When someone says "Well, I guess I'll have to go to face the music", it does not mean he is planning to go to a concert. It is something far less pleasant, like being called in by your boss to explain why you did this or that, and why you did not do this or that. Sour music, indeed, but it has to be faced.

   The phrase "to face the music" is familiar to every American, young and old. It is at least 100 years old. Where did the expression come from?

   The first information comes from the American writer James Fenimore Cooper. He said -- in 1851-- that the expression was first used by actors while waiting in the wings to go on stage. After they got their cue to go on, they often said, "It's time to go to face the music." And that is exactly what they did face the orchestra(交响乐团) which was just below the stage.

    An actor might be frightened or nervous as he moved on to the stage in front of the audience that might be friendly or perhaps unfriendly, especially if he forgot his lines. But he had to go out.

     So, "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.

     The other explanation comes from the army. Men had to face inspection(检阅) by their leader. The soldiers worried about how well they looked. Was their equipment(装备) clean---

shiny 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?

1. According to the passage, the word "music" means

     A. your boss's criticism (批评)               B. your leader's inspection

     C. something unpleasant to be experience       D. sour pop music

2. The phrase "to face the music" was the first used by _      _

A. all the Americans       

B. the American writer James Fenimore Cooper

C. some American actors   

D. the American orchestra

3. An actor might feel frightened or nervous when going on stage. One of the reasons is that _   

     A. his performance might not satisfy most of the audience

     B. he might not remember what he should say on stage

     C. he had to face the unfriendly audience

      D. most of the audience might be his friends

4. "To face the music" is also used to mean that soldiers were not willing _   _.

A. to be examined about their equipment    

B. to be found weak

C. to show themselves up in public            

D. to be inspected by their leader

5. The passage is mainly about _     _.

A. the meaning of the phrase "to face the music"

B. how to deal with something unpleasant

C. the phrase "to face the music" in America    

D. how to go through difficulty

I. 听对话选图片 : 5%

(  )1. What did she do yesterday morning?

(  )2. What will the weather be like later on?

II. 听长对话回答问题: 5% (第一段回答6--7小题。第二段回答8--10小题)

(  )6. How does the woman know that the man comes from the USA?

A. From the way he walks               B. From the language he speaks.

C. From the way he speaks.              D. From his parents.

(  )7. Where are the two speakers?

     A. In China.     B. In America.     C. We don’t know.    D. In London.

(  )8. When is Mary’s birthday?

     A. August 15 th.    B. August 16 th.    C. August 12 th.    D. August 13 th.

(  )9. What time will the party begin?

     A. At 2:00 p.m.     B. At 2:20 p.m.     C. At 1:40 p.m.     D. At 1:30 p.m.

(  )10. Will Jean come to the party?

     A. No, she won’t, because she’ll meet her sister at the station.

     B. Yes, she will, but she’ll be late for the party.

     C. Not sure. Perhaps she won’t be able to come.

     D. We can’t know from the dialogue.

III. 短文理解: 10％

                             ( A )

(  )11. When does Jim usually get up in the morning?

A. At 5:30.     B. At 6:00.       C. At 6:30.       D. At 7:00.

(  )12. Where does Jim have lunch on weekdays?

A. At school.   B. At home.       C. At the table.  D. At the desk.

(  )13. Does Jim watch TV on Sunday evening?

A.     Yes, he does. B. No, he doesn’t. C. Yes, he is.  D. No, he isn’t.

(  )14. How many people are there in Jim’s family?

A. One.         B. Two.           C. Three.         D. Four

(  )15. When does Jim go to bed?

A. At 7:00.     B. At 8:00        C. At 9:00.       D. At 10:00.

　　 Books are our best friends. They are very quiet, but we can always find both fun and knowledge once we open them. Here are two good books you can read during the holiday.

　　 The little Prince（王子）

French Writer: Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

　　 Both adults and children love this classic book. It is about the adventure of a young prince. It shows the importance of innocence (纯真), imagination and love.

　　 The little prince comes from planet B -612. In his eyes, adults are all very strange. Unlike them, he sees the essence (本质) of things. He cares more about a flower and a sheep than the "important" things of the adult world.

　 The prince lives on his planet with a rose. He loves the rose very much. But he soon feels tired and leaves his planet. He meets many more strange adults on other planets.

　　 On Earth, he discovers interesting things such as a snake, other roses and a fox. The fox tells him a secret: Only the heart can discover the most important things. This helps the prince realize his love for the rose and he goes back to his planet.

　　 To Succeed on One' s Own

　 American Writer: Liu Yong

　　 Writer Liu Yong from Taiwan wrote this book for his daughter. It can help young people succeed.

　　 The book teaches you about student, how to use your free time and even what kind of clothes to wear. It answers many teenagers’ most common questions. Liu uses his daughter' s stories as examples to help readers understand the principles(原则).

　　 His book is far from boring. There are lively stories and dialogues, with objective analysis (客观分析), hope and confidence (信心) from a good father.

根据短文内容，选择最佳答案．并在答题卡上按要求作答。

56. Where does the writer of "The little Prince" come from?

　　　 A. England.　　　 B. France.　　　　 C. America.　　　 D. China.

57. What does the prince do after the fox tells him a secret?

　　　 A. He cares more about a flower and a sheep.

　　　 B. He meets many more strange adults on other planets.

　　　 C. He discovers interesting things such as a snake, other roses and a fox.

　　　 D. He realizes his love for the rose and he goes back to his planet.

58. What does " The little Prince " mainly talk about?

　　 It' s about 　　　 .

　　　 A. the adult world　　　　　　　　　 B. the planet B -612

　　　 C. a rose and a fox　　　　　　　 　　D. the adventure of a young prince

59. Who did Liu Yong write the book "To Succeed on One' s Own" for?

　　　 A. His daughter.　　 B. His students.　 C. Teenagers.　　　 D. Young people.

60. From the passage, we know that we can always find 　　　 in books.

　　　 A. the importance of teenagers’, imagination and love

　　　 B. the answers to many of teenagers' most common questions

　　　 C. the objective analysis, hope and confidence

　　　 D. both fun and knowledge