Many expressions that we use in American English come from novels. Today we will look at some of them from Lewis Carroll’s famous novel “Alice in Wonderland” in detail.

The story is about a young girl falling down a rabbit hole. When she finally lands, she finds herself in a strange world and meets some strange characters.

The first character Alice meets is the White Rabbit, who runs past her and says some strange words. Alice runs after him, and that is where her adventures begin.

In English, chasing a white rabbit means chasing an impossible clue and finding yourself in a misleading situation.

Then, as she runs after the rabbit, she falls down the rabbit hole into Wonderland.

To fall down the rabbit hole can mean to enter a situation which makes people feel puzzled. However, usually we use this expression to mean we get interested in something to the point of distractions(分神). It often happens by accident and is about something not that meaningful.

Later in the story, Alice meets the March Hare and the Hatter at a crazy tea party. Hares have long been thought to behave excitedly in March, which is their mating(交配)season. Scientifically, this may not be true. But to be mad as a March Hare means that someone is completely mad, or crazy. The expression mad as a Hatter also means to be completely crazy. Of the two, mad as a Hatter is more common.

Near the end of the story, Alice meets the Queen of Hearts. A woman who is called a Queen of Hearts likes controlling others and always tries to control everything and everyone around her.

1.Which of the following situations best fits the expression “to fall down a rabbit hole”?

A.When Jack was sitting in the study, he got bored with the homework and felt sleepy.

B.When Sue turned On the TV, she chose to watch her favourite programme as usual.

C.When Jim was looking for a sport book online, he lost himself in reports on superstars.

D.When Lily was thinking about how to solve a math problem, she came up with a good idea.

2.According to the passage, the expression “to be mad as a March Hare” .

A.describes how hares behave in March

B.shows hares’ characteristics in a funny way

C.is used more often than the expression mad as a Hatter

D.has the same meaning as the expression mad as a Hatter

3.Which of the following characters wants others to obey his or her orders in every situation?

A.Alice. B.The March Hare. C.The Hatter. D.The Queen of Hearts.

4.The writer mainly wants to ________in this passage.

A.introduce a famous novel and its language style

B.introduce a famous writer Lewis Carroll and his novels

C.explain some English expressions from a famous novel

D.explain why many expressions in English come from novels

(an extract from Probuditi!)

Calvin waited outside Trudy’s bedroom. Then it happened—a scream, a very loud scream. Calvin ran to his room and dived into bed.

He heard Mama coming down the hall.

“Did you do this?” his mother asked. Calvin looked out from under the covers. His mother stood over him, holding a rubber spider.

“Do what?” he asked.

“You put that thing in my bed,” Trudy told him, stepping out from behind Mama.

“Don’t think that just because it’s your birthday you can get away with something like this,” Mama scolded (责骂).

“You do want your present, don’t you?” That wiped the smile off Calvin’s face.

“Course I do,” he said.

“Then you apologize (道歉).”

Calvin dropped his head. “Sorry Trudy,” he muttered (嘟囔).

“Here,” Mama said. “Happy birthday.” At the breakfast table she handed Calvin an envelope. Inside were tickets to the matinee show of Lomax the Magnificent, the world-famous magician and hypnotist. “You’ve got two tickets there,” Mama said, “and I know someone who’d really love to go along.” She smiled at Trudy.

“You don’t mean here, do you?” Calvin asked, eyeing his little sister.

“Well, that would be really nice. But those tickets are yours. If you want to ask somebody—” Calvin didn’t wait for his mother to finish. He rushed out of the house to tell Rodney, his pal next door, that the two of them were going to see Lomax the Magnificent.

1.Who screamed at the beginning?

A.Calvin. B.Calvin’s sister. C.Calvin’s friend. D.Calvin’s mother

2.Calvin apologized to Trudy ________.

A.unwillingly B.truly C.happily D.excitedly

3.Calvin’s mother Rally wanted Calvin to ________.

A.ask his friend to the show B.find out what his friend thought

C.do what she thought was right D.watch the show without his sister

4.What is the best title for this passage?

A.Trudy’s Spider B.Mother’s Tickets

C.Calvin’s Birthday D.Rodney’s Present

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