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 ?
Every student in Australia(澳大利亚)must wear their school uniforms when they are at school．There are many kinds of uniforms such as suits，dresses，shorts，skirts，shirts，T-shirts and so on．
Class usually begins at 8：00 a．m．in most Australian schools，and sometimes it begins at 10：00 a．m．You needn’t go to class with your schoolbag，you can put it in your own cabinet(书桌)and only take a few books．There are many subjects：English，Maths，Biology，Geography，History，Physics，Chemistry(化学)，Music，Computer，PE，Chinese Drama and so on．In a computer class，each student sits at a table and does their work．They are very quiet．The teacher goes around them to give directions(说明)to them．One class is about two hours．At noon all the students have lunch at school．Their lunch is sandwiches and some fruit．
In the afternoon there’s only one class．School ends at 3：30 P．m．Some students can swim or play ball games until 5：30 P．m．Then they must go home．They seldom do homework，even the students in Grade Eleven．This is the school life of the Students in Australia．In a computer class，each student is very_________．
| A．quiet | B．noisy | C．happy | D．sad， |
When is school over in Australia?
| A．At 5：30 P．m | B．At 3：30 P．m |
| C．At 4：00 P．m | D．At 5：00 P．m． |
Which sentence is RIGHT?
| A．The students go to class with their schoolbags． |
| B．One class is about one hour． |
| C．The students always have much homework． |
| D．The students don’t often do homework． |
When I was in primary school, I got into a big argument (争吵) with a boy in my class. I forgot what the argument was about, but I will never forget the lesson I learned that day.
I thought that I was right and he was wrong – and he thought that I was wrong and he was right. The teacher decided to teach us a very important lesson.
In the middle of her desk was a large, round ball. I could clearly see that it was black. She asked the boy what color the ball was. “White,” he answered.uShe brought us to the front of the class and asked him to stand on one side of her desk and me on the other.
I couldn’t believe he said the ball was white, when it was obviously (明显地) black! Another argument started between us, this time about the color of the ball.
The teacher told us to change places and then asked me what color the ball was. I answered: “White.”
It was a ball with two differently colored sides, and from his side it was white. Only from my side it was black.
Sometimes we need to look at problems from the other person’s view in order to truly understand his or her perspective (观点). What happened to the writer in the beginning?
| A．She fought with a boy in her class. |
| B．She didn’t get along with boys. |
| C．She had a big argument with a boy. |
| D．A boy tried to teach her a lesson. |
When in the boy’s place, the writer changed her answer because _____.
| A．the boy changed his answer too |
| B．the ball had two differently colored sides |
| C．she wanted to say sorry to the boy |
| D．the teacher said the boy was right |
What lesson can we learn from the story?
| A．Put yourself into others’ shoes. |
| B．Seeing is not always believing. |
| C．Nobody can always be right. |
| D．Different people have different opinions. |
Do you know the girl in a hat with flowers on it？Her name is Hezi.Hezi is a nice Japanese girl，my new pen pal.She lives in Tokyo.
I like Hezi.I don’t know Japanese，and Hezi doesn’t know Chinese.But we know some English.So we write to each other（彼此）in English.We are the same age，12 years old.My favorite subject is math.But her favorite subject is biology.We all like football very much.She lives with her parents.She is their only child.She likes going to movies on weekends.She likes cartoons best.
She hopes to come to Beijing this summer.
根据短文内容填写下面表格。
Pen pal’s name：
Pen pal’s age：
Pen pal’s favorite subject：
Pen pal’s favorite sport：
Pen pal’s favorite kind of movies：
It’s Saturday morning. Betty is having her breakfast. Betty’s mother and father are with her. On Saturday morning Betty doesn’t go to school. She helps her parents do some housework. This morning she says to her mother. “Can I help you, mum? ”“Yes, you can help me. ”her mother says, “You can go to Mr. White’s shop. Something is wrong with our clock. Mr. White mends （修理）clocks. Our clock is in his shop. ”“Is he mending our clock? ”Betty asks. “Yes. ”her father says. “And this morning it is ready. ”“Yes, it is ready. ”Her mother says, “Go to Mr. White’s shop. Take this bag. You can put the clock in it. ”Betty takes the bag and goes to the shop to get the clock back home. What is Betty doing on Saturday morning? ________.
A. She goes to school.
B. She is having her breakfast.
C. She is cooking with her mother. Betty often helps her parents _______on Saturday.
A. do some housework
B. do some shopping
C. do some cleaningThere is something wrong with their ______.
A. radio B. clock C. car_______ is mending their clock.
A. Mrs. White
B. Mr. White
C. Mr. BrownWhich is correct in the following?
A. The clock is ready this morning.
B. Betty goes to the shop to get the clock with a backpack.
C. Betty and her mother go to the shop together.
It is a Sunday morning .There are many children in the beautiful park . They are having a good time . Some are playing games under a big tree. Some are singing and dancing. Some boys and girls are running up the small hill. Others are boating（划船）on the lake.
Where is Dick ? He is sitting by the lake. What’s he doing? He is drawing.
Look ! What is Jane doing? She is on the grass. She is running after a nice butterfly. She wants to get it.It is ____ today.
| A．Monday | B．Friday | C．Sunday | D．Saturday |
The children ____ under the big tree.
| A．are dancing | B．are singing |
| C．are running up the tree | D．are playing games |
The children are boating ____ .
| A．on the lake | B．in the river |
| C．on the hill | D．under the tree |
What is Dick doing ? ____ .
| A．He is running after a bird | B．He is singing |
| C．He’s drawing | D．He’s boating |
Where is Jane? ____ .
| A．She’s in the boat |
| B．She’s on the hill |
| C．She’s by the lake |
| D．She’s on the grass |