There are so many expressions in American Eng...

There are so many expressions in American English that sound pleasant but are not. “Face the music” is a good example.

Imagine a friend asks you to take care of her beautiful red sports car. She gives you the key and says, “Thanks so much for watching my car while I’m away. But please, do not drive it. It is an extremely fast car.” But you do not listen. You want to show off and pretend the car is yours. So, you drive it around the town. As a result, you lose control of the car and drive it into a stop sign. The damage is serious. When your friend returns, you must tell her what you have done and “face the music.” That could mean losing her friendship or paying for repairs to her sports car or both. Whatever the music is, you must face it.

The expression is more than 150 years old. In 1851, the writer James Fenimore Cooper explained “face the music” as theatrical term. In a theater, the orchestra(管弦乐队) often sits in the front of the stage facing the musicians. Many actors are very nervous, a condition called stage fright. “Face the music” came to mean accepting stage fright and not giving in to it.

Word experts also say “face the music” may have come from the military. A soldier who did something terrible could be forced out of the army. When that happened, the army drummers would play slow, sad beat. The soldier would be led away seated backward on a horse and facing the music of the drums.

There are other American expressions that mean the same thing as “face the music.” If someone says, “You made your bed. Now lie in it,” they mean you created a bad situation and now you will experience the result.

1.What does the underlined part “the music” in Paragraph 2 refer to?

A. The unpleasant music.　　 B. The beautiful red sports car.

C. The music played by the orchestra.　　 D. The bad result of your actions.

2.Which of the following is closest to the underlined word “fright” in meaning?

A. fear.　　 B. violence.

C. cruelty.　　 D. competition.

3.According to word experts, the term “face the music” may have come from _________.

A. sports　　 B. the army

C. legal business　　 D. artistic design

4.What is most likely to be discussed following the last paragraph?

A. The origin of “You made your bed. Now lie in it.”

B. Some other expressions similar to “face the music.”

C. The true meaning of “You made your bed. Now lie in it.”

D. Other examples to explain the meaning of “face the music.”

高一英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析

There are so many expressions in American English that sound pleasant but are not.

“Face the music” is a good example. When someone says they have to face the music, it does not mean they are going to a musical performance or concert. To face the music means to accept the unpleasant results of an action.

Imagine a friend asks you to take care of her beautiful red sports car. She gives you the keys and says, “Thanks so much for watching my car while I’m away. But please do not drive it. It is an extremely fast car.” But you do not listen. You want to show off and pretend the car is yours. So, you drive it around town. As bad luck would have it, you lose control of the car and drive it into a stop sign. The damage is serious. When your friend returns, you must tell her what you have done and “face the music”. That could mean losing her friendship or paying for repairs to her sports car or both. Whatever the music is, you must face it.

There are other American expressions that mean the same as “face the music”.

To “take your medicine” means to accept the results from something bad you have done. And if someone says, “You made your bed. Now lie in it.” He means you created a bad situation and now you will experience the results, or as we say in American spoken English, you must deal with it!

“Pay the piper” also means the same as “face the music”. But, that expression has its own very interesting beginning. We will talk about that on another Words and Their Stories.

1.What does “face the music” mean?

A. Going to a musical performance.　　 B. Apologizing to the person you have hurt.

C. Dealing with the situation you have caused.　　 D. Accepting the unpleasant results of an action.

2.Which of the following expressions doesn’t have the same meaning with the others?

A. Face the music.　　 B. Make your bed.

C. Take your medicine.　　 D. Pay the piper.

3.Which action belongs to a “take your medicine”？

A. You caught a cold and took some medicine.

B. You worked hard but failed in the exam.

C. You broke the traffic rules and caused an accident.

D. You moved to a new city and lost touch with your old friends.

4.What may be talked about in the next programme?

A. Other words and their stories.　　 B. The beginning of “pay the piper”.

C. The wider use of “face the music”.　　 D. An example of “take your medicine”.

高一英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析

There are so many expressions in American English that sound pleasant but are not.

