学生exercise

1、Exercise OneAlls Well That Ends WellI. Read the following passage and fill in the blanks with the idioms in the passage.Pop stars do have lucks going for them, however, they may disappear into the air and providence is no longer kind to them. People in other professions might be just like those star

2、s whose days are numbered. For instance, some people always like to make a play for fame or other material gains. They play fast and loose with their jobs or play down to their colleagues to get the upper hand. Sometimes, they would go all out and try to make themselves high up above other people. T

3、hey adopt a homespun Machiavellism and spare no efforts to squeeze out people in the same line. They may be in the ascendant and get what they want. But their days wont last long and they may soon become dead ducks, for their hearts are not in the right place. There are also people who would seize e

4、very chance to gain advantage by trickery or to chance the ducks, hoping that God will bless them. They are dye-in-the-wood speculators and would never buckle down to their work. They dream of making wonders on the off chance and are good at putting on an act and pretending to be better in line than

5、 other people. If you ask them how much they know about their own business, they may be then reduced to silence, thus, their games are finished. There is another sort of people who would like to count their chickens before they are hatched. When they have achieved something, they would be in the sev

6、enth heaven, bragging about their achievements and forgetting themselves. Sometimes, they may make a mountain out of a molehill or make up something out of thin air. They may even go off at half-cock and take on more than they can chew. It goes without saying that things will go ill with these peopl

7、e. Some people may think that all their geese are swans but they are actually as stupid as a goose and, in the end, they may cook their own goose Once they become cooked geese, they may get the goose and their days are ended. The worst kind of people are those who are good for nothing but at playing

8、 old gooseberry with achievements of other people. They are always on the grab and insinuate themselves into the good graces of people above them. But they are Jonahs gourd and soon fall from grace and get their evil grace.By contrast, there are people who are down-to-earth and cut their own grass.

9、They know that one bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. They bury themselves in books, immerse themselves in their pursuits and engross themselves in their own business. They have no illusions and day dreams. They do not give lip-service or talk big. They never wish to achieve wonders overnigh

10、t, nor would they relish the coup for its own sake. These people may remain unknown all their lives, however, they have no worries of losing their graces or being laughed at by other people. They believe that God will not overlook real talents. They are also convinced that those who scale the height

11、s overnight may not stay there long and their sun may soon be setting. They believe that alls well that ends well and he laughs best who laughs last. Exercises:1. The guy over there is only making _ , he is trying to impress the girl.2. Do not trust her, her heart is not in the _.3. Some people are

12、not always _ ; luck is not always going for them.4. He is lazy bone. He seldom _ down in his work.5. He is a _ armchair revolutionary.6. Do not count your chickens before they are _.7. He is putting _ and pretending that he is an expert.8. She always likes to play _ with others achievements.9. He la

13、ughs best who laughs _.10. Please do not _ your own goose by belling the cat.11. She insinuated herself into the _ of her boss.12. You should cut your own _ and not take on more than you can cope.13. Evil people will sooner or later get their _.14. In spite of my advice, she will still chance _ .15.

14、 He fell _ because of his supposed interference in the temporal realm.II. Read the following dialogue(s) and translate the underlined sentences. Dialogue One:Cathy: It seems to me that John is on his high horse these days. (1)He should know that pride goes before a fall.Betty: He has no sense. And h

15、e is such a hard nut that few people would get close to him.C: I can not make out why he is so rude.B: (2)the worst thing is he has a bone to pick with everyone.C: Not with his wife, I suppose.B: By no means. He is just like a lamb with her. He always comes to her hat in hand.C: I fell in with her o

16、ne day and she really drove me mad.B: Do not offend her. She may bear you a grudge.C: She can not blink the fact that everyone is disgusted with her.B: She does not mind. (3)She treats everyone like dirt.C: Who does she think she is anyway?B: She is the sort of person who does not know when she is n

17、ot welcome.C: If I were in her position, I should feel like two cents.B: She is just thick-skinned.C: But how can John put up with her?B: (4)Birds of a feather flock together, I suppose.C: You mean beggars match with beggars?B: You are right.Dialogue Two:Betty: I could not understand why Mary marrie

18、d with the left hand.Cathy: She thought her husband could make a great coup.B: (5)But he turned out to be a lame duck.C: She should have thought twice before she got married.B: you see a woman seldom asks advice until she has bought her wedding clothes.C: As Huxley said: “We participate in a tragedy

19、, at a comedy we only look.”B: I bet she will find it difficult to be back on her feet.C: Not easy, anyway.Exercise TwoA Rose without a ThornI. Read the following passage and fill in the blanks with the idioms in the passage.No one forsakes happiness and success to live from hand to mouth. If a pers

20、on brags about anything, his being inferior in position of any kind is certainly not what he would be proud of: no one gets a kick out of being looked down upon. We all want to be treated with respect. Hardly does anyone go into business without hoping to make a bundle and become a tycoon some day.

