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Americans use many expressions with the word dog. People in the United States love their dogs and treat them well. They take their dogs for walks, let them play outside and give them good food and medical care. 1.The expression, to lead a dog’s life, describes a person who has an unhappy existence.
Some people say we live in a dog-eat-dog world.2.They say that to be successful, a person has to work like a dog. This means they have to work very, very hard. Such hard work can make people dog-tired. And, the situation would be even worse if they became sick as a dog.
Still, people say every dog has its day. This means that every person enjoys a successful period during his or her life. To be successful, people often have to learn new skills. Yet, some people say that you can never teach an old dog new tricks. 3.
Some people are compared to dogs in bad ways. People who are unkind or uncaring can be described as meaner than a junkyard dog. Husbands and wives use this doghouse term when they are angry at each other. For example, a woman might get angry at her husband for coming home late or forgetting their wedding anniversary. She might tell him that he is in the doghouse.4.
However, the husband may decide that it is best to leave things alone and not create more problems. He might decide to let sleeping dogs lie.
5.The dog days of summer are the hottest days of the year. A rainstorm may cool the
weather. But we do not want it to rain too hard. We do not want it to rain cats and dogs.
A.She may not treat him nicely until he apologizes.
B.Dog expressions also are used to describe the weather.
C.They firmly belief that dogs are the best friends of human beings.
D.She will drop a line to remind him of it or ring him back at once.
E.However, dogs without owners to care for them lead a different kind of life.
F.That means many people are competing for the same things, like good jobs.
G.They believe that older people do not like to learn new things and will not change the way they do things.
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Americans use many expressions with the word dog. People in the United States love their dogs and treat them well. They take their dogs for walks, let them play outside and give them good food and medical care. However, dogs without owners to care for them lead a different kind of life. The expression, to lead a dog’s life, describes a person who has an unhappy life.
Some people say we live in a dog-eat-dog world. That means many people are competing for the same things, like good jobs. They say that to be successful, a person has to work like a dog. This means they have to work very, very hard. Such hard work can make people dog-tired. And, the situation would be even worse if they became sick as a dog.
Still, people say every dog has its day. This means that every person enjoys a successful period during his or her life. To be successful, people often have to learn new skills. Yet, some people say that you can never teach an old dog new tricks. They believe that older people do not like to learn new things and will not change the way they do things.
Some people are compared to dogs in bad ways. People who are unkind or uncaring can be described as meaner than a junkyard dog. Junkyard dogs live in places where people throw away things they do not want. But mean dogs are often used to guard this property. They bark or attack people who try to enter the property. However, sometimes a person who appears to be mean and threatening is really not so bad. We say his bark is worse than his bite.
Dog expressions also are used to describe the weather. The dog days of summer are the hottest days of the year. A rainstorm may cool the weather. But we do not want it to rain too hard. We do not want it to rain cats and dogs.
1.What does the passage mainly discuss?
A. Dogs in our daily lives
B. Expressions with dogs
C. The role dogs take in America
D. Attitude of the American citizens to dogs
2.What does “dog-tired” describe in the passage?
A. Describe a very successful person.
B. Describe the dogs are very tired after a long walk.
C. Describe a rainy and cloudy weather.
D. Describe the heavy degree of exhaustion of people after long time work.
3.How are people compared to dogs in bad ways?
A. By mean dogs and junkyard dogs.
B. By lazy dogs and bad dogs.
C. By sick dogs and tired dogs.
D. None of them is right.
4.What can we learn from the text?
A．Everyone can be successful if he learns from the old.
B．It might be difficult for the young to learn new skills.
C．Junkyard dogs are careful in money arrangement.
D．Fierce persons aren’t so awful as their appearance sometimes.
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Americans use many expressions with the word dog. People in the United States love their dogs and treat them well. They take their dogs for walks, let them play outside and give them good food and medical care. However, dogs without owners to care for them lead a different kind of life. The expression, to lead a dog's life, describes a person who has an unhappy life.
