Like every language, American English is full of special expressions, phrases that come from the day-to-day life of the people and develop in their own way. Our expression today is “to face the music.”
When someone says, “Well, I guess I’ll have to face the music,” it does not mean he’s planning to go to the concert. It is something far less pleasant, like being called in by your boss to explain why you did this and did that, and why you didn’t do this or that. Sour music indeed, but it has to be faced. At sometime or another, every one of us has had to face the music, especially as children. We can all remember father’s angry voice, “I want to talk to you!” and only because we did not obey him. What an unpleasant business it was!
The phrase “to face the music” is familiar to every American, young and old. It is at least 100 years old. And where did this expression come from? The first explanation comes from the American novelist, James Fenimore Looper. He said, in 1851, that the expression was first used by actors while waiting in the wings to go on the stage. When they got their cue (提示) to go on, they often said, “Well, it’s time to face the music.” And that is exactly what they did---facing the orchestra which was just below them. And an actor might be frightened or nervous as he moved on to the stage in front of an audience that might be friendly or perhaps hostile, especially if he forgot his lines (台词). But he had to go out. If he did not, there would be no play. So the expression “to face the music” came to mean “having to go through something, no matter how unpleasant the experience might be, because you knew you had no choice.”
Other explanations about the expression go back to the army. When the men faced inspection by their leader, the soldiers would be worried about how well they looked. Was their equipment clean, shinny enough to pass inspection? Still the men had to go out and face the music of the band as well as the inspection. What else could they do?
Another army explanation is more closely related to the idea of facing the results and accepting the responsibility for something that should not have been done. As for example, when a man is forced out of the army because he did something terrible, he is dishonored. The band does not play. Only the drums tap a sad, slow beat. The soldier is forced to leave, facing such music as it is and facing the back of his horse.
1.How many explanations are mentioned about the phrase “to face the music” in the passage?
A．1. B．2. C．3. D．4.
2.What does the phrase “to face the music” really mean?
A．To face the stage.
B．To face the back of the horse.
C．To face one’s leader or father.
D．To face something far less pleasant.
3.Which of the following occasions is the one we may have to face the music?
A．When we are playing basketball in the playground.
B．When we are making a speech before a lot of people.
C．When we are having a party at ease with our teachers.
D．When we are talking with somebody in secret.
4.The underlined word “hostile” in the third paragraph means ______.
A.unfriendly B．dislike
C．unkind D．Unnecessary
Could cities that float (漂浮) on the sea solve the problems caused by floods and provide food for the world?
Some scientists think so. The idea is already being tested and they believe that floating citied will provide more homes for a growing population, without having to use land needed to grow food. And they believe floating areas will allow more food to be grown, so that no one in the world is hungry.
In some places, cities that float on the sea are already being planned, A company in the Netherlands called DeltaSync thinks that sea cities will save the world, with more than one in ten people living in them.
They say sea cities solve many of the problems the world faces in the 21st century, like not having enough land , more and more people needing homes, fossil fuels (矿物燃料) running low and the increasingly serious problems caused by floods.
DeltaSync says building in the desert (沙漠) is not possible because there is no enough water and that developing ways for people to live in space is still too expensive. So they believe the answer is our oceans, which cover over two thirds of the Earth’s surface. Their plans for floating areas include using algae (海藻) to produce fuel and food.
More than a quarter of the land in the Netherlands already lies underwater and scientists there have spent years trying to find ways to deal with it. In the city of Rotterdam they already have floating homes.
Bart Roeffen from DeltaSync says: “We have plans for neighbourhoods including roads and, in the end, I believe we can build floating cities on the sea.”
1.DeltaSync is a company that wants to build cities _______．
A．on land B．in space
C．on the sea D．in the desert
2.Which of the following is the advantage of the cities that DeltaSync wants to build?
A．Providing more jobs for people.
B．Making travel in space possible.
C．Supplying enough water to people.
D．Satisfying more people’s housing needs.
3.What does Bart Roeffen think of his company’s future plans?
A．He doubts them.
B．He is hopeful of them.
C．He is uncertain about them.
D．He has no idea about them.
4.What is the best title for the text?
A．Will there be enough water?
B．Will sea cities save the world?
C．Is it possible to live in the desert?
D．Is it expensive to build floating cities?
