Question

Sayings(谚语) are quite common in spoken English. We don’t normally put them in a composition or a letter. Sometimes it is helpful if you know what common proverbs mean. Here are a few examples.

“ Once bitten, twice shy.” If a dog bites me, I shall be twice as careful in future when I see it. This proverb is also used to apply to many things and not only to dogs. For example, if you have been cheated at a shop, you will not go to the same shop again.

“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 than to see two birds in a bush but not able to catch them. Thus this means that what you have already got is better than the chance of being able to get something bigger in future.

“ Don’t be a dog in a manger(槽)” means “ Don’t be selfish.” In a stable (马棚)，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 doesn’t want to eat the horse’s food in the manger but it will not let the horse eat it.

“ He who pays the piper calls the tune (调子).” A piper is a musician. The man who 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.

“To pour oil on troubled waters” 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.

1.Peter has a bicycle which is much too small for him but he does not want to let his young brother ride on it. What would Peter’s mother say to him?

A. “ You can’t get blood out a stone.”

B. “ Don’t be a dog in a manger.

C. “ The early bird gets the worm.”

D. “ To pour oil on troubled waters.”

2.Mr and Mrs  Smith had a quarrel. Their friend, Mr Brown, wanted to talk to them. When he came back, he told his wife that he had been trying to help the Smiths by ______ .

A. pouring oil on the troubled waters

B. getting blood out of a stone

C. being a dog in a manger

D. sitting on the fence

3.Mr Wang paid for a new school. Some people didn’t like the design of the school but they didn’t 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 bird in the hand is worth two in the bush

4.Mrs Lin wanted to buy a new dress. Her husband suggested that she buy it from a shop near their home. Mrs Lin disagreed because she had been cheated by that shop. So she said, “ I won’t go there again because ______ .”

A. a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush

B. he who pays the piper calls the tune

C. once bitten, twice shy

D. I don’t want to be a dog in a manger

5.Mr Brown had quite a good job in Hong Kong but he thought that if he went to Singapore, he might get a much better job with more money and a larger house. His wife didn’t want him to leave his job in Hong Kong and she reminded him that ______ .

A. a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush

B. don’t be a dog in a manger

C. he who pays the piper calls the tune

D. once bitten, twice shy

Answer

1.B

2.A

3.C

4.C

5.A

【解析】

试题分析：本文主要叙述了六个英语英语谚语的含义及应在什么情况下使用，以利于人们正确使用它们，以免引起误解。

1. 细节题。根据第四段的第一句话“ Don’t be a dog in a manger(槽)” means “ Don’t be selfish.”可知妈妈劝慰Peter不要自私。因为Peter不愿意让弟弟骑自己的自行车，所以妈妈会这样劝他。故判断选B。

2. 细节题。根据文章最后一段的“To pour oil on troubled waters” is to try to calm things down可知该句名言的意思是“息事宁人”。史密斯夫妇吵架，布朗先生应是让他们平静下来，故判断选A。

3. 细节题。根据文章第五段的关键句“ He who pays the piper calls the tune (调子).”和 Thus this means that if a man provides the money for a plan, he can say how it will be carried out.可知该句名言的汉语是“谁承担费用谁有决定权”，王先生投资了学校，其他人不满意他的经营方式但仍不言语，故就是谁付费谁有决定权。故判断选C。

4. 细节题。根据文章第二段的关键句“ Once bitten, twice shy.”和if you have been cheated at a shop, you will not go to the same shop again People here do not shake hands so much as we do in Asia可知该句名言的意思是“一朝被蛇咬，十年怕井绳”。Mrs Lin因为曾被那家商店欺骗过再也不愿意去那家商店购物，故判断选C。

5. 细节题。根据文章第三段的“A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.”和Thus this means that what you have already got is better than the chance of being able to get something bigger in future可知该句谚语的含义是“一鸟在手，胜似二鸟在林”。根据题干含义布朗先生在香港工作，又羡慕新加坡的工作，太太不愿意让他去，当然就是这样提醒他。故选A。

考点：考查说明类短文