6.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 100years 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 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 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 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?
25.The phrase"to face the music"was first used byA.
A.American actors
B.the American writer James Fenimore Cooper
C.all the Americans
D.the American orchestra
26.An actor might feel frightened or nervous when going on stage.One of the reasons is
thatB.
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
27."To face the music"is also used to mean that soldiers were not willingB.
A.to be examined about their equipment
B.to be inspected by their leader
C.to show themselves by their leader
D.to be found weak
28.This passage is mainly aboutD.
A.how to go through difficulty
B.how to deal with something unpleasant
C.the origin of the phrase
D.the meaning of the phrase"to face the music"
分析 文说明了美国习语to face the music的来历和意义.
解答 25-28 ABBD
25.A 细节题.根据第三段He said-in 1851-that the expression was first used by actors while waiting in the wings to go on stage.可知,该习语第一次在美国是被演员所使用的,故答案为A.
26.B 细节题.这句话An actor might be frightened or nervous as he moved on to the stage in front of the audience 得知,演员由于紧张或者害怕主要担心忘记自己的台词,故答案为B.
27.B 细节题.最后一段The soldiers worried about how well they looked.看出,士兵在长官检查时害怕做不好,也会使用该习语,故答案为B.
28.D 主旨大意题.通过文章的介绍可知,主要讲述了to face the music这个习语在以前不同场合的不同意思,故答案为D.
点评 考查学生的细节理解和推理判断能力.做细节理解题时一定要找到文章中的原句,和题干进行比较,再做出正确选择.在做推理判断题时不要以个人的主观想象代替文章的事实,要根据文章事实进行合乎逻辑的推理判断.