Proverbs(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．
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(马房), 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 doesn't 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 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．e．g．you cannot get a million dollars from a poor man．
(1)
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：________．
[ ]
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．
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 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 ________．”
If life seems more rushed than ever, you might be surprised to learn that we Americans don't have less leisure time than we did 40 years ago．We actually have more leisure time, and quite a bit more．What counts as leisure is up for argument, but under every definition the numbers have gone up．We get about 45 minutes a day of extra leisure．
Then why does it feel like we have so much less? It might be because we waste half of all our leisure time watching television．The average American adult devotes 2.5 hours a day to this hobby．And for every additional hour we get free, another 30 minutes goes into that boob tube(=TV)．So if you want more free time, I recommend one thing：turn it off．This is easier said than done, especially during the world series．
When I was growing up, my mom had one piece of advice for me, and she said it every single morning．'Get out of the house!' It's good advice．Come join the 6.8 million who are in a book club, or the 196,000 who attend pro beach volleyball, or the 680,000 who go to tractor pulls every month．There are even 3 million people who enjoy a sport called ‘muzzle loading,’ which involves shooting a gun that looks 200 years old．
And at the end of the day, there's a thing in your kitchen called a stove．Turn it on and invite people over．Only 38% of Americans entertain friends or family at home at least once a year．What were the other 62% of us doing? Getting a free meal, I suppose．We can do better, America．If we're going to watch so much television, can't we at least invite friends over to watch?
(1)
The main idea of the passage is ________．
[ ]
A．
to teach readers how to increase leisure time
B．
to persuade readers to watch TV with others
C．
to introduce different social activities to readers
D．
to recommend various ways of spending leisure time
(2)
According to the passage, how many social activities does the author come up with?
[ ]
A．
3
B．
4
C．
5
D．
6
(3)
We can infer form the passage that ________．
[ ]
A．
Americans have less leisure time than they did 40 years ago
B．
Americans tend to spend part of their time watching TV
C．
American mothers dislike their children staying at home
D．
Americans treat their family or friends frequently
(4)
The writer’s attitude towards solving the problem is ________．
[ ]
A．
positive
B．
negative
C．
puzzled
D．
tough
阅读理解
More surprising, perhaps, than the current difficulties of traditional marriage is the fact that marriage itself is alive and thriving．As Skolnick notes, Americans are a marrying people：relative to Europeans, more of us marry and we marry at a younger age．Moreover, after a decline in the early 1970s, the rate of marriage in the United States is now increasing．Even the divorce rate needs to be taken in this pro-marriage context：some 80 percent of divorced individuals remarry．Thus, marriage remains, by far, the preferred way of life for the vast majority of people in our society．
What has changed more than marriage is the nuclear family?Twenty-five years ago, the typical American family consisted of a husband, a wife, and two or three children．Now, there are many marriages in which couples have decided not to have any children．And there are many marriages where at least some of the children are from the wife’s previous marriage, or the husband’s, or both．Sometimes these children spend all of their time with one parent from the former marriage；sometimes they are shared between the two former spouses．
Thus, one can find the very type of family arrangement．There are marriages without children; marriages with children from only the present marriage, marriages with“full-time”children from the present marriage and“part-time”children from former marriages．There are step-fathers, step-mothers, half-brothers and half-sisters．It is not all that unusual for a child to have four parents and eight grandparents!These are enormous changes from the traditional nuclear family．But even so, even in the midst of all this, there remains one constant; most Americans spend most of their adult lives married．
(1)
By calling Americans marrying people the author means that ________．
[ ]
A．
there are more married couples in the U．S．A．than in Europe
B．
more Americans prefer marriage and at a younger age than Europeans
C．
most divorced individuals remarry
D．
marriage is the most important part of American life
(2)
From the first paragraph we can know that ________．
[ ]
A．
traditional marriage now runs into difficulty
B．
marriage rate has been rising since the 1970
C．
marriage rate in Europe is rather low
D．
Europeans marry when they are quite old
(3)
Which of the following can be presented as the picture of today’s American families?