21、And there is nothing wrong for a pupil to wish to be the cream of the top or to top the class in all subjects, which is also the hope of his parents. No one wants a bum in the family who hangs around sleazy dives.It is not unnatural for a lady to dream of possessing all the good things in the world

22、that will put other ladies to shame, and a husband never enjoys being fingered around in the house. A girl will spend hours on a weekend greasing the belt looking for a date who will make her feel as proud as a princess. An employee may want to be a big apple in the eyes of his boss, but he certainl

23、y would resent being led by the nose by him. For a small child respect comes with being better dressed, better fed and having more pocket money than the next kid.Trying to go your friends one better is only human, but success does not come to one easily. For life is not a bed of roses, and even rose

24、s have thorns. An employee may walk into the office one morning and find the pink slip from his boss waiting for him on his desk, which means he will have to pound the pavement looking for a new job. A businessman lives in the perpetual fear of getting cold feet in the competition; he can be outwitt

25、ed by another businessman any time. A young man is never sure that the girl hes fallen in love with never leave him. A man in power can get hit below the belt and be toppled from the throne overnight by his political foes. Sad, yes, but all that is only expected. The important thing is not to lose h

26、eart when you are no longer on the crest of a wave, but pluck up your courage, keep a stiff upper lip and try again.Exercises: 1. We Chinese people are _ what we have achieved since 1949.2. She gets a _ out of teasing cats and dogs.3. Marys son is the _ of the crop in his class.4. Tom has made _ by

27、selling clothes.5. That bone-idle always hangs around sleazy _ and never does any useful work.6. The beauty queen stood there, looking as proud _.7. Do not _ your little achievements. Pride goes before a fall.8. Falling_ at first sight is dangerous.9. No pains, no gains. No rose _.10. In a competiti

28、ve society like Hong Kong, people always try to go others _.11. Do you think I enjoy being led_?12. Look out! Someone may hit you below_.13. Nobody can stay on the _ the wave forever.14. I will read you a poem that will put the one you wrote _.15. Joe is worthless_. He never does anything useful.II.

29、 Read the following dialogue(s) and translate the underlined sentences. Dialogues One: Mary: I havent seen Ted for years. How is he getting along?John: I bumped into him only yesterday and he told me that he was having teething troubles with his new business.MM: He has set up another business? I did

30、nt even have an inkling.JJ: (1)He set up a shop selling clothes but it landed on the rocks. So he changed his mind.MM: What is doing now?JJ: He is managing a bar. And this is on the rocks too.MM: Sorry to hear that, but that should be his best line.JJ: Yes. But he was fined and threatened to close t

31、he bar.MM: What went wrong?JJ: (2)Hes only licensed to sell beer, but he sold hard drinks.MM: He should have minded his steps. But that shouldnt be the reason forJJ: Well erer., he has had several other setbacks.MM: Misfortunes never come singly. What are the setbacks?JJ: People around him did not s

32、tand up for him. Some even tried to play down to him.MM: They are jealous, arent they?JJ: Worse than that. Some people even tried to sow discord between him and his wife.MM: You mean they are not on the best of terms?JJ: No. She turns out to be a wimp. She wants him to give up the business.MM: I can

33、not believe that she would be so wishy-washy.JJ: (3)And Ted got so upset, he couldnt hold his horses.MM: I tell you what. Lets go and have a good talk with her. We need to help her to clear away the mists before her eyes.JJ: (4)Youve taken the words right out of my mouth.Dialogue Two:Mary: You seem

34、rather down these days.John: I cant sleep a wink these days. I am worried to death.MM: Well youve got to take it easy or youll crack up.JJ: You are right. Ill go nuts, if I keep worrying the way I do. My wife complains that Im on edge all the time. (5)She told me not to cry over spilt milk.MM: I thi

35、nk shes hit the nail on the head.JJ: I know. But something is preying on my mind all the time. I really got lost.MM: Is it something about your boss?JJ: Yes. He really jumps down my throat at times.MM: Dont take it to heart, or you will never get out of the doldrums. Exercise ThreeThere is Something

36、 That Teases Your MindI. Read the following passage and fill in the blanks with the idioms in the passage.No mater how well-learned you are, theres always something you find puzzling. Umberto Eco, known as the master of the signs, bewilders many of the worlds men of letters. The subject he teaches i

37、s so complex and abstruse that only a handful of people have mastered its rudiments: to most people it is all Greek, few of them can make head or tail of it, and a large number of obscure scholars joke what he has told was lost on many people.Eco is not the only person who teases our minds. Quite a

38、few of the worlds recognized figures rattle off on a portable word processor messages that are extremely playful with words. Oliver Wendell Holmes claims that man has his will, but woman has her way. Charles Kingsley says that the silliest woman can manage a clever man; but it needs a very clever wo

39、man to manage a fool.Are they speaking highly of women or evil of men? It takes some brain racking to hit upon the right answer. Shakespeares observation that the course of true love never runs smooth is easy to understand; at least no harder than turning your palm. But what did Samuel mean when he