“Face the music” is a good example. When someone says they have to face the music, it does not mean they are going to a musical performance or concert. To face the music means to accept the unpleasant results of an action.

Imagine a friend asks you to take care of her beautiful red sports car. She gives you the keys and says, “Thanks so much for watching my car while I’m away. But please do not drive it. It is an extremely fast car and you are not on the insurance (保险).”

But you do not listen. You want to show off to some friends and pretend the car is yours. So, you drive it around town one night. As bad luck would have it, you lose control of the car and drive it into a stop sign. The damage is severe. When your friend returns you must tell her what you have done and “face the music”.

The “music” here is the consequence or result of your actions. It could be losing her friendship or paying for repairs to her sports car or both. Whatever the music is, you must face it.

There are other American expressions that mean the same as “face the music”.

To “take your medicine” means to accept the results from something bad you have done. And if someone says, “You made your bed. Now lie in it.” He means you created a bad situation and now you will experience the results, or as we say in American spoken English, you must deal with it!

“Pay the piper” also means the same as “face the music”. But, that expression has its own very interesting beginning. We will talk about that on another Words and Their Stories.

1.Which of the following expressions doesn’t have the same meaning with the others?

A. Face the music.　　 B. Take your medicine.

C. Make your bed.　　 D. Pay the piper.

2.What may be talked about in the next programme?

A. Other words and their stories.　　 B. The beginning of “pay the piper”.

C. The wider use of “face the music”.　　 D. An example of “take your medicine”.

3.What does “face the music” mean?

A. Going to a musical performance.

B. Apologizing to the person you have hurt.

C. Dealing with the situation you have caused.

D. Accepting the unpleasant results of an action.

4.Which action belongs to a “take your medicine”？

A. You broke the traffic rules and caused an accident.

B. You worked hard but failed in the exam.

C. You caught a cold and took some medicine.

D. You moved to a new city and lost touch with your old friends.

高一英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

English is considered as a(n) _____ language, and it is no surprise that there are so many people in the world learning English.

A. universal　　　 B. logical　　　

C. artificial　　　 D. regular

高一英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

There are many American expressions about insects--- like bees, for example. Bees are known as very hard workers. They appear to be busy, moving around their homes, or hives. So you might say you were as busy as a bee if you spent your weekend cleaning your house. In fact, you might say your house was a beehive of activity if your whole family was helping you clean. You also might say you made a beeline for something if you went there right away. When we go to see a movie, my friend always makes a beeline for the place where they sell popcorn .

Here is an expression about bees that is not used much any more, but we like it anyway. We think it was first used in the 1920s. If something was the best of its kind, you might say it was the bee’s knees. Now, we admit that we do not know how this expression developed. In fact, we do not even know if bees have knees!

If your friend cannot stop talking about something because she thinks it is important, you might say she has a bee in her bonnet. If someone asks you a personal question, you might say “that is none of your beeswax”. This means none of your business.

Speaking of personal questions, there is an expression when their children ask, “Where do babies come from?” Parents who discuss sex and reproduction say this is talking about the birds and bees.

Butterflies are beautiful insects, but you would not want to have butterflies in your stomach. That means to be nervous about having to do something, like speaking in front of a crowd. You would also not want to have ants in your trousers. That is, to be unable to sit still.

1.If you make a beeline for something, you _____ .

A. are as busy as a bee                 B. go quickly and directly towards it

C. always go to the same place          D. buy something at a certain place

2.The underlined expression “ it is the bee’s knees” ______ .

A. is not used at all now               B. was first used in the 1820s

C. reminds us that bees have knees      D. means “it is very good”

3. If you ask your American friend Jack “How old is your wife?” he may say “_____.”

A. It is none of your beeswax           B. You have a bee in your bonnet

C. It is the bee’s knees               D. You are talking about the birds and bees

4. When you have butterflies in your stomach, you _____ .

A. are too sick to sit still           B. have ants in your trousers

C. are nervous about something          D. have a stomachache

高一英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

There are many idioms in English. An idiom is a phrase that we can't understand from the meaning of each word. The following are some of them.

