Question

In the past, many people depended on horses for transportation(運(yùn)輸), farming and other kinds of work. Nowadays a lot of people still like to ride horses. So it is not surprising that many expressions about it are still used by Americans today.

Long ago, people who were rich or important rode horses that were very tall. Today, if a girl is too proud and looks down upon others, you might say she should "get off her high horse."

Last night, I got a telephone call while I was watching my favorite television show. I decided not to answer it because "wild horses could not drag me away" from the television -- there was nothing that could stop me from doing what I wanted to do.

Sometimes you get information "straight from the horse's mouth." It comes directly from the person who knows most about the subject and is the best source. Let us say your teacher tells you there is going to be a test tomorrow. You could say you got the information "straight from the horse's mouth." However, you would not want to call your teacher a horse!

You may have heard this expression: "You can lead a horse to water, but you cannot make him drink." That means you can give someone advice but you cannot force him to do something he does not want to do.

In politics, a "dark-horse candidate" is someone who is not well known to the public. Sometimes, a dark horse unexpectedly wins an election(選舉).

Another piece of advice is "do not change horses in midstream." You would not want to get off one horse and on to another in the middle of a river. Or make major changes in an activity that has already begun.

1.What does the underlined word “it” mean in the first paragraph?

A. the horse B. riding horses

C. raising horses D. horse racing

2.The expression “get off her high horse” is used for a girl____.

A. who has a lot of money

B. who is cleverer than others

C. who is respected by others

D. who thinks she is better than anyone else

3.What can we learn about the news “ straight from the horse’s mouth”?

A. It is very hard to get the news.

B. The news will be true and reliable（可靠的）.

C. The person who gives the news is called a horse.

D. The news is a lie and can’t be trusted.

4.Which of the following can describe a person who wins an election unexpectedly?

A. do not change horses in midstream

B. wild horses could not drag me away

C. dark-horse candidate

D. get off her high horse

5.What’s the best title of the passage?

A. The horse is a kind of useful animal.

B. The expressions used by Americans.

C. Some expressions about the horse.

D. It is popular to use the word “horse”.

Answer 1