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.