The American expression“shoo-in”means someone or something that seems sure to win a race or competition．
Before a big football game，supporters of e ach team are certain to argue about which side will win．
Sometimes，however, one team appears so much stronger than the others that everyone agrees it will win．The stronger team is a shoo-in．There is no way that it can lose．
The expression shoo-in comes from horse racing．It comes from the word “shoo''．That’s not the shoe we wear on our foot．It's another word，S-H-O-O．“To shoo”is an expression hundreds of years old that means to urge a person or animal to move in a desired direction．
Many years ago，dishonest riders sometimes agreed secretly to control their horses so that one chosen horse would win the race．All but one of the riders would hold back thei horses．The chosen rider would shoo his horse ahead of the others，and win the race.
The other riders would secretly bet large amounts of money that the chosen horse would win．
The public soon learned about such races．They began to call the winner of such a race a“shoo-in"．
These days，people use shoo-in to describe any athlete or competitor that seems certain to win，even without cheating．American runner Edw in Moses won more than one hundred races before he ran the hurdles race in the nineteen-eighty-four Olympic Games．Everyone said Moses was a shoo-in and that he could not lose．And they were right．He won the gold medal．
36．One of the dishonest riders was sure to win the race because
A．the other riders had agreed to fail in the race
B．he used to be best at riding
C．the public had confidence in him
D．he could control his horse easily
37．The reason why American runner Edwin Moses was regarded as a“shoo-in”is
A．owing to his honest character
B．due to his great effort shown in more than one hundred races
C．that he won over l00 competitions before the l984 Olympic Games
D．that the old meaning of“shoo-in''had changed
38．Which of the following statements is NOT true?
A．“Shoo-in'’originated in the word“shoo'’．
B．The public did not know they were being cheated．
C．Some riders bet a lot of money on the chosen horse．
D．US runner Moses deserved a shoo-in．
39．The main idea of the passage is that“shoo-in’’
A．is used to admire a person who seems to be sure to win a race
B．is a word used to describe a dishonest person
C．is used for any athlete or competitor that seems too clever to be cheated
D．is used for anyone or anything that is certain of winning a game
40．This passage can best be titled
A．Be Sure to Win B．Shoo-in，a Sure Winner
C．Winner in a Competition D．The Birth of Shoo-in