Question

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

2.Mr. Wang paid for a new school. Some people did not like the design of the school but they agreed with Mr. Wang.

3.Mr. Brown had quite a good job in Hong Kong. But he thought a job in Singapore would be better. His wife didn’t want him to leave his job in Hong Kong. She reminded him to give up this idea.

4.Jenny formed the habit of getting up late during summer holiday. She was scolded for being late on her first day of new term. She then promised that sort of thing would never happen again.

5.The 7-year-old Marie got a nice CD player as her birthday gift. And she was unwilling to let others use it at any time even though it was not used at all by herself.

A.To pour oil on troubled waters

“To pour oil on troubled waters” means trying 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.

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

If I’m a hunter, trying to catch birds, it’s better to catch one bird than to see two birds in a bush but not be 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 the future.

C.He who pays the pipe calls the tune

A pipe 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.

D. Once bitten, twice shy

If a dog bites me, I shall be twice as careful in future when I see it. This proverb is applied to many things and not only to dogs. If you have been cheated at a shop, you will not go to the same shop again.

E.You can’t get blood out of a stone

“You can’t get blood out of a stone” means that you can’t get something from a person who has not got any of the things you want. For example, you can’t expect a million dollars from a poor man.

F.Don’t be a dog in a manger

This means “don’t be selfish”. In a stable, 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 hay in the manger and bark when a horse eat it.

Answer

1.A

2.C

3.B

4.D

5.F

【解析】

试题分析：本题提供了五个英文中的谚语并给出一定的解释说明，再根据解释说明，应用到恰当的例子中。

1.本段话讲述的是Mr. Brown去帮助吵架的朋友，Mr. and Mrs. Smith。符合所提供的谚语A：To pour oil on troubled waters。通过下文注解可知：此谚语意为使事情平息下来，也就是表示息事宁人的意思。故选择A.

2.本段话讲述的是王先生出资建了一所新学校，虽然有些人不喜欢它的设计却表示同意王先生的看法。符合所提供的谚语：He who pays the pipe calls the tune.通过下文解释可知字面意思为：吹风笛的那个人决定音调。也就是指谁提供钱谁决定钱怎么用。故选C。

3.这段话讲述的是Mr. Brown在香港有一份不错的工作，但他觉得新加坡的工作可能会更好一点。但他的妻子不想他放弃在香港的工作，因此她提醒他放弃这个想法。符合所提供的谚语：A bird in hand is worth two in the bush.通过下文解释可知意思为：你所拥有的要比你未来可能会拥有的要更好。故选择B。

4.这段话讲述的是Jenny在暑假期间养成了晚起的习惯。新学期第一天她就由于迟到而被责备了。她承诺以后不会再发生这样的事情。符合所提供的谚语：Once bitten, twice shy。通过下文解释可知意思为：你一旦在某个店里收到欺骗，那你就不会再去那家店了。也就是说相同的错误不会犯两次。故选择D。

5.Don’t be a dog in a manger。通过下文解释可知意思为：狗霸占着马的槽，自己不吃草也不允许马吃草。讽刺那些自私的人占有某些东西却不肯使用也不肯与人分享。故选择F。

考点：考查谚语的掌握。