I. Please read the passage aloud.

                                                Dog talk: every dog has its day

1①Americans have many expressions using the word “dog”. They love their dogs and treat them well. They take their dogs for walks, let them play outside, and give them good food and medical care. ②However, dogs without owners to care for them lead a different kind of life. The expression “to lead a dog’s life” describes a person who has an unhappy existence.

2 Some people say “We live in a dog-eat-dog world”. This means that when many people are competing for the same things, like good jobs, they are quick to forget their basic humanity. They also say that a person has to “work like a dog” to be successful. This means they have to work very, very hard. Such hard work can make people “dog-tired”. ③And if we fall ill and become miserable, we might become “sick as a dog”.

3 Still, people say “Every dog has its day”. This means that every person enjoys a successful period during their life. To be successful, people often have to learn new skills. Yet some people say that “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks”. ④They believe that older people do not like to learn new things and will not change the way they do things.

4 Some people are compared to dogs in bad ways. People who are unkind or uncaring can be described as “meaner than a junk yard dog”. Junk yard dogs live in places where people throw away things they do not want. Mean dogs are often used to guard this property. They bark at or attack people who try to enter the property. However, sometimes a person who appears to be mean and threatening is really not so bad, so we also say “His bark is worse than his bite”.

5 Many dogs in the United States sleep in a safe little house near their owner’s home. These doghouses provide shelter. Yet they can be cold and lonely in the winter. Husbands and wives use the term “doghouse” when they are angry at each other. For example, when a woman gets angry at her husband for his coming home late or forgetting their wedding anniversary, she might tell him that he is “in the doghouse”. She may not treat him nicely until he apologizes. ⑤However, the husband may decide that it is best to leave his wife alone and not to create more problems. He might decide, therefore, “to let sleeping dogs lie”.

6 Dog expressions are also used to describe the weather. “The dog days of summer” are the hottest days of the year. And if a rainstorm comes, we might say “It’s raining cats and dogs”.

7 ⑥Dog expressions abound in all cultures, reflecting all aspects of our humanity, for good or ill, suggesting our close relationship with a creature also called “man’s best friend”.

      II. Text analysis

①Americans have many expressions using the word “dog”. 

译文：美国人使用的许多表达里都含有“dog（狗）”这个词。

②However, dogs without owners to care for them lead a different kind of life. The expression “to lead a dog’s life” describes a person who has an unhappy existence.

译文：然而，没有主人照料的狗则过着截然不同的生活。

③And if we fall ill and become miserable, we might become “sick as a dog”.

译文：如果生病了且状况很糟糕，我们可能会“sick as a dog（病得很严重）”。

④They believe that older people do not like to learn new things and will not change the way they do things.

译文：他们认为年长的人不喜欢学习新东西，不愿改变他们做事的方式。

⑤However, the husband may decide that it is best to leave his wife alone and not to create more problems. He might decide, therefore, “to let sleeping dogs lie”.

译文：然而，丈夫可能认为最好不要打扰妻子，以免制造更多麻烦。

⑥Dog expressions abound in all cultures, reflecting all aspects of our humanity, for good or ill, suggesting our close relationship with a creature also called “man’s best friend”.

译文：在所有文化中都有许多与狗有关的表达，这些表达反映了人性或好或坏的方方面面，也表明了我们和被称为“人类最好的朋友”的动物之间的亲密关系。

    III. Test

     1 ①Americans have many expressions using the word “dog”. They love their dogs and treat them well. They take their dogs for walks, let them play outside, and give them good food and medical care. ②However, dogs without owners to care for them lead a different kind of life. The expression “to lead a dog’s life” describes a person who has an unhappy existence.

  2 Some people say “We live in a dog-eat-dog world”. This means that when many people are competing for the same things, like good jobs, they are quick to forget their basic humanity. They also say that a person has to “work like a dog” to be successful. This means they have to work very, very hard. Such hard work can make people “dog-tired”. ③And if we fall ill and become miserable, we might become “sick as a dog”.

    3 Still, people say “Every dog has its day”. This means that every person enjoys a successful period during their life. To be successful, people often have to learn new skills. Yet some people say that “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks”. ④They believe that older people do not like to learn new things and will not change the way they do things.

  4 Some people are compared to dogs in bad ways. People who are unkind or uncaring can be described as “meaner than a junk yard dog”. Junk yard dogs live in places where people throw away things they do not want. Mean dogs are often used to guard this property. They bark at or attack people who try to enter the property. However, sometimes a person who appears to be mean and threatening is really not so bad, so we also say “His bark is worse than his bite”.

  5 Many dogs in the United States sleep in a safe little house near their owner’s home. These doghouses provide shelter. Yet they can be cold and lonely in the winter. Husbands and wives use the term “doghouse” when they are angry at each other. For example, when a woman gets angry at her husband for his coming home late or forgetting their wedding anniversary, she might tell him that he is “in the doghouse”. She may not treat him nicely until he apologizes. ⑤However, the husband may decide that it is best to leave his wife alone and not to create more problems. He might decide, therefore, “to let sleeping dogs lie”.

     6 Dog expressions are also used to describe the weather. “The dog days of summer” are the hottest days of the year. And if a rainstorm comes, we might say “It’s raining cats and dogs”.

7 ⑥Dog expressions abound in all cultures, reflecting all aspects of our humanity, for good or ill, suggesting our close relationship with a creature also called “man’s best friend”.