Question

 As a solo artist，Brightman has sold 26 million albums and two million DVDs in 34 countries. Her musical styles put opera, pop and jazz together. She is popular in the States but not here（Britain）—the image of her and her second husband, Andrew Lloyd Webber（he much older, she his muse) seems for ever frozen.

The 47-year-old singer talks about the new album Symphony 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 normal 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（敵意） “from the beginning. I haven’t tried to understand it. I’ve done very well everywhere else, especially the UK, 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.”

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

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

3.The following statements are true except ______.

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

B. Brightman disliked life on campus

C. Brightman was very gifted when she was young

D. the saucy dance troupe made Brightman famous

4. The underlined word in the fourth paragraph probably means ______.

A. located                            B. admired          C. followed                         D. found

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 isn’t 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

 

Answer 1

【答案】

 

1.B

2.C

3.A

4.D

5.A

【解析】

試題分析：本文敘述了獨唱一人布萊特曼的成長過程及作品。布萊特曼從小成長在一個大家庭里，不喜歡上學(xué)。她的音樂風(fēng)格把歌劇,流行音樂和爵士樂集中在一起。她認(rèn)為工作是她生活的重心，所以她把生兒育女放在一邊。她的歌曲在英國不被喜歡，但在其他地方非常受歡迎。

1.細節(jié)理解題。根據(jù)第一段的Her musical styles put opera, pop and jazz together. 她的音樂風(fēng)格把歌劇,流行音樂和爵士樂集中在一起。故選B。

2.細節(jié)理解題。根據(jù)第二段的After a while not having children becomes the normal可知布萊特曼認(rèn)為不生兒育女是正常的。故選C。

3.細節(jié)理解題。根據(jù)第三段的She first appeared in a West End musical at 11可知她是在11歲是首次出現(xiàn)在倫敦西區(qū)的一個音樂劇上。所以A項說的“5歲出現(xiàn)在倫敦西區(qū)的一個音樂劇上”是不正確的。故選A。

4.詞義猜測題。根據(jù)第四段的In 1981 she was spotted by Lloyd Webber. She became his leading lady in Song and Dance,可知她成為主唱之前，應(yīng)是先被Lloyd Webber找到，發(fā)現(xiàn)她的才華，因此spot在此處的意思是找到。故選D。

5.作者意圖題。根據(jù)最后一段的I haven’t tried to understand it. I’ve done very well everywhere else, especially the UK, where I now live. I just accept it for what it is.從中可知她已經(jīng)接受了在英國不被喜歡的事實。故選A。

考點：人物傳記短文閱讀。