The 47-year-old singer talks about the new album Symphony（交响乐） that came out of

题型：不详难度：来源：

The 47-year-old singer talks about the new album Symphony（交响乐） that came out of a “very dark time”, including her decision to give up trying to have children. “People have suggested I could adopt,” Brightman says. “But work is central to my life now. And so I am going to put it to one side. After a while not having children becomes the norm and perhaps that might sound alarming, to parents especially, but I have never known anything different. I’m not hurt by not having children. My life and career are incredibly rich.”
Talking about growing up in a large family in Berkhamsted (father a property developer who later committed suicide), she says: “I was gifted as a child, and very musical. I seemed to be good at anything to do with the arts. At 5，I understood the music I was dancing to and had an eye for costume.” She first appeared in a West End musical at 11 and hated boarding school.
Brightman led the saucy dance troupe（辣妹三人舞） Hot Gossip and had her first hit with I Lost My Heart to a Starship Trooper in 1978. At 18 she married a music manager called Andrew Graham Stewart. “I was probably in love but I can’t remember. Girls change such a lot between 18 and 22. It didn’t really work out.” In 1981 she was spotted by Lloyd Webber. She became his leading lady in Song and Dance, Requiem and Phantom of the Opera. They married in 1984.
Brightman says she felt hostility(敌意) “from the beginning. I haven’t tried to understand it. I’ve done very well everywhere else, especially the US, where I now live, I just accept it for what it is. The more you are away from Britain, the more you appreciate it. But I don’t miss it, although I miss my family. Our profession can be uncomfortable but I enjoy what I do. I get on with it.”
小题1: The first paragraph tells us that _____.

A．Brightman is very popular around the world except in America

B．Brightman’s musical style is a mixture of opera, pop and jazz

C．the British people don’t like her for her style of music

D．Brightman is much older than Andrew Lloyd Webber

小题2: Brightman decided to give up having children because _____.

A．she could adopt one

B．her life and career were unbelievably rich without children

C．she felt it normal not to have children

D．she was too busy

小题3:The following statements are true except ______.

A．Brightman first appeared in a West End musical at 5

B．Brightman disliked life on the campus

C．Brightman was very gifted when she was young

D．The saucy dance troupe made Brightman famous

小题4:The underlined word in the fourth paragraph probably means _____.

A．located

B．admired

C．followed

D．found

小题5: What does the author try to say in the last paragraph by quoting Brightman’s words?

A．Brightman has to accept the fact that she is not liked in Britain

B．Brightman lives in America but she loves her own country

C．The British coldness towards Brightman led to her hatred to her homeland

D．Brightman was at a loss why she was not welcome in Britain

答案

小题1:B
小题1:C
小题1:A
小题1:D
小题1:A

解析

略

举一反三

Well, when the huge wave hit the boat, my safety belt broke and I was swept overboard. I don’t really understand how it happened, but it did. I heard someone yell out, but then my boat, Wild One, went off into the darkness and I was alone in a very rough sea. I then spent five and a half hours in the water. The place where it happened was, oh, about 50 kilometers from shore. It was likely that I wouldn’t see another day, but I always thought I’d overcome the difficulties. At first I was watching out for Wild One. The rest of the crew knew I was gone, so they were sure to come back and look for me. After a while, I saw the boat’s lights when it came looking for me. They were within about 300 meters of me, but the spotlight just missed me. The reason why they didn’t see me was because of the huge waves. You know, I started sailing when I was seven, and started ocean racing when I was about eighteen, but I’d never been overboard before. I believed I was going to survive, but it was very cold, and as the hours passed I started to get desperate——and frozen! It was around 5 am when I saw the lights of a tanker coming towards me. I figured it was probably my last chance. At first, I thought they were going to miss me, and then they made a slight turn and I yelled out “Help!” and they heard me. Then another yacht appeared. These guys were terrific. They gave me dry clothes, and then one jumped into the bunk and hung onto me. They covered us with as much dry clothing as they could, and the guy in with me stayed to transfer his body heat to me.
小题1:The author of the passage was alone in the sea NOT because ______.

A．the wind was too strong	B．the wave hit the boat
C．the safety belt was broken	D．his boat was in the darkness

小题2:He was not saved by his crew because ______.