Some people say we live in a dog-eat-dog world. That means many people are competing for the same things, like good jobs. They say that to be successful, a person has to work like a dog. This means they have to work very, very hard. Such hard work can make people dog-tired. And, the situation would be even worse if they became sick as a dog.
Still, people say every dog has its day. This means that every person enjoys a successful period during his or her life. To be successful, people often have to learn new skills. Yet, some people say that you can never teach an old dog new tricks. They believe that older people do not like to learn new things and will not change the way they do things.
Some people are compared to dogs in bad ways. People who are unkind or uncaring can be described as meaner than a junkyard dog. Junkyard dogs live in places where people throw away things they do not want. But mean dogs are often used to guard this property. They bark or attack people who try to enter the property. However, sometimes a person who appears to be mean and threatening is really not so bad. We say his bark is worse than his bite.
Dog expressions also are used to describe the weather. The dog days of summer are the hottest days of the year. A rainstorm may cool the weather. But we do not want it to rain too hard. We do not want it to rain cats and dogs.
1.A person who lives an unhappy life can be described as “_______”.
A. becoming sick as a dog B. leading a dog’s life
C. living in a dog-eat-dog world D. Working like a dog
2.The underlined word “mean” in Paragraph 4 most probably means “_______”.
A. violent B. selfish C. wild D. Poor
3.What can we learn from the text?
A. Everyone can be successful if he learns from the old.
B. It might be difficult for the young to learn new skills.
C. Junkyard dogs are careful in money arrangement.
D. Fierce persons aren’t so awful as their appearance sometimes.
4.To support his idea, the author develops the text mainly by _______.
A. listing reasons B. using idioms
C. giving examples D. Making comparisons
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根据短文内容，从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项，选项中有两项为多余选项。
Americans use many expressions with the word “dog”. People in the United States love their dogs and treat them well. __1.__ However, dogs without owners to care for them lead a different kind of life. The expression, to lead a dog's life, describes a person who has an unhappy existence.
Some people say we live in a dog¬eat¬dog world. __2.__ They say that to be successful, a person has to work like a dog. This means they have to work very, very hard. Such hard work can make people dog¬tired. And, the situation would be even worse if they became sick as a dog.
_3.__ This means that every person enjoys a successful period during his or her life. To be successful, people often have to learn new skills. Yet, some people say that you can never teach an old dog new tricks. They believe that older people do not like to learn new things and will not change the way they do things.
_4.___ People who are unkind or uncaring can be described as meaner than a junkyard dog. Junkyard dogs live in places where people throw away things they do not want. Mean dogs are often used to guard this property. They bark or attack people who try to enter the property. However, sometimes a person who appears to be mean and threatening is really not so bad. We say his bark is worse than his bite.
Dog expressions are also used to describe the weather. The dog days of summer are the hottest days of the year. A rainstorm may cool the weather. But we do not want it to rain too hard. _5.__
A．Still, people say every dog has its day.
B．We do not want it to rain cats and dogs.
C．Some people are compared to dogs in bad ways.
D．Dogs are their best friends and they are loyal to people.
E．There are many other expressions waiting for you to explore.
F．That means many people are competing for the same things, like good jobs.
G．They take their dogs for walks, let them play outside and give them good food and medical care.
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根据短文内容，从短文后的七个选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有两项为多余选项。
Americans use many expressions with the word “dog”. People in the United States love their dogs and treat them well. 1. However, dogs without owners to care for them lead a different kind of life. The expression, to lead a dog's life, describes a person who has an unhappy existence.
Some people say we live in a dog-eat-dog world. 2. They say that to be successful, a person has to work like a dog. This means they have to work very, very hard. Such hard work can make people dog-tired. And, the situation would be even worse if they became sick as a dog.
3. This means that every person enjoys a successful period during his or her life. To be successful, people often have to learn new skills. Yet, some people say that you can never teach an old dog new tricks. They believe that older people do not like to learn new things and will not change the way they do things.
