12.(　 ) Where did Han Xiaopeng take China’s first gold on snow?

　　　 A. In China　 .　　 B. In Italy.　　　 C. In America.　　 D. In Australia.

11.(　 ) What does ‘dark horse’ mean? It means _____________.

　　　 A. a horse which is dark　　　　　 B. someone who is expected to win

　　　 C. a horse which likes living in the dark　 D. someone whose win is unexpected

10.(　 ) 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 larger house. His wife didn’t want him to leave his job in Hong Kong and she reminded him that ______.

　　　 A. a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush　　　　　　 B. too many cooks spoil the broth

　　　 C. you can not get blood out of a stone　 D. To pour oil on troubled waters

C

What’s the meaning of “dark horse”? It’s someone who wins when no one expects it.

Han Xiaopeng took China’s first gold on snow. He became an Olympic “dark horse” last Thursday by winning the gold medal in men’s freestyle aerial skiing(自由式滑雪空中技巧) at Turin in Italy. He made two almost perfect jumps for the highest score. Han had never won a world gold medal before, let alone(更不用说) in the Olympics!

“I never thought this would happen,” said the 23-year-old. “I feel like I’m in a dream.” It’s China’s second gold medal at the Turin Olympics. But more important, Han’s gold was the country’s first ever in a snow sport. In 2002, China’s Yang Yang won the gold for speed skating at the winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, US.

Just because Han’s win was unexpected doesn’t mean that he didn’t work hard.

Han grew up in Jiangsu Province. Before he started his training on snow, he used to be an acrobat(杂技演员) at a circus. In 1995, a coach found his talent(才能). The coach, Yang Er’qi, said Han had the agility(灵活性) and courage to be a ski jumper. When Yang first took the 12-year-old to northern China, the boy couldn’t swim, skate or ski. But he wasn’t afraid of the high platform(跳台) and kept on training.

Han almost left the sport after hurting his knee months before the Salt Lake Games. In that Olympics he only got 24^th. “I was hopeless at that time, but my family and the coach stood firmly(坚强地) behind me, helping me through,” he recalled.

　　 Han Xiaopeng worked so hard that he won the gold medal in the Olympics at last. Because of his success, more and more people in China are becoming interested in skiing. We are proud of him and we hope he will have another big success in the next winter Olympics.

9.(　 ) 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 ______.”　

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 many cooks spoil the broth

8.(　 ) 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

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.