Question

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.”

Answer

1. D

2. A

3. B

4. C

【解析】

本文为介绍说明文。文章主要讲述了美式英语中有许多表达听起来是令人愉快的，但它的真实含义和表面不一样，同时列举了好几个关于"face the music"相应的例子来说明这种不同．

1.推理判断题。根据第二段中的It could be losing her friendship or paying for repairs to her sports car or both．Whatever the music is，you must face it（这可能是失去她的友谊或支付修理她的跑车或两者。无论是什么音乐，你必须面对它）结合选项可知，这里的音乐指的是你行为造成的不好后果。故D选项正确。

2.词义猜测题。根据第三段中的Many actors are very nervous（很多演员非常紧张）可知，这种情况被称为“怯场”，由此可知fright意为“恐惧”。故A选项正确。

3.细节理解题。根据第四段中的Word experts also say “face the music” may have come from the military.可知，词汇专家认为“face the music”可能来自军方。故B选项正确。

4.推理判断题。根据上文对face the music在各种场合中的不同含义的描述可知推知，接下来会介绍You made your bed. Now lie in it在具体语境中的具体含义。故C选项正确。