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. The problem is too deep. 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. Which of the following two expressions have almost the same meaning?
| A．To be in hot water；To be in deep water. |
| B．To be in hot water；To keep your head above water. |
| C．To be in deep water；Water over the dam. |
| D．Water over the dam；To be in hot water. |
If a person tries to keep his head out of water，we can say that .
| A．he is in danger of losing his life |
| B．he is trying to pay off his debt |
| C．he is trying to keep his promise |
| D．he is trying not to get into debt |
What can you infer from the passage?
| A．“To be in hot water” can only be used to mention serious trouble. |
| B．“Water over the dam” is an expression about a future event. |
| C．Water could be used in the war in the past. |
| D．All of the expressions using water have unpleasant meanings. |
This passage is written mainly to tell us .
| A．the use of water |
| B．how to use some expressions about water |
| C．expressions about water and their meanings |
| D．expressions with negative meaning |
Our bedroom has no full-length mirror. There is one at the canteen entrance. I always cherish a secret desire to take a glance before it at myself in a beautiful new dress. However, each time when it comes to the fulfillment, I get seized with such an uneasiness that I literally stagger(踉跄) away—backing out at the critical moment.
At the root of it is my lack of confidence by which I have been enslaved since childhood. It embarrasses me at the mildest praise, crushes my utmost efforts to say “No”, and prevents me from asking my parents for one cent more than necessary. Among other things, lack of confidence has wormed its way into my love of piano.
At the age of 14, one Sunday morning, I was woken up by a resounding hymn(洪亮的圣歌). Tracing that call of God into a neighboring church, I found myself deeply attracted by the melody of a piano—something beyond the means of my parents. To make it worse, people say a pianist is supposed to have music in the blood, but I believe I had none from my engineer father and technician mother. For days on end, I kept thinking of nothing else. I had a dream.
It wasn’t a dream after gold, which made some of my close friends to engage in business as self-employed traders or street peddlers. I was sometimes dazzled by their gold rings or elegant necklaces behind which, however, I seemed to catch sight of skeletons in their cupboards and was frightened away from the craze for fortunate. Out of despair, I kept it to myself, lack of confidence weighing heavy on me. I could do nothing but turn to my dream for comfort, for courage to aim high and wish for the impossible. I was convinced that before I could afford anything expensive (to me, it was a piano), I should climb up the academic ladder as high as possible.
For the next nine years, I carefully held back my desire for music to keep my search for learning, especially in English studies. My efforts were so rewarding that I went successfully through high school and college in my hometown. When I received the admission notice for a second degree course at a famous university in Beijing, the national capital, tears welled up in my eyes. I knew my command of English was my wealth, for I might make a deal with a pianist who would give me access to his piano in exchange for English lessons. And that has come true!
To this day, whenever I lay my fingers on the snow-white keyboard, ready for a melody, I still feel shy. I am quite aware of my limited music talent, but as a shy dreamer, I have found my way to success.According to the first two paragraphs, we can learn that the writer is __________.
| A．helpless | B．shy | C．honest | D．considerate |
Why did the writer say her desire for the piano was a dream in the third paragraph?
a. Her parents couldn’t afford a piano.
b. Her parents didn’t want her to engage in music.
c. She thought she had no gift for music.
d. She could do nothing but accept the reality.
| A．a, b | B．c, d | C．a, c | D．b, d |
How did the writer make her dream of playing the piano come true?
| A．She turned to her friends for financial aid. |
| B．She taught English in exchange for piano lessons. |
| C．She was admitted to a university for a second degree course in music. |
| D．She earned money by doing a part-time job to pay for her piano lessons. |
What can we learn from the writer’s example?
| A．Wealth always comes after a great effort. |
| B．Confidence is a key factor in success. |
| C．We should be academically successful before other achievements. |
| D．We should make every effort to turn a dream into reality. |
Mr. Peter Johnson, aged twenty-three, battled for half an hour to escape from his trapped car yesterday when it landed upside down in three feet of water. He took the only escape route—through the boot.
Mr. Johnson’s car had ended up in a ditch at Romney Marsin, Kent after he lost proper control on ice and hit a bank. “Fortunately, the water began to come in only slowly,” Mr. Johnson said. “I couldn’t force the doors open because they were jammed against the walls of the ditch and dared not open the windows because I knew water would come flooding in.”
