Question

【题目】The word “chicken” is used in so many English idioms. Do you know the following? Don't count your chickens before they hatch．

The expression “Don't count your chickens before they hatch” means “Don't expect that all your eggs, which have been laid, will hatch.” “Hatch” is a verb, meaning the baby chicken breaks open the shell of the egg and comes out successfully. So the expression mainly means “Don't depend on things working out just as you want them to”. This saying appears in the story The Milkmaid and Her Pail in Aesop's Fables.

A chickenandegg situation

In history, philosophers(哲学家) and scientists have met this dilemma(困境): Which came first, the chicken or the egg? Aristotle thought that both the bird and the egg must have always been there. However, more recently, scientists such as Stephen Hawking have argued that the egg came before the chicken. In common speech, the term “a chickenandegg situation” means a situation where it is impossible to say which of two things appeared first and which caused the other one.

Don't be such a chicken

There seems to be an idea in English, somehow, that a chicken is a scared bird. Maybe that's not fair as most birds will probably fly away from you if you go towards them. But “Don't be such a chicken” means “Don't be so scared and get a bit more courage.” So if your friend fear to do something, you can say to him or her, “Don't be such a chicken. Just have a try！”

【1】The underlined word “hatch” means “ ” in Chinese.

A. 孵化 B. 长大 C. 破碎

【2】We may say “don't be such a chicken” to someone when he .

A. is good at math

B. has difficulty making a choice

C. is not brave enough to do something

【3】What does someone get when he is given “chicken feed” for his work?

A. A high pay.

B. A little money.

C. A lot of food.

【4】Which idiom can be used when we can't make a causeandeffect relationship clear?

A. Don't count your chickens before they hatch.

B. Chicken feed.

C. A chickenandegg situation.

Answer 1

【答案】

【1】 A

【2】 C

【3】 B

【4】 C

【解析】

本文讲述了英国和“小鸡”这个词有关的一些俗语。

【1】词义猜测题。题干句意：The underlined word “hatch” means “ ” in Chinese.带下划线的“hatch”在中文里是什么意思？结合原文信息，根据文中第二段Hatch is a verb, meaning the baby chicken breaks open the shell of the egg and comes out successfully.翻译为：Hatch是个动词，意思是小鸡破壳而出，成功孵化出来。可知正确答案为：A

【2】细节理解题。题干句意：We may say “don't be such a chicken” to someone when he .我们可能会说 ，当某人胆小如鼠的时候。选项A. is good at math擅长数学。B. has difficulty making a choice很难做出选择。C. is not brave enough to do something没有足够的勇气去做某事。结合原文信息，根据文章最后 But “Don't be such a chicken” means “Don't be so scared and get a bit more courage.” 不过，Don't be a chicken的意思是别那么害怕，再勇敢一点。可知正确答案为：C

【3】推理判断题。题干句意：What does someone get when he is given “chicken feed” for his work?当一个人的工作没有什么回报时，他会得到什么？选项A. A high pay.一份高收入。B. A little money.一点钱。C. A lot of food.很多食物。结合原文信息，可知A表达错误，与题干意思相反，C在文中没有提到。故正确答案为：B

【4】推理判断题。题干句意：Which idiom can be used when we can't make a cause and effect relationship clear？当我们不能弄清楚因果关系时，可以用哪个成语呢？选项A. Don't count your chickens before they hatch.别高兴太早。B. Chicken feed.极小额的款项。C. A chickenandegg situation.先有鸡还是先有蛋。结合原文信息，文章倒数第二段he term a chicken and egg situation means a situation where it is impossible to say which of two things appeared first and which caused the other one.他所说的“先有鸡还是先有蛋”的情况，指的是两件事中哪一件先出现，哪一件又引起另一件的情况。可知正确答案为：C