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

 

Do you know the following expressions?

Faustian bargain

         According to most stories, Faust was a German scholar who was rather unhappy with his life．The devil（魔鬼）, Mephistopheles, promises him that in return for his soul．he will give Faust unlimited power and knowledge．Faust agrees and experiences all kinds of pleasures, but, in the end, his soul goes to the hell．A “Faustian bargain” therefore is a deal that finally results in one's ruin．It means a bargain made for temporary gain without taking future consequences into consideration．

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 large that they had three acts taking place meanwhile 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, he 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 things.” 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 fish man and wish to catch a lot of fish, where would you be? You would be “in the swim”!

1.If a person makes a Faustian bargain, _____．

A．he might come to a bad end

B．he would be considered clever

C．his life would become satisfying

D．he would gain power and knowledge

2.In the past, why did a circus perform different acts at the same time ?

A.It was the audience’s requirement.

B. The time was limited.

C. The circus was very big.

D. They wanted to earn more money.

3.What do we learn about the expression “in the swim（of things）”?

A．It means having a lot of things to do．

B．It has nothing to do with swimming．

C．Originally it was used to refer to "going fishing"．

D．Patients use it to express their desire for health.

4.What is the text mainly about?

A．The development of English phrases

B．Some old and interesting stories

C．Some phrases' meanings and origins

D．Some misunderstandings about words

 

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?

A．Homeric laughter	B．A three-ring circus
C．In the swim (of things)	D．Chickens have come home to roost

【小题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.

【小题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

【小题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

It was not the first time for Shi Benliang, a senior physics major at Peking University, to feed cats. But the 22-year-old felt sad when he saw the scars and wounds on the bodies of the little creatures.

“I can imagine how they have suffered from being abandoned. They lead a harsh life wandering around,” said the student..Shi is one of a dozen students at the university volunteering to feed the stray cats during the winter break.

Recruited by the Stray Cat Rescue Association at the university through a Bulletin Board System (BBS), he took turns with other students to care for the homeless animals. It is estimated that there are more than 100 stray cats on the campus of Peking University.

Jin Jing, 18, an economics freshman at the university, cared for the cats for two days. “At around 5 pm I cycled to the 22 feeding sites on campus marked on a special map,” she said. “At each site I left some cat food and water.”Jin was excited when the animals rushed to her feet. “Some are shy and timid, and others are more outgoing. Each of them has their own name such as ‘Sweet Orange’ or ‘Karl Marx’,” she said. “By feeding them I learned to respect life.”

Liu Chenhao, a senior electronics and computer science major, who is in charge of the association, said that feeding was just one part of their responsibilities.“Our aim is to keep the stray cats in check and maintain harmony between them and the students on campus,” he said.

The organization also takes cats to the animal hospital to be treated for oral and skin disease. Another of its major tasks is to find new homes for the cats by uploading their photos and information online.

“We’re very careful when selecting owners and ask them lots of questions to ensure that they won’t desert their cat under any circumstances, such as when they move house or get married,” Liu said. But he stressed that their acts of kindness shouldn’t encourage anyone to abandon their cat. “A cat’s normal life expectancy is more than 10 years, but a stray one may survive for only two or three.”  (365words)

1.You may read the article from a (an)______________ .

A．academic journal    B．fashion journal      C．autobiography      D．newspaper

2.Which of the following is NOT the task of the Stray Cat Rescue Association ?

A．To keep students have a harmonious relationship with cats.

B．To mourn the stray cats when they die of hunger or illness.

C．To choose suitable owners for stray cats deliberately.

D．To take stray cats to treat diseases when they were sick.

3.We can infer from the passage that____________ .

A．A married woman is not qualified to adopt the cat.

B．A stray cat may live shorter than the ordinary cats.

C．Volunteers can feed the stray cats in any place they like.

D．There are more than 100 stray cats on the campus.

 

I had made up my mind a long time ago that I would not give a homeless person money, because I could never be sure what that money would be used for. Instead, I decided, I would buy them a sandwich, a cold drink on a hot day, a cup of coffee, whatever I could manage.

I was out recently and saw a homeless man outside of a Starbucks. I decided I would buy this man lunch. I bought a sandwich and soda.

Just as I was leaving the store, two policemen were approaching the man. Obviously the shop owners had complained of his wandering and the police were there to draw him away from the storefronts. Just as they were about to wake him, I asked one of the officers if it was all right if I just gave the man something before he went. I was not sure why I asked the permission but the policeman said sure and I just left the bag in the man’s cart, got in my car and drove off.

As I was driving off I remember thinking “I hope people saw that”. Then I had to seriously ask myself why I hoped people had seen me give the man a sandwich from Starbucks. Was it because I wanted people to think, “She’s such a nice person!”? Why did I hope others had seen me do it? I continued to wonder this all evening.

The next morning, it came to me that I wanted people to have witnessed that small act of kindness not so that I would receive credit and praise but so that they might be inspired to do the same and in so doing that others still would witness their acts of kindness. Thus the whole spirit of pity and giving would be lasting.

1.The underlined word “Starbucks” in the second paragraph is the name of a _________.

A．shop             B．bookstore         C．bank             D．man

2.When the author saw the homeless man, he was __________.

A．begging outside                        B．buying goods

C．staying awake                          D．falling asleep

3.What’s the purpose of the passage?

A．To show the author is great.

B．To encourage people to help others.

C．To introduce an experience that changed the author.

D．To call on people not to give money to a homeless man.

4.The author can be best described as __________.

A．bad-tempered                         B．hard-working

C．kind-hearted                           D．self-confident