【推荐1】Idioms are one of the hardest parts of learning a language. For those of you who don't know, an idiom is a phrase which has a meaning, but the meaning is not clear from the words themselves. If you translate an idiom word for word, it sometimes makes no sense at all. They are like puzzles and even native speakers can get confused when someone uses a phrase that they've never heard of.

With that in mind, here are five common English idioms that you can use in a variety of Situations.

1．Get your act together (Meaning: you need to improve your behaviour/work)

This might be something your teacher says to you if you score badly in an exam or if you misbehave in class. You can also use it to talk about people in general. For example, if your friend is being mean or nasty for no reason, then you can tell them that they need to get their act together.

2．Pull yourself together (Meaning: calm down)

This is a somewhat impolite way of telling someone that they are overreacting and that they need to relax. Only use this if you think the person you are speaking to is getting upset over something insignificant. If your friend tells you that their close relative has died, it is NOT the time to tell them to pull themselves together.

3．I'm feeling under the weather (Meaning: I'm sick)

Yes, it's longer and more difficult to say than 'I'm sick', but if your English teacher asks you why you haven't done your homework, he or she is more likely to forgive you if you say that you were feeling under the weather. You may not have done your English homework, but your teacher might be impressed that you know how to make eloquent excuses in a foreign language.

4．It's a piece of cake (Meaning: it's easy)

I don't know why this means what it does, but sometimes you just have to accept that English people use weird phrases.

5．Break a leg (Meaning: good luck!)

This is perhaps one of the most confusing yet well-known English idioms. If someone says this to you, do not take offence or think they are threatening you; they are just wishing you luck. It is most often used for people wishing success to actors and actresses before they perform on the stage, but it can be said in other situations, too.

All in all, learning a new language can be challenging. It's definitely not a piece of cake, especially when there are so many confusing idioms. However, with enough hard work and interest, you will succeed in no time. Break a leg!

1. Which idiom is proper for you to say to your worried classmate who is to take part in the 800-metre race at the school sports meet?

A．Get your act together.	B．Pull yourself together.
C．Break a leg.	D．It's a piece of cake.

2. How should you respond when you hear your deskmate say, "I am feeling under the weather."

A．"What's wrong with you?"

B．"Don't worry. Let's call 120."

C．"Get up and finish your homework."

D．"Why don't you take an umbrella with you?"

3. According to the passage, which of the following is TRUE about idioms?

A．They sometimes make no sense at all.

B．Native speakers have trouble understanding idioms sometimes.

C．Idioms are the hardest part of learning a language.

D．We can guess the meaning of an idiom from the words in it.

【推荐2】It's impossible to provide an exact number of words in English, since new words are being added to the dictionary, and falling out of use constantly.     1    

The short answer is: about a million. Doubt you know anything even close to a million words? That number includes any number of legal, medical, scientific, and mechanical terms that most people will never meet in their day-to-day lives.     2    

The “million" number also includes the many, many words that have fallen out of use throughout the time.    3     Consider the word “diddle"，a slang term from the 1700s that means “gin". Many English speakers would recognize “gin"，but far fewer would recognize “ diddle”.

If a million words is the absolute upper level, how does that compare with the general vocabulary of most English speakers?     4     Most English-speaking adults know between 20,000 and 30,000 words. And in addition to those many thousands of words, they're probably able to comprehend a good 20,000 more just from context clues.

    5     You won't find a single dictionary that includes anywhere close to the total million words. One of the reasons is that general-usage dictionaries don't include lots of technical terms—both because of how uncommon they are and, in some cases, because of length. The longest word in the English language is a term from chemistry that is used to identify a certain kind of protein. It is 180,000 letters long. So you certainly won't see it in the dictionary.

A．But what's the number?

B．More than you might think!

C．That doesn't amount to a whole lot, though!

D．Then, how many words are there in the book?

E．While words like these are very uncommon, they still count.

F．If you recognize these uncommon words, we sadly no longer use them.

G．Though removed from the dictionary, they still count as English words.

【推荐3】The British are known for their sense of humour. However, it is often difficult for foreigners to understand their jokes. The main point to remember is that the British often use understatement.

Understatement means saying less than you think or feel. For example, if someone gets very wet in a shower of rain, he might say, “It’s a little damp (潮湿的) outside.“ Or, if someone is very impolite and shouts at another person, someone else might say, “She isn’t exactly friendly.” Understatement is often used in an annoying situation or to make another person look silly. Understatement plays an important part in British humour.

Another key to understanding British humour is that the British like to make fun of themselves as well as others. They often laugh about the silly things that happen to our everyday life when someone falls over in the street. They also like to make jokes of people from different classes of society. They like to make jokes about their accents (口音), the way they dress and the way they behave. What’s more, the British love to watch comedies (喜剧) about people who do not know how to behave in society. The famous Mr Bean is a good example of this kind of humour.

Mr Bean is the role played by British actor Rowan Atkinson in 1990. Mr Bean doesn’t talk often, and instead he uses his body movement and facial expressions to make people laugh. Perhaps what makes Mr Bean so funny is that he does things that adults in the real world wouldn’t do. Mr Bean is popular in many countries round the world because you do not have to speak English to understand the humour. As a result, British sense of humour has become well known to many people.

1. Why is it difficult for foreigners to understand British jokes?

A．British jokes cover too many cultures.

B．British jokes are not as funny as those in other countries.

C．The British seldom fully express how they really feel.

D．Foreigners cannot speak English fluently.

2. How does the author explain “understatement” ?

A．By providing explanations.	B．By giving instructions.
C．By making comparisons.	D．By giving examples.

3. How does Mr Bean make people laugh?

A．By using body movements and facial expressions.	B．By copying others’ behaviour.
C．By telling funny stories.	D．By making fun of himself.

4. What can be the best title for the text?

A．Humour Across Cultures	B．Understanding British Humour
C．British Humour in Comedies	D．Developing a Sense of Humour