閱讀理解
Proverbs (諺語) are 勻quite common in spoken English. We do not normally use them in a composition or letter. But more often than not it is helpful if you know what common proverbs mean.
Here are a few examples:
1)“Once bitten,twice shy.” If a dog bites me,I shall be twice as careful in future when I see it again. This proverb is also used to apply to (適用) many things. If you have been cheated at a shop,you will not go to the same shop again.
2)“A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.” if I am a hunter,trying to catch birds,it is better to catch one bird than to see two birds in a bush which I can't catch. Thus this means that what you have already got is better than the chance of being able to get something bigger in future.
3)“Too many cooks spoil the broth (soup).” When too many people do
something,they get in each other's way.
4)“To pour oil on troubled water”is to try to calm things down. Oil is lighter than water. If a ship is in trouble at sea,another ship may come to help it. The second ship can send small boats to rescue people. However,it may first pour oil on the sea to make the sea less rough.
5)“Don't be a dog in a manger (槽)” means “Don't be selfish”. In a stable (馬廄),the manger is the place where the horse's food is put. Sometimes a dog will sleep in the manger and bark when a horse comes to get its food．The dog does not want to eat the hay in the manger but it will not let the horse eat it.
6)“He is sitting on the fence” means that somebody will not say whether he is in favor of a plan or against it. He is sitting on a fence (籬笆) between two opposing sides,perhaps waiting to see which side will win.
7)“He who pays the piper calls the tune. ” A piper is a musician. The man who employs or pays a musician can say what tunes the man will play. Thus this means that if a man provides the money for a plan,he can say how it will be carried out.
8)“You can't get blood out of a stone” means that you cannot get something from a person who has not got any of the things you want. For example,you cannot get a million dollars from a poor man.
(1)Peter had a bicycle which was much too small for him but he did not want to let his younger brother ride it. His mother was angry and said to him,“_______”
[ ]
A．You can't get blood out of a stone
B．Don't be a dog in a manger
C．The early bird gets the worm
D．Don't be a horse in the manger
(2)Mr and Mrs. Smith had a quarrel. Their friend,Mr. Brown,went to mediate (調(diào)解)in them. When he came back,he told his wife that he had been trying to help the Smiths by ________.
[ ]
A．pouring oil on troubled water
B．getting blood out of a stone
C．being a dog in a manger
D．not pouring oil on water
(3)Mr Wang paid for a new school. Some people did not like the design of the school but they did not argue with Mr. Wang because ________.
[ ]
A．he was sitting on the fence
B．once bitten,twice shy
C．he who pays the piper calls the tune
D．a(chǎn) bird in the hand is worth two in the bush
(4)Mrs Chen wanted to buy a new dress. Her husband suggested that she buy it from a shop near their home. Mrs. Chen disagreed because she had been cheated by that shop. Then she said,“I won't go there again because________.”
[ ]
A．a(chǎn) bird in the hand is worth two in the bush
B．I am sitting on the fence
C．once bitten,twice shy
D．too many cooks spoil the soup
(5)Mr. Brown had quite a good job in Hong Kong but he thought if he went to Singapore he might get a much better job with more money and a large house. His wife did not want him to leave his job in Hong Kong and she reminded him that________.
[ ]
A．he who plays the piper calls the tune
B．too many cooks spoil the soup
C．you can't get blood out of a stone
D．a(chǎn) bird in the hand is worth two in the bush