Mr. Johnson, a sweet salesman of Sitting Home, Kent, first tried to attract the attention of other motorists by sounding the horn and hammering on the roof and boot. Then he began his struggle to escape.
Later he said, “It was really a half penny that saved my life. It was the only coin I had in my pocket and I used it to unscrew the back seat to get into the boot. I hammered desperately with a hammer trying to make someone hear, but no help came.”
It took ten minutes to unscrew the seat, and a further five minutes to clear the sweet samples from the boot. Then Mr. Johnson found a wrench (扳手) and began to work on the boot lock. Fifteen minutes passed by. “It was the only chance I had. Finally it gave, but as soon as I moved the boot lid, the water and mud poured in. I forced the lid down into the mud and climbed up clear as the car filled up.”
His hands and arms cut and bruised, Mr. Johnson got to Beckett Farm nearby. Huddled in a blanket, he said, “That thirty minutes seemed like hours.” Only the tips of the car wheels were visible, police said last night. The vehicle had sunk into two feet of mud at the bottom of the ditch. Which of the following objects is the most important to Mr. Johnson?
| A．The hammer. | B．The coin. | C．The seat. | D．The horn. |
We know from the passage that ______.
| A．Mr. Johnson’s car stood on its boot as it fell down |
| B．Mr. Johnson’s car accident was partly due to the slippery road |
| C．Mr. Johnson struggled in the pouring mud as he unscrewed the back seat |
| D．Mr. Johnson could not escape from the door because it was full of sweet jam |
“Finally it gave” in Paragraph 5 means that ______.
| A．at last the wrench went broken |
| B．the chance was lost at the last minute |
| C．the lock came open after all his efforts |
| D．luckily the door was torn away in the end |
What is the best title for this newspaper article?
| A．Driver Escapes through Car Boot |
| B．The Story of Mr. Johnson, a Sweet Salesman |
| C．The Driver Survived a Terrible Car Accident |
| D．Car Boot Can Serve as the Best Escape Route |
Traveling can be a fun way to gain life experiences, especially during Spring Break — a week-long school vacation in the United States. But what if you're a student and don't have enough money for a trip? Don't worry. Here are some useful suggestions.
●Save: This probably is the most important preparation for traveling. Cut expenses to fatten your wallet so you'll have more choices about where to go and how to get there.
●Plan ahead: Don't wait until the last minute to plan your trip. Tickets may cost more when bought on short notice. Giving yourself several months to get ready can mean security and savings.
●Do your homework: No matter where you go, research the places you will visit. Decide what to see. Travel books will provide information on the cheapest hotels and restaurants.
●Plan sensibly: Write down how much you expect to spend for food and hotels. Stick to your plan or you may not have enough money to cover everything.
●Travel in groups: Find someone who is interested in visiting the same places. By traveling with others you can share costs and experiences.
●Work as you go: Need more money to support your trip? Look for work in the places you visit.
●Go off the beaten path: Tourist sites may be expensive. You may want to rethink your trip and go to a less-known area. Smaller towns can have many interesting activities and sights.
●Pack necessary things: The most important things to take are not always clothes.
Remember medicine in case you get sick, and snacks in case you cannot find a cheap restaurant.
●Use the Internet: The net can help to save money. Some useful websites include www. travelcity. corn, www. bargainslowestfare. corn and www. economictravelcity. com.
By planning sensibly, even students can enjoy the travel. Your travel experiences will be remembered for a lifetime. This passage is about ____________.
| A．how to plan your travel |
| B．how to get life experiences |
| C．how to make your travel interesting |
| D．how to travel with enough money |
Before your trip, the most important thing you should do is ____________.
| A．to make a plan of the route |
| B．to buy tickets in advance |
| C．to save money before your trip |
| D．to get information from the Internet |
The writer advises you ____________.
| A．to share costs with friends |
| B．not to go to well-known places |
| C．not to visit dangerous places |
| D．to buy anything you want to buy |
WHEN there are some strangers in front of us, which of them will we trust?
According to a new study in the online PLOS One, people make their decisions to trust others largely based on their faces. Your appearance can do a lot for you, especially if you are in the financial industry. The more trustworthy you look, the more likely people will buy what you’re selling.