40、said that love is a boy?Life is full of challenges where you least expect them. A school teacher may be cornered by an innocently simple question raised by his pupils. A catch phrase can be a nightmare for a translator as much as a slang expression or culture-oriented joke can sharp-corner an interp

41、reter in the course of translating a conversation. A husband, left in the dark about his wifes having an affair with another man, is cuckolded. A blushed face that accompanies a lie is an indication that the person is not capable of lying. A visitor to a foreign country may leave that country withou

42、t becoming any wiser in his judgment of it, being overwhelmed by the cultural shocks he experienced there.Cases of people getting lost in the intricate maze of meanings abound. Puns are witty remarks, and their witticism may be veiled. Not everyone knows what to do when his or her marriage is on the

43、 rocks. Just being on pins and needles when your business is going to the dogs does not help you get out of the mess, and a dear John letter may leave the poor young man wondering what he has done to upset his girl friend so much.Setbacks, misfortune and all sorts of problems are part of life, but t

44、hey should give no one the excuse to give up trying. In face of adversities what counts is confidence the mother of success. Where there is a will, there is a way, as the saying goes, and success belongs to those who stand as firm as rock or remain as cool as a cucumber, refusing to yield to the mis

45、eries of life.Exercises:1. He couldnt make _ of what the lady said.2. Many of the worlds_ figures are men of few words.3. Some writers are extremely _ with words.4. Do not speak _ of other people. Evils bounce back.5. What is a joy to some people may be a _ to others.6. The doctor said he could stop

46、 the pain in my leg as easily as _.7. In a foreign country, you may experience a number of _.8. We were kept _ about the political situation in that country.9. Confidence is the _ of success.10. In that situation, you should keep a clear head and remain_ cool.11. Joe was on _ when he heard of his mo

47、thers illness.12. The president was said to have an _ a film star.13. What he said was _ to me; I couldnt make head or tail of it.14. She spoke to the boy with a _ face.15. The boy got a _ letter this morning. Thats why hes so upset.16. A strong-minded man would never_ to any adversities. II. Read t

48、he following dialogue(s) and translate the underlined sentences. Dialogue One:Susan: Why are you down in the dumps?Sandra: Ive ripped off. Someone conned me and I fell for it.SS: Youre kidding! Why couldnt you see through him?AD:(1) Im still wet behind the ears, I guess.SS: You are looking rather pa

49、le these days.AD: Im worried stiff. A lot of things keep happening to me.SS: Is it because you have been cheated?AD: Not really. I dont take that too much to heart, actually.SS: Whats troubling you then?AD: I have been running around in circles and I dont know if I am coming or going.SS:(2) You must

50、 have bitten off more than you can chew.AD: Yes. I have taken on more than I can cope with.SS: If you keep worrying and overworking yourself, youre heading for a crack up.AD: Im already on the edge.SS: You should take it easy.AD: Youre right. But but(3) I just dont seem able to simmer down and get a

51、 grip on myself. And worst of all, my health has suffered.SS: You feel under the weather?AD: Yes. I just feel wobbly and rough. I often feel dizzy and Im losing a lot of sleep too.SS: Have you been to see the doctor?AD: Yes, I have. He gave me a check-up, but couldnt find anything seriously wrong.SS

52、: (4)You may be in for a nerve break-down. You really could do with a break.AD: I try to relax, but I just cant help worrying.SS: I tell you what. Come to stay with me, or better still, we can go to the seaside together.AD: Are you sure it will do me good?SS: I bet you can relax there and regain you

53、r health.Dialogue Two:Patient: Would you mind looking at my right foot?Doctor: Certainly not. Pull up your pants leg and take off your shoes and socks. And how did you hurt your foot?PP: (5)I was playing catch with a friend and stepped on some broken glass.DD: Now Im through with the bandaging. I th

54、ink you can take care of it yourself, but come back in three days anyway. I would like to check your wound then.PP: Do you think the pain will go soon?DD: It wont last long.PP: Thanks a lot, doctor.DD: It is all right. Exercise FourSomeone Has to Bring Home the BaconI. Read the following passage and

55、 fill in the blanks with the idioms in the passage.We all have homes and families. In each family, there must be someone who will have to earn the bread and bring home the bacon to keep the pot boiling. Therefore, people have to work. Although people are all in the rat race, toiling and moiling, som

56、e live from hand to mouth while others live like kings. Some are poverty-stricken and others live in extravagance. This difference might be due to the nature of their work or how they are getting on with it. For instance, a person may have a dead-end job or run-of-the-mill one that offers no prospec

57、ts. Another person may have to do back-breaking labor or keep a soul-destroying job for peanuts. If someone is not capable enough, he might get in Dutch with his boss and get sacked. If hes working under a fussy boss, the boss might now and then breathe down his neck or jump down his throat or come

58、down on him like a ton of bricks and make things too hard for him to cope with. In this situation, he will have few chances to get promoted or get a rise.However, there are people who hold rewarding jobs, but are bone-idle and never pull their weight in their work. They are shirkers and try their best to avoid working. Sometimes, they might even have a couldnt-care-less att