He only got two dollars, i　　　　 what he got from home.

 Now came great news! It came from a neighboring state, where the family’s only surviving relative lived. It was Sally’s relative — a distant relative by the name of Tilbury Foster, seventy and single. Tilbury now wrote to Sally, saying he should shortly die, and should leave him thirty thousand dollars, cash; not for love, but because money had given him most of his troubles, and he wished to place it where there was good hope that it would continue its evil work. The bequest would be found in his will, and would be officially handed over provided that Sally should be able to prove to the executors (遗嘱执行人).

    As soon as Aleck had partially recovered from the strong emotions created by the letter, she sent someone to the relative’s home and subscribed for the local paper.

For the rest of the day Sally made confusion with his books, and Aleck could not keep her mind on her affairs, not even take up a flower-pot or book or a stick of wood without forgetting what she had intended to do with it. For both were dreaming.

“Thirty thousand dollars!”

All day long Aleck was absorbed in planning how to invest it, Sally in planning how to spend it.

There was no romance-reading that night. The children took themselves away early, for their parents were silent, disturbed, and strangely unentertaining. Two pencils had been busy during that hour — note-making; in the way of plans. It was Sally who broke the stillness at last. He said, with excitement, “Ah, it’ll be grand, Aleck! Out of the first thousand we’ll have a horse and a buggy for summer, and a cutter and a skin lap-robe for winter.”

    Aleck responded with decision and calmness.

    “You can spend a part of it. But the whole of the capital must be put right to work.

    “Why, yes. Yes, of course. Have you got it invested yet?”

    “No, there’s no hurry about that; I must look around first, and think, er…, I’ve turned it over twice; once in oil and once in wheat.”

    “Why, Aleck, it’s splendid! What does it amount to?”

    “I think — well, to be on the safe side, about a hundred and eighty thousand clear, though it will probably be more.”

    “My! Isn’t it wonderful? Good heaven! Luck has come our way at last, Aleck!”

    Then they went up to bed, but they left the candle burning in the sitting room. They did not remember until they were undressed; then Sally was for letting it burn; he said they could afford it, if it was a thousand. But Aleck went down and put it out.

    A good job, too; for on her way back she hit on a scheme that would turn the hundred and eighty thousand into half a million before it had had time to get cold. 

1. Why would Tilbury like to give all his money to Sally?

A. Because Sally was Tilbury’s only relative alive.

B. Because Tilbury loved Sally and his family deeply.

C. Because Tilbury wanted his money to continue its function.

D. Because Sally and his wife are good at investing.

2.The underlined word “bequest” in Paragraph1 probably means _________.

A. a gift of personal property                                         B. a proof of a person’s identity

C. a method of getting money                                        D. a reason for giving money

3.What do we know about Sally and his wife after receiving the letter?

A. They were in deep sorrow and stayed up all night.

B. They cared little about the bequest and lived their life as usual.

C. They paid a visit to Tilbury to confirm the truth of the letter.

D. They had a big ambition to invest the money and make huge profits.

4. Which of the following is the best title for the passage?

A. Thrilling News                                                               B. Sally’s Distant Relative

C. The $30,000 Bequest                                                  D. A Smart Investment

Now came great news! It came from a neighboring state, where the family’s only surviving relative lived. It was Sally’s relative—a distant relative by the name of Tilbury Foster, seventy and single. Tilbury now wrote to Sally, saying he should shortly die, and should leave him thirty thousand dollars, cash; not for love, but because money had given him most of his troubles, and he wished to place it where there was good hope that it would continue its evil work. The bequest would be found in his will, and would be officially handed over provided that Sally should be able to prove to the executors (遗嘱执行人).
As soon as Aleck had partially recovered from the strong emotions created by the letter, she sent someone to the relative’s home and subscribed for the local paper.
For the rest of the day Sally made confusion with his books, and Aleck could not keep her mind on her affairs, not even take up a flower-pot or book or a stick of wood without forgetting what she had intended to do with it. For both were dreaming.
“Thirty thousand dollars!”
All day long Aleck was absorbed in planning how to invest it, Sally in planning how to spend it.
There was no romance-reading that night. The children took themselves away early, for their parents were silent, disturbed, and strangely unentertaining. Two pencils had been busy during that hour —note-making; in the way of plans. It was Sally who broke the stillness at last. He said, with excitement, “Ah, it’ll be grand, Aleck! Out of the first thousand we’ll have a horse and a buggy for summer, and a cutter and a skin lap-robe for winter.”
Aleck responded with decision and calmness.
“You can spend a part of it. But the whole of the capital must be put right to work.
“Why, yes. Yes, of course. Have you got it invested yet?”
“No, there’s no hurry about that; I must look around first, and think, er…, I’ve turned it over twice; once in oil and once in wheat.”
“Why, Aleck, it’s splendid! What does it amount to?”
“I think — well, to be on the safe side, about a hundred and eighty thousand clear, though it will probably be more.”
“My! Isn’t it wonderful? Good heaven! Luck has come our way at last, Aleck!”
Then they went up to bed, but they left the candle burning in the sitting room. They did not remember until they were undressed; then Sally was for letting it burn; he said they could afford it, if it was a thousand. But Aleck went down and put it out.
A good job, too; for on her way back she hit on a scheme that would turn the hundred and eighty thousand into half a million before it had had time to get cold

