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. Awful music indeed, but it has to be faced. At sometime or another, every one of us has 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 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 was exactly what they did—facing the orchestra(管弦乐队) 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. 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 an inspection(视察) by their leader, the soldiers would be worried about how well they looked. Was their equipment clean, shiny enough to pass the 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 linked to the idea of facing the results and accepting the responsibility for something that should not have been done. 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 ways does the phrase “to face the music” comes from?     

A.1.               B.2.                C.3.               D.4.

2.What’s the meaning of “to face the music”?

A.To face something far less pleasant.          B.To face the stage.

C.To face the back of one’s horse.           D.To face one’s leader.

3.The underlined word “hostile” means ________.

A.unfriendly         B.dislike            C.unkind            D.unnecessary

 

When Steve Maxwell graduated from college, he had an engineering degree and a high tech job — but he couldn’t balance his checkbook. “I took one finance class in college but dropped it to go on a ski trip,” says the 45-year-old father of three, who lives in Windsor, Colorado. “I actually had to go to my bank and ask them to teach me how to read my statement.”

One of the biggest obstacles to making money is not understanding it: Thousands of us avoid investing because we just don’t get it. But to make money, you must be financially literate. “It bothered me that I didn’t understand this stuff,” says Steve, “so I read books and magazines about money management and investing, and I asked every financial whiz (能手) I knew to explain things to me.”

He and his wife started applying the lessons: They made a point to live below their means. They never bought on impulse, always negotiated better deals (on their cars,cable bills, furniture) and stayed in their home long after they went for an expensive vacation. They also put 20 percent of their annual salary into investments.

Within ten years, they were millionaires, and people were coming to Steve for advice. “Someone would say, ‘I need to refinance my house — what should I do? ‘A lot of times, I wouldn’t know the answer, but I’d go to find it and learn something in the process,” he says.

In 2003, Steve quit his job to become part owner of a company that holds personal finance seminars for employees of corporations like Wal Mart. He also started going to real estate investment seminars, and it’s paid off: He now owns $ 30 million worth of investment properties, including apartment complexes, a shopping mall and a quarry.

“I was an engineer who never thought this life was possible, but all it truly takes is a little self education,” says Steve. “You can do anything once you understand the basics.”

1.The underlined part “live below their means” (in Paragraph 3) probably means “______”.

A.take effective measures                  B.live a miserable life

C.spend more money than they had           D.spend less money than they had

2.Since Steve Maxwell became a millionaire, he ______.

A.has been unwilling to help others

B.hasn’t stopped learning from practice

C.has been willing to follow others’ advice

D.has stopped to invest in houses

3.What would be the best title for the passage?

A.A self made engineer

B.How to balance your checkbook

C.Don’t avoid investing

D.Educate yourself to become a millionaire

4.It can be inferred from the passage that ______.

A.self education is very important to one’s life

B.everyone should learn how to invest in their life

C.Steve Maxwell was quite interested in finance classes in college

D.Steve became rich because he saved every penny he had earned

 

What makes a gift special? Is it the price you see on the gift receipt?Or is it the look on the recipient's face when they receive it that determines the true value? What gift is worth the most?

This Christmas I was debating what to give my father. My dad is a hard person to buy for because he never wants anything. I pulled out my phone to read a text message from my mom saying that we were leaving for Christmas shopping for him when I came across a message on my phone that I had locked. The message was from my father. My eyes fell on a photo of a flower taken in Wyoming, and underneath a poem by William Blake. The flower, a lone dandelion (蒲公英) standing against the bright blue sky, inspired me. My dad had been reciting those words to me since I was a kid. That may even be the reason why I love writing. I decided that those words would be my gift to my father.

I called back. I told my mom to go without me and that I already created my gift. I sent the photo of the cream-colored flower to my computer and typed the poem on top of it. As I was arranging the details another poem came to mind. The poem was written by Edgar Allan Poe;my dad recited it as much as he did the other. I typed that out as well and searched online for a background to the words of it. The poem was focused around dreaming, and after searching I found the perfect picture. The image was painted with blues and greens and purples, twisting together to create the theme and wonder of a dream. As I watched both poems passing through the printer, the white paper coloring with words that shaped my childhood, I felt that this was a gift that my father would truly appreciate. Christmas soon arrived. The minute I saw the look on my dad’s face as he unwrapped those black letters carefully placed in a cheap frame, I knew I had given the perfect gift.

1.The idea for a special gift began to form when the author was _________.

A.doing shopping                         B.having a debate

C.reading a message                       D.leaving for Wyoming

2.The author's inspiration for the gift came from _________.

A.a photo of a flower                      B.a story about a kid

C.a call from the mother                    D.a text about Christmas

3.The underlined word “it” in Paragraph 3 refers to a poem by _________.

A.the father         B.the author         C.William Blake       D.Edgar Allan Poe

4.The author made the gift by ________.

A.searching for the poems online

B.drawing the background by hand

C.painting the letters in three colors

D.matching the words with pictures

5.What is the main purpose of the passage?