[ ]
A．
There are no nuclear families any more．
B．
A family usually consists of a husband, a wife and two or three children．
C．
A child usually has four grandparents．
D．
Many types of family rearrangements have become socially acceptable．
(4)
“Part-time”children ________．
[ ]
A．
do part-time jobs to earn their living
B．
spend all of their time with one parent from the previous marriage
C．
are shared between the former spouses
D．
are quite unusual even in the U．S．A．
(5)
Even though great changes have taken place in the structure of American families, ________．
[ ]
A．
the functions of marriage remain unchanged
B．
most Americans prefer a second marriage
C．
the vast majority of Americans still have faith in marriage
D．
nuclear family is alive and thriving
阅读理解
COURSE：History 101 Introduction to American History
CLASS：363 Marshall Hall 3∶35～5∶00 T Th(Tuesday Thursday); 10∶10～11∶00 MWF
Other time by appointment
TELEPHONE：255 4786
TEXTBOOK, Green, Robeot．P, The American Tradition：A History of the United States,(Charles E．Merrill Publishing CO．Columbus, Ohio 1984), which is bought at the College bookstore．
COURSE REQUIREMENTS,
Mid-term exam：October 10,20％ of the final grade
Final exam：December 10,40％ of the final grade
Term paper due：December 10,40％ of the final grade
Term paper due：December 15,40％ of the final grade
Attendance is not required, but you are responsible for all the information given in the class lectures．In the lectures I will talk about the chapters in the textbook and other materials that I choose to add to the course．The exams will cover all this information．Therefore, I advise you to come to the class as much as possible．
Is you have to miss a class, be sure to get the class notes from another student．
Your homework assignments are listed on the next page．You are supposed to read the chapter about which I will be lecturing before you come to class．
This is to make sure that you understand as much as possible while taking notes in my lectures．Be prepared when you come to class．If there are any changes in the assigned homework reading, I will announce them in class．
The term paper is 40％ of your final grade．It should not be more than fifteen pages．(Another thinking of majoring in history may write twenty-five pages．)Before the midterm exam you will choose the topic for your paper．
(1)
If a student wants to know what the homework assignments are, ________．
[ ]
A．
Prof．Klammer announces them in class
B．
he/she reads the list on the next page
C．
Pro．Klammer gives a list every week in class
D．
he/she goes to the professor’s office
(2)
If a student cannot see Prof．Klammer during her office hours, he ________．
[ ]
A．
sees her after class
B．
calls her at home
C．
makes an appointment with her
D．
asks another student
(3)
According to the passage, which of the following is probably TRUE?
[ ]
A．
The textbook is written by Dr Klammer．
B．
If you have to miss a class, be sure to say sorry to Prof．Klammer．
C．
The students can buy “Introduction to American History” at the College Bookstore．
D．
Prof．Klammer encourages his students to take notes in her class．
(4)
It can be inferred that ________．
[ ]
A．
before the final exam, you must hand in your term paper
B．
the students who will take the course had better attend the lectures as much as possible．
C．
your term paper should be more than fifteen pages
D．
you will have a class at 11∶15～12∶30 on Sunday
阅读理解
The New York Times announced Wednesday that it intended to charge frequent readers for access to its Web site, a step being debated across the industry that nearly every major newspaper has so far feared to take．
Starting in early 2011, visitors to NYTimes.com will get a certain number of articles free every month before being asked to pay a flat fee for unlimited access．Subscribers to the newspaper's print edition will receive full access to the site．
But executives of The New York Times Company said they could yet answer fundamental questions about the plan, like how much it would cost or what the limit would be on free reading．They stressed that the amount of free access could change with time, in response to economic conditions and reader demand．
Still, publishers fear that income from digital subscriptions would not compensate for the resulting loss of audience and advertising revenue．
NYTimes.com is by far the most popular newspaper site in the country, with more than 17 million readers a month in the United States, according to Nielsen Online, and analysts say it is easily the leader in advertising revenue as well．That may make it better positional than other general-interest papers to charge-and also gives The Times more to lose if the move backfires．
The Times Company has been studying the matter for almost a year, searching for common ground between pro-and anti-pay camps-a debate mirrored in dozens of media-watching blogs-and the system will not go into effect until January 2011．Executives said they were not bothered by the prospect of absorbing barbs for moving cautiously．
“There is no prize for getting it quick,”said Janet L．Robinson, the company's president and chief executive．“There's more of a prize for getting it right．”
(1)
The first paragraph serve as a(n)________．
[ ]
A．
consclusion
B．
comment
C．
lead-in
D．
background
(2)
What does the underlined word“flat”mean in the second paragraph?