1. 1.

   Why would Tilbury like to give all his money to Sally?

   1. A.
      Because Sally was Tilbury’s only relative alive
   2. B.
      Because Tilbury loved Sally and his family deeply
   3. C.
      Because Tilbury wanted his money to continue its function
   4. D.
      Because Sally and his wife are good at investing
2. 2.

   The underlined word “bequest” in Paragraph1 probably means _________

   1. A.
      a gift of personal property
   2. B.
      a proof of a person’s identity
   3. C.
      a method of getting money
   4. D.
      a reason for giving money
3. 3.

   What do we know about Sally and his wife after receiving the letter?

   1. A.
      They were in deep sorrow and stayed up all night
   2. B.
      They cared little about the bequest and lived their life as usual
   3. C.
      They paid a visit to Tilbury to confirm the truth of the letter
   4. D.
      They had a big ambition to invest the money and make huge profits
4. 4.

   Which of the following is the best title for the passage?

   1. A.
      Thrilling News
   2. B.
      Sally’s Distant Relative
   3. C.
      The $30,000 Bequest
   4. D.
      A Smart Investment

Proverbs are quite common in spoken English. We do not normally put them in a composition or 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(应用) 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 bird than to see two birds in a bush but not be 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." When too many people do something, they get in each other's way.

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 the manger(马槽)" 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 not want to eat the hay in the manger but it will not let the horse eat it.

6)"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. For example, you cannot get a million dollars from a poor man.

60. Peter had a bicycle which was much too small for him but he did not want to let his younger brother ride on it. His mother was angry and said to him,"________."

A. You can't get blood out of a stone

B. Don't be a dog in the manger

C. The early bird gets the worm

D. Once bitten, twice shy

61. Mr and Mrs Smith had a quarrel. Their friend, Mr Brown, went 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 the manger

D. saying the early bird gets the worm

62. Mrs Chen wanted to buy a new dress. Her husband suggested that she buy it from a shop near their home. Mrs Chen disagreed because she had been cheated by that shop. Then she said, " ________."

A. A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush

B. I don't want to be a dog in the manger

C. Once bitten, twice shy

D. Too many cooks spoil the broth

63. 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 large house. His wife did not want him to leave his job in Hong Kong and she reminded him that ________.

A. a bird in the hand was worth two in the bush

B. too many cooks spoiled the broth

C. he couldn't get blood out of a stone

D. he shouldn't pour oil on troubled waters

Proverbs(谚语) are quite common in spoken English. We do not normally put them in a composition or letter. Sometimes it is helpful if you know what common proverbs mean. Here are a few examples:

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. 

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 bird than to see two birds in a bush but not be 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 the future.   

Too many cooks spoil the broth(soup). When too many people do something together, they get in each other’s way and cannot do a good job.

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.

Don't be a dog in a manger(马槽). Means “ Don’t be selfish.” In a stable(马厩), the manger is the place where the horse’s food is put. Sometimes a dog will sleep in the manger and bard 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.

He’s sitting on the fence. Means that somebody will not say whether he is in favour 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 can’t get something out of a person who has not got any of the things you want. For example, you cannot get a million dollars from a poor man.

Peter had a bicycle which was much too small for him but he did not want to let his younger brother ride on it. His mother was angry and said to him : “______”.

   A. You cannot get blood out of a stone         B. Don’t be a dog in a manger

   C. The early bird gets the worm              D. Don’t be a horse in the manger

Mr Wang paid for a new school. Some people did not like the design of the school but they did not 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

Mrs Chen wanted to buy a new dress. Her husband suggested that she buy it from a shop near their home. Mrs Chen disagreed because she had been cheated by that shop. Then she said: “ I won’t go there again because___.”

   A. a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush     B. I am sitting on the fence

   C. Once bitten, twice shy                     D. too man cooks spoil the broth

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 large house. His wife did not want him to leave his job in Hong Kong and she warned him that _____.

   A. a 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