A.To show how to design images for gifts

B.To suggest making gifts from one’s heart

C.To explain how computers help create gifts

D.To describe the gifts the author has received

 

The black and white bird came ashore on a beach in the south of the North Island nearly 4,000 miles away from its usual habitat. The creature’s astonishing journey was witnessed by a woman walking her dog as the two-foot bird waddled out of the water in front of her. She said, “It was out of this world to see it. It was this glistening white thing standing up on the sand and I thought I was seeing things.” The tale of the lost penguin is similar to the 2006 children’s film Happy Feet, in which a young penguin finds himself far from home during a voyage of discovery.

Conservationists believe it has completed an incredible journey for such a young bird — it is estimated to be around 10 months old. The most likely explanation for its appearance in New Zealand is the hunt for food. Experts said it may also have rested on an ice floe (浮冰) during its travels and was carried north for a great distance before it made a swim for dry land. Colin Miskelly, a curator of New Zealand Museum, said, “They can spend months at a time in the ocean and come ashore only to moult (脱毛,换毛)or rest.” Mr. Miskelly said the brave bird would have to find its way back south soon if it was going to survive. He said, “It is probably hot and thirsty and has been eating wet sand.” “It doesn’t realize that the sand isn’t going to melt inside it because they typically eat snow — their only liquid.”

New Zealand residents have been warned to give the bird a wide berth — it can inflict (予以) painful bites if threatened.

1.Which of the following is True of Paragraph 1?

A.A young penguin found himself far from home during a voyage of moulting.

B.A creature’s astonishing journey was incredible in the north of the North Island.

C.A woman witnessed a 2 feet bird waddled in the children’s film while walking her dog.

D.A penguin came ashore on a beach thousands of miles away from its habitate.

2.Conservationists tend to explain that____________.

A.the young bird has completed a pleasant journey of 4,000 thousand miles

B.the young bird’s appearance in New Zealand is due to its hunt for food and delay of returning

C.the young bird comes ashore in New Zealand only to moult or rest during its voyage

D.the young bird is certain to be over 10 months old when it appears on a beach

3.What do we know about the penguin according to Mr. Miskelly?

A.The penguin could spend months at a time in the ocean and came ashore only to have young ones.

B.The young bird might have slept on an ice floe and could not swim for dry land.

C.The young penguin didn’t realize the sand wasn’t going to melt inside it like snow it eats.

D.The brave bird would have to find its way back north soon if it was going to survive.

4.What does the underlined part mean in the last sentence? 

A.The residents should keep well away from it when they want to watch the young penguin.

B.Some people do not realize the danger of the young bird and they are expected to touch it.

C.New Zealand residents want to keep the young bird but it wants to leave the shore.

D.If the local people threatened the young bird, it would do harm to other birds nearby. .

 

I found out one time that doing a favor for someone could get you into a lot of trouble. I  was 36  the eighth grade at the time, and we were having a final   37 . During the test,the girl 38  next to me whispered something,but I didn’t understand. So I leaned(倾斜) over her way and found out that she was trying to ask me  39 I had an extra pen. She showed me that  40  was out of ink and would not write.I happened to have an extra one,so I took it out of my pocket and put it on her desk.

Later, after the test papers had been  41 the teacher asked me to  42 in the room when all the other students  43  . As soon as we were alone, she began to talk to me about  44 it meant to grow up;she mentioned how important it was to stand  45  your own two feet and be responsible for your own acts. For a long time, she talked about __46 _and emphasized the fact   that when people do something dishonest,they really  47 themselves.She made me promise that I would think  48  about all the things she had said. Then she told me I could   49 . I walked out of the room wondering   40  she had chosen to talk to me about all those things.

Later on,I found out that she thought I had cheated on the test. When she saw me lean over to talk to the gir1 next to me, it looked  51 I was copying answers  52  the girl’s test paper. So I came to find her and tried to explain about the pen, but all she could say was it seemed very strange to her that I hadn’t   53  anything about the pen the day she talked to me right after the test.  54  I tried to explain that I was just doing the girl a favor   55  letting her use my pen, I was sure she continued to believe that I had cheated on the test.

1.                A.from           B.on             C.in   D.at

 

2.                A.lesson          B.test            C.class D.papers

 

3.                A.seat           B.seating         C.sitting    D.sit

 

4.                A.whether        B.why            C.where    D.that

 

5.                A.one           B.that            C.it    D.hers

 

6.                A.handed         B.turned in        C.given out D.marked

 

7.                A.work           B.read           C.stay  D.study

 

8.                A.gone out        B.were studying    C.were there    D.were dismissed

 

9.                A.how           B.why            C.what D.which

 

10.               A.by            B.on            C.to    D.with

 

11.               A.honesty        B.faith           C.confidence D.reliability

 

12.               A.improve        B.punish         C.cheat D.help

 

13.               A.well           B.highly          C.honestly   D.seriously

 

14.               A.leave          B.go on          C.sit down   D.refuse

 

15.               A.if             B.whether        C.why  D.how

 

16.               A.like            B.as though       C.as    D.that

 

17.               A.for            B.by             C.from  D.at

 

18.               A.mentioned      B.asked          C.answered  D.realized

 

19.               A.Long before     B.As long as       C.Just as D.Even though

 

20.               A.with           B.by             C.in    D.through

 

 

违法和不良信息举报电话:027-86699610 举报邮箱:58377363@163.com

精英家教网