B
Cats are the most popular pets among Americans. So it's not surprising that there are many expressions（表达）about cats. Some cats like to catch birds, like canaries（金丝雀）. If someone looks happy with himself, we say, "He looks like the cat ate the canary."
Sometimes, a cat likes to play with a small animal it catches. So if you "play cat and mouse" with someone, it means that you change between different kinds of behaviour(行为) with another person. For example, a girl may give something sweet to her little brother and then take it away when he reaches for it.
Americans may say "the cat's miaow" to describe (描述) something that is the best. "A fat cat" is a person with much money. If you tell a secret (秘密), we say that you "let the cat out of the bag". If you are not able to speak or answer a question, someone may ask if "the cat has got your tongue (舌头)".
Have you ever watched children in a classroom when their teacher leaves for a few minutes? "When the cat's away, the mice will play" means people sometimes act badly when there is no supervision (监管).
You may have heard the expression "curiosity (好奇) killed the cat". This means caring too much about things that are not yours makes you have trouble.
If you have ever had cats as pets, you know it is difficult to train them or to get them to do something. Cats are not like sheep or cows that can be moved in a group. So we say a difficult job is like "herding (牧放) cats".
(
5
) 5. Which of the following can be used to describe something that is the best?
A. The cat's miaow.
B. Let the cat out of the bag.
C. Curiosity killed the cat.
D. When the cat's away, the mice will play.
(
6
) 6. What can we learn from the passage?
A. It is more difficult to keep sheep or cows than cats.
B. "A fat cat" is used to describe someone who is very fat.
C. "Play cat and mouse" usually means "play tricks on others".
D. There are more expressions about cats than those about dogs.
(
7
) 7. In which of the following do we use the expression "curiosity killed the cat"?
A. Someone watches TV a lot when his parents are away.
B. Someone asked a lady her age or weight and it made her angry.
C. Someone finished first in a match and he felt very excited.
D. Someone promised (承诺) to keep a secret but he failed to do so.
(
8
) 8. Where can you find the passage?
A. In a storybook about cats.
B. On a website about how to keep cats.
C. In a magazine about funny stories of animals.
D. In a language book about American slang (俚语).
