There are some stories behind English words．

　　You've spent a lot of time studying how to use English in a proper way．But have you ever wondered why English speakers say some of the things they say?For example, why do they say“an easy task”is“a piece of cake”?Why do the two letters“OK”means“all right”?

　　Many English words and phrases have stories behind them．Sometimes these stories can help us look back into old western history．Let's take a look at a few of the original * common English words and phrases：

　　OK

　　“OK”was an American who lived in the 19th century．His name was“Old Kinderhook”．In one year he was trying to take the place of the leader of his town．His supporters went around the town shouting“OK\OK\”The supporters thought their future leader was“all right”．The expression caught on, and now if something is“all right”, people like to say“OK|”

　　Is your boss nice to you?If not, just be glad you weren't living in the old times．Back to that time, bosses could do anything bad to their men and could even beat* them!That explains why the word“boss”comes from an old German word meaning“to beat”．

　　A famous American writer named Ogden Nash lived in the 1930s．Many readers enjoyed his poems and wrote them down in their notebooks．In one of his poems, Nash wrote,“Her picture's in the papers now, and life's a piece of cake．”His readers found these words interesting and quickly wrote them down．They thought that if one picture in a newspaper could make you famous, wouldn't life be easy?

　　For nearly 70 years,“a piece of cake”has meant any task or activity that is easy．

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阅读理解

　　The motor vehicle has killed and disabled more people in its brief history than any bomb or weapon ever invented．Much of the blood on the street flows essentially from uncivil behavior of drivers who refuse to respect the legal and moral rights of others．So the killing on the road may be regarded as a social problem．

　　In fact, the enemies of society on wheels are rather harmless people－－just ordinary people acting carelessly, you might say．But it is a general truth both of law and common morality that carelessness is no excuse when one’s actions could bring death or damage to others．A minority of the killers go even beyond carelessness to total negligence(　　)．

　　Researchers have estimated that as many as 80 percent of all automobile accidents can be attributed to the psychological condition of the driver．Emotional upsets can distort(歪曲)drivers’ reactions, slow their judgment, and blind them to dangers that might otherwise clear．The experts warn that it is necessary for every driver to make a conscious effort to keep one’s emotions under control．

　　Yet the irresponsibility that accounts for much of the problem is not confined to drivers, Street walkers regularly violate traffic regulations, they are at fault in most vehicle walker accidents, and many cyclists even believe that they are not subject to the basic rules of the mad．

　　Significant legal advances have been made towards safer driving in the past few years．Safety standards for vehicle have been both at the point of manufacture and through periodic mad-worthiness inspection．In addition, speed limits have been lowered．Due to these measures, the accident rate has decreased．But the accident experts still worry because there has been little or no improvement in the way drivers behave．The only real and lasting solution, say the experts, is to convince people that driving is a skilled task requiring constant care and concentration．Those who fail to all these things present a threat to those with whom they share the mad．

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