20．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．"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 ditticult 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．
"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．
56．The expression"hot water"A．
A．has a long history
B．is not used nowadays
C．means arguing with others
D．only means serious trouble
57．Which of the following expressions have the similar meaning？B
A．"Throwing cold water"and"deep water"
B．"Hot water''and"deep water"
C．‘‘Deep water''and‘‘water over the dam''
D．"Hot water''and"water over the dam"
58．If you signed an agreement with Tom yesterday and want to change it now，Tom may retuse and sayC．
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
59．Tom borrowed a lot of money，so he has toAto keep his head above water．
A．find a well-paid job
B．break the law
C．swim to the shore
D．invest in stocks blindly
60．What would be the best title for the passage？B
A．An important word in English
B．Expressions about water
C．Several common expressions
D．Water and everyday English．
分析 本文主要講述了幾個與water有關的習語，如hot water，deep water等．
解答 答案：56．A 細節(jié)理解題．文章第二段說Hot water，was used 500 years ago to mean being in trouble短語hot water五百年前就被用來指麻煩事，陷入困境．故選A．
57．B 細節(jié)理解題．文章第四段說Being in"deep water"is almost the same as being in hot water短語deep water和hot water是意思相同．故選B．
58．C 細節(jié)理解題．文章第六段說It is something that is finished．It cannot be changed短語water over the dam的意思是不可改變的事實．故選C．
59．A 細節(jié)推斷題．文章第五段說A man who loses his job tries to keep his head above water until he finds a new job一個失去工作的人要想擺脫債務就必須找工作．故選A．
60．B 主旨大意題．文章講述的是與water有關的短語．故選B．
點評 閱讀理解是考查語篇理解能力．常考的題型有：推理判斷題；主旨大意題；細節(jié)理解題；猜測詞意題．近幾年又出現(xiàn)了兩種新的考查方式：寫作態(tài)度判斷題和文章結構題．解題時，在讀懂文章的基礎上，還有特別注意掌握題型的特征，尤其是細節(jié)題和推斷題不可混淆：細節(jié)題是文章信息的再現(xiàn)；推斷題是文章信息的提�。绢}是廣告類文章，考查主要是以細節(jié)題為主，細節(jié)題要注意常用的出題陷阱有：夸大，縮小，張冠李戴，偷梁換柱，無中生有等，做題時要看清看準．
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