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 your boss to explain why you did this and did that, and why you did not do this or that. Terrible music, indeed, but it has to be faced. At some time or another, every one of us has had to "face the music", especially as children. We can 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 "face the music" is known to every American, old and young. It is at least one hundred years old. Where did the expression come from? The first explanation came from the American novelist James Fenimore Cooper. He said, in 1851, that expression was first used by actors while waiting in the wings to go on stage. After they got their clue 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 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 . But he had to go out. If he did not, there would be no play. So "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. Which of the following is NOT true? A) The expression came from James Fenimore Cooper, an American novelist B) The expression has a history of 100 years. C) If someone doesn't obey his boss, he will have to face the music. D) Almost everyone once had an experience to face the music.
B
Tim Burton attempts to work his gothic magic over one of the best loved stories of all time--Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There. Alice, now 19, attends a party at a Victorian estate, only to find she is about to be proposed to by a rich suitor in front of hundreds of snooty society types. She runs off, following a white rabbit into a hole and ending up in Wonderland--a place she visited many years before, yet she doesn't remember. The white rabbit claims to have come back for Alice because she is the only one who can slay the Jabberwock, the beast who guards the Red Queen's empire. Alice remains completely unaware of why she is in Wonderland, and is confused about the fact that she had once visited Wonderland years before. Now, Wonderland has changed into a dark, scarier place than it used to be. Alice then _ an adventure of self discovery, and to save Wonderland from the Red Queen's reign of terror with the help of her Wonderland friends. Alice runs off because maybe _ . A) she doesn't like that party B) she is too snooty C) she doesn't like the suitor D) she wants to get married
C
Q: Chelsea Clinton, the 31-year-old daughter of former President Bill Clinton and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, is stepping into her own spotlight. According to the New York Times, NBC has hired Clinton to become a full-time special correspondent for NBC News. Her feature stories will reportedly be used in the "Making a Difference" series, which _ on "NBC Nightly News". The sections attract people who volunteer to improve the lives of others in their communities. When Bill Clinton won the presidency in 1992, the first lady asked the press to keep Chelsea out of the public eyes. As a young adult, Chelsea continued to avoid media attention in order to attend college and quietly enter the business world. Once her mother decided to run for the presidency in 2007, however, Chelsea made hundreds of public appearances, mostly on college campuses, to support the campaign. More recently, she has worked for New York University and promoted her father's latest book. She is currently pursuing a doctor's degree at Oxford. Clinton is the second daughter of a president hired by NBC News; Jenna Bush Hager, daughter of former President George W. Bush, works as a correspondent for NBC's "Today" show. According to the text, we can conclude that _ . A) Chelsea Clinton is the second daughter of Bill Clinton B) Chelsea Clinton is in favour of her parents' careers C) Chelsea Clinton always follows her mother's advice D) Jenna Bush Hager is a correspondent for "NBC Nightly News"
A: B
A few degrees can make a big difference when it comes to food storage.Foods can go bad if they get too warm.But for many of the world's poor, finding a good way to keep food cool is difficult.Refrigerators are costly and they need electricity. Yet spoiled food not only creates health risks but also economic losses.Farmers lose money when they have to throw away products that they cannot sell quickly. But in nineteen ninety-five a teacher in northern Nigeria named Mohammed Bah Abba found a solution.He developed the "Pot-in-Pot Preservation/Cooling System." It uses two round containers made of clay.A smaller pot is placed inside a larger one.The space between the two pots is filled with wet sand.The inner pot can be filled with fruit, vegetables or drinks.A wet cloth covers the whole cooling system. Food stored in the smaller pot is kept from spoiling through a simple evaporation process.Water in the sand between the two pots evaporates through the surface of the larger pot, where drier outside air is moving.The evaporation process creates a drop in temperature of several degrees.This cools the inner pot and helps keep food safe from harmful bacteria.Some foods can be kept fresh this way for several weeks. People throughout Nigeria began using the invention.And it became popular with farmers in other African countries.Mohammed Bah Abba personally financed the first 5,000 pot-in-pot systems for his own community and five villages nearby. In 2000, the Rolex Watch Company of Switzerland honored him with the Rolex Award for Enterprise.This award recognizes people trying to develop projects aimed at improving human knowledge and well-being.A committee considers projects in science and medicine, technology, exploration and discovery, the environment and cultural history.Winners receive financial assistance to help develop and extend their projects.The award is given every two years.The most recent one was given last year. The evaporation process of the cooling system is used to _ . A) prevent the loss of water B) cause dry and wet air to exchange C) keep the stored food dry D) take heat away from the inner pot
D