Question

【題目】 English is full of funny expressions that don’t always make sense. What do they mean? How do we use them? And where did they come from? 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. Here are some English idioms based on animals.

When children jump around and act silly, for example, their parents may tell them to stop “monkeying around”. To “monkey around” means to do things that are not useful or serious, or to simply waste time.

But spending time playing with their family pets wouldn’t count as “monkeying around”. Many American families have a pet dog, which keeps the children company and makes them happy. Bu for some reason, which American language experts do not know, Americans use “dog” in a phrase that means to feel unwell. If you are “as sick as a dog”, you’re really, really sick and will have to stay home and rest or even go and see a doctor.

Apart from dogs, cats are also beloved in U.S. households. Sometimes you may hear them mentioned in Americans’ conversations, “I told you to keep that secret, but you have just ‘let the cat out of the bag’!” You probably guessed it — that idiom means to reveal a secret or tell facts that were previously unknown.

Dogs and cats don’t always get along, but they appear side by side in a commonly used idiom. When it rains heavily, people might say it’s “raining cats and dogs” outside.

Bad weather often ruins people’s plans for outdoor activities. But on a lovely day, they can go on an outing or have a picnic in the park. If a swarm of tiny bugs decide they love your picnic food and start to hover (盤旋) around you and your friends, then it would be really annoying, wouldn’t it? That experience perfectly explains why people often tell someone who keeps bothering them to “stop bugging me”.

Idioms are very common in both spoken and written English, so learning them is very important. If you need to understand English, or if you want to speak or write natural-sounding English, you have to learn idioms.

【1】According to Paragraph 1, idioms are_____.

A.phrases and sentences based on animals

B.expressions with rich cultural background

C.funny expressions that always make sense

D.the total sum of the meanings of the words

【2】“Monkeying around” can be used to describe children_____.

A.jumping around and wasting time

B.doing something useful and serious

C.playing with monkeys with their parents

D.spending time playing with their family pets

【3】What can be learned from the text?

A.Dogs and cats are friends by nature.

B.Bugs can be used to show your annoyance.

C.Americans believe cats can give away secrets.

D.Americans know the origin of the idiom “as sick as a dog”.

【4】How does the text mainly develop?

A.By sharing experiences.B.By making comparisons.

C.By providing examples.D.By quoting experts' words.

Answer 1

【答案】

【1】B

【2】A

【3】B

【4】C

【解析】

本文是說明文。英語中有很多成語，即使你知道其中每一個單詞的意思，你也可能不理解這個成語，因為成語的表達有著豐富的文化背景。

【1】細節(jié)理解題。根據(jù)第一段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.可知，即使你知道你看到或聽到的每一個單詞的意思，你也可能不理解這個成語，因為你不理解它背后的文化。由此可知，成語是有著豐富的文化背景。故選B項。

【2】細節(jié)理解題。根據(jù)第二段When children jump around and act silly, for example, their parents may tell them to stop “monkeying around”. To “monkey around” means to do things that are not useful or serious, or to simply waste time.可知，例如，當孩子們到處亂蹦亂跳，做出傻事時，他們的父母可能會告訴他們停止“monkeying around”。monkey around的意思是做一些沒有意義或不嚴肅的事情，或者只是浪費時間。由此可知，monkeying around可以用來形容孩子們亂蹦亂跳，浪費時間。故選A項。

【3】推理判斷題。根據(jù)第六段If a swarm of tiny bugs decide they love your picnic food and start to hover (盤旋) around you and your friends, then it would be really annoying, wouldn’t it?可知，如果一群小蟲子決定喜歡你的野餐食物，開始在你和你的朋友周圍轉來轉去，那就真的很煩人了，不是嗎？由此可知，bugs可以用來表達你的煩惱。故選B 項。

【4】推理判斷題。文章舉出了一些基于動物的英語成語，如monkeying around，as sick as a dog，rain cats and dogs等，說明成語的表達有著豐富的文化背景。因此文章是通過舉出例子的方法來展開的。故選C項。