Now the VOA Special English program Words and Their Stories.

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Many everyday American expressions are based on colors.

Red is a hot color. Americans often use it to express heat. When they are red-hot, they are very angry about something. Fast loud music is popular with many people. They may say such music is red-hot.

Pink is a lighter kind of red. People sometimes say they are in the pink when they are in good health. The expression was first used in America at the beginning of the 20th century. It probably comes from the fact that many babies are born with a nice pink color that shows that they are in good health.

Blue is a cool color. The blues music in the United States is the opposite of red-hot music. Blues is slow and sad. Someone who is blue is very sad.

The color green is natural for trees and grass. But it is an unnatural color for humans. A person who has a sick feeling in the stomach may say he feels a little green. A passenger on a boat who is feeling very sick from high waves may look very green. Sometimes a person may be upset because he does not have something as nice as a friend has, like a fast new car. That person may say he is green with envy. Some people are green with envy because a friend has more dollars or greenbacks. Dollars are called greenbacks because that is the color of the back of the paper money.

The color black is used often in expressions. People describe a day on which everything goes wrong as a black day.

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I’m Warren Scheer. Listen again next week for another Words and Their Stories program in Special English on the Voice of America.

1.We say you are in the pink when you are _______________.

A. very sad B. very happy

C. in good health D. feeling well

2.What does the word “ upset” mean ?

A. happy B. sad

C. satisfied D. active

3.We describe a day on which everything goes wrong as a __________ day.

A. red B. green

C. pink D. black

4.Which of the following sentences is TRUE according to the passage?

A. People in the USA use black to express heat.

B. If you are blue, you are very happy.

C. Green is a natural color for humans.

D. If you have a sick feeling in the stomach, you feel a little green.

5.What is this passage probably written for?

A. A radio program. B. A news report.

C. A telephone call. D. A TV play.

British people are famous for drinking tea. But brother and sister, Sarah and Bobby Green, became young millionaires when they opened a chain of American-style coffee shops in the UK.

Having the idea: It started when Sarah took a weekend trip to New York to visit her brother Bobby. One evening, in a Thai restaurant, Sarah told Bobby how much she wished she could buy American-style coffee in London. Bobby suggested they started their own coffee shop. Sarah fell in love with the idea.

Doing the Research: Back in London, she spent a whole day on the London subway, getting off the train at different stations to taste the coffee. “It was terrible, and I knew there was a gap (空缺) in the market.” In 1995, they opened their first Coffee Republic shop in central London.

Making it work: The first year was very difficult. British people were not used to the names of American coffees, like latte and macchiato. But being successful was their dream and they were not going to give up. Today, there are over 100 Coffee Republic shops all over the country and the company has ￡30 million a year.

Advice for others: Sarah has now written a best-selling book about their experience, called Anyone Can Do It! She hopes it will help other young people to start their own businesses. She says, “If you think you have the energy, then get out and follow your dream.”

1.What kind of company do they run?

A. A fast-food restaurant. B. A tea shop.

C. A coffee shop. D. A big hotel.

2.Where are their Coffee Republic shops?

A. All over the UK. B. All over the US.

C. In central London. D. In New York.

3.Which of the following information is mentioned(提到) in the passage?

A. Sarah was not interested in Bobby’s idea.

B. British people never drank coffee before 1995.

C. Sarah’s best-selling book is about how to make coffee.

D. Sarah found a business chance while doing the research.

4.What is the passage mainly about?

A. Sarah’s life.

B. Sarah’s weekend trip.

C. The American-style coffee.

D. The success of a family business.

5.Where may this passage come from?

A. In a film.

B. In a newspaper.

C. In a sports magazine.

D. In a novel.

根據(jù)括號中所給的漢語寫出單詞，使句子意思完整正確。

1.To our surprise, our Chinese teacher (出現(xiàn)) on TV yesterday.

2.The two communities live together in (和平).

3.Yao Ming scored 41 points in a game (對抗) the Atlanta Hawks.

4.He made many mistakes in the exam because of his (粗心).

5.The old man can (幾乎不) write his own name.

— ____ does he learn English? —He learns ____ watching English movies.

A. How, by B. What, by

C. How, from D. What, from

—There was thick haze（霧霾）in our city this spring. What do you think of it？

—I think __________ cars we drive, __________ pollution our city will have.

A. the fewer; the fewer B. the fewer; the less

C. the more; the fewer D. the more; the less

If you don’t know the words, you must ______in a dictionary.

A. look it up B. look up it

C. look them up D. look up them

— Could you tell me ______?— Certainly. In half an hour.

A. when will the high speed train arrive

B. when the high speed train will arrive

C. when does the high speed train arrive

D. when the high speed train arrive

He used to __________ in a small village, but now he has been used to __________ in the big city.

A. live; living B. live; live

C. living; living D. living; live

I don’t know if Mr. Smith ____. If he ___, I will tell you.

A. comes, will come B. will come, come

C. will come, comes D. will come, will come

The students don’t know the broken computer.

A. what to deal with B. what to do with

C. how can they deal with D. how to do with