To face the music
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 to go on, they often said, “Well, it’s time to face the music.” And that was 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. But he had to go out. If he did not, there would be no play. So the expression “to face the music” come 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 by their leader, the soldiers would be worried about how well they looked. Was their equipment clean, shinny 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 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 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.Which of the following is a situation of facing the music?
A. When we are playing basketball. B. When we are making a speech.
C. When we are having a party. D. When we are talking with somebody.
4. The underlined word “hostile” means _______.
A. unfriendly B. dislike C. unkind D. unnecessary
高二英语阅读理解简单题
To face the music
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 to go on, they often said, “Well, it’s time to face the music.” And that was 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. But he had to go out. If he did not, there would be no play. So the expression “to face the music” come 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 by their leader, the soldiers would be worried about how well they looked. Was their equipment clean, shinny 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 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 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.Which of the following is a situation of facing the music?
A. When we are playing basketball. B. When we are making a speech.
C. When we are having a party. D. When we are talking with somebody.
4. The underlined word “hostile” means _______.
A. unfriendly B. dislike C. unkind D. unnecessary
高二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 good 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 show or concert. To face the music means to accept the bad 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 a very fast car and you are not on the insurance (保险).”
But you do not listen. You want to show it to some friends and pretend (假装) 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 serious. When your friend returns you must tell her what you have done and “face the music”.
The “music” here is the 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 in the next Words and Their Stories.
1.What’s the main idea of this text?
A.To invite a friend to go to a musical performance.
B.To tell people how to deal with a bad situation.
C.To give people a lesson on an action.
D.To introduce some expressions.
2.Which action belongs to “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.
3.What may the next programme talk about?
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”.
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Webster ________ his American Dictionary of the English Language, which first appeared in 1828.
A. is best known for B. is most known for
C. is best known as D. is most known as
高二英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
English is the most widely used language in the history of our planet. One in every seven human beings can speak it. More than half of the world’s books and three quarters of international mail are in English. Of all languages, English has the largest vocabulary — perhaps as many as two million words.
However, let’s face it: English is a crazy language. There is no egg in an eggplant, neither pine nor apple in a pineapple and no ham in a hamburger. Sweet-meats are candy, while sweetbreads, which aren’t sweet, are meat.
We take English for granted. But when we explore its paradoxes (探讨它的矛盾), we find that quicksand can work slowly, boxing rings are square, public bathrooms have no baths in them.
And why is it that a writer writes, but fingers don’t fing, grocers don’t groce, and hammers don’t ham? If the plural of tooth is teeth, shouldn’t the plural of booth be beeth? One goose, two geese — so one moose, two meese?
How can a slim chance and a fat chance be the same, while a wise man and a wise guy are opposites? How can overlook and oversee be opposites, while quite a lot and quite a few are alike? How can the weather be hot as hell one day and cold as hell the next?
English was invented by people, not computers, and it reflects (反映) the creativity of human beings. That’s why, when stars are out, they are visible (能看见的); but when the lights are out, they are invisible. And why, when I wind up my watch, I start it; but when I wind up this essay, I end it.
1.According to the passage ______.
A. sweet-meats and sweetbreads are different things B. there should be egg in an eggplant
C. pineapples are the apples on the pine tree D. boxing rings should be round
2.Which of the following is the correct plural(复数)?
A. Beeth. B. Geese.
C. Meese. D. Tooth.
3.Which of the following includes two items which have the similar meaning?
A. A wise man and a wise guy. B. Overlook and oversee.
C. Quite a lot and quite a few. D. Hot as hell and cold as hell.
4.The underlined words “wind up” in the last paragraph probably mean “______”.
A. blow B. roll up
C. get hurt D. finish
高二英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析
English is the most widely used language in the history of our planet. One in every seven human beings can speak it. More than half of the world’s books and three quarters of international mail are in English. Of all languages, English has the largest vocabulary — perhaps as many as two million words.
However, let’s face it: English is a crazy language. There is no egg in an eggplant, neither pine nor apple in a pineapple and no ham in a hamburger. Sweet-meats are candy, while sweetbreads, which aren’t sweet, are meat. We take English for granted. But when we explore its paradoxes (探讨它的矛盾), we find that quicksand can work slowly, boxing rings are square, public bathrooms have no baths in them. And why is it that a writer writes, but fingers don’t fing, grocers don’t groce, and hammers don’t ham? If the plural of tooth is teeth, shouldn’t the plural of booth be beeth? One goose, two geese — so one moose, two meese?
