“I’m hungry, ” said Kelly as she and Sheila walked home from school .

“You’re always hungry, ” Sheila said , “ We’ll have something when we get to my

house. ”

Kelly looked at Sheila, who was walking quickly down the sidewalk . Sheila had long, beautiful red hair and always wore nice clothes. Kelly had short hair and many of her clothes were hand-me-downs.

No one was home when they got to Sheila’s house. No one ever seemed to be home at Sheila’s house. Kelly had two sisters and a brother. “It must be amazing to have the whole house to yourself. I’m lucky if I can be alone for five minutes, ” said Kelly .

“Well, I can do whatever I want. Do you want to order a pizza? There’s nothing in the fridge. ” There was never anything in Sheila’s fridge.

“That’s okay， ” said Kelly . “ I have to go home for dinner soon . ”

“But I would go crazy if people were telling me what to do all the time.”

“Well, you’re lucky,” said Kelly . Sheila was lucky. She had perfect hair, perfect clothes, a perfect house. “I would give anything to be Sheila for just one day, ” thought Kelly .

The phone rang. “Hi, Mom , ” Kelly heard Sheila say . “ No, it’s okay. I understand. ” She hung up. “ My mom’s having dinner out again, ” she said . “ Are you sure you can’t stay for pizza? ”

“Sorry. I have to go or I’ll be late for dinner, ” said Kelly .

“Whatever. See you. ”

Kelly saw Sheila looking out of the window as she walked down the street. Suddenly, Sheila’s house looked very big, and Sheila looked very small.

1. Which of these sentences tells the difference between Sheila’s life and Kelly’s?

A. Sheila is from a big family and Kelly is from a small one.

B. Kelly has a big , caring family and Sheila is often on her own .

C. Kelly has perfect clothes and Sheila wears hand-me-downs.

D. Sheila and Kelly have similar family situations.

2. Which things about Sheila’s life does Kelly like?

A. Her house, her parents, and her clothes.

B. Her hair, her clothes, and her pets.

C. Her hair, her clothes, and her house.

D. Her clothes, her parents, and her pets.

3. What things about Kelly’s life might Sheila like?

A. The fact that Kelly has sisters to lend her clothes.

B. The fact that Kelly has caring parents who are there to take care of her.

C. The fact that Kelly has a big house and lots of time to herself.

D. The fact that Kelly gets to eat pizza almost every night of the week.

4. Why do you think the writer includes the final sentence of the story?

A. To show that Sheila lives in a big, beautiful house.

B. To show that Sheila gets to do whatever she wants.

C. To show that Sheila is happy.

D. To show that Sheila is lonely.

Learning English grammar and English vocabulary can be hard enough, but trying to understand English sayings can be more difficult. Some are just hard to figure out and others don’t make any sense at all. Here are four funny English sayings that you can use every day.

I’m happy as a clam(蛤).

Think of a clam. It doesn’t have to do anything. It just sits on a beach or on the bottom of the ocean all day doing nothing. It never has to work. That sounds like happiness, doesn’t it? If someone asks, “How are you today?” you can answer “I am happy as a clam” to let him or her know what a great mood you are in.

I wouldn’t touch that (or him/her) with a ten-foot pole.

Maybe there is a person who you don’t want to be friends with or even talk to. Well, this saying means that you dislike him or her so much that you don’t want to touch or go near him or her, even within ten feet!

You don’t have a leg to stand on.

?? This saying doesn’t mean that the person you’re talking to has no legs. It means that his or her argument is incorrect. He or she doesn’t have a leg to stand on because he or she has no facts to support what he or she is saying. This saying is a good way to tell people that you think they’re wrong.

??? Break a leg!

??? This saying actually means the opposite of what it sounds like. If you tell this to a person, you’re wishing him or her good luck！The saying comes from a superstition(迷信) that whatever you say aloud, the opposite will come true.

1.The first paragraph mainly tells us____________________.

A.learning English grammar is hard

B.learning English vocabulary is hard

C.we should use English sayings every day

D.it can be harder to understand English sayings

2.Which of the following is TRUE about a clam?

A.It can be used to show happiness.????? B.It needs to do many things.

C.It needs to eat a lot.???????????????? D.It can only live on the beach.

3.The saying “I wouldn’t touch him with a ten-foot pole” means___________.

A.I hate him.????????????????????? B.I want him to be my friend.

C.I like him.?????????????????????? D.I want to argue with him.

4.We can learn from the passage that______________________.

A.the saying “You don’t have a leg to stand on” means someone loses his legs

B.the saying “Break a leg” means someone hurts his or her leg

C.if we say “Break a leg” to someone, we give him or her a good wish

D.if we say “I am ill” aloud, we will become healthy