4. People who are unkind or uncaring can be described as meaner than a junkyard dog. Junkyard dogs live in places where people throw away things they do not want. Mean dogs are often used to guard this property. They bark or attack people who try to enter the property. However, sometimes a person who appears to be mean and threatening is really not so bad. We say his bark is worse than his bite.
Dog expressions are also used to describe the weather. The dog days of summer are the hottest days of the year. A rainstorm may cool the weather. But we do not want it to rain too hard. 5.
A. Still, people say every dog has its day.
B. We do not want it to rain cats and dogs.
C. Some people are compared to dogs in bad ways.
D. Dogs are their best friends and they are loyal to people.
E. There are many other expressions waiting for you to explore.
F. That means many people are competing for the same things, like good jobs.
G. They take their dogs for walks, let them play outside and give them good food and medical care.
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Now, the VOA Special English program WORDS AND THEIR STORIES.
People use their mouths for many things. They eat, talk, shout and sing. They smile and they kiss. In the English language, there are many expressions using the word mouth. But some of them are not so nice.
For example, if you say bad things about a person, the person might protest and say “Do not bad mouth me.”
Sometimes, people say something to a friend or a family member that they later regret because it hurts that person’s feelings. Or they tell the person something they were not supposed to tell. The speaker might say: “I really put my foot in my mouth this time.” If this should happen, the speaker might feel down in the mouth. In other words, he might feel sad for saying the wrong thing.
Another situation is when someone falsely claims another person said something. The other person might protest: “I did not say that. Do not put words in my mouth.”
Information is often spread through word of mouth. This is general communication between people, like friends talking to each other. “How did you hear about that new movie?” someone might ask. “Oh, by word of mouth.” A more official way of getting information is through a company or government mouthpiece. This is an official spokesperson. Government-run media could also be called a mouthpiece.
Sometimes when one person is speaking, he says the same thing that his friend was going to say. When this happens, the friend might say: “You took the words right out of my mouth!” Sometimes a person has a bad or unpleasant experience with another person. He might say that experience “left a bad taste in my mouth.” Or the person might have had a very frightening experience, like being chased by an angry dog. He might say: “I had my heart in my mouth.”
Some people have lots of money because they were born into a very rich family. There is an expression for this, too. You might say such a person, “was born with a silver spoon in his mouth.” This rich person is the opposite of a person who lives from hand to mouth. This person is very poor and only has enough money for the most important things in life, like food.
Parents might sometimes withhold sweet food from a child as a form of punishment for saying bad things. For example, if a child says things she should not say to her parents, she might be described as a mouthy child. The parents might even tell the child to stop mouthing off.
But enough of all this talk. I have been running my mouth long enough.
1.Which of the following can best describe his or her feeling if a speaker feels down in the mouth?
A. Delighted B. Regretful
C. Disappointed D. Respectful
2.When your car was close to knocking into a truck, you might say “_______”
A. I really put my foot in my mouth this time.
B. I had my heart in my mouth.
C. I live from hand to mouth.
D.I get to know it by word of mouth.
3.According to the passage, which behavior is surely Not welcome?
a. bad mouthing somebody
b. mouthing off about something
c. putting words in somebody’s mouth
d. taking the words right out of somebody’s mouth
A. abc B. abd C. bcd D. acd
4.What do “I” probably (in the last Para.) do?
A. A host B. A journalist
C. A director D. A listener
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There are too many fat people in America, so many Americans are fighting against overweight. But the _____thing is that the French, who consume rich food, _____to stay thin. Now a _____by Cornell University suggests _____life style and decisions about _____may affect weight. Researchers concluded that the French tend to stop eating when they feel _____. However, Americans tend to stop when their _____are empty or their favorite TV show is over.
According to Dr. Joseph Mercola, a _____expert, the French see eating _____an important part of their life style. They enjoy food and therefore spend a _____time at the table, while Americans see eating as _____to be squeezed between the other daily activities. Mercola believes Americans _____the ability to sense when they are actually full. So they keep eating long after the French would have _____. In addition, he points out that Americans drive to huge supermarkets to buy canned and _____foods for the week. The French, _____tend to shop daily, walking to small shops and farmers’ markets where they have a _____of fresh fruits, vegetables, and eggs as well as high-quality meats for each meal.