How can a slim chance and a fat chance be the same, while a wise man and a wise guy are opposites? How can overlook and oversee be opposites, while quite a lot and quite a few are alike? How can the weather be hot as hell one day and cold as hell the next?
English was invented by people, not computers, and it reflects the creativity of human beings. That’s why, when stars are out, they are visible ; but when the lights are out, they are invisible. And why, when I wind up my watch, I start it; but when I wind up this essay, I end it.
1.According to the passage ______.
A. sweet-meats and sweetbreads are different things
B. there should be egg in an eggplant
C. pineapples are the apples on the pine tree
D. boxing rings should be round
2.Which of the following is the correct plural?
A. Beeth. B. Geese. C. Meese. D. Tooth.
3.Which of the following includes two items which have the similar meaning?
A. A wise man and a wise guy.
B. Overlook and oversee.
C. Quite a lot and quite a few.
D. Hot as hell and cold as hell
4.Through the many paradoxes in the English language, the writer wants to show that human beings are ______.
A. clever B. crazy C. lazy D. dull
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
English is the most widely used language in the history of our planet. One in every seven human beings can speak it. More than half of the world’s books and three quarters of international mail are in English. Of all languages, English has the largest vocabulary--perhaps as many as two million words.
However, let’s face it: English is a crazy language. There is no egg in an eggplant, neither pine nor apple in a pineapple and no ham in a hamburger. Sweetmeats are candy, while sweetbreads, which aren’t sweet, are meat.
We take English for granted. But when we explore its paradoxes(自相矛盾的说法), we find that quicksand can work slowly, boxing rings are square, public bathrooms have no baths in them.
And why is it that a writer writes, but fingers don’t fing, grocers don’t groce, and hammers don’t ham? If the plural of tooth is teeth, shouldn’t the plural of booth be beeth? One goose, two geese--so one moose, two meese?
How can a slim chance and a fat chance be the same, while a wise man and a wise guy are opposites? How can overlook and oversee be opposites, while quite a lot and quite a few are alike? How can the weather be hot as hell one day and cold as hell the next?
English was invented by people, not computers, and it reflects the creativity of human beings. That’s why, when stars are out, they are visible; but when the lights are out, they are invisible. And why, when I wind up my watch, I start it; but when I wind up this essay, I end it.
1.What does the first paragraph mainly talk about?
A. English has a long history. B. English is widely spread.
C. English makes a great difference D. English is used to translate books.
2.Which of the following includes two items that have the similar meaning?
A. A wise man and a wise guy. B. Overlook and oversee.
C. Quite a lot and quite a few. D. Hot as hell and cold as hell.
3.The underlined words “wind up” in the last paragraph probably mean “__”.
A. blow B. roll up
C. get hurt D. finish
4.What does the last paragraph want to show?
A. Human beings are very clever.
B. English is difficult to learn.
C. There are too many words in English.
D. The same words have different meanings.
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
English is the most widely used language in the history of our planet. One in every seven human beings can speak it. More than half of the world’s books and three quarters of international mail are in English. Of all languages, English has the largest vocabulary — perhaps as many as two million words.
However, let’s face it: English is a crazy language. There is no egg in an eggplant, neither pine nor apple in a pineapple and no ham in a hamburger. Sweet-meats are candy, while sweetbreads, which aren’t sweet, are meat.
We take English for granted. But when we explore its paradoxes (探讨它的矛盾), we find that quicksand can work slowly, boxing rings are square, public bathrooms have no baths in them.
And why is it that a writer writes, but fingers don’t fing, grocers don’t groce, and hammers don’t ham? If the plural of tooth is teeth, shouldn’t the plural of booth be beeth? One goose, two geese — so one moose, two meese?
How can a slim chance and a fat chance be the same, while a wise man and a wise guy are opposites? How can overlook and oversee be opposites, while quite a lot and quite a few are alike? How can the weather be hot as hell one day and cold as hell the next?
English was invented by people, not computers, and it reflects (反映) the creativity of human beings. That’s why, when stars are out, they are visible (能看见的); but when the lights are out, they are invisible. And why, when I wind up my watch, I start it; but when I wind up this essay, I end it.
