Question

Americans in business have a language of their own. Some of the words and expressions deal with the special areas of their work. Other expressions are borrowed from different kinds of work such as the theater and movie industry.

One such saying is “get your act together”. When things go wrong in a business, the boss may get angry. He may shout, “Stop making mistakes. Get your act together.” Or, if the boss is calmer, he may say, “Let us get our act together.”

Either way, the meaning is the same. Getting your act together is getting organized. In business, it usually means to develop a calm and orderly plan of action.

Where did the saying begin? It is probable that it was in the theater or movie industry. Perhaps one of the actors was nervous and made a lot of mistakes. The director may have said, “Calm down, now. Get your act together.”

Word expert James Rogers says the expression was common at the late 1970s. Mister Rogers says the Manchester Guardian newspaper used it in 1978. The newspaper said a reform policy(改革政策) required that the British government get its act together.

Now, this expression is heard often when officials of a company meet. And it has become shortened to “get it together”. Both mean the same thing — straighten out your feelings and problems. If you always worry about your tests, you should really get it together!

1.The underlined phrase “get your act together” means______in Chinese here.

A.聚在一起 B.别犯傻了 C.仔细筹划 D.做你的事

2.We can infer from Paragraph 4 that______.

A.the writer isn’t sure where the saying comes from . B.an actor used the saying first

C.a teacher used this saying first D.it’s not necessary to ask where the saying comes from

3.What does the writer want to tell us in Paragraph 5?

A.People didn’t know what “get it together” means in 1978.

B.“Get it together” was only used in newspapers.

C.“Get it together” was commonly used at the late 1970s.

D.The British government get it together in 1978.

4.Which of the following is NOT true?

A.When you make a mistake, you may be told to get it together.

B.Now this saying is mainly used in school tests.

C.“Get it together” has the same meaning as “get your act together”.

D.Now this saying deals with a lot of areas.

Answer 1