A The most important point about idioms is to understand that, their meaning is always different to the dictionary meaning of the words. They cannot be literally (字面地) translated and understood. Idioms are as difficult for the Chinese as for any other language learners. What is an idiom An idiom is an expression whose meaning cant be derived simply by hearing it. It is an expression with the following features: 1. It is fixed and is recognized by native speakers. You cannot make up your own! 2. It uses language in a nonliteral—metaphorical way. The followings are examples: 1. Im up to my eyes in work at the moment. 2. I was over the moon when I heard shed had twins! 3. It broke my mothers heart to see her home burnt to the ground. f you are up to your eyes, you are very busy. If you are over the moon, you are extremely happy about something. If something breaks your heart, you are very sad about it. Why are idioms so important 1. Because they are so common. 2. The metaphorical (比喻) use of a word is more common today than its literal use. 3. It is fun to learn and to use them because there is so much to learn. 4. Use of idioms by Chinese students will make them seem by others to have a better grasp of the English language. Learning idioms 1. In context Learning idioms by themselves is useless if they are learnt out of context and they are also difficult to remember unless you use them regularly. 2. In use The problem with learning idiomatic language outside English speaking countries is that it is hard to know which idioms are in fashion and which idioms are already outofdate. Try to use modem reference books such as uptodate dictionaries. 3. In speech Make a note of new idioms and their context by listening to movies and TV shows and try to use what you hear. 4. In writing Be aware that many idioms are dated and no longer in current use. Make sure that if you include an idiom in writing it is correct and correctly used in context. What does the underlined word“ them” in the passage refer to