As the crow flies

When a bird flies from place to place, it takes the most direct route. But when people drive, they have to follow roads and often go farther. When people give a distance "as the crow flies", they mean the shortest distance between the two points, not the distance you would have to travel by following roads.

As Dan and his mum drove along the river, they could see the beach on the opposite side. Dan asked "How far is it to the beach?"

"It's only about a quarter of a mile as the crow flies" his mother said.

Blow hot and cold

In one of Aesop's Fables, a man blows on his fingers to warm them up and then blows on his soup to cool it down. In both cases, the man is opening his mouth, but what comes out is different. If a person says one thing and later says the opposite, we say that the person is blowing hot and cold.

"Is Felicia going to try out for the soccer team this year?" Stacy asked.

"I don't know," Tricia replied." Last week she was saying yes, but this week she's saying no. She's really blowing hot and cold."

Break the ice

Nowadays people use the phrase to refer to ending an awkward silence by beginning a conversation.

It was the first day of summer camp. The four girls began to make their beds in silence. None of the girls knew each other, and no one knew what to say. Finally, one of them broke the ice by saying" Hey, where's everybody from?"

Bury the hatchet

In native American culture, when two nations agreed to end their war, they buried the hatchet. So to bury the hatchet is to make peace with someone else.

Colin could not excuse his sister for breaking his tennis racket. Finally, his sister said, "Colin, can't we bury the hatchet?"

1.What does "as the crow flies" mean?

A. In the smoothest way.　　 B. In a straight line.

C. By plane.　 　　　　　　　　　 D. At top speed.

2."Blow hot and cold " can be used to talk about someone's ______.

A. dishonesty　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 B. changing attitudes

C. communication skills　　　　　　　　　　 D. bad manner

3.It can be inferred that Colin's sister hoped that Colin would ______.

A. buy a new tennis racket

B. stay away from her

C. forgive her mistake

D. make an apology to her

4.Which of the following is TRUE according to the text?

A. What Felicia thought was different from what he said.

B. Dan and his mother need drive a quarter of a mile to the beach.

C. “Bury the hatchet” is an idiom from Aesop’s Fables.

D. It’s difficult to understand the meaning of an idiom by each word.

高一英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

34. English is considered as a(n) _______ language, and it is no surprise that there are so many people in the world learning it.

高一英语单项填空简单题查看答案及解析

There are many differences between British English and American English.I used to teach a course about the differences between the two.We speak English on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean but we have many differences in our common language.We have examples of the same words having very different meanings，differing spellings of the same words as well as completely different words for the same things.Here are some examples.

A cookie in the US is called a biscuit in the UK. A biscuit in the US is a small cake in the UK. Crisps in the UK，are known as chips，but we British people eat a plate of chips that you call fries in the US. In the UK，a pie can be made from either meat or fruit, while in the US pies are normally made from fruit；pot pies are made from meat.Most things are measured in grams and kilograms in the US，not pounds and ounces.

One very obvious difference is the side of the road we each choose to drive on. Petrol in the UK is gas in the US.The place where we fill up our cars，in the UK，is a garage; while in the US，it’s a gas station.The term garage is also used as a place to store your car next to or close by your house.In the UK we call a lorry what is known as a truck in the US.

An elevator in the US is called a lift here，and the first floor in the US，is called the ground floor here，so many visitors get off on the wrong floor in British hotels.

I could continue with this.There are countless examples of differences within our one shared language.With so many differences, no wonder it’s hard to understand each other well.

1.The passage is mainly about the differences between British English and American English in 　 .

A. vocabulary　　 B. grammar　　 C. sound　　 D. spelling

2.It’s implied in the passage that the author may be 　 .

A. a driver from the US　　 B. a cook from the US

C. a teacher from the UK　　 D. a gas station worker from the UK

3.In the author’s opinion，　 .

