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 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 （侧）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（管弦乐队）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 ?

1．The phrase “to face the music” was first used by______________.

A．all the Americans

B．the American writer James Fenimore Cooper

C．American actors

D．the American orchestra

2．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．the audience might be mostly his friends

3． “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 by their leader  

D．to be inspected by their leader

4．This passage is mainly about______________.

A．the meaning of the phrase “to face the music”

B．how to deal with something unpleasant

C．the origin（起源）of the phrase

D．how to go through difficulty

 

 

第三部分：阅读理解（共20小题，每题2分，满分40分）

阅读下列短文，从每题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳答案，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。

WASHINGTON -Tofu（豆腐）and Soyaburgers (豆饼) may be coming to American school lunch menus. What will the kids say?

 “Terrible,” said Greg Dudzinski, 17, of Ripon High School in Wisconsin, as he toured the US capital.

“The regular hamburgers are bad enough, so soyaburgers would be a lot worse, offered Zach Richey, 13, of Scottsboro Junior High in Alabama, another tourist.

But the United States government – hoping to reduce the amount of fat that children are eating –has approved the use of soy as a meat substitute in meals for schools and day-care centers.

Not all kids dislike the change. Mariel Spano, 17, of sandy Greek High School in New York, also visiting the capital, said she likes soyaburgers：  “There is less fat, and they are better for you… They taste the same, and they are just as good.”

The government tried to make soy a meat substitute nearly 20 years ago, but later dropped the ideA．At the time, the plan was intended as a cost-cutting move. US Agriculture Department officials say that their purpose now is only to make meals healthier.

Schools are likely to increase the amount of soy that is mixed with hamburgers and other foods already on their menus, and they will also be looking for food companies to develop new soy products that children will like. “ I can’t see putting tofu on a student’s plate and having a good acceptance. I can see taking a product that is familiar to the students and adding a large amount of soy to it and having it to be acceptable,” said Jill Benza, director of food services for the Mesa, Arizona schools.

1．What is the newspaper report mainly about?

       A．The difficulty in using soy products for US schools.

B．Various opinions on soy products for US schools.

       C．The plan that is made by the US government for school lunch.

       D．Healthy foods for students in US schools.

2．Where did the interviews most probably take place?

       A．In food companies.              B．In schools.

       C．In Washington.                   D．In some other states.

3．We may learn from the text that _________________________.

       A．soyaburgers taste better than hamburgers.   

       B．hamburgers are healthier than soyaburgers.

       C．soyaburgers cost less than hamburgers.     

       D．hamburgers cost less than soyaburgers.

4． What Jill Benza said shows that ___________________________.

       A．students have not yet been used to soy products.

       B．it is hardly possible to make soy products popular.

       C．he does not like the change in meals for students.

       D．schools are unwilling to change the lunch menus.

 

In the 1960s, many young Americans were dissatisfied with American society. They wanted to end the Vietnam War and to make all of the people in the U.S. equal. Some of them decided to "drop out" of American society and form their own societies. They formed utopian communities, which they called “communes”, where they could follow their philosophy of “do your own thing”. A group of artists founded a commune in southern Colorado called "Drop City." Following the ideas of philosopher and architect Buckminster Fuller, they built dome-shaped houses from pieces of old cars. Other groups, such as author Ken Kesey’s Merry Pranksters, the followers of San Francisco poet Steve Gakin, and a group that called itself the Hog Farm, lived in old school houses and traveled around the United States. The Hog Farm became famous when they helped organize the Woodstock Rock Festival in 1969. Steve Gaskin’s followers tried to settle down on a farm in Tennessee, but they had to leave when some members of the group were arrested for growing marijuana.

　　Not all communes believed in the philosophy of “do your own thing”. However, Twin Oaks, a commune founded in Virgiania in the late 1960s, was based on the ideas of psychologist B.F.Skinner. The people who lived at Twin Oaks were carefully controlled by Skinner’s “conditioning” techniques to do things that were good for the community. In 1972, Italian architect Paolo Soleri began to build Arcosanti, a utopian city Arizsona where 2500 people will live closely together in one large building called an “archeology”. Soleri believes that people must live closely together so that they will all become one.

Why did some young Americans decide to “drop out” of society during the 1960s?

　　A. They were not satisfied with American society.

　　B. They wanted to grow marijuana.

　　C. They wanted to go to the Vietnam War.

　　D. They did not want all people to be equal.

Where did the members of the Hog Farm commune live?

　　A. In dome-shaped house.         B. In old school houses.

　　C. On a farm in Tennessee.        D. In an archeology in Arizona.

Who gave the people of Drop City the idea to build dome-shaped house?

