Unit 2

Colloquialisms
A colloquialism is an informal expression used in spoken English. Colloquialisms
are often used in conversations.

Read these colloquialisms and look at the matching pictures. Choose the correct
meaning for each one from the box below.

joke with someone something easy to do

boring/afraid to have fun listening carefully

1 2

Don’t worry. It’s a piece of cake! Don’t be a wet blanket. Have some fun!

________________________________ ________________________________

3 4

Go on, tell me. I’m all ears. Are you serious? Don’t pull my leg.

________________________________ ________________________________

Guess what the following italicized expressions mean and then look them up
in a dictionary.
1 Mrs Black’s garden is the best in our town. She really has green fingers.

2 He makes every decision in our company. He is the top dog.

3 Why did you give her the cold shoulder? You are good friends, aren’t you?

4 I wish I had brought my umbrella. It’s raining cats and dogs.

5 Football is just not my cup of tea—I like playing volleyball.

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 Unit 2

Read the following conversation between two friends outside the library. Fill in the
blanks using the words and phrases from the box below. More than one answer is possible for
each blank.

when why where

for which on which in which

Rose: Sorry, I can’t go to the

cinema with you after
school tomorrow.

Steve: That’s too bad!

Rose: I asked my mum. I

don’t know the reason
(1) ______________ she
said I can’t go.

Steve: That’s OK. My mum also said no. She told me that school hours
are the time (2) ______________ I can see my friends. After school,
it is important to spend time with the family.

Rose: My mum often says things like that too. She always wants me to
stay home with her and my dad, or to go to visit my grandparents
with her. But the village (3) ______________ they live is very boring!
When we visit them, there is nothing for me to do.

Steve: I used to think that my grandparents were very boring too, but I
don’t now. In the past, I just watched TV the days (4) ______________
I visited them. Then I learnt that my grandpa was a good artist
when he was young. These days my grandpa often gives me
painting lessons. That is the reason (5) ______________ I like to visit
them now.

Rose: Wow, that’s really interesting!

Steve: Yes. They say that home is the place (6) ______________ our hearts
should be, and I guess that’s true ... I still wish we could go to the
cinema tomorrow though!

Rose: Me too. Oh, it’s dinner time. I have to go.

Steve: Bye! See you at school tomorrow.

Rose: Bye!

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 Unit 3

Writing
W

When we write about the changes in a person or a place, it is important that we write about
the difference between the past and the present. We should use the past tense to describe the past and
the present tense to describe the present. Read the story below and see how the writer compares past
and present.

You won’t believe your eyes when you see Tommie! He has changed a lot. The last
time I saw him was only two years ago when he was in Grade 8. He was a head
shorter than me at the time, and he still had a child’s voice. He was so shy when
he saw me. He did not talk much but he smiled a great deal.
Now Tommie is taller than me at 170 cm. He is in senior high. He is not shy any
more. He told me a lot of interesting things about his class when we met. He is
very popular with his classmates and the teachers like him too. He is working
very hard at his lessons now, because he wants to go to Peking University.

You want to write an article for your school newspaper about your friend Liangliang. He used
to be overweight and not very active. After exercising and going on a diet, he now looks like a different
boy. Write your article according to the following pictures.

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