[ti:That Are Old and True] [ar:Barbara Klein] [al:WORDS AND THEIR STORIES] [by:51VOA.COM] [00:00.00]Now, the VOA Special English program [00:14.80]WORDS AND THEIR STORIES. [00:17.39]Today we explain more proverbs. [00:21.28]A proverb is a short, well-known saying [00:24.76]that expresses a common truth or belief. [00:28.49]Proverbs are popular around the world. [00:32.27]Many proverbs give advice [00:34.76]about how to live. [00:36.17]Some proverbs are hundreds of years old, [00:40.01]but they are still used today. [00:42.55]For example, my son [00:45.63]is just like his father in many ways. [00:49.31]We often say the two of them [00:52.06]prove the proverb that the apple [00:54.90]does not fall far from the tree. [00:58.13]My daughter is very short. [01:01.22]She would like to be taller. [01:03.51]But I tell her that good things come [01:07.19]in small packages. [01:09.33]The size of something [01:11.28]is not always important. [01:13.22]Some valuable things are very small, [01:16.31]like diamonds and other jewels. [01:19.35]But I also tell my children [01:22.14]that all that glitters is not gold. [01:26.07]Do not befooled by appearances. [01:29.41]Something may look valuable, [01:31.84]but may not really be valuable. [01:35.04]Also, I tell them do not [01:38.42]judge a book by its cover. [01:41.06]You should not judge something [01:43.31]only by its appearance. [01:45.69]Another proverb is, [01:48.34]do not bite off more than you can chew. [01:52.52]This means do not try to do more [01:56.05]than you are able to do. [01:57.94]Some times I tell my children [02:01.29]to cooperate to solve a problem. [02:04.27]After all, two heads are better than one. [02:08.70]Two people working together [02:11.24]can get better results. [02:13.43]But another proverb says [02:16.36]too many cooks spoil the broth. [02:19.86]If too many people try to do something, [02:22.99]then the job will not be done well. [02:26.24]I also tell my children [02:29.07]that two wrongs do not make a right. [02:32.81]You should not do something bad [02:35.64]just because someone did the same to you. [02:39.08]Some people are pessimists: [02:42.66]they always think about [02:44.25]how bad things are or will be. [02:47.66]Other people are optimists: [02:50.54]they always look on the bright side. [02:53.48]They think things will be all right. [02:56.71]Optimists might say that [02:59.70]every cloud has a silver lining. [03:03.28]They can find something good [03:06.13]even in a bad situation. [03:08.92]Other people are both pessimists [03:13.11]and optimists. [03:14.80]They hope for the best [03:17.00]and prepare for the worst. [03:19.29]Some people often worry about [03:23.21]what they will do in a situation [03:25.70]that might happen in the future. [03:28.25]We could tell them do not cross [03:31.98]that bridge until you come to it. [03:34.96]It is usually much better [03:37.80]to prevent a problem from happening [03:40.19]than it is to find ways to solve it. [03:43.57]So we say an ounce of prevention [03:47.52]is worth a pound of cure. [03:50.10]Finally, I always liked this proverb: [03:54.68]You can catch more flies [03:56.97]with honey than with vinegar. [03:59.40]Honey is sweet while vinegar is not. [04:03.69]In other words, you can win people [04:06.58]to your side more easily [04:08.67]with gentle persuasion [04:11.05]than by hostile actions. [04:13.39](MUSIC) [04:23.74]This VOA Special English program [04:29.02]was written by Shelley Gollust. [04:31.26]I'm Barbara Klein. [04:33.20]You can find more WORDS AND THEIR STORIES [04:36.20]at our Web site, 51voa.com.