游客
题文

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 500 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 or 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 walks in 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 in 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 in stocks 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 that has flowed over a dam cannot be brought back again.
Another common expression, “to hold water”, is about the strength or weakness of an idea or opinion that you may be arguing about. It probably comes from a way of testing the condition of a container. If it can hold water, it is strong and has no holes in it. If your argument can hold water, it is strong and does not have any holes. If it does not hold water, then it is weak and not worth debating.
“Throwing cold water” also is an expression that deals with ideas or proposals. It means that one doesn’t like an idea. For example, you want to buy a new car because the old one has some problems. But your wife throws cold water on the idea because she says a new car costs too much.
This is our Special English program, WORDS AND THEIR STORIES. It was written by Marilyn Christiano. I’m Rich Kleinfeldt. See you next time.
According to the passage, expressions about water __________.

A.are very common B.have unpleasant meanings
C.are very interesting D.are easy to understand

The expression “hot water” _________.

A.is not used nowadays
B.has a long history
C.means arguing with others
D.only means serious trouble

Which of the following expressions have the similar meaning?

A.“Throwing cold water” and “deep water”
B.“Hot water” and “water over the dam”
C.“Deep water” and “water over the dam”
D.“Hot water” and “deep water”

If you signed an agreement with Tom yesterday and want to change it now, Tom may say “_______”.

A.You should keep your head above water
B.You can’t throw cold water
C.It is water over the dam
D.Don’t be in deep water

What would be the best title for the passage?

A.Water
B.Expressions about water
C.Several common expressions
D.Water and everyday English
科目 英语   题型 阅读理解   难度 中等
登录免费查看答案和解析
相关试题

Edinburgh Zoo makes plans to bring a pair of giant pandas from China to Scotland. Representatives from Edinburgh Zoo have recently returned from China, where they signed a letter of intent (意向书) making a promise to bring giant pandas to the zoo.
It has been suggested that the breeding pair should be rented to the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS) for 10 years and it is hoped they would give birth to babies during that time. Edinburgh Zoo would be the eighth zoo in the West to care for the species if the project goes ahead.
Zoo chiefs said that looking after the endangered animals could benefit conservation. David Windmill, chief of RZSS, said, “It is an opportunity to work on a global level with other conservationists to gain a better understanding of the giant panda, the threats they face, and what we can do to ensure their survival.”
At present, there are currently only around 1,500 giant pandas in the wild. RZSS has been working on the project for almost a year, and hopes to have giant pandas at Edinburgh Zoo by 2011, the year of the society’s centenary.
Mr. Windmill said that the project has received strong support from the UK and Scottish Governments and that this must continue if the zoo is to reach an agreement with the Chinese. As part of the proposed agreement with the Chinese government, Edinburgh Zoo will cooperate on research projects benefiting conservation in the wild.
RZSS will also provide considerable money to support giant panda conservation projects in the wild. Giant pandas live in a few mountain ranges in central China and feed almost wholly on bamboo, which makes up 99% of the their diet.
61. What result did zoo representatives get from China?
A. A breeding pair is on loan to RZSS for ten years.
B. China promised to sell two giant pandas before 2011.
C. They signed a letter of intent about giant pandas to be loaned to Edinburgh Zoo.
D. China promised to offer the money but not the experts for research into giant pandas.
62. If Edinburgh Zoo can borrow giant pandas, what will happen?
A. RZSS will celebrate its centenary in 2011.
B. Scotland will be the eighth country to have giant pandas.
C. RZSS will have a better understanding of living habits of giant pandas.
D. Edinburgh Zoo will be the eighth zoo to have Chinese pandas in the world.
63. The underlined part “the project” in Paragraph 4 refers to “__________”.
A. the celebration of RZSS’s centenary
B. introducing giant pandas to RZSS’s collection
C. the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland itself
D. borrowing giant pandas from China for conservation
64. At present what seems to be the key factor for giant pandas to successfully go to Edinburgh Zoo?
A. RZSS’s attitude.B. The Chinese government’s attitude.
C. Edinburgh Zoo’s support. D. The Scottish government’ attitude.
65. The best title for this passage would be “___________”.
A. Edinburgh Zoo expects giant pandas from China
B. Edinburgh Zoo does research into giant pandas
C. Scotland supports giant panda conservation
D. Giant pandas live happily at Edinburgh Zoo