After a visit to the United States, Mireille Guiliano, author of French Women Don’t Get fat, decided to _____about the importance of knowing when to stop rather than suggesting how to avoid _____. Today she continues to stay slim and rarely goes to the gym.
In spite of all these differences, evidence shows that recent life style _____may be affecting French eating habits. Today the rate of obesity(肥胖)—or extreme overweight—among adults is only 6%. However, as American fast food gains _____and the young reject older traditions, the obesity rate among French children has reached 17%—and is growing.
1.A. present B. natural C. strange D. modern
2.A. continue B. move C. try D. expand
3.A. research B. novel C. book D. newspaper
4.A. that B. what C. how D. when
5.A. working B. living C. studying D. eating
6.A. sensitive B. sad C. happy D. full
7.A. pockets B. refrigerators C. houses D. plates
8.A. education B. health C. literature D. speech
9.A. into B. as C. inside D. to
10.A. fairly long B. fairly short C. very exciting D. rather fast
11.A. anything B. something C. everything D. nothing
12.A. get B. bring C. lose D. receive
13.A. kept B. enjoyed C. went D. stopped
14.A. hot B. cool C. warm D. frozen
15.A. therefore B. instead C. however D. merely
16.A. choice B. message C. order D. number
17.A. write B. read C. speak D. think
18.A. fruit B. food C. oil D. egg
19.A. examples B. tradition C. changes D. stories
20.A. failure B. success C. acceptance D. rejection
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A new study explores the custom of tipping in the United States. Many Americans give tips to people who perform a job for them, especially workers in the service industry. They pay a little extra to people cutting their hair, driving them across town or serving them a meal at a restaurant.
The researchers found that men give bigger tips to restaurant workers than women. And people who live in the northern US are more generous with tips than those living in the South. People who earn $ 50, 000 or more a year give bigger tips than those who earn less than $50, 000. There is one likely reason: the wealthier Americans have more money to spend.
Michael Lynn is a professor of consumer behavior and marketing at the Cornell University School of Hotel Administration in New York. In other words, he knows a lot about the issue of tipping. In earlier surveys, Lynn said he found mixed results on the generosity of men and women when it comes to tipping. In some studies, men gave bigger tips than women. In others, women gave more money.
Lynn’s own research in American restaurants found that men give bigger tips when the restaurant server is a woman and women give more when the server is a man. Tips are very important to service employees. People who work at restaurants often get most of their earnings from tips.
Nationwide, Americans generally tip between 15 to 20 percent at restaurants and leave from $2 to S 10 a day for the people who clean their hotel rooms. Tips of 15 percent of the reading on the meter (计价器) are also common for people who drive taxis.
But here is something to keep in mind. If you are able to give the person serving you a tip or a bigger one than what is expected, your generosity will be welcome. Many service workers do not make much money, and even an extra dollar or two can make a difference in their lives.
1.What is paragraph I mainly about?
A. A study in a restaurant. B. A job offering a lot of tips.
C. The service industry in the US. D. The custom of tipping in the US.
2.What is Lynn’s finding in American restaurants?
A. People give more tips to the opposite sex server.
B. People are always more generous to service employers.
C. Men give the same tips to the women restaurant servers as women.
D. Men always give more tips to the men restaurant servers than women.
3.How much tips do Americans generally pay if the reading on the taximeter is $100?
A. $2. B. $10.
C. $15. D. $20.
4.What is the authors attitude towards tipping?
A. Doubtful. B. Critical.
C. Uncaring. D. Supportive.
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Every people uses its own special word to show its ideas and feelings. Some of these expressions are commonly used for many years. Others are popular for just a short time. One such American expression is “Where’s the beef? ”It is used when something is not as good as it is said to be. In the early 1980s“Where’s the beef? ”was one of the most popular expressions in the United States. It seemed as if everyone using it at the time.
