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　　“I have a regular film camera but I just don’t use it much,” said Ms Lowery, 23, a computer programmer．“When I got married last year, I had all these pictures that didn’t come out right．With digital cameras, you aren’t spending money on film for wasted pictures,”she said．

　　There are plenty of models from which to choose：from simple ＄ 200 point-and-shoot snappers to ＄ 1000 wonders with all the qualities that any advanced amateur(业余爱好者)could want．The wide selection is a sure sign that in many buyers’ minds, digital cameras have risen from mere gadgets(小玩意)to must-have items．

　　Digital cameras offer more than just the instant previewing of pictures on small color screens．They can store dozens, sometimes hundreds, of pictures that can be printed easily at home or sent by e-mail．Although there are extra costs－the cost of memory cards for storage and the special paper for printing－many buyers have been willing to make the switch．

　　Although about 90 percent of American households still use film cameras, digital cameras are capturing a growing share of the market．And the number of digital-camera households, now at about 10 percent, is certain to grow, as producers introduce more and more cameras whose quality is as good as film cameras．Soon, even professionals will use them．

　　Salesmen expect digital cameras to be popular gifts this holiday season．“They are very hot this year,” said Yossi Fogel at B & H Photo in New York．“The prices have come down and the quality has gone up．Who wants to travel with 30 rolls of film? With a large memory card to store pictures, you can shoot and shoot and never have to worry about changing a roll．How many times have you missed a picture because you failed to reload the film?”

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　　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 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 does want to eat the lay 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．

　　“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．

　　“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．

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