阅读理解
Green is an important color in nature. It is the color of grass and the leaves on trees. It is also the color of most growing plants.
Sometimes, the word green means young, fresh and growing. Sometimes, it describes something that
is not yet ripe or finished. For example, a greenhorn is someone who has no experience, who is new to
a situation. In the fifteenth century, a greenhorn referred to a young cow or ox whose horns (角) had not yet developed. A century or so later, a greenhorn was for a soldier who had not yet had any experience
in battle. By the eighteenth century, a greenhorn had the meaning it has today - a person who is new in a
job.
Someone who has the ability to grow plants well is said to have a green thumb. The expression
comes from the early nineteen hundreds. A person with a green thumb seems to have a magic touch that makes plants grow quickly and well. You might say that the woman next door has a green thumb if her
garden continues to grow long after your plants have died.
The Green Revolution is the name given some years ago to the development of new kinds of rice
and other grains. The new plants produced much larger crops. The Green Revolution was the result of
hard work by agricultural scientists who had green thumbs.
Green is also the color used to describe the powerful feeling - jealousy (嫉妒). The green-eyed monster (怪物) is not a frightening creature from outer space. It is an expression used about four hundred years ago by British writer William Shakespeare in his play “Othello”. It describes the unpleasant feeling a person has when someone has something that he wants to get. A young man may suffer from the green-eyed
monster if his girlfriend begins going out with someone else. Or, that green-eyed monster may affect your friend if you get a pay rise and he does not.
1. Greenhorn now refers to _______.
A. a new solider
B. a person with little experience
C. a young horse
D. a fruit that is not yet ripe
2. A person who has a green thumb is a person _______.
A. who is good at growing plants
B. whose thumbs are in green color
C. whose garden is greener than others’
D. who is younger than his neighbors
3. The author is actually talking about _______.
A. colours
B. language
C. culture
D. agriculture
4. Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?
A. In about the 16th century, a greenhorn meant an experienced soldier.
B. The Green Revolution has connection with agricultural science.
C. We will call a person who is good at gardening a green thumb.
D. People use “a green-eyed monster” to describe a jealous person.