Every people has its own way of saying things, its own special expressions. Many everyday American expressions are on colors.

Red is a hot color. Americans often use it to express heat. They may say they are red hot about something unfair. When they are red hot they are very angry about something. The small hot tasting peppers found in many Mexican foods are called red hots for their color and their fiery taste. Fast loud music is popular with many people. They may say the music is red hot, especially the kind called Dixieland jazz.

Pink is a lighter kind of red. People sometimes say they are in the pick when they are in good health. The expression was first used in America at the beginning of the twentieth century. It probably comes from the fact that many babies are born with a nice pink color that shows that they are in good health.

Blue is a cool color. The traditional blues music in the United States is the opposite of red hot music. Blues is slow, sad and soulful. Duke Ellington and his orchestra recorded a famous song – Mood Indigo – about the deep blue color, indigo. In the words of the song: “You ain’t been blue till you’ve had that Mood Indigo.” Someone who is blue is very sad.

The color green is natural for trees and grass. But it is an unnatural color for humans. A person who has a sick feeling stomach may say she feels a little green. A passenger on a boat who is feeling very sick from high waves may look very green.

Sometimes a person may be upset because he does not have something as nice as a friend has, like a fast new car. That person may say he is green with envy. Some people are green with envy because a friend has more dollars or greenbacks. Dollars are called greenbacks because that is the color of the back side of the paper money.

The color black is used often in expressions. People describe a day in which everything goes wrong as a black day. The date of a major tragedy is remembered as a black day. A blacklist is illegal now. But at one time, some businesses refused to employ people who were on a blacklist for belonging to unpopular organizations.

1.If you had your wallet stolen while doing some shopping, you may call it        .

2.Suppose a Mr. Brown says he is very happy because his three children are all in the pink, this means all his children are         .

3.When she got home and found nothing had been done by her husband, Jane was really      .

4.In the following paragraph, the writer might tell the reader something about         .

----Where is Mary?   

----At ____.

A. Mr. Brown's   B. the Browns    C. Mr. Browns   D. the Mr. Browns'

----Where is Mary?    ----At ____.

A. Mr. Brown's   B. the Browns    C. Mr. Browns   D. the Mr. Browns'

Mr. Brown’s horse was stolen at night. All of his friends were very sorry about it and came to see him together. After they had been told about it, one of them said, “Why did not you lock the door of your stable (马房)that night? I think it is your fault.”

“You aren’t deaf, are you?” the second man said, “Didn’t you hear anything at that moment? The thief must have driven the beast out of the gate, and couldn’t have carried it on his back.”

“I agree with them!” Blamed the third, “How careless you are! Every evening before I go to bed, I lock my stable first and hide the key in my box. Why didn’t you do so?”

The more they said, the more excited they became. At last Mr. Brown couldn’t bear it any more and said, “I am glad that you have come to see me. But none of you would help me either look for my horse or catch the thief. Do you think that it’s all my fault? Why don’t you blame the thief?

1. The first man thought it’s Mr. Brown’s fault because _______.

A. let the door open                B. locked the door

C. had the door unlocked             D. had the horse locked up

2. The second man thought Mr. Brown _________________.

1. was a deaf                          

B. was very careful

C. must hear something when the thief stole the horse     

D. couldn’t hear anything at that time

3. The third man thought ________________.

A. the horse must be driven out   B. Mr. Brown did hide his key in his box

C. Mr. Brown wasn’t blamed by the third     D. Mr. Brown wasn’t careful.

4. The more his friends said the more Mr. Brown ______________.

A. became excited    B got angry    C could bear       D blamed them

5.____________ should be blamed.

A. Mr. Brown      B his friends       C The thief      D All of them

________ got out of his house ________ it began to min.

1. A.
   Mr Brown had hardly; than
2. B.
   Mr Brown had no sooner; when
3. C.
   No sooner had Mr Brown; than
4. D.
   Hardly Mr Brown had; when