M isadventures in English

浙江 江 丽

在使用英语时，有趣的冷知识可不少。一起来看看吧！

主题语境：英语趣用法 篇幅：348词 建议用时：7分钟

1Last week, our forum asked if you had any funny or strange stories about using English.We didn't expect to get so many posts.Here are some of our favourites to remind us that some of the English we learn in the classroom is rather different from the English in the outside world!

2Yancy: People say that the British always play safe with what they eat.It's not true! I went to a summer school in Manchester and my English teacher was called Maggie.One day, a different teacher took our class.He told us that Maggie couldn't teach that day because she had a frog in her throat.Poor Maggie—but why did she try to eat such a big frog?

3Sophie: When I first visited New York, I went to a downtown shopping centre to buy some winter boots.At the information desk at the entrance, I asked a lady where the shoe section was.She said that it was on the first floor.So I went up to the first floor, but I couldn't find any shoes.I decided to leave.When I was looking for the exit,I saw that shoes were actually sold downstairs on the ground floor, not the first floor.Why did she give me the wrong information?

4Julien: I've got an English penfriend, who I finally got to meet in London this summer.He had told me that his grandfather was“really wicked”.But when I met his grandfather, I liked him a lot.I found it very odd.Why did my friend use a negative word about such a nice man?

5Zheng Xu: The British must have really high standards.I was part of a student exchange programme between a university in England and my university in China.I spent days preparing and writing my first English paper.I knew I had done a good job and was looking forward to getting a positive comment.When I got the paper back, I found my teacher had written the comment“Not bad!”.Not bad? But there weren't any errors in my paper.

Reading Check

1.What's wrong with Maggie?

A.She ate a frog by mistake.

B.Her throat was hurt by a frog.

C.She probably had trouble in speaking.

D.Her throat was probably stuck by a frog.

2.Why did Sophie have trouble finding the shoe section?

A.The lady at the information desk gave her wrong direction.

B.The shoe section was on the first floor.

C.The lady's direction was misunderstood.

D.The shoes were sold out.

3.What can we know about Julien and his penfriend?

A.Julien's penfriend didn't like his grandfather.

B.Julien's penfriend had a bad relationship with his grandfather.

C.Julien's penfriend used a wrong word to describe his grandfather.

D.Julien liked his penfriend's grandfather a lot.

4.How did Zheng Xu feel about the comment“Not bad!”on his English paper?

A.Proud.B.Confused.C.Scared.D.Pleased.

Language Study

Ⅰ.日积月累

forumn.论坛

funnyadj.滑稽的

downtownadj.市中心的

entrancen.入口

wickedadj.邪恶的；缺德的；非常好的

oddadj.奇怪的

summer school 暑期班

have a frog in one's throat 嗓子哑了

shopping centre 购物中心

winter boot 冬靴

information desk 服务台

shoe section 鞋区

high standard 高标准

exchange programme 交流项目

Ⅱ.语法填空

English 1.________(idiom) are treasures that reveal the richness and diversity of the language while providing insights into cultural beliefs and practices.They act as a vital link between language 2.________culture.

3.________(master) idioms not only enhances language comprehension and fluency but also 4.________(enable) effective communication filled with cultural understanding.Yet,learning idiomatic expressions can be 5.________(challenge)for non-native speakers.What can they do? They can learn idioms by 6.________(immerse) themselves in English materials, such 7.________books, movies, and music.Learning idioms in context is key 8.________understanding their meanings.

In 9.________(conclude), English idioms bring life to the language.Embracing them not only boosts our language skills but also deepens our understanding of the English-speaking culture.Let's start this enriching journey, 10.________(celebrate) the linguistic and cultural wonders of English idioms.