2．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 500years 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．
56．According to the passage，expressions about waterA．
A．are very common
B．have unpleasant meanings
C．are very interesting
D．are easy to understand
57．The expression"hot water"B．
A．is not used nowadays
B．has a long history
C．means arguing with others
D．only means serious trouble
58．Which of the following expressions have the similar meaning？D
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"
59．If you signed an agreement with Tom yesterday and want to change it now，Tom may say"C"．
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
60．What would be the best title for the passage？B
A．Water
B．Expressions about water
C．Several common expressions
D．Water and everyday English．
分析 本文主要讲述了几个与water有关的习语，如hot water，deep water等．
解答 56-60 ABDCB
56 A 细节理解题．由第一段"Expressions about water are almost as common as water itself"可知，与水有关的表达像水一样普遍．故选A．
57 B 细节理解题．文章第二段说Hot water，was used 500 years ago to mean being in trouble短语hot water五百年前就被用来指麻烦事，陷入困境．故选B．
58 D 细节理解题．文章第四段说Being in"deep water"is almost the same as being in hot water短语deep water和hot water是意思相同．故选D
59 C 细节理解题．文章第六段说It is something that is finished．It cannot be changed短语water over the dam的意思是不可改变的事实．故选C．
60．B 主旨大意题．通读全文可知文章讲述的是与water有关的短语．故选B．
点评 学生需要认真阅读原文，把握文章大意，对文章脉络有整体的了解，能仔细查找文中细节，并能根据文章内容进行合理的推测判断．
