Food expressions are popular with language learners.1. Today we are going to talk about the expressions that use the word “potato”．

The potato is a kind of common food. We have an expression that uses “potato” to describe a person like that: simple and common. If someone is a meat­and­potatoes kind of person, he prefers simple and common things, such as potatoes and blue jeans. 2. It can also describe the most important part of an activity. For example, we might say that trying our best is the meat­and­potatoes of taking part in an racing competition.

You may know that “hot potato” is a party game. In the game, players form a circle and pass on a small object quickly to each other when music plays. Everyone wants to pass on the object to the next person as fast as possible.3.

However, “hot potato” is more than a game. It can also mean a difficult issue(事情). And if an issue is too difficult to deal with, it might be a good idea to “drop it like a hot potato”.

4. They are unimportant matters. If someone describes an issue as a “small potato”， he means the issue is not worth his time. For example, if the police in a big city do not have enough resources, they probably won't waste much time on “small potatoes”， like bicycle thieves. 5. But please note. We may say “small potatoes” for unimportant matters. But, we do not say “big potatoes” for important ones. English is funny that way!

根据材料内容，从下面五个选项中选出能填入文中空缺处的最佳选项，使文章意思通顺、内容完整。

A.They have tasks that are more important.

B.Besides describing people, there is another way to use meat­and­potatoes.

C.The expressions combine two important things of culture: food and language.

D.“Hot potatoes” might be important issues but “small potatoes” are just the opposite.

E.It's because when the music stops, the player holding the object must leave the game.

    Tomatoes are one of the world's oldest foods. They were discovered by the Indians of South America thousands of years ago. The first tomatoes were very small. By the time the Europeans brought them to Europe in the 1500s, they were larger. They looked more like the tomatoes we eat today.

When tomatoes first arrived in Italy, they were known as “love apples”. Italians believed that if you ate a tomato, you would easily fall in love.

In the United States, people believed that tomatoes were poisonous, and that you would die immediately after eating one. It wasn't easy to persuade people otherwise.

That was, until 1820, Robert Johnson decided to prove people wrong. He announced that he would publicly eat one bushel of tomatoes—about 50. A huge crowd showed up to watch. They were sure that Mr. Johnson was going to die. Of course, he survived. And the tomato went on to gain a big place in the American diet.

In the beginning, people argued whether a tomato was a fruit or a vegetable. From a purely scientific point of view it is a fruit. A fruit is the ripened ovary of any plant that makes seeds. However, this didn't stop most people from calling it a vegetable. They reasoned that tomatoes are eaten with the main meal—just like vegetables.

They are not eaten as dessert, like other fruits such as apples or bananas. Therefore, they thought the tomato must surely be a vegetable.

Fruit or vegetable, tomatoes have survived for a long time. They are not likely to disappear any time soon. They are just too good to eat.

Word Bank

poisonous有毒的  bushel蒲式耳  survive活下来,幸存  ripened ovary成熟的子房

1.What did Italians think of tomatoes?

A.They thought tomatoes were harmful to humans.

B.They regarded tomatoes as “love apples”.

C.They didn't know tomatoes were fruit or vegetables.

D.They thought tomatoes were fruit.

2.Which paragraph proved tomatoes were safe?

A.Paragraph 2. B.Paragraph 3.

C.Paragraph 4. D.Paragraph 5.

3.Tomatoes were fruit ________.

A.because we looked from a purely scientific opinion

B.because they were discovered thousands of years ago

C.because tomatoes were eaten with the main meal just like vegetables

D.because tomatoes were not eaten as dessert

4.What does the underlined word “ persuade ” mean in Chinese?

A.打败 B.注意 C.放弃 D.劝说

5.What's the best title for the text?

A.The history of tomatoes B.The value of tomatoes

C.The benefits of eating tomatoes D.The difference between fruit and vegetables

    假定你是李华，三年的初中生活就要结束了你和好友Mike分别在即，请你根据以下要点提示，用英语给Mike留言：

1.回忆你俩之间一段难忘的经历（如互相帮助、互相鼓励或一起参加某项活动等），并谈谈你的感受；

2.你对Mike今后学习或生活方面的建议；

3.你对Mike的祝福和期待。

要求：

1.可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；

2.不得出现真实的人名、校名、地名等相关信息；

3.词数100左右。开头和结尾已给出，不计入总词数。

Dear Mike,

How time flies! It’s time to say goodbye.____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Yours sincerely,

Li hua

Sometimes we fall in love with something at once and sometimes it takes long. The same is true with poems. If we were lucky e1., we open a book and find a poem that attracts us at once. But usually we need to spend a little t2. or make a little effort to truly understand a poem. Today I’d like to talk about reading poems in ways that make the experience better.

Reading a poem repeatedly will deepen your understanding of it. Sometimes a poem that seems b3. on first reading becomes interesting with more reading. A poem that feels meaningless becomes deeper and more meaningful. And sometimes you’re just not in the right mood the first time you read a poem, but l4. it touches your heart.

Keep a d5. at hand when you are reading poems. Poets like to use unusual words. Instead of skipping over (跳过) these words or trying to g6. their meanings, look them up.

Read aloud and listen to the poem. Reading aloud will make the poem’s rhythm clear. Besides, a poet’s reading is very helpful b7. we can understand the poem’s meanings from where the poet places emphasis (强调) or pauses (停顿).

After you finish reading a poem, take a few moments to consider w8.it is saying. Sometimes its meanings are better understood t9. repeated reading. Other times they need our careful and deep thought on a poem.

It is h10. to say whether there’s a right or wrong way to read poems, but reading practices will enrich your experience, increase your enjoyment, and deepen your understanding of any poem.

China’s fight against COVID-19 gives the world ________ (宝贵的) experience.

The hotel provides delicious food and comfortable rooms, but still some customers complain about its ________ (服务).

A stranger________ (主动提出) to give her a ride on the street, but she refused politely.

Mother’s cooking skills will not only satisfy our ________(胃) but also our spirit.

All of us will remember this ________ (星期二), because we will finish our junior school life tomorrow.

Noisy neighbors are a common problem in a society where many people live closely together. And this can be most important when you share walls, floors or ceilings with neighbors in a flat. A noisy neighbor can make life challenging, especially if noise goes well into night, or happens during early morning hours. This situation needs to be dealt with properly, which requires your ability to keep calm.

You should first try to tell your noisy neighbors about the noise. This conversation should be polite, even friendly. It can begin with a statement like. “I am not sure you are aware”. Explain the problem in an honest way, and ask the neighbor to turn down the music, or not to hold parties until 3 a.m. You can also add that you realize they hear your noise too, and you are certainly willing to try to stop anything in your behavior that is creating extra noise.

You should know that not all neighbors are going to follow your requirement, and some may act in a bad manner. If the noisy neighbors don’t change their behavior, the next step should be to write the neighbors a letter. The letter should show your grievances (不满) and the dates when the noise was quite terrible. For example, if your neighbor has loud gatherings every Friday night that last into the early morning then write down those dates.

When the noise remains going on, you should report it to local authorities (权力部门), or even the police department, when it is really necessary. Often, however, the problem is solved when the noisy neighbor knows you are going to call the police.

Do be aware that you cannot always require noisy neighbors to be quiet. When the noise remains going on, it is wise not to deal with it in an angry or retaliatory (报复性的) fashion. If you have completed the steps and letter, don’t start hitting walls or floors around in your home or turning up the music to make your neighbors angry. Just have patience and remember that communication is the most important.