7.(　 ) Mr. and Mrs. Smith had a quarrel. Their friend, Mr. Brown, want 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

6.(　 ) 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

5.(　 ) What kind of letter is it?

　 　　　　 A. An invitation letter.　　　　　　　　　 B. A thank-you letter.　　　

C. A recommendation letter　　　　　　　 D. A complaint letter.

B

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(适用) to many things and not only to dogs. If you have been cheated at a shop, you will not go the same shop again.

2) “A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush(树丛).” 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 (营救)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 does want to eat the food in the manger but it will not let the horse eat it.

6) “He is sitting on the fence(围墙) ” 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(吹笛者) 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.

4.(　 ) What did Mr Bradley think about the swimming pool?

　 　　　　 A. He felt disappointed because the swimming pool was closed for the whole time of their stay.

　 　　　　 B. He felt disappointed because the swimming poop was too small.

　 　　　　 C. He felt pleased with it because he had a good time there.

　 　　　　 D. He found it really wonderful, just like what was said in the advertisement.

3.(　 ) What’s the main idea of the second paragraph (段落)?

　 　　　　 A. The hotel was very comfortable and quiet.

　 　　　　 B. The workers in the hotel were very hard-working.

　 　　　　 C. He thought the hotel hadn’t provided them a quiet place.

　 　　　　　 　D. The service in the hotel was very excellent.

2.(　 ) When did they get to the hotel?

　　　 A. On 15^th May.　 B. Three days ago. C. Last year. D. On a cold winter morning.

1.(　 ) Whom is Mr Hector Bradley probably writing this letter to?

　　　 A. His friend.　　 B. The owner of a hotel.　 C. An editor.　　　 D. His father.

2. We had hoped to swim in your “wonderful pool”. To our disappointment(失望), we found that it was closed for the whole time of our stay.

　 I hope you do not mind my writing to you about these things, but I would be happy if you could give me some explanation. As I said at the start, it is a pity, and your service is so good in other fields.

　 I hope to hear from you soon.

Yours sincerely

Mr Hector Bradley

1. We had hoped for a nice holiday from our busy work lives, and your advertisement said “comfortable and quiet”. We want to have a chance to enjoy ourselves. However, we were always waken up by the noise every morning. Is it really necessary for the workers to start their repair work so early?