Idioms are phrases and sentences that do not mean exactly what they say. Even if you know the meaning of each word you see or hear, you may not understand the idiom because you don’t understand the culture behind it.
For example, if an American boy asks his mother what’s for dinner tomorrow, she may say “I’ll play it by ear”, that means she doesn’t have plans for dinner and she will decide later. "Play by ear" used to mean playing music using the sheet music, but now people often use it when they’re not talking about music.
There’re many idioms in English. If you learn to use them, your English will be more vivid and colorful. English idioms are more common in spoken English. They can be difficult to remember sometimes. Next time when you hear somebody saying to you, "Give me a hand", you don’t necessarily stretch out your hand to him/her, but you do need to be helpful. And when the situation is out of hand, you usually can do very little to manage all that. What about a green hand? It’s not about the color of your hand! You’re a green hand when you are very new at your work and don’t have much experience. If you and your partner always work together hand in glove, you two definitely work together very well.
Can you guess the meanings of some common English idioms to do with parts of your body?What is an idiom ?
What does “ Can you give me a hand “ mean ?
Are English idioms more common in written English or spoken English ?
阅读上面短文，然后判断句子正( A )误( B)。
A man saw a boy standing beside a lake with a mirror (镜子).“Excuse me,” he said, “but could you tell me what you’re doing?”
“I’m fishing.”
“With a mirror? Could you tell me how it works?”the man asked.
“OK, but I want five dollars.”
The man wanted to know the secret very much, so he handed the boy the money.“Now show me how it works,” he said. “Well”, the boy began, “you hold (拿) the mirror towards the water, and when a fish goes by, the sunlight in the mirror gives him a surprise. He stops and doesn’t know what to do, and then you catch him at once. ”The man was surprised, “Can you really catch fish with the mirror? How many did you catch?”
“You’re the fifth today!” replied the boy.The man wanted to look at the boy’s mirror.
The man gave the boy five dollars.
The boy caught five fish that day.
The boy got fifteen dollars that day.
When the man heard the boy’s words, he would be very happy.
Answer the questions（根据短文内容回答下列问题)
Your Nose is Busy and Important
Your nose has many important jobs, and is always busy.
Smelling
Smelling helps you gather information about the world around you. A good scent (气体),like flowers, brings you pleasure. A bad scent, like smoke or sour milk, warns you of danger. Most things around you release scent particles (微粒) into the air. These invisible chemicals enter the nose when you breathe. Nerves in the nose send information to the brain to identify a smell. You are able to recognize thousands of smells.
Breathing
Most of the air you breathe enters through your nose. The nose uses hair and mucus (粘液) to clean dust and germs (细菌) out of the air. The air that enters your nose contains oxygen. Your body uses oxygen to unlock the energy in the food you eat. Even when you sleep, your body needs energy to keep your heart beating and your brain working.
Tasting
Your nose helps you enjoy food. Flavor is a mixture of taste and smell. The smell of the food helps you identify what you are eating. The sense of smell contributes more to (贡献) food flavor than the sense of taste .When you are sick and have a stuffy nose, your food doesn’t taste as good because without smell, food loses most of its flavor.
Smell memory
Smells can bring back memories. Your brain uses a process to create a picture in your mind from the odors(气味)you smell. Smells can affect your feelings because the part of the brain that helps you identify smells is close to the area that affects your emotions, mood and memory. More smell memories are collected as you get older.
Your nose has many important jobs, and is more than just a smeller!How many important jobs does a nose do according to the passage? What are they?
Smelling helps you recognize thousands of smells, doesn’t it?
What does the nose use to clean dust and germs out of air?
What happens to your food if you are sick and have a stuffy nose?
How do smells bring back memories?
What do you think of your nose? Why do you think so?
Choose the best answer（根据短文内容，选择最恰当的答案)
Newcastle is beginning to draw tourists from all corners of Europe. It’s one of the fastest developing cities in the United Kingdom. It is said most visitors come here to see the famous soccer team play. The mood of the locals is often changed by the success or failures of the local team.
Newcastle’s most popular place is the Gate. It’s in the center of the city and has many attractions including bars, restaurants, sports bars, pubs and so on. During a home game it becomes a real home to happiness.
