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1、Monkeys are very similar to us in many ways. Most have ten fingers and ten toes, and brains much like ours. We enjoy watching them because they often act like us. In fact, Charles Darwins theory of evolution says that monkeys and humans share a common ancestor. Songwriter William Gilbert, in the mus
2、ical Princess Ida, wrote: Darwinian man, though well-behaved, at best is only a monkey shaved. His words - sung to Sir Arthur Sullivans music - make listeners smile. Well, monkeys make us smile, too, because they are creatures full of playful tricks. This is why many monkey expressions are about tri
3、cky people or playful acts. One of these expressions is monkeyshines, meaning tricks or foolish acts. The meaning is clear if you have ever watched a group of monkeys playfully chasing each other: pulling tails, stealing food, doing tricks. So, when a teacher says to a group of students: Stop those
4、monkeyshines right now! you know that the boys and girls are playing, instead of studying. You might hear that same teacher warn a student not to monkey around with a valuable piece of equipment. You monkey around with something when you do not know what you are doing. You are touching or playing wi
5、th something you should leave alone. Also, you can monkey around when you feel like doing something, but have no firm idea of what to do. For example, you tell your friend you are going to spend the day monkeying around with your car. When you do not have any job or goal in mind, it is just a way to
6、 pass the time. Monkey business usually means secret, maybe illegal, activities. A news report may say there is monkey business involved in building the new airport, with some officials getting secret payments from builders. You may make a monkey out of someone when you make that person look foolish
7、. Some people make a monkey out of themselves by acting foolish or silly. If one monkey has fun, imagine how much fun a barrel of monkeys can have. If your friend says he had more fun than a barrel of monkeys at your party, you know that he had a really good time. Monkey suits are common names for c
8、lothes or uniforms soldiers wear. In earlier years in many American cities, you would find men playing musical hand organs on the street. Dancing to the music would be the mans small monkey dressed in a tight-fitting, colorful jacket similar to a military uniform. So, people began to call a military
9、 uniform a monkey suit. (MUSIC) This VOA Special English program, WORDS AND THEIR STORIES, was written by Marilyn Rice Christiano. Maurice Joyce was the narrator. Im Shirley Griffith. 词组： monkeyshine：n. 美俚 恶作剧，胡闹monkey around：v. 闲逛，混日子monkey business：n. 美俚 骗人的把戏，胡闹make a monkey of oneself：做蠢事，献丑more
10、 fun than a barrel of monkeys：玩得很尽兴monkey suit：n. 美俚 军服、制服，男子晚礼服People use their mouths for many things. They eat, talk, shout and sing. They smile and they kiss. In the English language, there are many expressions using the word mouth. But some of them are not so nice.For example, if you say bad th
11、ings about a person, the person might protest and say “Do not bad mouth me.”Sometimes, people say something to a friend or family member that they later regret because it hurts that persons feelings. Or they tell the person something they were not supposed to tell. The speaker might say: “I really p
12、ut my foot in my mouth this time.” If this should happen, the speaker might feel down in the mouth. In other words, he might feel sad for saying the wrong thing.Another situation is when someone falsely claims another person said something. The other person might protest: “I did not say that. Do not
13、 put words in my mouth.”Information is often spread through word of mouth. This is general communication between people, like friends talking to each other. “How did you hear about that new movie?” someone might ask.“Oh, by word of mouth.” A more official way of getting information is through a comp
14、any or government mouthpiece. This is an official spokesperson. Government-run media could also be called a mouthpiece.Sometimes when one person is speaking, he says the same thing that his friend was going to say. When this happens, the friend might say: “You took the words right out of my mouth!”
15、Sometimes a person has a bad or unpleasant experience with another person. He might say that experience “left a bad taste in my mouth.” Or the person might have had a very frightening experience, like being chased by an angry dog. He might say: “I had my heart in my mouth.”Some people have lots of m
16、oney because they were born into a very rich family. There is an expression for this, too. You might say such a person, “was born with a silver spoon in his mouth.”This rich person is the opposite of a person who lives from hand to mouth. This person is very poor and only has enough money for the most important things in life, like food.Parents might sometimes wit
