Words and Their Stories: Water Expressions

2013年08月05日 VOA, Words and Their Stories.




*Read the words carefully.

  1. unpleasant /ˌʌnˈplɛzn̩t/ (adj.) not pleasant or enjoyable : causing discomfort or pain
  2. dam /ˈdæm/ (n.)a structure that is built across a river or stream to stop water from flowing
  3. serious /ˈsirijəs/ (adj.) having an important or dangerous possible result
  4. argue /ˈɑɚgju/ (v.)to give reasons for or against something : to say or write things in order to change someone’s opinion about what is true, what should be done, etc.
  5. proposal /ˈkʌf/ (n.)to give reasons for or against something : to say or write things in order to change someone’s opinion about what is true, what should be done, etc.


Words and Their Stories: Water Expressions

* Read the text below


 (1)Expressions about water are almost as common as water itself. But many of the expressions using water have unpleasant meanings.


(3) 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.

(4) 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.


(6) “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.

(7) “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.






*Let’s talk about the article base on the questions below

  1. Do you like water? What do you do to preserve water resources?
  2. What are the three words that you can describe with water? Why did you choose these words?
  3. Thomas Fueller said: “We never know the worth of water till the well is dry.”. What do you think he means by this?

Tags: , , ,