the period known as the Cold War．The American president and the Soviet leader were able to communicate directly and immediately on the hot line．
32．If you describe something as a hot potato，itC．
A．is very popular
B．has a high temperature
C．is very difficult to deal with
D．can't be held in your hand
33．According to the text，which of the following statements is NOT true？A
A．All of the expressions made with the word hot are simple，easily-understood．
B．Taxes can be a hot potato for a politician if not handled carefully．
C．The expression"a hot shot"was born in the army．
D．If you say that the new play you saw last night is not so hot，you do not consider it a success．
34．"Hot"is a word that is often used to talk about anger，which two phrases are associated with this meaning？C
A．a(chǎn) hot shot，a hot potato
B．a(chǎn) hothead，a hot shot
C．hot under the collar，a hothead
D．a(chǎn) hot potato，hot under the collar
35．The purpose of the first hot line wasB．
A．to stop the Cold War
B．to prevent accidental war between the two superpowers
C．to promote the cooperation between the Soviet Union and the United States
D．to make direct telephone links for the people in Moscow and Washington．
分析 本文主要講述了"hot potato"這一固定表述的不同的含義，在不同的場合和地點(diǎn)有著不同的特定意義．
解答 32．C 細(xì)節(jié)理解題．根據(jù)文章第一段．Many people like baked potatoes，cooked in an oven or fire．Imagine trying to carry a hot，baked potato in your hand．It would be difficult，even painful，to do so． potato是很受歡迎的，而且人們喜歡用火烤，但是拿著燙手的土豆就是一件難事了，由此可知，hot potato代表的含義是困難的，故C為正確選項(xiàng)．
33．A 細(xì)節(jié)理解題．根據(jù)One such hot potato is taxes．Calling for higher taxes can mean defeat for a politician．And yet，if taxes are not raised，some very popular government programs could be cut，which can also make a politician very unpopular．說明B正確，The expression came from the army．A hot shot was a soldier who fired without aiming carefully．C為正確選項(xiàng)，．"Not so hot"is also a way of saying that you do not really like something．由該句可知，not so hot用來說明某事物不好．文章提到了hot 有關(guān)的很多用法，意義很多，因此是復(fù)雜的，并非簡單，故A的描述出錯．
34．C 細(xì)節(jié)理解題．由該句An angry person's neck often becomes red．We say he is"hot under the collar"．You could say that your friend is no hothead可知，答案為C．
35．B 細(xì)節(jié)理解題．根據(jù)文章最后一段The hot line had an important purpose：to prevent accidental war between the two competitors during the period known as the Cold War．可知，The hot line 的存在是為了阻止二國的戰(zhàn)爭，故B為正確選項(xiàng)．
點(diǎn)評 本文是社會文化類閱讀理解．做這類題材閱讀理解時(shí)要求考生對文章通讀一遍，做題時(shí)結(jié)合原文和題目有針對性的找出相關(guān)語句進(jìn)行仔細(xì)分析，結(jié)合選項(xiàng)選出正確答案．推理判斷題也是要在抓住關(guān)鍵句子的基礎(chǔ)上合理的分析才能得出正確答案，切忌胡亂猜測，一定要做到有理有據(jù)．