Researchers from Britain’s University of Warwick Business School, University College London, and Dartmouth College, US, did a number of experiments.
The research team used computer software to make 40 faces, from the least to the most trustworthy-looking.
The study said that the difference between a trustworthy face and one that isn’t as trustworthy comes from features that look slightly angry or slightly happy, even when the face is at rest. However, a slightly happy face is more likely to be trusted.
Researchers gave participants some money and asked them which face they trusted to invest the money for them. Then researchers gave some good and bad information about the people with these faces, and asked the participants again whom they trusted.
The results showed that even if they got different information, the participants didn’t change their choices. They were still more likely to invest their money with the more trustworthy-looking faces.
Chris Olivola, one of the study’s authors, said in the University of Warwick’s press release: “It seems we are still willing to go with our own instincts (本能) about whether we think someone looks like we can trust them. The temptation (诱惑) to judge strangers by their faces is hard to resist.”Which of the following can be a proper title for this passage?
| A．What kind of face do you trust? |
| B．Who did the experiments? |
| C．Why do you trust him or her? |
| D．Why did they do the experiments? |
According to the study, which of the following faces is most likely to be trusted?
| A．A sad face. | B．A smiling face. |
| C．A crying face. | D．An angry face. |
Which of the following about the experiment is TRUE?
| A．The trustworthy faces were given good information. |
| B．Researchers took photos of the 40 people’s faces in college. |
| C．Most participants gave their money to the trustworthy-looking faces. |
| D．Participants liked to choose the faces with good information. |
What did the researchers learn from their experiment?
| A．People can’t refuse temptations. |
| B．People always do things with their instincts. |
| C．People often judge strangers by their faces. |
| D．People don’t trust strangers with sad faces. |
Something roared like thunder. The earth shook a little and we heard the rat-a-tat-tat of gunfire. ‘‘Father!” Hassan cried. We sprung to our feet and raced out of the living room.
“Father! What’s that sound?” Hassan screamed, his hands outstretched toward Ali. Ali wrapped his arms around us. A white light flashed and lit the sky in silver. It flashed again and was followed by rapid sharp sounds of gunfire.
“They’re hunting ducks, ” Ali said in a hoarse voice. “They hunt ducks at night, you know. Don't be afraid.”
A siren(汽笛）went off in the distance. Somewhere glass broke and someone shouted. I heard people on the street, woken up from sleep. Hassan was crying. Ali pulled him close and held him with tenderness.
We stayed huddled (蜷缩）that way until the early hours of the morning. The shootings and explosions had lasted less than an hour, but they had frightened us badly, because none of us had ever heard gunshots in the streets. They were foreign sounds to us then. The generations of Afghan children whose ears would know nothing but the sounds of the bombs and gunfire were not yet born. Huddled together in the dining room and waiting for the sun to rise, none of us had any idea that a way of life had ended. The end came when Russian tanks were rolling into the very same streets where Hassan and I played, bringing the death of the Afghanistan I knew and marking the start of a still ongoing era of bloodletting.
Just before the sunrise, Baba’s car pulled into the driveway. His door slammed shut and his running footsteps pounded the stairs. Then he appeared in the doorway and I saw something on his face. Something I didn’t recognize right away because I’d never seen it before: fear. “Amir! Hassan!” He cried as he ran to us, opening his arms wide. “They blocked all the roads and the telephone didn’t work. I was so worried!”
We let him wrap us in his arms and, for a brief moment, I was glad about whatever had happened that night.Who is the author of this passage?
| A．Amir. | B．Ali. | C．Baba. | D．Hassan. |
By saying “They’re hunting ducks”, Ali _______.
| A．told the children the truth | B．played a joke on the children |
| C．tried to calm the children | D．cheered the children up |
We can infer from the passage that _______.
| A．there were thunderstorms that night |
| B．Afghan children were used to the war |
| C．people on the street shouted and broke the windows |
| D．that night was the end of people's peaceful life |
From the last sentence of the passage, we know _______.
| A．Baba's arms gave the author temporary comfort and joy |
| B．there was a chance that a world in peace was to come |
| C．what happened that night seemed nothing to the author |
| D．the author was glad to see his father come home safe |
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