If you say, “The cat’s out of the bag” instead of “The secret is given away,” you’re using an idiom. The meaning of an idiom is different from the actual meaning of the words used. “An apple a day keeps the doctor away” is a proverb. Proverbs are old but familiar sayings that usually give advice. Both idioms and proverbs are part of our daily expressions. Many are very old and have interesting histories. See how many of these expressions you know.
“Bury the hatchet.”
Native Americans used to bury weapons to show that fighting had ended and enemies were now at peace. Today, the idiom means to make up with a friend after an argument of fight.
“A close shave.”
In the past, student barbers learned to shave on customers. If they shaved too close, their customers might be cut or even hardly escape serious injury. Today, we use the idiom if a person narrowly escapes disaster.
“Raining cats and dogs.”
In Norse mythology the dog is associated with wind and the cat with storms. This expression means it’s raining very heavily.
To “shed crocodile tears.”
Crocodiles have a reflex that causes their eyes to tear when they open their mouths. That makes it look as though they are crying while swallowing their food. In fact, neither crocodiles nor people who shed “crocodile” tears feel sorry for their actions.
“Saved by the bell.”
In 17th-century England, a guard at Windsor Castle was accused of falling asleep at his post. He claimed he was wrongly accused and could prove it; he had heard the church bell chime (鸣响) thirteen times at midnight. Townspeople supported his claim and he was saved. Today we think of the bell that ends a round in boxing, often saving the boxer from injury, or the bell at the end of a class period, saving you from more work. Now this idiom means rescue from a situation at the last possible moment.
1.The best title of this passage will probably be ___________.
A. Everyday Expressions B. Not Idioms But Proverbs
C. Idioms and proverbs are old D. Idioms or proverbs
2.The purpose of this article is to ________.
A. compare some useful and interesting idioms and proverbs
B. tell us some idioms and proverbs which can be used today
C. explain the meaning of some interesting everyday expressions
D. show the importance of using proverbs and idioms in your writing
3.It can be inferred from the article that _________.
A. idioms and proverbs are a must in our life
B. proverbs are more common than idioms
C. idioms are more interesting than proverbs
D. it is difficult to guess the meaning of idioms
4.Which of these statements is an example of “a close shave”?
A. My brother bought a new computer yesterday.
B. My friend will come to my city to see me.
C. A car nearly hit me on my way to school.
D. No one in my school has ever been to Canada.
Sun Tours: Short breaks in New York
DAY 1: TIMES SQUARE AND THE LINCOLN CENTER
Welcome to New York—the Big Apple! Here in New York the wonders of the Big Apple exceed (超出) all expectations—the fantastic skyline, wonderful restaurants, theaters, museums, shops and attractions. On your first day you will visit the famous Lincoln and Rockefeller Centers, and drive down Fifth Avenue. You will drive through Times Square, the “Crossroads of the World”. You will then travel to Central Park, a miracle in the center of Manhattan. Lunch is on your own, but this evening you will have dinner at the famous Jekyll and Hyde club, where the waiters are all dressed as vampires（吸血鬼）, and at some point in the evening Frankenstein （科学怪人）comes to life.
DAY 2: EXPLORING THE CITY
The entire day is yours for sightseeing and shopping. Explore the attractive city of New York with its skyscrapers, bridges, historic landmarks and Broadway theaters.
DAY 3: DOWNTOWN AND SOUTH STREET SEAPORT
Today you will visit Greenwich Village, Wall Street and the World Trade Center. You will visit South Street Seaport, a 19th-century seaport with narrow streets, hundreds of shops, an international food stand and street entertainment. This afternoon you will visit Chinatown, and finally the Empire State Building Observatory, which towers 1,250 feet above New York City. You will use the high-speed elevators to go to the top, unlike King Kong who climbed up the outside of the building. This evening, you will have dinner at the well-known Tavern-on-the-Green restaurant overlooking Central Park.
ARRIVING IN NEW YORK
A Sun Tours representative will meet you at JFK airport and take you to your hotel, which is in the center of the city. When you check in, you will receive further information about this evening’s “Getting-to know-each-other” party at the Manhattan Restaurant.
1.If you want to join in this tour, which of the following will you contact?
A. Sun Tours B. Hyde Club
C. Greenwich Village D. JFK Airport
2.How many places will you visit on the third day?
A. Five B. Six
C. Seven D. Eight
3.What can we know from the last paragraph?
A. You will go to the hotel in the center of the city by yourself.
B. When you arrive at the airport, you will be told about the tour plan.
C. You have known all about the Manhattan Restaurant before your arrival.
D. When you check in, you will know more about the evening party.
Monday 2nd January
I am in a small village in the Carpathian Mountains, north of Bucharest, the capital of Romania. I’ve come to see the brown bears, which come to the villages at night to look for food. They walk 20 kilometres a night to get here. A farmer told me that some of his sheep have been killed by bears. But this is unusual. Usually, the bears just take bits of food which people have thrown away. Tonight I hope I’ll see them.
