Some expressions in English can be really puzzling. Have a look at the following to see how it challenges your brainpower.
Homeric laughter
The "Homer" in this expression is the Greek poet. People laugh differently. Some laugh silently, while others tend to laugh loudly. "Homeric laughter" refers to laughter of the latter kind. It is at times uncontrollable, and the entire body shakes during the process. This kind of laughter is called Homeric laughter because this is how the gods laughed in Homer's classics.
A three-ring circus
When you refer to a situation as being a three-ring circus, you are saying that it is a situation of complete confusion. There are so many activities taking place all together that they leave you confused or annoyed. The expression comes from the world of entertainment — the circus. The area where the artists perform their acts is called the "ring". In the past, some of the circuses were so grand that they had three acts taking place simultaneously in three different "rings". The audience had to decide which "ring" they wanted to focus on.
In the swim (of things)
When someone is in the swim of things, the individual is actively participating in the things happening around him, as in "I've been ill, but soon I’ll be back in the swim of thing." In the world of fishing, fishermen use the word "swim" to refer to the section of the lake/river where fish can be found in plenty. So, if you are a fisherman and wish to catch a lot offish, where would you be? You would be "in the swim".
Chickens have come home to roost
The word "roost" refers to the place where birds rest. It could be anything — the branch of a tree, a henhouse, etc. The expression is normally used to mean that the bad things that someone did in the past have come back to bite or upset the individual. In other words, one has to face the consequences of the deeds done in the past. The original form of this 700-year-old expression was "curses are like chickens; they always come home to roost".
【小题1】Which of the following can best describe the picture?

Very far away from the city lived a poor farmer and his wife. In front of their house was a small dirt road. Very few cars drove on this road because it was so far from the city. On the dirt road, there was a big hole filled with water. The hole was very deep, but drivers on the road didn't know just how deep. Drivers always drove into the hole, but they never drove out.
One day, a man in a new car was driving down the road. He saw the hole with the water, but he didn't think it was very deep. He drove into the hole, but he couldn't drive out. The man saw the farmer on his tractor working in the field, and he signaled to the farmer. The farmer drove over to the man in the new car.
“Is there a problem?”asked the farmer.
“Yes,”said the man.“My car is stuck in this hole. Can you help me?”
“Maybe,”said the farmer.“But I'm very busy.”
“lf you help me, I'll pay you,” said the man.
“OK,”said the farmer. The farmer pulled the car out of the hole with his tractor, and the man paid him a lot of money. The man looked at the farmer and said,“You must. make a lot of money pulling cars out of this hole day and night.”
“Actually, no,”said the farmer.
“Why not?”asked the man.
“The hole is very deep, and a lot of people get stuck and ask for help. But I don't make money day and night because I don't pull cars out at night.”
“At night I'm busy filling the hole with water,” answered the farmer.
【小题1】The reason why few cars drove on the small dirt road was that __________ .

Some expressions in English can be really puzzling. Have a look at the following to see how it challenges your brainpower.

Homeric laughter

    The "Homer" in this expression is the Greek poet. People laugh differently. Some laugh silently, while others tend to laugh loudly. "Homeric laughter" refers to laughter of the latter kind. It is at times uncontrollable, and the entire body shakes during the process. This kind of laughter is called Homeric laughter because this is how the gods laughed in Homer's classics.

A three-ring circus

    When you refer to a situation as being a three-ring circus, you are saying that it is a situation of complete confusion. There are so many activities taking place all together that they leave you confused or annoyed. The expression comes from the world of entertainment — the circus. The area where the artists perform their acts is called the "ring". In the past, some of the circuses were so grand that they had three acts taking place simultaneously in three different "rings". The audience had to decide which "ring" they wanted to focus on.

In the swim (of things)

    When someone is in the swim of things, the individual is actively participating in the things happening around him, as in "I've been ill, but soon I’ll be back in the swim of thing." In the world of fishing, fishermen use the word "swim" to refer to the section of the lake/river where fish can be found in plenty. So, if you are a fisherman and wish to catch a lot offish, where would you be? You would be "in the swim".