1. According to the passage ______.
A. sweet-meats and sweetbreads are different things
B. there should be egg in an eggplant
C. pineapples are the apples on the pine tree
D. boxing rings should be round
2. Which of the following is the correct plural?
A. Beeth. B. Geese. C. Meese. D. Tooth.
3. Which of the following includes two items which have the similar meaning?
A. A wise man and a wise guy. B. Overlook and oversee.
C. Quite a lot and quite a few. D. Hot as hell and cold as hell.
4. The underlined words “wind up” in the last paragraph probably mean “______”.
A. blow B. roll up C. get hurt D. finish
5. Through the many paradoxes in the English language, the writer wants to show that human beings are ______.
A. clever B. crazy C. lazy D. dull
高二英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析
English is the most widely used language in the history of our planet. One in every seven human beings can speak it. More than half of the world’s books and three quarters of international mail are in English. Of all languages, English has the largest vocabulary — perhaps as many as two million words.
However, let’s face it: English is a crazy language. There is no egg in an eggplant, neither pine nor apple in a pineapple and no ham in a hamburger. Sweetmeats are candy, while sweetbreads, which aren’t sweet, are meat.
We take English for granted. But when we explore its paradoxes, we find that quicksand can work slowly, boxing rings are square, public bathrooms have no baths in them.
And why is it that a writer writes, but fingers don’t fing, grocers don’t groce, and hammers don’t ham? If the plural of tooth is teeth, shouldn’t the plural of booth be beeth? One goose, two geese — so one moose, two meese?
How can a slim chance and a fat chance be the same, while a wise man and a wise guy are opposites? How can overlook and oversee be opposites, while quite a lot and quite a few are alike? How can the weather be hot as hell one day and cold as hell the next?
English was invented by people, not computers, and it reflects the creativity of human beings. That’s why, when stars are out, they are visible; but when the lights are out, they are invisible. And why, when I wind up my watch, I start it; but when I wind up this essay, I end it.
1.According to the passage __________.
A. pineapples are the apples on the pine tree
B. there should be an egg in an eggplant
C. sweetmeats and sweetbreads are different things
D. boxing rings should be round
2. The underlined words “wind up” in the last paragraph maybe means “__________”.
A. blow B. finish C. get hurt D. roll up
3.Through the many paradoxes in the English language, the writer wants to show that human beings are ____________.
A. lazy B. crazy C. clever D. dull
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
English is the most widely used language in the history of our planet. One in every seven human beings can speak it. More than half of the world's books and three quarters of international mails are in English. Of all languages, English has the largest vocabulary - perhaps as many as two million words.
However, let's face it: English is a crazy language. There is no egg in an eggplant, neither pine nor apple in a pineapple and no ham in a hamburger . Sweet-meats are candy, while sweetbreads, which aren't sweet, are meat.
We take English for granted. But when we explore its paradoxes (矛盾) , we find that quicksand can work slowly, boxing rings are square, public bathrooms have no baths in them. And why is it that a writer writes, but fingers don't fing , grocers don't groce , and hammers don't ham? If the plural (复数形式) of tooth is teeth, shouldn't the plural of booth be beeth ? One goose, two geese - so one moose , two meese? How can a slim chance and a fat chance be the same, while a wise man and a wise guy are opposites? How can overlook and oversee be opposites, while quite a lot and quite a few are alike? How can the weather be hot as hell one day and cold as hell the next?
English was invented by people, not computers, and it reflects the creativity of human beings. That's why, when stars are out, they are visible; but when the lights are out, they are invisible. And why, when I wind up my watch, I start it; but when I wind up this essay, I end it.
1.According to the passage________.
A. there should be eggs in an eggplant
B. sweet-meats and sweetbreads are different
C. pineapples are the apples on the pine tree
D. boxing rings should be round
2.What does the author use most to prove his idea?
A. Plurals. B. Paradoxes.
C. Comparisons. D. Synonyms.
3.The underlined words "a wise guy" in paragraph 3 probably mean "______ ".
A. somebody wise B. a valuable chance
C. an opposite word D. a stupid person
4.The last paragraph is written to show .
A. English is important
B. a word may have several definitions
C. human beings are creative
D. why people invented English
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
The book, ________ to tell people how to learn English as ________ second language, is very helpful for beginners.
A. intended; a B. intending; a
C. intended; the D. intending; the
高二英语单项填空困难题查看答案及解析