Reading Comprehension

Read the following passages, and choose the best answer that can answer the question.

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 or 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 Cooper. 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 is 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” came 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 inspection by their leader, the soldiers would be worried about how well they looked. Was their equipment clean, shinny enough to pass inspection? Still the men had to go on 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．According to the passage how many ways does the phrase “to face the music” come from?

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2．What's the meaning of “to face the music?”

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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．In which condition would we face the music?

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A．When we are playing basketball.

B．When we are making a speech in public.

C．When we are having a party.

D．When we are talking with somebody.

4．The underlined word in the third paragraph means ________.

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5．Which of the following sentences is not true according to the passage ________.

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A．The explanation to the phrase “to face the music” is closely related with the army life.

B．When a man is forced out of the army, the band doesn't play.

C．The first explanation to the phrase “to face the music” comes from an American novelist.

D．You will feel good if you have to face the music.

书面表达

　　假定你是学生赵民，有一批埃及学生来到北京.学校派你给他们当导游，领他们参观长城.参观前，由你介绍长城.请你把要说的话写下来，内容包括以下几点：

　(1) 长城同金字塔一样是世界奇观之一.长城有两千多年的历史.长6 000多千米，高6--7米，宽4--5米.现在是游览胜地.

　(2) 长城高金字塔一样都是几千年前劳动人民修建的.中埃两国人民都是世界上伟大的人民.我们为此而自豪.

  (3) 向客人作自我介绍，对他们参观长城表示欢迎.

　　注意：字数120左右：不要逐字翻译.

　　词汇：(1)导游guide (2)金字塔Pyramid (3)奇观 wonder (4)埃及Egypt(5)埃及人民Egyptian

Reading is very important to help you learn English. To learn as much as you can from reading, you need to read different kinds of English. This book provides not only different kinds of English but also a good way to check your reading ability.
　 There are four parts in the book:
　 Part 1 is Messages: In this part somebody wants to wad information in writing to somebody else. There is a test on timetables and a test on text messages.
　 Part 2 is People: In this part all the tests are about people. For example, there is an informal letter between friends. There is formal ( 正式的) English in biography ( 传记). There is a job application as a model to help with your writing, as welt as testing your reading.
　 Part 3 is Places: In this part, too many different kinds of English are shown, some informal and some formal. There is the informal English of a holiday postcard. There is also the formal English in a letter of complaint.
　 Part 4 is Things: You will find some descriptive writing in this part. There are descriptions of clothes and of a computer.
　 You can do these tests in any order you like, or you can do alt the tests with a formal or informal text. I enjoyed writing this book and I hope you enjoy using it,
1. We can find the introduction to a product in ______,
　 A. Part 1         B. Part 2       C. Part 3       D.Part 4
2. Which of the following is most probably written in informal English?
　 A. A letter of complaint.                  B. A computer handbook.
　 C. A letter to a friend.                    D. A story of a president.
3. The passage is most probably written for _____.
　 A. test designers     B. students     C. test-takers     D. teachers
4. What is the best title of the book?
　 A. Test Your Reading                 B. Help with Your Writing
　 C. Learn Different Kinds a/English      D. Practise English in Different Ways