Beef, of course, is the meat from a cow, and this kind of food is more popular in America than a hamburger made from beef. In the 1960s a businessman named Ray began building small restaurants that sold hamburgers at a low price. Ray called this “McDonald’s”. Ray became one of the richest businessmen at last in America.
Other business people watched his success. Some of them opened their own hamburger restaurants. One company called “Wendy’s” said its hamburgers were bigger than those sold by McDonald’s or anyone else. The Wendy’s Company began to use the expression “Where’s the beef ? ”to make people know that Wendy’s hamburgers were the biggest. The Wendy’s television advertisement showed three old women eating hamburgers. The bread that covered the meat was very big, but inside there was only a bit of meat. One of the women said she would not eat a hamburger with such a little piece of beef. “Where’s the beef? ”she shouted in a funny way. The advertisement for Wendy’s hamburger restaurants was success. As we said, it seemed everyone began using the expression “Where’s the beef? ”.
1. started McDonald’s restaurant.
A. Ray B. McDonald
C. Wendy D. Three old women
2. Other people wanted to open hamburger restaurants because they thought
.
A. they could sell hamburgers at a low price
B. hamburgers were easy to make
C. beef was very popular in America
D. they could make a lot of money
3.Wendy’s made the expression known to everybody .
A. with many old women eating hamburgers
B. by a television advertisement
C. while selling bread with a bit of meat in it
D. at McDonald’s restaurant
4. We can learn from the passage that the expression “Where’s the beef ? ” means .
A. The beef in hamburgers is not as much as it is said to be
B. The hamburgers are not as good as they are said to be
C. It is used when something is not as good as it is said to be
D. Wendy’s is the biggest
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In the 1960s, many young Americans were dissatisfied with American society. They wanted to end the Vietnam War and to make all of the people in the U.S. equal. Some of them decided to "drop out" of American society and form their own societies. They formed utopian communities, which they called “communes”, where they could follow their philosophy of “do your own thing”. A group of artists founded a commune in southern Colorado called "Drop City." Following the ideas of philosopher and architect Buckminster Fuller, they built dome-shaped houses from pieces of old cars. Other groups, such as author Ken Kesey’s Merry Pranksters, the followers of San Francisco poet Steve Gakin, and a group that called itself the Hog Farm, lived in old school houses and traveled around the United States. The Hog Farm became famous when they helped organize the Woodstock Rock Festival in 1969. Steve Gaskin’s followers tried to settle down on a farm in Tennessee, but they had to leave when some members of the group were arrested for growing marijuana.
Not all communes believed in the philosophy of “do your own thing”. However, Twin Oaks, a commune founded in Virgiania in the late 1960s, was based on the ideas of psychologist B.F.Skinner. The people who lived at Twin Oaks were carefully controlled by Skinner’s “conditioning” techniques to do things that were good for the community. In 1972, Italian architect Paolo Soleri began to build Arcosanti, a utopian city Arizsona where 2500 people will live closely together in one large building called an “archeology”. Soleri believes that people must live closely together so that they will all become one.
1.Why did some young Americans decide to “drop out” of society during the 1960s?
A. They were not satisfied with American society.
B. They wanted to grow marijuana.
C. They wanted to go to the Vietnam War.
D. They did not want all people to be equal.
2. Where did the members of the Hog Farm commune live?
A. In dome-shaped house. B. In old school houses.
C. On a farm in Tennessee. D. In an archeology in Arizona.
3. Who gave the people of Drop City the idea to build dome-shaped house?
A. Paolo Soleri. B. B.G.Skinner.
C. Steve Gaskin. D. Buckminster Fuller.
4. What was the Twin Oaks commune based on?
A. The philosophy of “do your own thing”.
B. Virginia in the late 1960s.
C. The ideas of psychologist.
D. The belief that people must live closely together.
5. What is an “archeology”?
A. A person who studies archaeology.
B. A large building where people live closely together.
C. A city in Arizona.
D. A technique to control people.
weather. But we do not want it to rain too hard. We do not want it to rain cats and dogs.