Question

    I'm an English teacher working in Russia, and for some reason I really don't like that classroom topic - Talk About Your Family. Perhaps it's because everyone studied English from the same book at school. So all the students say, "My family consists of five members: Me, my mother, my father, my brother and my dog…"and so on, as if all families are exactly the same.

Let's get rid of the phrase "my family consists of…"and look at some more interesting ways to talk about families. English is rich in idioms (习语) to talk about family life. We've mentioned the black sheep of the family - that's someone who didn't fit in, or caused a family scandal(丑闻). If you're loyal(忠诚) to your family, you can say blood is thicker than water or keep it in the family. If you share a talent with another family member, you can say it runs in the family. You might have your father's eyes or your mother's nose. If you're like one of your parents, you can say like father, like son or you can be a chip off the old block.

Then there are idioms that have left the family and gone on to have a life of their own. For example, a Londoner is telling someone how to get a new passport. "Get four pictures taken, pick up a form in the post office, hand it in with your old passport and …Bob's your uncle." It means "the problem is solved". But love to know who the original Bob was, and why he was such a useful uncle to have.

1.Why does the writer dislike the classroom topic Talk About Your Family?  ______

A.Because he works in Russia. B.Because all families are the same.

C.Because all answers are the same. D.Because he has no family there.

2.When we mention the black sheep of the family, we can refer to someone ______ .

A.who caused a family scandal B.who is loyal to the family

C.who has the father's eyes D.who has a useful uncle

3.What can you say if you want to express you have the same talent with your brother?  ______

A.Blood is thicker than water. B.It runs in the family.

C.You are the chip of the old block. D.Bob is your uncle.

4.According to the passage, how do you probably feel when you hear "Bob's your uncle"?  ______

A.sad. B.bored. C.stressed. D.satisfied.

Answer

1.C

2.A

3.B

4.D

【解析】

本文是一篇记叙文。主要讲了作者作为一名在俄罗斯工作的英语老师的经历，因为想要让学生摆脱千篇一律的表述，为学生介绍了一些英语中常用到的习语，以使语言丰富。

1.细节理解题。根据第一段中So all the students say, "My family consists of five members: Me, my mother, my father, my brother and my dog…"and so on, as if all families are exactly the same.可知所以所有的学生都说，“我家有五口人:我，我的妈妈，我的爸爸，我的弟弟和我的狗……”等等，好像所有的家庭都是一样的。由此可知作者不喜欢课堂上“谈论你家庭”话题是因为所有的答案都一样。故选C。

2.细节理解题。根据第二段中We've mentioned the black sheep of the family - that's someone who didn't fit in, or caused a family scandal.可知我们已经提到了the black sheep of the family，也就是不合群的人，或者引起家庭丑闻的人。由此可知当我们提到the black sheep of the family时，我们指的是家庭中的害群之马，或引起家庭丑闻的人。故选A。

3.细节理解题。根据第二段中If you share a talent with another family member, you can say it runs in the family. 如果你和另一个家庭成员有共同的才能，你可以说it runs in the family，即“这是家族遗传”。由此可知如果你想表达你和你哥哥一样的天赋，你能说It runs in the family。故选B。

4.推理判断题。根据最后一段中“Bob's your uncle." It means "the problem is solved".可知 “Bob's your uncle."意思是“问题解决了”。由此可推知当你听到“Bob's your uncle."的时候，意味着问题解决了，因此你会很满意。故选D。