第三部分阅读理解(共20小题,每题2分,满分40分)
阅读下列短文,从每题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中,选出一个最佳选项,并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
The key to happiness is how quickly you can get back your focus on what’s important.
----Anonymous
Sixteen years ago I learned this lesson in the back of a New York City taxi cab. Here's what happened. I hopped in a taxi, and we took off for Grand Central Station. We were driving in the right lane when, all of a sudden, a black car jumped out of a parking space right in front of us. My taxi driver slammed on his brakes, skidded, and missed the other car’s back end by just inches!
The driver of the other car, who almost caused a big accident, started yelling bad words at us. My taxi driver just smiled and waved at the guy. And I mean, he was friendly. So, I said, "Why did you just do that? This guy almost ruined your car and sent us to the hospital!" And this is when my taxi driver told me what I now call "The Law of the Garbage Truck."
Many people are like garbage (rubbish) trucks. They run around full of garbage, full of frustration, full of anger, and full of disappointment. As their garbage piles up, they need a place to dump it. And if you let them, they'll dump it on you. When someone wants to dump on you, don't take it personally. You just smile, wave, wish them well, and move on. You'll be happy with what you did.
I started thinking, how often do I let Garbage Trucks run right over me? And how often do I take their garbage and spread it to other people at work, at home, or on the streets? It was that day I said, "I'm not going to do anymore."
Successful people do not let Garbage Trucks take over their day. What about you? If you let more garbage trucks pass you by, you'll be happier. Life's too short to wake up in the morning with regrets. So, Love the people who treat you right. Forget about the ones who don't.
56. What happened one day when the author was taking a taxi?
A. The taxi almost hit another car.
B. The taxi driver was injured.
C. The author scolded the driver of the other car.
D. The author learned a lesson from the driver of the garbage truck.
57. How did the taxi driver respond to the behaviour of the driver of the black car?
A. He yelled back at the driver.
B. He sent the driver to the hospital.
C. He was friendly towards the driver.
D. He dumped some garbage in front of his car.
58. What does the taxi driver think of people according to Paragraph 3?
A. Many people like to drive garbage trucks.
B. Many people dump garbage wherever they like.
C. Many people are warm-hearted to make others happy.
D. Many people tend to be very much depressed.
59. What can we infer from Paragraph 4?
A. The author used to have a lot of garbage trucks.
B. The author used to complain a lot.
C. The author used to have a lot of money.
D. The author used to be a good manager.
60. According to the passage, what should you do if people “dump garbage” on you?
A. Ignore them and go on with our own work.
B. Try our best to persuade them not to do that again.
C. Tell them to dump the garbage in the right place.
D. Take over their work and carry the garbage to somewhere else.

Section One
The city is an accumulation of human civilization. Just as the American social philosopher (哲学家) Lewis Mumford put it, it is a special system which, fine and compact, has been designed to preserve the fruits of human civilization. Many Western languages have developed their versions of the term “civilization” from the same Latin (拉丁语的) word “civitas”(meaning “city” ), and it is by no means a coincidence. The city has played a significant role in the perfection of order in human society.
Section Two
The emblem, showing the image of three people ― you, me, him/her holding hands together, symbolizes the big family of mankind. Inspired by the shape of the Chinese character “世” (meaning the world), the design conveys the organizers' wish to host an Expo which is of global scale and which showcases the various urban cultures of the world.
Section Three
Created from the inspiration of Chinese character “人”, the design roots deeply in Chinese culture. It tells the world the eternal core (永恒的核心) and theme of Shanghai World Expo will be always human. The mascot “Haibao” will become the messenger for the theme of World Expo 2010 Shanghai China “Better City, Better Life”.
The basic structure of the Chinese character “人” in which each stroke supports each other also shows the concept that the beautiful life should depends on mutual-help. If the human are willing to support one another, the harmony among human, nature, and society will be available. Such an urban life will be nice.
Haibao’s confident smile is expressing his sincere greeting from China ― “World Expo 2010 Shanghai China welcomes you!”
71. Section One mainly tells about ______.
A. the part cities play in human civilization B. the development of the word “city”
C. why the Expo is held in Shanghai D. where human civilization originated
72. The underlined word “it” in Section One refers to ______.
A. the civilization B. the philosopher C. the word D. the city
73. Which correctly matches the sections with the pictures they describe?