John was waiting for the girl whose heart he knew，but whose face he didn’t，the girl with the rose．Thirteen months ago，in a Florida library he took a book off the shell and found himself interested in the notes in the margin(页边)．The soft handwriting showed a thoughtful soul and insightful(有洞察力的)mind．
In front of the book，he discovered the name，Miss Hollis Maynell. With time and effort he got her address．He wrote her a letter introducing himself and inviting her to keep in touch．
During the next year and one month the two grew to know each other through the mail．A romance started．John requested a photograph，but she refused．She felt that if he really cared, it wouldn’t matter what she looked like．Later they agreed on their first meeting—7:00 pm at Grand Central Station in New York．
“You’ll recognize me,” she wrote，“by the red rose I’ll be wearing my coat.” So at 7：00 he was in the station looking for the girl with the red rose．
A girl in a green suit was coming toward him，her figure long and slim and her eyes were blue as flowers．Almost uncontrollably h
e came to her，and just at this moment he saw Hollis Maynell—a woman well past 40．The girl was walking quickly away．
He did not hesitate(犹豫)，saying，“I’m John，and you must be Miss Maynell．I am so glad you could meet me. May I take you to dinner?”
The woman smiled, “I don’t know what this is about，son，” she answered，“but the young lady in the green suit begged me to wear this rose on my coat．And she said if you were to ask me out to dinner，I should tell you that she is waiting for you in the restaurant across the street．She said it was some kind of test!”
It’s not difficult to admire Miss Maynell’s wisdom. The true nature of a heart is seen in its response to the unattractive.
1.John was attracted by Miss Hollis Maynell because ________.
A．John believed her one of her old friends
B．she took good notes with a soft handwriting
C．John thought her a considerate and thinking lady
D．she was beautiful with a slim figure and blue eyes
2.Why did John uncontrollably go up to the young girl in the green suit?
A．Because he knew it was Miss Hollis Maynell.
B．Because she was the very lady he was waiting for.
C．Because he was drawn to her beautiful appearance.
D．Because John didn’t want to meet Miss Hollis Maynell
3.We can find John was a person who ________.
A．was easy to change his mind
B．was casual and independent
C．judged a person by his looks
D．valued a person’s inner spirit
4.What’s the theme of the story?
A．The wisdom is shown in one’s action.
B．Love can be met by chance if you like.
C．You should never judge a book by its cover.
D．A noble heart is seen in its response to the unattractive.
Just off La Rambla Street in Barcelona, I skimmed through The Saints (圣人) of Spain in a bookstore. It would be a good read for the home. At that moment, I couldn’t help thinking of my own personal saint, the angel who’d my trip.
It was the first time for me to travel abroad and I called it a “spiritual journey”. I hadn’t a hotel before setting out I thought I could find a cheap one when I arrived. , it turned out to be a(n) .
I knew Spanish, but the quick, sad of each hotel owner’s head was easily understood — no room at the hotel. The sun had just gone down below the horizon (地平线)，I didn’t know what to do and began to . Just then, an old man came with a hat covering his white hair. He asked me if I needed any help. I supposed maybe he the worried look on my face.
After explaining why I was there, he asked me to him. At first, I whether the stranger did that out of kindness. However, considering my situation, I had no other choice but to him. I walked behind him and passed through a narrow, dark side street. Finally he rang the bell on a door. “You will stay here,” he said. “It is a place.”
He was . My room was huge —with a bed, a desk and even a bath. I wanted to him, but he’d gone away. “This man can be trusted,” I thought.
Now , at the , I felt a tap (轻拍) on my shoulder. It was him ! So he was . “I want to thank you. What’s your name ? ” I said.
“Raphael,” he said. “You’re very welcome.” With that, he went away into the crowd on La Rambla. “He was not an angel but just a kind ,” I thought.
On the planet, I turned to a page in The Saints of Spain by chance. “Raphael,” it read, “is known as the supporter of travellers. He helps guide spiritual journeys.” Yes, he does.
1.A. train B.boat C. flight D. bus
2.A. saved B.recorded C.disturbed D. described
3.A.cleaned B. run C. booked D. left
4.A.because B.unless C. until D. though
5.A.At least B.After all C. In all D. In fact
6.A. warning B.error C. example D. tale
7.A. little B.some C. old D. only
8.A. change B. shake C. memory D. thought
9.A. speak B. rest C. worry D. imagine
10.A. near B. back C. out D. again
11.A. remembered B. noticed C. misunderstood D.enjoyed
12.A.inform B. tolerate C. follow D.defend
13.A.explained B.doubted C. discussed D. argued
14.A. look for B.laugh at C. wait for D.believe in
15.A.dark B.secret C. safe D.good
16.A. tired B.confused C. right D.independent
17.A.visit B.invite C. challenge D. thank
18.A. shop B. hotel C. bookstore D.school
19.A. real B. active C. selfish D. rude
20.A. Traveler B. stranger C. adult D. Worker
Mrs Black finds it hard to clear up the mess, as the kids are always _______ whenever she tries to.
A．in a way B．in the way
C．by the way D．on the way
Seeing his son in hospital, Wang Jinsheng decided to return to his hometown and care for him ________ in the future.
A．physically B．logically
C．personally D．Totally
