Vocabulary Idioms & Phrases Reading ～ Paragraphs 6-12 Post-reading

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Now, answer the following questions.

What is a person likely to be if he is like a mouse? When a person is like a mouse, he is very likely to be quiet or act as a coward.

What does it mean if you call somebody a chicken? It means he/she has no courage.

What does a white elephant mean? A white elephant means something that is of no use.

Reading

The subjects of many proverbs are animals. The subjects of many proverbs are animals. → Many proverbs have/use animals as their subjects.

Here are some: “When the cat is away, the mice will play.” 原句 = → When the person who is in charge of a group is away, members of the group will take advantage of his/her absence and do things they would not normally do when he/she is around. When the boss is away, all the workers give themselves a long lunch break. More

Similar Proverbs : A sleepy master makes his servant a lout. The eye of the master will do more work than both his hands. It is the bridle and spur that makes a good horse.

“Let sleeping dogs lie.” 原句 = → If a fierce dog is asleep, you should not awaken it or it may bite you. Similar Proverbs : Wake not a sleeping lion. Leave well alone. Kindle not a fire that you cannot extinguish.

“You can take a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink.” 原句 = → You may provide your horse with water, but if he doesn’t want to drink, you cannot do anything about it. → Leading a horse to water is one thing and making him drink it is quite another. More

Similar Proverbs : A willful man will have his way. You may force a man to shut his eyes but you can’t make him sleep. You can behead a man but you can’t shut his mouth. (Chinese proverb)

Which proverbs have animals as their subjects in your own language? 原句 = → Do you know which/what proverbs in your own language have/use animals as their subjects? which 通常指「在有限數量中的一個或 一些」；若所指的並非在有限數量中， 則多用 what 。

You have already seen the expression “as quiet as a mouse.” There are a lot of similar expressions with “as...as....” They are called similes. 原句 = → There are many expressions which similarly use the pattern “as…as…”

“As proud as a peacock” is a simile with a bird as its subject. 原句 = → A simile which has/uses a bird as its subject can be illustrated by the expression as proud as a peacock.

This shows that in English the image of the peacock can mean not only beauty but also pride. not only...but (also)... = not just...but (also)... 為對等連接詞，通常介系詞置於此對等連 接詞後不省略。 Nowadays, employers are thinking not only of attracting staff, but (also) of keeping them.

A chicken has an image of fearfulness or cowardice. If you call somebody a chicken, it means he is a coward, not brave enough to do something.

Some fish have special images in English. One of them is a shark. 原句 = → Some fish have special images in English, one of which is a shark.

We may call people sharks if they deal with others unfairly, such as by tricking them out of their money. 原句 = → People are called sharks on condition that they are nasty and mean to others.

Two kinds of insects have the image of being very busy: bees and ants. Therefore, you can describe a person who has a lot of work to do by saying, “She’s as busy as a bee.” 原句 = → Consequently, you can describe a person who has/with a heavy workload as a busy bee. More

其他含動物的英文諺語有： Able to kick the eye out of a mosquito. 技藝超倫 。 Love me, love my dog. 愛屋及烏。 A snake in the grass. 暗藏敵人 。 Cast sheep’s eyes at sb. 暗送秋波。 Put the cart before the horse. 本末倒置 。 To be a regular oyster. 沉默寡言。 Turn the pigs into the clover. 避而不答。 If a donkey brays at you, don’t bray at him. 別和他一般見識。 You cannot make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear. 朽木不可雕。 No bees, no honey; no work, no money. 沒有耕耘，哪來收穫。

Every language has words and expressions which describe the characteristics of some animals. Sometimes these animals have the same images in a foreign language as they do in Chinese; sometimes they don’t. Back

Post-reading

Reading for the Main Idea Check (  ) the main idea of the reading. _____ 1. A simile is an expression which makes a comparison between two persons or things by using “as... as....” _____ 2. Different cultures hold different ideas about animals. So they may characterize the same animals in different ways. _____ 3. Chinese and Japanese animals look very different from those in America or Britain.

Topics for Discussion

Discussion 1: Try to think of some similes or proverbs (in English and Chinese) that refer to animals.

as quiet as a mouse as proud as a peacock as busy as a bee as sly as a fox as slow/sure as a turtle as shy/cowardly as a mouse as noisy as a herd of elephants as useless as a white elephant as cowardly as a chicken as greedy as a shark Reference answers :

as cold as a fish 冷淡 as poor as a church mouse 一貧如洗 Curiosity killed the cat. 好奇足以喪命。 You can‘t teach an old dog new tricks. 老 狗玩不出新把戲。 Reference answers : Every dog has his day. 困龍也有上天時， 凡人皆有得意日。 Don't count your chickens before they are hatched. 別打如意算盤。

Reference answers : Barking dogs seldom bite. 會叫的狗不咬人。 Dog does not eat dog. 同類不相殘。 A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. 二鳥在林不如一鳥在手。 Birds of a feather flock together. 物以類聚。 Chinese ： 如虎添翼、如魚得水、 虎父無犬子、 狗眼看人低、好狗不與雞鬥、好馬不吃回頭草、 兔子不吃窩邊草、又要馬兒跑，又要馬兒不吃草、 龍生龍， 鳳生鳳，老鼠生的兒子會打洞。

Discussion 2: Choose some animal images to describe yourself or your classmates.

Reference answer : Hello, I’m Mouse Girl. I live in a tiny hole in a house. I only come out of my hole when I have to. I’m afraid of the cat in the house. She’s mean and tries to catch me. She is my enemy. If she sees me, I freeze and stay quiet. I stay out of her way.

Reference answer : Otherwise, she pounces. I look forward to becoming a bigger mouse so I can move out of my mouse hole and will not be afraid in my own house. As a mouse, I feel safe in a corner but when I come out I have to scurry and sneak in order not to be seen. I feel like no one sees

Reference answer : me and when I open my mouth I feel like only little squeaks come out. I like watching and I see a lot of things other people miss. Sometimes I feel cute and little and sometimes I feel gray and dull. I don’t know how to get bigger. I worry about being stepped on if I come out. Back