A. language differences don’t affect understanding

B. the same words in the two different types of English may have different spellings

C. there will be fewer differences between American and British English in the future

D. it is impossible that some Americans get off on the wrong floor in British hotels

4.What can we learn from the passage?

A. “Elevator” is commonly used in the UK.

B. Pies mean the same thing in the UK and the US.

C. In the UK，things are measured in pounds and ounces.

D. British and American people drive on the same side of the road.

高一英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

There are many differences between British English and American English. I used to teach a course about the differences between the two. We speak English on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean but we have many differences in our common language. We have examples of the same words having very different meanings, differing spellings of the same words as well as completely different words for the same things. Here are some examples.

A cookie in the US is called a biscuit in the UK. A biscuit in the US is a small cake in the　 UK. Crisps in the UK, are known as chips, but we British people eat a plate of chips that you call fries in the US. In the UK, a pie can be made from either meat or fruit, while in the US pies are normally made from fruit; pot pies are made from meat. Most things are measured in grams and kilograms in the US, not pounds and ounces.

One very obvious difference is the side of the road we each choose to drive on. Petrol in the UK is gas in the US. The place where we fill up our cars, in the UK, is a garage; while in the US, it’s a gas station. The term garage is also used as a place to store your car next to or close by your house. In the UK we call a lorry what is known as a truck in the US.

An elevator in the US is called a lift here, and the first floor in the US, is called the ground floor here, so many visitors get off on the wrong floor in British hotels.

I could continue with this. There are countless examples of differences within our one　 shared language. With so many differences, no wonder it’s hard to understand each other well.

1.The passage is mainly about the differences between British English and American English in____.

A.vocabulary B.grammar

C.sound D.spelling

2.It’s implied in the passage that the author may be______.

A.a driver from the US.

B.a cook from the US.

C.a teacher from the UK.

D.a gas station worker from the UK.

3.What can we learn from the passage?

A.“Elevator” is commonly used in the UK.

B.Pies mean the same thing in the UK and the US.

C.In the UK, things are measured in pounds and ounces.

D.British and American people drive on the same side of the road.

高一英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析

There are many differences between British English and American English.I used to teach a course about the differences between the two.We speak English on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean but we have many differences in our common language.We have examples of the same words having very d ifferent meanings，differing spellings of the same words as well as completely different words for the same things.Here are some examples.

A cookie in the US is called a biscuit in the UK.A biscuit in the US is a small cake in the UK.Crisps in the UK，are known as chips，but we British people eat a plate of chips that you call fries in the US.In the UK，a pie can be made from either meat or fruit，while in the US pies are normally made from fruit；pot pies are made from meat.Most things are measured in grams and kilograms in the US，not pounds and ounces.

One very obvious(明显的)difference is the side of the road we each choose to drive on.Petrol in the UK is gas in the US.The place where we fill up our cars，in the UK，is a garage；while in the US，it’s a gas station.The term garage is also used as a place to store your car next to or close by your house.In the UK we call a lorry what is known as a truck in the US.

An elevator in the US is called a lift here，and the first floor in the US，is calle d the ground floor here，so many visitors get off on the wrong floor in British hotels.

I could continue with this. There are countless examples of differences within our one shared language.With so many differences，no wonder it’s hard to understand each other well.

1.The passage is mainly about the differences between British English and American English in________.

A．vocabulary           B．grammar         C．sound         D．spelling

2.It’s implied in the passage that the author may be________.

A．a driver from the US

B．a cook from the US

C．a teacher from the UK

D．a gas station worker from the UK

3.In the author’s opinion，________.

A．language differences don’t affect understanding

B．the same words in the two different types of English may have different spellings

C．there will be fewer differences between American and British English in the future

D．it is impossible that some Americans get off on the wrong floor in British hotels

4.What can we learn from the passage?

A．“Elevator”is commonly used in the UK.

B．Pies mean the same thing in the UK and the US.

C．In the UK，things are measured in pounds and ounces.

D．British and American people drive on the same side of the road.

高一英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析