Culture and local history lovers can make their dreams come true by taking one of the local city tour buses. They come and leave every few minutes and stop at all the important historical sites in the city. Also the seats and the environment on the buses are comfortable. It’s the best way to see the city without tiring yourself out or getting cold. Places such as the Hancock Museum and Millennium Bridge are must-see attractions. But be careful if you’re short of time, Newcastle is a big place. So you should be prepared to kill a few hours on one of these buses.
If you want to watch the local team play soccer in the St. James Park, remember to book a ticket as early as possible. The locals are crazy soccer fans, and you’ll find it hard to get a ticket if you don’t wait in the queue early.
As you can see, Newcastle is a fantastic city with so much to be offered and so many things to see. You’re sure to have a wonderful time here!From the passage we know Newcastle is most famous for its_______.
| A．soccer team | B．city restaurants | C．rich culture | D．historical sites |
If you want to learn about the history and culture of Newcastle, you_____.
| A．can go to the Gate | B．can take a city tour |
| C．must go to St James Park | D．must drive a car |
The underlined word “They” in Para 3 refers to ______.
| A．history lovers | B．historical sites |
| C．city tour buses | D．culture lovers |
Which place is not in Newcastle? ______
| A．St. James Park | B．The Hancock Museum |
| C．the Gate | D．the Tower Bridge |
What can we learn from the passage?
| A．Tourists will enjoy delicious food and have a good time in the Gate. |
| B．It’s usually easy to get a ticket for a local soccer team play. |
| C．Many world famous soccer matches are held in Newcastle every year. |
| D．Newcastle is a very small city with many famous attractions. |
The author wrote this passage mainly in order to_______.
| A．introduce the culture and history of Newcastle |
| B．tell people the popularity of soccer teams in Newcastle |
| C．introduce the characters of people in Newcastle |
| D．encourage people to visit Newcastle |
The family man?
Father was a hardworking man who tried his best to support his wife and three
children. He spent all his evenings attending classes, hoping to improve himself
so that he could one day find a better-paid job, except for Sundays. Father hardly ate a meal together with his family. He worked and studied very hard because he wanted
to provide his family with the best things that money could buy.
Whenever the family complained that he was not spending enough time with them, he reasoned that he was doing all this for them. But he often wished to spend more time with his family.
The day came when the examination results were announced. To his joy, Father passed with a good mark! Soon after , he was offered a good job as a senior supervisor (主管), which paid quite well.
However, the family still did not get to see Father for most of the week. He continued to work very hard, hoping to get the position of manager. Again, whenever the family complained that he was not spending enough time with them, he reasoned that he was doing all this for them. But he often wished to spend more time with his family.
Father’s hard word paid off and he was promoted(提升). Excitedly, he decided to hire a maid
so his wife did not have to do the housework any more. He also felt that their three-room flat was not longer big enough, and it would be nice for his family to be able to enjoy the comfort of a condominium(公寓). Having experienced the rewards of his hard work many times before, Father decided to further his studies and work at being promoted again. The family still did not get to see much of him again.
As expected, father’s hard work paid off again and he bought a beautiful condominium near the coast of Singapore. On the first Sunday evening in their new home, father told his family that he had decided not to take any more courses or pursue(追求) any more promotions. From then on he was going to spend more time with his family.
Father did not wake up the next day.Father worked seven days a week, didn’t he ?
Why did father work and study hard?
What was father’s first well-paid job?
What did the family complain about father?
Where did father manager to buy a beautiful condominium for his family?
Do you want to have the “father”in your family? Why or not?
人们常常喜欢用一些英语名言来作为自己的座右铭，请根据以下信息，给下面5个人选择合适的座右铭来配对。
| 1.Ann works hard at English. She never wastes time. |
| 2.Bill is always afraid of failing exam . He needs more confidence. |
| 3.David has good study habits. He thinks the beginning is very important. |
| 4.Linda is 70 years old, but she still likes learning something. |
| 5.Tom wants to be a professional basketball player, but he can’t play it very well. |
A. Practice makes perfect.
B. Every minute counts.
C. Failure is the mother of success.
D. A good beginning is half done.
E. It is never too old to learn.