When someone says "Well, I guess I'll have to go to face the music", it does not 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 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 100 years 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 cue 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(交响乐团) 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(装备) 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?

1. According to the passage, the word "music" means

     A. your boss's criticism (批评)               B. your leader's inspection

     C. something unpleasant to be experience       D. sour pop music

2. The phrase "to face the music" was the first used by _      _

A. all the Americans       

B. the American writer James Fenimore Cooper

C. some American actors   

D. the American orchestra

3. An actor might feel frightened or nervous when going on stage. One of the reasons is that _   

     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. most of the audience might be his friends

4. "To face the music" is also used to mean that soldiers were not willing _   _.

A. to be examined about their equipment    

B. to be found weak

C. to show themselves up in public            

D. to be inspected by their leader

5. The passage is mainly about _     _.

A. the meaning of the phrase "to face the music"

B. how to deal with something unpleasant

C. the phrase "to face the music" in America    

D. how to go through difficulty

If you stay in an Indian home, bring something from your home country as a gift. Although it is not expected, it would be much pleasant. But find out the social position and religion of your hosts before you choose the gift.  A bottle of foreign whisky would be the perfect gift for some, and not at all suitable for others.  If you know the people you are going to stay with, it is a good idea to ask them what they would like.  Some things are just not available in India.

It is not necessary to bring a gift when you are invited to dinner. After all, you are the honored guest. Several years ago, it was almost unpleasant to bring sweets or a bottle of wine.  But this is not true today.  Nowadays it is a custom which is becoming popular with many Indians.  Fruit, flowers or a box of sweets are perfect gifts, and will make no one unhappy.

In all classes of society, both in the city and in the country, food is only taken to the mouth with the right hand. This is the most important part of the etiquette of eating in India. When you watch Indians eat something, you will see that they keep their left hands on their legs.

If you want to find a conversation topic in India, talk about families. Another useful subject to start with is cricket.  But once you get to know a person better, any topic is acceptable. Indians love to talk about politics and religion. They enjoy heated discussions. Conversation is an art form and people take the time to really talk.

1．If you are invited for a meal at an Indian home,       .

A．you should offer to pay for the food

B．you will hurt your hosts if you take anything

C．it is fashionable to take flowers or sweets 

D．it is traditional to take whisky

2．Indians love interesting topics and they          .

A．only talk about family matters          B．prefer to have heated discussions

C．don’t like talking about themselves      D．get away from religion and politics

3．The underlined part in the first paragraph means         .

A．you can buy these things easily in India

B．they don’t make these things in India

          C．they never avoid these things in India

D．you can’t get these things in India

4．According to the passage, all of the following are true except that         .

A．your choice of gift will depend on who your hosts are

B．playing cricket with left hand is popular in India

C．Indians normally use their right hand for food they eat

D．Indians like to talk about serious things with guests