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 plete confusion. There are so many activities taking place all together that they leave you confused or annoyed. The expression es 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 e 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 e 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 e home to roost.
【小题1】Which of the following can best describe the picture?
A．Homeric laughterB．A three-ring circusC．In the swim (of things)D．Chickens have e 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..cn/sports/China.htmlB．www.chinadaily..cn/world/university.htmlC．www.chinadaily..cn/culuture/language.htmlD．www.chinadaily..cn/entertainment/fashion.html【小题4】The passage is written to .A．tell readers some old and interesting storiesB．indicate the development of English phrasesC．correct some misunderstandings about wordsD．explain the meanings and origins of some phrasesD
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(答案→)D
解析：本文告诉我们一些令人迷惑的英语表达的意思及来历。
【小题1】D 推断题。从本图中可知，那些送给他的钱一步步地把他送进了监狱，所以符合最后一个成语的意思：善有善报，恶有恶报；害人终害己。
【小题2】A 词义猜测题。In the past, some of the circuses were so grand that they had three acts taking place simultaneously in three different rings.意思是：在过去，马戏团是如此的宏伟，可以共三套节目同时进行。
【小题3】C推断题。本文跟语言有关，故选C。
【小题4】D 主旨大意题。本文要解释一些短语的意义及来源。故D项正确。