Expressionsaboutwaterarealmostascommonaswateritself.Butmanyoftheexpressionsusingwaterhaveunpleasantmeanings.Theexpression“tobeinhotwater”isoneofthem.Itisaveryoldexpression.“Hotwater”wasus

题目详情

Expressions about water are almost as common as water itself. But many of the expressions using water have unpleasant meanings.

The expression “to be in hot water” is one of them. It is a very old expression. “Hot water” was used five hundred years ago to mean being in trouble. One story says it got that meaning from the custom of throwing extremely hot water down on enemies attacking a castle.

That no longer happens. But we still get in “hot water”. When we are in “hot water” we are in trouble. It can be any kind of trouble---serious and not so serious. A person who breaks a law can be in hot water with the police. A young boy can be in hot water with his mother if he comes into the house with dirty shoes.

Being in “deep water” is almost the same as being in hot water. When you are in “deep water” you are in a difficult position. Imagine a person who cannot swim being thrown into water over his head.

You are in deep water when you are facing a problem that you do not have the ability to solve. You can be in deep water for example if you invest(投资) in stocks(股票) without knowing anything about the stock market.

“To keep your head above water” is a colorful expression that means staying out of debt. A company seeks to keep its head above water during economic hard times. A man who loses his job tries to keep his head above water until he finds a new job.

“Water over the dam” is another expression about a past event. It is something that is finished. It cannot be changed. The expression comes from the idea that water which has flowed over a dam cannot be brought back again.

53. 1.The passage mainly tells us _______ .

A. the importance of water in our life B. some expressions about water

C. some sad stories about water D. some lessons about daily life

54. 2. When a friend is troubled by a mistake she has made you might tell her to forget about it. You say “ _______”.

A. You are in hot water B. You are in deep water

C. Keep your head above water D. It is water over the dam

55．3.Two of the phrases “to be in hot water” “to be in deep water” mentioned in the passage have the same meaning of “ _______ ”.

A. to be in debt B. to be in difficulty

C. to be useless D. to be out of water

56. 4.Which of the following expressions is a bit different from the others in meaning?

A. To be in hot water. B. To be in deep water.

C. To keep your head above water. D. Water over the dam.