Question

A bag is useful and the word "bag" is useful, too. Here is an interesting phrase, "to let the cat out of the bag". In meaning it is the same as "to tell the secret". And there is an old interesting story about it.

Long ago, when farmers wanted to sell chickens at the market, they would usually just throw the chickens in cloth (布) bags. But cats were cheaper than chickens at that time, so many farmers would put cats into the cloth bags but not chickens. One day, a woman asked a man for a chicken. The man gave her a cloth bag in which there was a cat.    When the man opened the cloth bag, a big black cat ran out. Not a chicken! The man's secret was out and everyone knew it.

Now when we say someone gives away a secret, we say "He lets the cat out of the bag". And that is the story where the interesting phrase came from.

1. The underlined word "it" in the passage refers to (指的是) _______.

A. the useful bag    B. the phrase   

C. the cat            D. the chicken

2.The farmers put cats but not chickens in the bags to_______ when they sold chickens.

A. tell the secret    B. sell the cats

C. get more money    D. keep the cats quiet

3. Which of the following sentences is the best for the blank (空白处) in the passage?

A. The woman was angry to see a cat.   

B. The man put a cat in the bag.

C. The man asked her to see the chicken. 

D. The woman wanted to see the chicken.

4. The writer wrote the story to tell us_______.

A. the woman was smart    B. how farmers sold their cats

C. the phrase is useful    D. where the phrase came from

Answer

1.B

2.C

3.D

4.D

【解析】

试题分析：这篇文章讲述了一个和bag有关的短语"to let the cat out of the bag"的来历以及这个短语的含义和作用。

1.Here is an interesting phrase, "to let the cat out of the bag". In meaning it is the same as "to tell the secret".可知，it是指上面提到的那个短语。故选B

2.推理判断题。由文章信息But cats were cheaper than chickens at that time, so many farmers would put cats into the cloth bags but not chickens.可知，当时猫比鸡便宜，农夫为了多卖钱，就把猫装进口袋糊弄人。故选C。

3. When the man opened the cloth bag, a big black cat ran out.可以判断，那位妇女提出看一看鸡，农夫才打开口袋。故选D。

4.主旨大意题。这篇文章主要讲述了"to let the cat out of the bag"这个短语的来历。故选D。

考点：故事类短文阅读。