To face the music
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 and 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 Looper. 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 was 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 "come 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 an inspection by their leader, the soldiers would be worried about how well they looked. Was their equipment clean, shinny enough to pass the 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
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.How many ways does the phrase "to face the music" comes from
The Grand Canyon A famous American John Muir said in 1898:“The Grand Canyon…as unearthly in the color and grandeur(宏大)and quantity of its architecture as if you had found it after death on some other star. ”
Like Muir, those of us who stand along the rim are prompted to wonder about the unearthliness and the forces that created and are still changing this place.
After more than 100 years of studies, many things are still obscure. Today visitors come by the thousands—the great and simple of the earth — all in a spirit of marvel. Travelers come from every state of the Union, from every country in Europe and Asia, pilgrims(朝圣者)to a shrine(神殿)that is the same as the creed(信仰).
From the depths of the canyon(峡谷)comes welling silence. Seldom can you hear the roar of the river. For all sounds are swallowed in this gulf of space. ‘It makes one want to murmur. A woman once whispered to her companion. This silence is not the silence of death;rather, it is a presence. It is like a great piece of music. But music made of man works up to a climax and ceases;the Grand Canyon is all climax, a chord(和音)echoing into eternity. Perhaps the most spectacular feature of the Grand Canyon, its Redwall limestone(石灰石) cliff, stands about half way up the chasm (裂口) and is practically vertical. Its average height is550 feet almost exactly that of the Washington Monument. Though it is actually gray-blue limestone, the surface of the cliff has been stained to a sunset hue by iron salts washing out of the rocks. Above the Redwall come alternating layers of red sandstone and shale(页岩)1, 000 feet thick, then comes the next pale-blue layer. The topmost layers are a yellowish limestone.
Now, visitors to the South Rim alone may number 18, 000 in a single day. Some of that number will travel by mule(轻型牵引机)train down Bright Angel Trail to the canyon’s floor, cross the raging fiver by a suspension bridge and amount to the North Rim.
Though the two rims face each other across only 12 miles, it is a journey of 214 miles by car from one to the other. Nor can you visit the North Rim except in summer;some 1, 200 feet higher than the South Rim, it is snow covered much of the year except in July and August.
But there is no day that you may not visit the South Rim and find the sun warm on your face and the air perfumed with the incense of smoke from an Indian hearth. The Grand Canyon is an unearthly sight. No wonder an American writer and journalist said, “I came here an atheist(无神论者), and departed a devout (虔诚的) believer. ”
Practice 3 ● An American company placed an order with your company and you are responsible for finding a shipping agent to transport the required goods to the destination. Now, you found two advertisements on the Internet and are supposed to write a proposal saying which agent you recommend.
● Read the two advertisements below, on which you have already made some notes.
● Then, using all your handwritten notes, write your proposal.
● Write 120-140 words on a separate sheet.
American schools are divided into()
The American Petroleum Institute recommends magnetic particle inspection for().
It was in()the American astronauts succeeded in landing on the moon.
A characteristic of American culture that has become almost a tradition is to respect the self-made man-the man who has risen to the top through his own efforts, usually beginning by working with his hands. While the leader in business or industry or the college professor occupies a higher social position and commands greater respect in the community than the common laborer or even the skilled factory worker, he may take pains to point out that his father started life in America as a farmer or laborer of some sort.
This attitude toward manual (体力的) labor is now still seen in many aspects of American life. One is invited to dinner at a home that is not only comfortably but even luxuriously (豪华地)furnished and in which there is every evidence of the fact that the family has been able to afford foreign travel, expensive hobbies, and college education for the children; yet the hostess probably will cook the dinner herself, will serve it herself and will wash dishes afterward, furthermore the dinner will not consist merely of something quickly and easily assembled from contents of various cans and a cake or a pie bought at the nearby bakery. On the contrary, the hostess usually takes pride in careful preparation of special dishes. A professional man may talk about washing the car, digging in his flowerbeds, painting the house. His wife may even help with these things, just as he often helps her with the dishwashing. The son who is away at college may wait on table and wash dishes for his living, or during the summer he may work with a construction gang on a highway in order to pay for his education.From paragraph 1, we can know that in America ().
How many former American presidents attended Gerald Ford’s funeral service?
If you think American cooking means opening a package and tossing the contents into the microwave, think again. On the one hand, it's true that Americans thrive on cold cereal for breakfast, sandwiches for lunch and instant dinners. From busy homemakers to professional people, many Americans enjoy the convenience of prepackaged meals that can be ready to serve in 10 minutes or less. On the other hand, many Americans recognize the value of cooking skills. Most Americans will admit that there's nothing better than a good home-cooked meal.
To face the music
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 and 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 Looper. 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 was 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 "come 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 an inspection by their leader, the soldiers would be worried about how well they looked. Was their equipment clean, shinny enough to pass the 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
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.What’s the meaning of "to face the music"