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.
小题1:According to the passage, expressions about water __________.A．are very commonB．have unpleasant meaningsC．are very interestingD．are easy to understand小题2:The expression “hot water” _________.A．is not used nowadaysB．has a long historyC．means arguing with othersD．only means serious trouble小题3: 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”小题4: If you signed an agreement with Tom yesterday and want to change it now, Tom may say “_______”.A．You should keep your head above waterB．You can’t throw cold waterC．It is water over the damD．Don’t be in deep water小题5: What would be the best title for the passage?A．WaterB．expressions about waterC．Several common expressionsD．Water and everyday English 题型：未知 难度：其他题型
答案
小题1:A
小题2:B
小题3:D
小题4:C
小题5:B
解析
本文主要讲述了与water有关的一些谚语及其来源，如hot water, deep water等
小题1:A细节理解题。根据第一段表述的可知expressions about water are almost as common as water itself与水有关的表达象水一样很普遍，所以选A项。
小题2:B 细节理解题。根据第二段 “Hot water” was used 500 years ago to mean being in trouble可知hot water 已经被用500年了用来表示某人陷入困境。所以选B项。
小题3:D细节题。根据文章第三段第一句Being in “deep water” is almost the same as being in hot water. 可知In deep water和in hot water是一样的意思。说明A正确
小题4:C 细节理解题。根据第六段“Water over the dam” is another expression about a past event. It is something that is finished. It cannot be changed可知“Water over the dam”表示一些东西已经完成，不能再改变，根据题意本来与Tom签定协议，现在想改变，故他会说木已成舟，不可改变，因此选C项。
小题5:B 主旨大意。本文主要讲述了几个与water有关的习语，如hot water, deep water等，并且在文章最后也提到This is our Special English program, WORDS AND THEIR STORIES. It was written by Marilyn Christiano这是我们的节目，语言与他们的故事，.故B项符合大意。
考点
据考高分专家说，试题“expressions about wa.....”主要考查你对 [政治经济类阅读 ]考点的理解。政治经济类阅读
政治经济类文章的概念：
要做好这类阅读，平时就要注意了解国内外发生的政治经济大事，掌握一定背景知识，对这类文章的叙述特点及内容安排有一定了解，还要扩展这方面的词汇。阅读这类文章，要抓住文章的核心，即文章整体和各段主要在说什么，也要注意段落之间的逻辑关系。
如何备考政治经济类阅读理解题：
【题型说明】政治经济类阅读文章是高考常选材料之一。该类文章时代气息浓郁，语言鲜活，但熟字新义词、超纲词及专业词语多，长句、难句多。政治类文章大多数是同学们感性趣的内容，读起来倒有似曾相识的感觉，经济类文章读起来就像是雾里看花，文章看完，一头雾水。再加之这类文章的命题侧重于词义猜测、推理判断和文章主旨，同学们对这类题材是望而生畏。
【备考策略】建立心理优势。针对不同体裁的文章，我们要采取相应的阅读方法和技巧。政治类文章多采用记叙文形式，我们可采取“顺读法”，以便抓关键语句，领会文章主旨；而经济类文章则多采用说明文形式，我们则可以采取“逆读法”，先读试题，再从文章中查找有用信息。若遇到的确难读的材料。千万不用着急，因为你觉得难，其他人也一定是同感。在高考前，我们就要有这种心理准备，高考试卷肯定有一、两篇难以阅读的材料。不过，我们平时可以有意识地从报刊杂志上找一些较难的阅读材料来阅读，以培养自己迎难而上的心理素质。
【答题方法】
1、寻找主干：
根据英语中五种基本句型结构，把句子中的主语、谓语、宾语、表语等主要成分找出来，其他成分如定语、状语、补语等则易于理解。找到了句子主干，句子的意思至少明白了一半。
2、剔除从句：
在一个长句中可能会出现若干个从句，在理解时，如果把各个从句剔除出来单独理解，然后把大意拼凑起来，整个长句的意思就会明白六、七分。
3、辨别分句：
一个长句如果是由几个并列、转折、递进、对比关系的分句组成，句中往往有表示这些分句关系的连接词，只要能弄清楚分句和分句之间的逻辑关系，再把各层分句的意思加以连贯，整个长句的句意基本上能跃然脑中。
4、寻找关键词：
如果一个句子看完，一点句意的感觉也没有，下下策就是抓住句中的关键词，通过关键词大体弄懂这个长句的意思。
