Americans use many expressions with the word dog. People in the United States love their treat dogs and treat them well. They take their dogs for walks, let them play outside and give them food and medical care. However, 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 life.

Some people say we live in a dog-eat-dog world. That means many people are competing for the same things, like good jobs. They say that to be successful, a person has to work like a dog. The hard work can make people dog-tired. And, the situation would be even worse if they became sick as a dog.

Still, people say every dog has its day. This means that every person enjoys a successful period during his or her life. To be successful, people often have to learn new skills. Yet, some people say that you can never teach an old dog new tricks. They believe that older people do not like to learn new things and will not change the way they do things.

Husbands and wives use doghouse when they are angry at each other. For example, a woman might get angry at her husband for forgetting their wedding anniversary. She might tell him that he is in the doghouse and treats him badly. However, the husband may decide that it is best to leave things alone and not create more problems. He might decide to let sleeping dogs lie.

Dog expressions are also used to describe the weather. The dog days of summer are the hottest days of the year. A rainstorm may cool the weather. But we do not want it to rain too hard. We do not want it to rain cats and dogs.

【小题1】What does the underlined expression “work like a dog” in paragraph 2 mean?

A．Become successful.	B．Have an unhappy life.
C．Compete for the same things.	D．Work very hard.

【小题2】If a man experiences a serious failure at work, what might his wife say to encourage him?

A．It will rain cats and dogs.	B．Every dog has its day.
C．You lead a dog’s life.	D．You are in the doghouse.

【小题3】Which of the following has the same meaning as “leave things untouched”?

A．Become sick as a dog.	B．Teach an old dog new tricks.
C．Let sleeping dogs lie.	D．Make people dog-tired.

【小题4】What does the text mainly talk about?

A．Expressions in American culture.	B．Some expressions with the word dog.
C．A fun way to learn English	D．Dogs’ influence on American culture.