　　A. Paolo Soleri.  　             B. B.G.Skinner.

　　C. Steve Gaskin.                D. Buckminster Fuller.

What was the Twin Oaks commune based on?

　　A. The philosophy of “do your own thing”.

　　B. Virginia in the late 1960s.

　　C. The ideas of psychologist.

　　D. The belief that people must live closely together.

What is an “archeology”?

　　A. A person who studies archaeology.

　　B. A large building where people live closely together.

　　C. A city in Arizona.

　　D. A technique to control people.

Guangzhou （Xinhua news agency）——12 people were killed and 20 injured early yesterday morning when they jumped from a burning train car into the path of an oncoming (即将到来的) goods train in Southern China. When No.247 Wuchang —— Guangzhou passenger train was passing the Dayaoshan Tunnel in Guangdong Province, South China at 00 :17 hours yesterday, a fire caused by passengers' smoking broke out on No.17 car. They wanted to extinguish fire. However, while the train was stopping, some frightened passengers jumped from windows. As a result, 12 passengers were crushed to death and 20 others were injured by an opposite northward passing goods train-No.1766.

1.What was the cause of the fire？

A．A heavy rain.

B．High temperature.

C．Carelessness.

D．Fear.

2.When did the accident happen？

A．At 00:17 am.	B．At 00:17 pm.
C．At seventeen past one	D．At seventeen to one

3.Where did the accident happen？

A．In Wuchang.

B．In Guangzhou.

C．In Hubei.

D．In Guangdong.

4.The underlined word “extinguish” in the passage most probably means        .

A．put out

B．put up

C．come up

D．come out

5.In which direction did the passenger train travel？

A．Northward.

B．Southward.

C．Eastward.

D．Westward.

 

Mark and his brother Jason both were looking at the shining new computer enviously, Jason was determined not to go against their father’s wishes but Mark was more adventurous than his brother. He loved experimenting and his aim was to become a scientist like his father.

“Dad will be really mad if he finds out you’ve been playing with his new computer.” Jason said, “He told us not to touch it.”

“He won’t find out,” Mark said. “I’ll just have a quick look and shut it down.”

Mark had been scolded before for touching his father’s equipment. But his curiosity was difficult to control and this new computer really puzzled him.

It was a strange-looking machine — one his dad had brought home from the laboratory where he worked. “It’s an experimental model,” his father had explained, “so don’t touch it under any circumstances.” But his father’s warning only served to make Mark more curious. Without any further thought, Mark turned on the power switch. The computer burst into life and seconds later, the screen turned into colors, shifting and changing and then two big white words appeared in the centre of the screen: “SPACE TRANSPORTER.” “Yes!” Mark cried excitedly, “It’s a computer game. I knew it! Dad’s only been pretending to work. He’s really been playing games instead.” A new message appeared on the screen: “ENTER NAMES

VOYAGER 1:…

VOYAGER 2:…”

Mark’s fingers flew across the keyboard as he typed in both of their names.

 “INPUT ACCEPTED. START TRANSPORT PROGRAM. AUTO-RETRIEVE INITIATED (自动回收程序已启动).”

The screen turned even brighter and a noise suddenly rose in volume.

“I think we’d better shut it off, Mark,” Jason yelled, reaching for the power switch. He was really frightened.

But his hand never reached the switch. A single beam of dazzling white light burst out of the computer screen, wrapping the boys in its glow(光芒) , until they themselves seemed to be glowing. Then it died down just as suddenly as it had burst into life. And the boys were no longer there. On the screen, the letters changed.

“TRANSPORT SUCCESSFUL. DESTINATION (目的地)：MARS. RETRIEVE DATE: 2025.”

1.Why did Mark touch the computer against his father’s warning?

A. He wanted to take a voyage.                   B. He wanted to practice his skill.

C. He was so much attracted by it.  D. He was eager to do an experiment.

2.Where did the boys’ father most likely work?

A. In an electronic factory.

B. In a computer company.

C. In a scientific research center.

D. In an information processing center.

3. Mark thought “SPACE TRANSPORTER” on the screen was the name of______.

A. a computer game                                     B. a company website       

C. a software producer                                 D. an astronomy

4.Why did Jason want to shut off the computer?

A. He was afraid of being scolded.

B. He didn’t like the loud noise and light.

C. He didn’t want to play games any more.

D. He was afraid something dangerous might happen.

5. What happened to the boys at the end of the story? 

A. They were blown into the air.

B. They were sent to another planet. 

C. They were hidden in the strong light.

D. They were carried away to another country.