A．he didn’t yell out “Help!”	B．300 meters was long distance
C．he was not found	D．he didn’t see the spotlight

小题3:It was inferred from the passage that ______.

A．he was swept overboard at about midnight

B．Wild One was the name of a crew member

C．he started ocean racing at about seven

D．he was too hopeless to take the last chance

小题4: One of the guys who saved him jumped into the bunk in order to ______.

A．cover him with more dry clothes

B．warm him with his body heat

C．comfort him

D．congratulate him

题型：不详难度：| 查看答案

“Hurry, Mommy! Let’s go trick-or-treating!” My daughter waited by the door in her pink princess skirt while I prayed in the living room. Usually I liked taking her out on Halloween, but this year I was sad. I was worried about my mother, who was in China on vacation. I got a call that afternoon that she had slipped and fallen on the hard floor of her hotel and broken her leg. She was taken to a hospital in Beijing. Mom was nervous because she couldn’t understand any of the doctors. If only I could do something to help her!
I knew I couldn’t let my worries spoil my daughter’s fun. There was nothing I could do for Mom except pray, I thought. We left the house and went down the block. I was so upset that I hardly took notice of the kids around me. There came the man to whose son I’d once given piano lessons. “Hello there,” I said, greeting him and the boy at his side.
“Hello,” the father answered. “Having fun?”“I’m trying,” I said. “Why, what’s wrong?” he asked. I told him the whole story. “My mother, in China, broke her leg and didn’t understand any of the doctors. And I’m too far away to do anything!” I said.
He raised his eyebrows. “Beijing, you said?” he asked. I nodded. He smiled. “Believe it or not, my sister is a doctor at an English-speaking hospital there. If you want, I’ll make a call right away and we’ll try and get your mom transferred (转移).”
A few days later I sat in the living room with my daughter as she finished the last of the candy. “Mommy, how far away is China?” she asked. “Not as far as I thought,” I said.
小题1:What did the author’s daughter want to do?

A．Pray with the author.	B．Enjoy herself outside.
C．Play a trick on her mom.	D．Go to the theatre to see a play.

小题2:What was the author’s mother worried about most?

A．She couldn’t get used to the life in Beijing.

B．She was hurt in the leg badly while travelling.

C．She was too old and weak to pray for her daughter.

D．She couldn’t make herself understood by the doctor.

小题3:The author hardly took notice of the kids around because _____ .

A．she was calling her mother	B．she felt very sad at that time
C．she was about to give a lesson	D．she couldn’t find her daughter

小题4: We can infer from the text that _____ .

A．the man’s sister would help the author’s mother

B．the author would come to China to see her mother

C．the author was a famous music teacher in the town

D．the author’s daughter wanted to travel in China

题型：不详难度：| 查看答案

It is winter in many parts of the world. For some areas, that means snow. Maybe even lots of snow. If you don’t have to drive in it or remove it, snow can be very beautiful. When snow covers everything around you, the world looks like a “winter wonderland”. That is the name of a very popular song about winter. Richard Smith and Felix Bernard wrote the song back in 1934. There are hundreds of recordings of this happy song.
But winter is not always such a beautiful and happy time. It’s cold outside. You try hard to keep warm. The days are darker and shorter. The sun rarely shines. The leaves on the trees are brown. It isn’t surprising that some people are sad in winter. And some people dream about being somewhere else where it’s warm and pretty—like the state of California. The Mamas and the Papas recorded this famous song “California Dreaming”.
During the 1960s, many other famous rock groups released songs about winter. Here is a poetic song by Simon and Garfunkel called “A Hazy Shade of Winter”. They sing about life and hope and possibilities.
In 1968, the group Blood, Sweat and Tears recorded this gentle, sad song about winter. They sing about a lost love and forgotten memories in “Sometimes in Winter”.
In the early 1990s, Tori Amos wrote and recorded the beautiful song called “Winter”. She enjoyed singing about winter when she was a child.
Finally, on a happier note comes this song written and recorded by Fountains of Wayne in 2003. They sing about a snowstorm in a New England town. Nothing unusual there. But instead of being sad or tense about the snow, they write a song about it.
小题1: The underlined sentence “For some areas, that means snow.” probably means
_____ .

