Idioms(成语) are phrases and sentences that do not mean exactly what they say. Even if you know the meaning of each word you see or hear, you may not understand the idiom because you don't understand the culture behind it.

    For example, if an American boy asks his mother what's for dinner tomorrow, she may say “I'll play it by ear”, that means she doesn't have plans for dinner and she will decide later. “Play by ear” used to mean playing music using the sheet music(活页乐谱), but now people often use it when they're not talking about music.

    There're many idioms in English. If you learn to use them, your English will be more vivid and colorful. English idioms are more common in spoken English. They can be difficult to remember sometimes. Next time when you hear somebody saying to you, “Give me a hand”, you don't necessarily reach out your hand to him/her, but you do need to be helpful. And when the situation is out of hand, you usually can do very little to manage all that. What about a green hand? It's not about the color of your hand! You're a green hand when you are very new at your work and don't have much experience. If you and your partner always work together hand in glove, you two certainly work together very well.

    Can you guess the meanings of some common English idioms to do with parts of your body?

    Amsterdam is the bike capital of the world. Biking is a fun and easy way of getting around Amsterdam.

    Students go to school by bicycle. People ride their bicycles to work. Travelers ride bicycles freely around the city. Even police work on bicycles. You can see these every day in Amsterdam.

    There are many roads and traffic signs（标记）for bicycles. There are also many places for bicycle parking.

    If you travel in Amsterdam, you don't need to take a bus or taxi, just a bicycle. You can ride the bicycle along the roads and the streets enjoying the scenery（风景）. The city has a lot of bicycle shops to choose from. If you do not want to buy a bicycle, you can go to rent（租赁）a bicycle. They are in almost every part of the city. Going for a ride is enjoyable. It's a good idea to find an experienced guide. Because he would take you to some of the city's most beautiful places. Riding bicycles in Amsterdam is of great fun and relaxing; just remember to follow the traffic rules.

    American school students usually go to school on foot, or on the school bus. Some students ride their bikes to school.

    In the middle school, students usually take classes for six hours a day. They study English, math, history, science, PE, music and art.

    School begins at half past eight in the morning. At noon, students have lunch at school. After lunch, they go to their classes. School is over at about 4 o'clock. Most students often watch TV and do homework after supper.

    On weekends, American school students go to the church, do shopping, visit grandparents or go to the park with parents.

    American school children don't have too much homework. But they watch TV too much. Some even watch TV three to five hours a day. It's bad for health. So their parents worry about it. They play games, do sports or do reading with kids to take their kids away from TV.

    One thing that British and Chinese cultures share is a love for fine tea.

    Today, when we think of Western tea culture, we often think of the English and beautiful china tea cups.

    Afternoon tea

    People believe that an English lady, Anna, first introduced the idea of afternoon tea. In the 18th and 19th centuries, the English ate two main meals each day-breakfast and a heavy supper that would last for several hours in the evening. As a result, people often got very hungry during the long wait between these two meals. To solve this problem, Anna came up with the clever idea of inviting some friends to join her for an afternoon meal between four and five o'clock. This meal included cakes and sandwiches, and tea was served to wash down the food. In order to make this afternoon meal important, fine china cups and plates, and silver teapots, knives, forks and spoons were used.

    Soon afternoon tea parties became popular. Today, afternoon tea parties continueto play an important part in the social life in modern Britain.

    Will you come for coffee?

    Coffee also has an important role in British culture. People often use the words "Will you come for coffee?" to mean" Would you like to come to my homefor a chat?" Usually several different drinks such as tea, hot chocolate or a soft drink like orange juice will be served as well as coffee, and you will be asked what you would like. However, you will not be offered wine at a "coffee" party.

    Coffeehouse and the London Stock Exchange

    In the 17th century London, coffeehouses were busy and noisy places.

    Businessmen and bankers went to coffeehouses to do their business, as well as todrink coffee. In fact the London Stock(股票)Exchange is believed to have started from these coffeehouses.