Tuesday 3rd January
Last night I waited with a group of tourists and as it grew dark, we saw the huge black shapes of bears. It seems the bears don’t go for people, unless they are attacked first. They were not afraid of the tourists, who took photos of them. Those clever bears knew where to go for their dinner. They jumped straight into the rubbish, where there was lots of food which people had thrown away.
Wednesday 4th January
Although it’s wonderful to see the bears in the village, it can only mean one thing: their habitat is disappearing. They would prefer to stay hidden in the mountain forests, but the trees have been cut down for firewood. So they cannot find enough food any more.
Thursday 5th January
Today I met the head of the Carpathian Animal Protection Group. He says that there are only about 2,500 bears left, and is worried that they will soon become extinct. Rich people from other countries pay a lot of money to come and shoot the bears for sport. The poor people from these villages need the money. But perhaps they could make more money from the tourists who want to come just watch the bears; and this would continue in the future. Once the bears are all dead, the tourists will stop visiting the village. But if the bears keep visiting the villages, then, perhaps, so will the tourists.
1.The best title for this passage would be _____________.
A. Hungry Brown Bears B. Brown Bears in the Forest
C. Wandering Brown Bears D. Brown Bears—A Wonder
2.It is unusual to the writer that ________________.
A. the brown bears like to be taken photos of.
B. the bears come out at night to look for food
C. the bears just take bits of food thrown away
D. the bears have attacked a farmer’s sheep
3.The villagers could continue to earn money from the bears if _________.
A. they shot the bears for sport
B. people paid more money to kill them
C. more tourists came to see the bears
D. the villagers sold the bears’ skins to tourists
4.What will happen to the bears in the future?
A. They may be kept in zoos.
B. They may become extinct.
C. They may keep eating rubbish.
D. They may be watched by visitors.
It was one of my first lessons as an international student in New York City. My US history teacher had just finished his lesson. He sat back in his armchair comfortably, and asked: “Was there anybody doing anything interesting yesterday?”
“I drew a panda, which was lovely!” a girl beside me shouted.Then, the talk developed rapidly. Someone said he had received his learner’s driving permit, while another mentioned that she had spent the first salary from her part-time job. Everybody seemed to have something to say. Although there was a range of people, from different backgrounds, people seemed to feel at home with each other.
Not me. I stayed aloof from the discussion. I looked through my notes until I looked up to see another teacher come in and share some cookies he had made yesterday. The beautifully baked cookies sent out a good smell, which made it impossible to concentrate on my work any longer. However, my seat was in the back row, and I was too shy to stand up and take a cookie for myself.
“Go ahead and have one!” It was the history teacher: “If you don’t stand up, nobody is going to feed you!”
I was still hesitant, but I got up and took a cookie with some other classmates. Now I felt more at ease. We laughed about how “greedy” we were.
The “cookie crisis” had taught me a lesson. I would have to be less shy in the United States. Here was a mixed and various culture, and if I wanted to get anywhere I would have to brave its newness and difference and make myself heard, just as the teacher had said. Otherwise, “Nobody is going to feed you.” It was something a person new to the US, such as myself, needed to learn.
1.The atmosphere in a US classroom is quite __________.
A. lively B. lonely
C. bad D. quiet
2.What does the underlined phrase “aloof from” mean?
A. in spite of B. instead of
C. apart from D. away from
3.What prevented the writer from getting a cookie for himself at first?
A. His bravery. B. His shyness.
C. His strangeness. D. His weakness.
4.The “cookie crisis” in the last paragraph was __________ to the writer.
A. an important problem B. a kind of valuable food
C. a turning point in his life attitude D. a dream in his school life
假设你是星光中学的李华，将参加主题为“Let's Ride Bicycles”的英语演讲比赛。请撰写一份演讲稿，主要内容包括：
1．目前汽车带来的空气污染和交通堵塞等问题；
2．骑自行车的益处，如节能环保、有利健康等。
参考词汇：低碳生活 lowcarbon life 节能 energy saving
注意：1. 词数：100词左右；
2．演讲稿开头和结尾已给出，且该部分不计入总词数。
Good morning, everyone,
I am Li Hua from Xingguang Middle School. The topic of my speech is “Let's Ride Bicycles”．
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Thank you !
文中共有10处语言错误，每句中最多有两处。错误涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。
增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号(∧), 并在此符号下面写出该加的词。
删除：把多余的词用斜线（ ＼）划掉。
修改： 在错的词下划一横线_____, 并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意：1、每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；
2、只允许修改十处, 多者(从第11处起) 不计分。
It is Mother’s Day today. Though it’s a western festival, it’s popular in China now.
Mom has a full-time job, so she has to do most of the houseworks. She is a great mother. Both Dad or I planned to do something on Mother’s Day. We get up early in the morning. Dad cleaned the house, and then went on shopping. When he returned , I found a bunch of flowers in her hand. I asked Mom to stay in the sitting room and I cooked in kitchen. The dishes what I cooked were Mom’s favoritest. At dinner, we said to her, “Happy Mother’s Day!”Mom was grateful and moving.