A．In some areas, when it’s winter, it must snow

B．In some areas, it often snows in winter

C．In some areas, it’s important to snow

D．In some areas, people like snow in winter

小题2: According to the second paragraph, winter is _____ .

A．beautiful and happy	B．happy and warm
C．lovely and hopeful	D．cold and sad

小题3:Which of the songs can bring us hope of life?

A．Winter Wonderland.	B．California Dreaming.
C．A Hazy Shade of Winter.	D．Sometimes in Winter.

小题4:What does the passage mainly talk about?

A．Winter in different areas.	B．Different ideas about winter.
C．Songs about winter.	D．Winter is cold but happy.

题型：不详难度：| 查看答案

Holidays are often associated with no work and all play. People seek to enjoy their holidays in different ways. Vacation packages (一揽子交易) have been in existence for a long time. ---小题1:--- So now people can choose from the different packages according to their own tastes.
Sky diving, hiking and many other extreme sports are packaged with hotel tours to attract the younger generation. Tour service providers enjoy the benefits of the increase in bookings from hotel tours. Holiday-makers enjoy the exciting experiences without making efforts to look for hotels. ---小题2:---
---小题3:-- These holiday-makers enjoy student discount and packages while learning about history and culture of different places.
Summer vacation packages have never fallen down the rankings. ---小题4:--- Having a warm sunny day at the beach is one of the fast selling vacation packages in the leisure industry.
Safari (游猎) adventures have always attracted some of the modern adventurers. The animals of Africa continue to amaze crowds that have only seen these creatures on educational channels. Many activities like outdoor camping, safari day tours and hiking in protected parks are always welcomed by holiday-makers.
--小题5:--- Alaways try something new or fun to do and your days of relaxation will be always exciting.

A．Picking out a vacation package can keep yourself from boring vacations.

B．Everyone is in a winning situation.

C．You can’t miss vacation packages if you want to have a good vacation.

D．Educational vacation packages are quite suitable for students.

E. They are one of the favorite choices for most holiday-makers who like sunny beaches.
F. They are continually being improved to meet people’s demands.
G. Vacation needs your plan.

题型：不详难度：| 查看答案

Man, a land animal. But he is also closely tied to the sea. Throughout history the sea has served the needs of man. The sea has provided man with food and a convenient way to travel to many parts of the world. Today, nearly two-thirds of the world’s population live within 80 kilometers of the sea coast.
In the modern technological world, the sea offers many resources to help mankind survive. Resources on land are beginning to be used up. The sea, however, still can be hoped to supply many of man’s needs.
The list of riches of the sea yet to be developed by man’s technology is big. Oil and gas explorations have been carried out for nearly 30 years. Valuable amounts of minerals exist on the ocean floor ready to be mined.
Fish farming promises to be a good way to produce large quantities of food. The culture of fish and shellfish (贝类动物) is an ancient skill practised in the past mainly by Oriental people, including people in China.
Besides oil and gas, the sea may offer new sources of energy. Experts believe that the warm temperature of the ocean can be used in a way similar to the steam in a steamship. Ocean currents and waves offer possible use as a source of energy.
Technology is enabling man to explore ever more deeply under the sea. The development of strong, new materials has made this possible.
The technology to harvest the sea continues to improve. Experts believe that by the year 2020 the problems that prevent us from exploiting（开发） fully the food, minerals, and energy sources of the sea will be largely solved.
小题1:The major things that the sea offers man are ______.

A．fish and oil

B．minerals and oil

C．warm temperature and ocean currents

D．the food, energy sources, and minerals

小题2:We can conclude from this passage that ______.

A．the sea resources have largely been used up

B．the sea, in the broad sense, has not yet been developed

C．the problems that prevent us from using the food, minerals, and energy sources of the sea have already been solved.

D．by the year 2020, the technology will be good enough to exploit all the sea resources

小题3:The underlined words “Oriental people” in the fourth paragraph probably mean ______.

A．the people in Asia	B．African people
C．European people	D．American people

小题4:The best title for this passage is ______.

A．Sea Harvest	B．Sea Food
C．Technology for Exploiting the Sea	D．Man and the Sea

题型：不详难度：| 查看答案