When someone says, “Well, I guess I’ll have to go to face the music, ” It doesn’t 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(刺耳)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(侧)to go on stage．After they got their clue(暗示)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(管弦乐队)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(台词)．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 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)
The phrase “to face the music” was first used by _________．
[ ]
A．
all the Americans
B．
the American writer James Fenimore Cooper
C．
American actors
D．
the American orchestra
(2)
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．
the audience might be mostly his friends
(3)
“To face the music” is also used to mean that soldiers were not willing _________．
She took up skating at age 85, made her first movie appearance at age 114, and held a concert in the neighborhood on her 121st birthday．
Whe n it comes to long life, Jeanne Calment is the world’s recordholder．She lived to the ripe old age of 122．So is 122 the upper limit to the human life span(寿命)?If scientists come up with some sort of pill or diet that would slow aging, could we possibly make it to 150－or beyond?
Researchers don’t entirely agree on the answers．“Calment lived to 122, so it wouldn’t surprise me if someone alive today reaches 130 or 135,”says Jerry Shay at the University of Texas．
Steve Austad at the University of Texas agrees．“People can live much longer than we think,”he says．“Experts used to say that humans couldn’t live past 110．When Calment blew past that age, they raised the number to 120．So why can’t we go higher?”
The trouble with guessing how old people can live to be is that it’s all just guessing．“Anyone can make up a number,”says Rich Miller at the University of Michigan．“Usually the scientist who picks the highest number gets his name in Time magazine．”
Won’t new anti-aging techniques keep us alive for centuries?Any cure, says Miller, for aging would probably keep most of us kicking until about 120．Researchers are working on treatments that lengthen the life span of mice by 50 percent at most．So, if the average human life span is about 80 years, says Miller,“adding another 50 percent would get you to 120．”
So what can we conclude from this little disagreement among the researchers?That life span is flexible(有弹性的)，but there is a limit, says George Martin of the University of Washington．“We can get flies to live 50 percent longer,”he says．“But a fly’s never going to live 150 years．”
“Of course, if you became a new species(物种)，one that ages at a slower speed, that would be a different story,”he adds．
Does Martin really believe that humans could evolve(进化)their way to longer life?“It’s pretty cool to think about it,”he says with a smile．
(1)
What does the story of Jeanne Calment prove to us?
[ ]
A．
People can live to 122．
B．
Old people are creative．
C．
Women are sporty at 85．
D．
Women live longer than men．
(2)
According to Steve Austad at the University of Texas, ________．
[ ]
A．
the average human life span could be 110
B．
scientists cannot find ways to slow aging
C．
few people can expect to live to over 150
D．
researchers are not sure how long people can live
(3)
Who would agree that a scientist will become famous if he makes the wildest guess at longevity?
[ ]
A．
Jerry Shay．
B．
Steve Austad
C．
Rich Miller
D．
George Martin
(4)
What can we infer from the last three paragraphs?
[ ]
A．
Most of us could be good at sports even at 120．
B．
The average human life span cannot be doubled．
C．
Scientists believe mice are aging at a slower speed than before．
D．
New techniques could be used to change flies into a new species．
科学实验活动册系列答案