A bag is useful and the word “bag” is useful, too. Here is an interesting phrase（短语）, “to let the cat out of the bag”. In meaning it is the same as “to tell the secret（秘密）”. And there is an old interesting story about it.

　　Long ago, when farmers wanted to sell chickens at the market, they would usually just throw the chickens in cloth (布) bags. But cats were cheaper than chickens at that time, so many farmers would put cats into the cloth bags but not chickens. One day, a woman asked a man for a chicken. The man gave her a cloth bag in which there was a cat.      When the man opened the cloth bag, a big black cat ran out. Not a chicken! The man’s secret was out and everyone knew it.

　　Now when we say someone gives away a secret, we say “he lets the cat out of the bag”. And that is the story where the interesting phrase came from.

1.The underlined word “it” in the passage refers to (指的是)     .

A. the useful bag                 B. the phrase              C. the cat                     D. the chicken

2.The farmers put cats but not chickens in the bags to      when they sold chickens.

A. tell the secret                                                      B. sell the cats

C. get more money                                                  D. keep the cats quiet

3.Which is the best for the blank (空白处) in the passage?

A. The woman was angry to see a cat.                 B. The man put a cat in the bag.

C. The man asked her to see the chicken.         D. The woman wanted to see the chicken.

4.The writer wrote the story to tell us     .

A. the woman was smart                                         B. how farmers sold their cats

C. the phrase is useful                                             D. where the phrase came from

    One day it was time for lunch, and I was eating my sandwich that I prepared myself. Vera, the secretary(秘书) of our company, asked me absent-mindedly(心不在焉地),”Brown bagging today?” For a while, I was at a loss to find a word to respond(回答) to what she had said. I thought to myself,” You should have seen the black bag that I take with me to work every day.”

Seeing I was wearing a puzzled expression(表情),Vera promptly(立刻) explained that ”brown bagging” had the meaning of providing lunch for oneself or taking one’s lunch to eat in one’s office. Usually the food is kept in a brown paper bag, so it has this name. The persons who take their lunch with them are called brown baggers.

(  )1.The writer had lunch________.

A.     at home    B. in a restaurant   C. in the office    D. at school

(  )2. Vera was the ___ of our company.

A. boss   B. cleaner   C. manager   D. secretary

(  )3. The writer took a black bag to work__.

A.     every day  B. every Sunday C. every other day D. every two days

(  )4. “Brown bagging” means___.

A.     eat at home

B.     take one’s lunch to eat in one’s office

C. eat in a restaurant

D. share(分享)lunch with one’s colleagues(同事)

(  )5. According to this passage,__ was a “brown bagger”.

A.     Vera   B. the secretary   C. the boss   D. the writer

   In England, people often talk about the weather because you can experience(感受到) four seasons in one day. In the morning the weather is warm just like in spring. An hour later black clouds come, and then it rains hard. The weather gets a little cold. In the late afternoon the sky will clear(晴朗的), the sun will began to shine. It will be summer at this time of a day.

In England, you can also have summer in winter, or have winter in summer. So in winter you can swim sometimes, and in summer sometimes you should take warm clothes.

When you go to England, you will see that some English people usually take an umbrella(伞) or a raincoat with them in the sunny morning, but you should not laugh at them. If you don’t take an umbrella or a raincoat, you will regret(后悔) later in the day.

6How many seasons are there in one day in England?

A. One      B. Two      C. Three      D. Four

7  In the morning the weather is warm just like _____.

   A. in spring  B. in summer   C. in autumn   D. in winter

8 It is often too hot in England, isn’t it?

A. Yes, it is  B. No, it isn’t.  C. Yes, it isn’t.   D. No, it is.

9 What do English people usually take with them?

A. a hat   B. a raincoat   C. an umbrella     D. B and C

10 What’s the weather like in England?

A. warm    B. changeable   C. cold       D. hot

A bag is useful and the word “bag” is useful, too. Here is an interesting phrase（短语）, “to let the cat out of the bag”. In meaning it is the same as “to tell the secret（秘密）”. And there is an old interesting story about it.
　　Long ago, when farmers wanted to sell chickens at the market, they would usually just throw the chickens in cloth (布) bags. But cats were cheaper than chickens at that time, so many farmers would put cats into the cloth bags but not chickens. One day, a woman asked a man for a chicken. The man gave her a cloth bag in which there was a cat.      When the man opened the cloth bag, a big black cat ran out. Not a chicken! The man’s secret was out and everyone knew it.
　　Now when we say someone gives away a secret, we say “he lets the cat out of the bag”. And that is the story where the interesting phrase came from

1. 1.

   The underlined word “it” in the passage refers to (指的是)______.

   1. A.
      the useful bag
   2. B.
      the phrase
   3. C.
      the cat
   4. D.
      the chicken
2. 2.

   The farmers put cats but not chickens in the bags to ______ when they sold chickens

   1. A.
      tell the secret
   2. B.
      sell the cats
   3. C.
      get more money
   4. D.
      keep the cats quiet
3. 3.

   Which is the best for the blank (空白处) in the passage?

   1. A.
      The woman was angry to see a cat
   2. B.
      The man put a cat in the bag
   3. C.
      The man asked her to see the chicken
   4. D.
      The woman wanted to see the chicken
4. 4.

   The writer wrote the story to tell us______.

   1. A.
      the woman was smart
   2. B.
      how farmers sold their cats
   3. C.
      the phrase is useful
   4. D.
      where the phrase came from