Pictures



A.
Section One
Section Two
Section Three
B.
Section Two
Section Three
Section One
C.
Section Three
Section Two
Section One
D.
Section Three
Section One
Section Two

74. In Section Three, the second paragraph explains how the creation is connected with the _____ of the Chinese word “人”.
A. story B. meaning C. shape D. usage
75. The underlined word “stroke” in the second paragraph of Section Three means ______.
A. one of the ideas a word has B. a line made by a writing tool
C. a member of a family or the society D. a person who has met with trouble

Britain's most popular lie has been disclosed, with one in four people admitting using “sorry I had no signal" when returning a missed mobile phone call, a survey found.
Researchers found the average Briton tells on average four lies every day or almost 1500 every year. Almost one in six men admitted they were most likely to lie to their wife or girlfriend, on average at least twice a day. The most popular lie was saying you had no mobile phone signal, with one in four people admitting regularly using the little white lie. It usually came after they hit the “ignore" button when their mobile rang.
Three quarters of people think women are better liars. The research found 46 per cent of girls have been caught lying, compared to 58 of men.
The second most common fib(无关紧要的谎言) is “I haven't got any cash on me” when asked for money by tramps (流浪者), beggars and Big Issue sellers. “Nothing's wrong – I'm fine” came third followed by “You look lovely” and “Nice to see you”.
Modern technology turned out to have contributed to many lies with “I didn't get your text” in 18th, “Our server was down” in 20th and “My battery died” in 26th place.
Other lies to make the top ten included “I'll give you a ring”, “We're just good friends” and “We'll have to meet up soon”. “I'm on my way” and “No, your bum doesn't look big in that” completed the top ten.
Men tell the most fibs, coming out with five every day compared to women who lie just three times.
In many cases perhaps it is better to flatter with a fib than destroy someone with the truth, according to a spokesman for OnePoll, which carried out the research of 4,300 adults.
66. Whether the person being called has pushed the “ignore” button or ______, the caller at the other end hears the same tone.
A. really has no signal B. can’t get the text
C. has a battery failure D. answers the call
67. Most people think women are better liars because ______.
A. there’re more women liars B. fewer women liars are found out
C. women tell less harmful lies D. women are harder to convince
68. “Our server was down” is perhaps a lie told as an excuse for not ______.
A. inviting a friend to dinner B. responding to an e-mail
C. coming to a party on time D. cleaning one’s room
69. “You look lovely” and “I’m on my way” rank _____ on the popular-lie list.
A. 3rd and 8th B. 5th and 10th C. 4th and 9th D. 5th and 12th
70. The OnePoll spokesman seems to think it’s ______ for the British to lie so much.
A. puzzling B. disgusting C. impossible D. reasonable

It looks exactly like other handicraft (手工艺品) shops in a traditional Chinese hutong, or alley, except that each item has a story. The city's first-of-its-kind charity shop, owned by Nathan Zhang, sells Chinese handicrafts along with used books, clothes and other items. The concept is that money from what is sold is donated to help rural (农村的) women in China.
“Many NGOs (non-governmental organizations) produce their own things but don't have a place to sell it,” said Zhang, who returned to Beijing in 2008 after working in Canada for nearly a decade in the telecommunications world. “A rural women's group tried to open a little shop but only sold two things. When they put their products in my shop, everything sold out.”
Located in Wudaoying Hutong in Dongcheng district, Brand Nu's walls are lined with handicrafts from a number of different NGO supported projects aimed at benefiting women across the country. The other half of the space is filled with almost brand-new clothes that have been donated from Beijing citizens. The jackets, dresses, tops and pants sell for around 30 yuan ($4.40) each.
Most of the money Brand Nu gets goes directly to the Beijing Cultural Development Center for Rural Women. The NGO offers a number of programs for poor women, including literacy classes (识字班), support networks and mental health education.
Zhang is also working with a local Scottish designer to create a clothing line made from the fabric (织物) of second-hand garments. And he is collecting books and raising money to help the NGO build a library near Beijing. He plans on expanding his product line soon as well, engaging more disadvantaged women to make sweaters, soaps and other items that he can sell in Beijing to help raise their socioeconomic status in the countryside.
Yet with ambitions come worries. Right now Zhang is operating on a shoestring budget and looking for work on the side to support both his business and his family. “I wanted to do something meaningful,” said Zhang. “If you can help one woman, you can help an entire family.”
61. The name of the charity shop is ______.
A. Nathan Zhang B. NGO C. Wudaoyin Hutong D. Brand Nu
62. The owner of the charity shop ______.
A. is a returned overseas Chinese
B. has long been working for the charity cause
C. is professionally engaged in telecommunication
D. is also the head of an NGO
63. The charity shop ______.
A. sells goods to poor women at low prices
B. sends donated clothes to poor rural women
C. opens literacy classes for illiterate women
D. gives money to poor women through an NGO
64. The last paragraph but one tells us that Zhang tries to ______.
A. open more charity shops
B. donate more money to the rural women
C. help the women live better through their own efforts
D. find jobs in Beijing for the rural women
65. The article is mainly about ______.
A. the charity cause in Beijing B. Beijing’s first charity shop and its owner
C. the living condition of rural women D. the difficult situation a charity worker faces

Copyright ©2020-2025 优题课 youtike.com 版权所有

粤ICP备20024846号