[ ]
A．
standard and fixed．
B．
low and changeable．
C．
interest free．
D．
priceless and affordable．
(3)
We may know from the passage that ________．
[ ]
A．
Non-paying readers will get no access to NYTimes.com．
B．
Readers will be charged more to read more articles on NYTimes.com．
C．
Readers will get more free online articles to log on NYTimes.com more often．
D．
Subscribers to the newspaper's print edition will enjoy free access to the site as well．
(4)
The passage is mainly about ________．
[ ]
A．
The Times to offer free access to its web site．
B．
The Times to increase audience to its web site．
C．
The Times to attract advertisement to its web site．
D．
The Times to charge for frequent access to its web site．
(5)
Which of the following best describes The Time Company's attitude towards its announcement?
[ ]
A．
rude
B．
doubtful
C．
serious
D．
hurried
阅读理解
This year's Noble peace prize has been awarded jointly to three women- Liberian President Ellen Johnso Sirleaf, Liberian Leymah Gbowee and Tawakul Karman of Yemen．
They were recognised for their “non-violent struggle for the safety of women and for women's rights to full participation in peace-building work”．Mrs Sirleaf is Africa's first female elected head of state, Ms Gbowee is a Liberian peace activist and Ms Karman is a leading figure in Yemen's pro-democracy movement．
“We cannot achieve democracy(民主)and lasting peace in the world unless women achieve the same opportunities as men to influence developments at all levels of society, ” said Nobel Committee chairman Thorbjorn Jagland in Oslo．He said the committee hoped the prize would “help to bring an end to the suppression(压制)of women that still occurs in many countries, and to realise the great potential for democracy and peace that women can represent”．
But Mrs Sirleaf's main competitor this coming Tuesday, Winston Tubman, told the BBC she did not deserve the prize and was a “warmonger(好战者)”。
Mrs Karman was recognised for playing a leading part in the struggle for women's rights in Yemen's pro-democracy protests “in the most trying circumstances” and is the first Arab woman to win the prize．
As the head of Yemeni organisation Women Journalists without Chanis, Mrs Karman has been imprisoned several times．
Mrs Karman told BBC she was dedicating(献给) it to “all the dead and the wounded of the Arab Spring”- the wave of unrest which has swept the Middle East and North Africa in the past year-and to “all the free people who are fighting for their rights”．
(1)
What is the text mainly about?
[ ]
A．
Mrs Sirleaf is Africa's first female elected head of state．
B．
The Nobel Committee helped to bring an end to the suppression of women．
C．
Three great women have been awarded this year's Nobel Peace Prize．
D．
Three women fighting for peace and their rights．
(2)
What can we learn from Mrs Sirleaf?
[ ]
A．
She was recognised for playing a leading part in Yemen's pro-democracy protests．
B．
She told the BBC she did not deserve the prize．
C．
Winston Tubman is her loyal supporter．
D．
She made great contributions to Africa's women's rights．
(3)
Which of the following about Mrs Karman is NOT true?
[ ]
A．
Mrs Karman has been imprisoned several times for her fighting．
B．
Mrs Karman is the first Arab woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize．
C．
Mrs Karman was a warmonger．
D．
Mrs Karman was thought the prize shouldn't belong to herself．
(4)
From what the Nobel Committee chairman Thorbjorn Jagland said, we can infer that．
[ ]
A．
women has achieved the same opportunities as men to influence developments at all levels of society．
B．
the Nobel Peace prize would help to bring an end to the suppression of women．
C．
the democracy and lasting peace in the world depends on whether women are equal to men．
D．
men are not better than women in winning the Nobel Prize．
(5)
What do the three women have in common?
[ ]
A．
They all come from Africa．
B．
They are all heads of state．
C．
All of them were once in prison．
D．
They are all fighting for women's rights in a peaceful way．
天天向上一本好卷系列答案
小学生10分钟应用题系列答案