A year ago, I paid no attention to English idioms( 习语 ), though my teacher emphasized(强调) the importance again and again. But soon, the importance of English idioms was shown in an amusing experience.

    One day, I happened to meet an Englishman on the road, and soon we began to talk. As I was talking about how I was studying English, the foreigner seemed to be astonished. Gently shaking his head, shrugging his shoulders, he said, “You don't say!” “You don't say!” I was puzzled. I thought, perhaps this is not an appropriate(合适的) topic. “Well, I'd better change the topic.” So I said to him. “Well, shall we talk about the Great Wall? By the way, have you ever been there?” “Certainly, everyone back home will laugh at me if I leave China without seeing it. It was magnificent(宏伟的).” He was deep in thought when I began to talk like a tourist guide. “The Great Wall is one of the wonders in the world. We are very proud of it.” Soon I was interrupted again by his words “You don't say!” I couldn't help asking, “Why do you ask me not to talk about it?” “Well, I didn't request you to do so,” he answered, greatly surprised. I said, “Didn't you say ‘you don't say?'” Hearing this, the Englishman laughed to tears. He began to explain, “‘You don't say' actually means ‘really!'. It is an expression of surprise. Perhaps you don't pay attention to English idioms.” Only then did I know I had made a fool of myself. Since then I have been more careful with idiomatic expressions(习语表达). Remember -- what the English teachers said is always right to us students.

Ghaffar Pourazar, a British man, has learned the necessary skills to perform Beijing Opera and he has become popular with his lively performance of the Monkey King.

Born in Iran, Ghaffar has been a big fan of Chinese culture since he was a child. And he is interested in China.

In 1993, he happened to watch Beijing Opera performed in London by professionals from Jingju Theatre Company of Beijing. Ghaffar fell in love with the beautiful voices, colorful costumes, excellent shows and so on. So after a year, he arrived in China alone and became a student of Beijing Opera at a school in Beijing.

At the age of 32, he had to learn with teenage students every day, starting from the most basic training of the legs and waist. At that time, he was mostly troubled by the dialogue in Beijing Opera. To him, it was the biggest problem. But he never gave up.

Four years later, he began to learn to perform the Monkey King, a traditional character from the Chinese classic story Journey to the West. He usually arrived at the workroom an hour earlier than the other performers and he also bought books and CDs to understand the character better.

Ghaffar is not only good at speaking Beijing dialect (方言) but also has won the world reputation for Beijing Opera He once won a top international prize for performing the Monkey King.

To help more people enjoy Beijing Opera, Ghaffar often teaches the traditional art form in schools in the United States, Britain and other countries. When he found that the language was difficult to understand, he started to translate the lyrics of Beijing Opera. Ghaffar led a group of actors to perform 66 times in a month and a half in the United States. He also led a 48-member team to perform in Malaysia. In the past 10 years, he has performed in more than 400 shows.

Last week our school held a sports meeting. Everyone in our class felt very excited {#blank#}1{#/blank#} we were the winners. In the boys' relay race (接力赛), Michael ran very fast and our class {#blank#}2{#/blank#}(win) first place. Yu Ting is {#blank#}3{#/blank#}(good) at the long jump than any other girl. She took part in it and won the first prize (奖). We're sorry that we did {#blank#}4{#/blank#}(badly) in the high jump than last time. But we're sure we can do much {#blank#}5{#/blank#}(well) next time. I took part in the boys' 400-metre race. I did my best and was the first {#blank#}6{#/blank#} (pass) the finishing line. I had {#blank#}7{#/blank#} great time in the race. Now I love sports better. I want to be a soccer {#blank#}8{#/blank#}(play). I will take {#blank#}9{#/blank#} (much) exercise every day and work harder. I hope some day I {#blank#}10{#/blank#} (be) able to take part in the Olympic Games. Let's wait and see!