Chickens have come home to roost

    The word "roost" refers to the place where birds rest. It could be anything — the branch of a tree, a henhouse, etc. The expression is normally used to mean that the bad things that someone did in the past have come back to bite or upset the individual. In other words, one has to face the consequences of the deeds done in the past. The original form of this 700-year-old expression was "curses are like chickens; they always come home to roost".

1.Which of the following can best describe the picture?

A. Homeric laughter                            B. A three-ring circus

C. In the swim (of things)                         D. Chickens have come home to roost

2.What does the underlined word "simultaneously'(Paragraph 3) mean?

    A. At the same time.                          B. Step by step.

    C. All of a sudden.                              D. One after another.

3.lf you want to know more about such expressions, which website will you probably visit?

    A. www.chinadaily.com.cn/sports/China.html

    B. www.chinadaily.com.cn/world/university.html

    C. www.chinadaily.com.cn/culuture/language.html

    D. www.chinadaily.com.cn/entertainment/fashion.html

4.The passage is written to        .

    A. tell readers some old and interesting stories

    B. indicate the development of English phrases

    C. correct some misunderstandings about words

D. explain the meanings and origins of some phrases

Very far away from the city lived a poor farmer and his wife. In front of their house was a small dirt road. Very few cars drove on this road because it was so far from the city. On the dirt road, there was a big hole filled with water. The hole was very deep, but drivers on the road didn't know just how deep. Drivers always drove into the hole, but they never drove out.

One day, a man in a new car was driving down the road. He saw the hole with the water, but he didn't think it was very deep. He drove into the hole, but he couldn't drive out. The man saw the farmer on his tractor working in the field, and he signaled to the farmer. The farmer drove over to the man in the new car.

“Is there a problem?”asked the farmer.

“Yes,”said the man.“My car is stuck in this hole. Can you help me?”

“Maybe,”said the farmer.“But I'm very busy.”

“lf you help me, I'll pay you,” said the man.

“OK,”said the farmer. The farmer pulled the car out of the hole with his tractor, and the man paid him a lot of money. The man looked at the farmer and said,“You must. make a lot of money pulling cars out of this hole day and night.”

“Actually, no,”said the farmer.

“Why not?”asked the man.

“The hole is very deep, and a lot of people get stuck and ask for help. But I don't make money day and night because I don't pull cars out at night.”

“At night I'm busy filling the hole with water,” answered the farmer.

1.The reason why few cars drove on the small dirt road was that __________ .

A．there was a big and deep hole             B．the couple was not polite enough

C．it had a long distance from the city          D．drivers were afraid of being in the hole

2.According to paragraph 2, we can know about the man in a new car __________ .

A．he just learned to drive a car              B．it was the first time that he passed there

C．he knew how deep the hole was            D．he knew the farmer in the field

3.What did the farmer usually do at night?

A．He helped pull out cars.                  B．He made money.

C．He filled water to the hole                 D．He slept at home.

A group of graduates got together to visit their old university professor. They talked about the 36   topic-happiness. But soon their conversation turned into complaints about  37 in work and life.
To offer his guests coffee, the professor went to the kitchen and  38 with a large pot of coffee and a variety of  39 -plastic glass, metal, porcelain (陶瓷), some  plain-looking  some  very  40 .The professor told his students to help themselves to hot coffee.
When all the students had a cup of coffee in  41 . the professor said:" lf you have noticed, all the nice-looking  42 . cups were taken, leaving behind the plain and cheap ones. While it is   43 for you to want only the best for Your belives, that is the  44 of your problems and stress. The professor continued," Believe that the cup itself adds no  45 to the coffee. ln most cases it is just more expensive and in some cases it even  46 what we drink. What all of you  47 wanted was coffee, not the cup, but you consciously went  48 the best cups. Now  49 this: life is coffee, the jobs, money, and  50 in society are the cups， which are just tools to hold and  51 life, and the different types of cups we have don't decide, nor   52 the quality of life. lf we concentrate only on the cups, we will  53 to enjoy the coffee in it. So don't let the cups  54 you...enjoy the coffee instead."
At these words, the graduates looked at each other in  55 embarrassment.