5．Proverbs 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．
1）"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．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 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．
3）"Too many cooks spoil the broth （soup）"．When too many people do something，they get in each other's way and do a bad job．
4）"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．
5）"Don't be a dog in a manger（槽）"means"Don't be selfish．"In a stable （馬房），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 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 musician 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．e．g．you cannot get a million dollars from a poor man．
25．Peter has a bicycle which is much too small for him but he does not want to let his younger brother ride on it．His mother is angry and says to him：B．
A．You can't get blood out of a stone
B．Don't be a dog in a manger
C．Once bitten，twice shy．
D．To pour oil on troubled waters
26．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 becauseC．
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
27．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 becauseC．"
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 broth
28．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 thatA．
A．a(chǎn) bird in the hand is worth two in the bush
B．too many cooks spoil the broth
C．you cannot get blood out of a stone
D．he who pays the piper calls the tune．
分析 短文主要介紹了一些諺語(yǔ)的意思及其用法．
解答 25．答案：B，細(xì)節(jié)理解題，根據(jù)句意"Don't be a dog in a manger（槽）"means"Don't be selfish．"皮特的自行車(chē)對(duì)于他來(lái)說(shuō)太小了，但是他也不想他弟弟騎它，可知媽媽是叫他"不要自私"，故答案為B．
26．答案：C，根據(jù)題干王先生出錢(qián)建了學(xué)校，有些人不喜歡其設(shè)計(jì)但沒(méi)有跟他爭(zhēng)辯，根據(jù)文中Thus this means that if a man provides the money for a plan，he can say how it will be carried out．"如果一個(gè)人為這個(gè)計(jì)劃出錢(qián)，那他就可以說(shuō)這個(gè)計(jì)劃要怎么執(zhí)行"，故答案為C．
27．答案：C，細(xì)節(jié)理解題，根據(jù)文章句子If you have been cheated at a shop，you will not go to the same shop again．可知在一個(gè)商店被欺騙就不會(huì)想去第二遍，故答案為C．
28．答案：A，細(xì)節(jié)理解題，根據(jù)句子Thus this means that what you have already got is better than the chance of being able to get something bigger in future．可知答案為A．bird in the hand is worth two in the bush"一鳥(niǎo)在手勝過(guò)二鳥(niǎo)在林"．
點(diǎn)評(píng) 解答閱讀理解題，首先對(duì)原文材料迅速瀏覽，掌握全文的主旨大意．因?yàn)殚喿x理解題一般沒(méi)有標(biāo)題，所以，速讀全文，抓住中心主旨很有必要，在速讀的過(guò)程中，應(yīng)盡可能多地捕獲信息材料．其次，細(xì)讀題材，各個(gè)擊破．掌握全文的大意之后，細(xì)細(xì)閱讀每篇材料后的問(wèn)題，弄清每題要求后，帶著問(wèn)題，再回到原文中去尋找、捕獲有關(guān)信息．最后，要善于抓住每段的主題句，閱讀時(shí)，要有較強(qiáng)的針對(duì)性．對(duì)于捕獲到的信息，要做認(rèn)真分析，仔細(xì)推敲，理解透徹，只有這樣，針對(duì)題目要求，才能做到穩(wěn)、準(zhǔn)．
