Mr. “Cool”

李霞

“Cool” is a word with many meanings. Its old meaning is used to express a temperature that is a little bit cold. Now， the word has many different meanings.

“Cool” can be used to express feelings of interest in almost anything. When you see a famous car in the street， maybe you will say “Its cool.” You may think， “Hes so cool，” when you see your favorite football player.

We all maximize① the meaning of “cool”. You can use it instead of many words such as “new” or “surprising”. Heres an interesting story we can use to show the way the word is used. A teacher asked her students to write about the waterfall② they had visited. On one students paper was just the one sentence， “Its so cool”. Maybe he thought it was the best way to show what he saw and felt. But the story also shows a scarcity③ of words. Without“cool”， some people have no words to show the same meaning. Can you think of many other words that make your life as colorful as the word “cool”？ I can. And I think they are also very cool.

Choose the best answer.

1. We know that the word “cool” has ____.

A. only one meaning        B. no meanings

C. many different meanings D. the same meaning

2. In the passage， the word “express” means “____”.

A. see B. show C. know D. feel

3. If you are ____ something， you may say， “Its cool.”

A. interested inB. angry about C. afraid of    D. unhappy with

4. In the passage， the writer suggests （暗示） that the word “cool” ____.

A. can be used instead of many words

B. usually means something interesting

C. can make your life colourful

D. may not be as cool as it seems