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

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

　　Long ago, when people sold things in big cloth bags, a woman asked a man for a pig. The man held up his cloth bag. There seemed to be a little pig in it. The woman asked to see it. When the man opened the cloth bag, a big black cat ran out. Not a pig! The man’s secret was out and everyone knew it.

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

　　1.The phrase“ to let the cat out of the bag” came from ________.

　　A. a woman and a pig　　　　　　 B. a man and a cat

　　C. a pig and a cat　　　　　　　　 D. an old interesting story

　　2.The woman wanted to buy ________.

　　A. a cloth bag　　　　　　　　　 B. a little pig

　　C. a black cat　　　　　　　　　 D. a bag and a pig

　　3.The man knew there was ________in his cloth bag.

　　A. a bag　　　　 B. a pig　　　　C. a cat　　　　　　D. nothing

　　4.At the end of the second passage “... everyone knew it”, “it” refers to ________.

　　A. there was a pig in the man’s bag　 B. the woman bought a cat

　　C. the cloth bag　　　　　　　　　D. the man’s secret

　　5.John “lets the cat out of the bag” means he ________.

　　A. makes everyone know a secret　 B. puts the cat away from the bag

　　C. buys a cat in the bag　　　　　 D. sells the cat in the bag