18."Angie,I know you like to sing,"her father,a worker,told Angela Brown,"but you must have something to fall back on (依靠)."
Brown took her father's advice.She got a degree in secretarial science before enering Oakwood College,in Huntsville,Alabama.However,her aim was to become a singer at religious meetings.So after graduation she headed for Indiana University to study with the famus soprano (女高音歌手) Virginia Zeani.
Once,when Brown was troubled by self-doubt,Zeani said to her,"If you want to be the next Aretha Franklin,you need no more lessons,"Brown remembers her saying."But if you want to be the best Verdian soprano this world has ever seen,you must work."
Work she did.Three times she competed in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions (試演).Three times she failed to make the final round in New York.Then,in 1997at age 33,the age limit for sopranos to audition,she gave it one more try.She signed up at the last minute and didn't even practice,thinking,"All they could do was to tell me no,and that didn't hurt my feelings anymore."She had the strength she needed to fall back on if she failed.
She won.But making it in New York was just the beginning.It took her three more years to become an understudy (替角) at the Met.But waiting in the wings was fine with her.Finally,her time came.When the featured singer fell ill,Brown earned the chance to sing the lead role in Aida.And The New York Times described her performance as a great success.Angela Brown,who had prepared for 20years,was an"overnight"successful singer at age 40.
56.The underlined words"Aretha Franklin"in Paragraph 3probably refer to"".C
A.one of Virginia Zeani's students
B.a(chǎn)n unsuccessful singer
C.a(chǎn)nother famous singer
D.a(chǎn)n understudy at the Met
57.We can learn from the fourth paragraph that Angela Brown.A
A.was about to give up if she failed again in 1997
B.failed to make the final round because of her old age
C.failed many auditions because she hadn't practiced hard
D.cared much about the results of the audition in 1997
58.Which of the following sayings can best express the message of the passage?C
A.No pains,no gains.
B.The early bird catches the worm.
C.Never too old to learn,never too late to turn
D.Nothing is impossible to a willing heart.
59.Which of the following words can best describe Angela Brown's father?D
A.Helpful and confident.
B.Understanding and practical.
C.Humorous and open-minded.
D.Strict and strong-willed.
分析 本文寫了歌星Angela Brown經(jīng)過不懈的努力在四十歲的時候才成功的故事.
解答 56.C 詞義猜測題.根據(jù)第三段可知,Brown跟Zeani學習歌唱,所以當Brown懷疑自己時,Zeani說她放棄的話,就會是下一個Aretha Franklin,故Aretha Franklin應(yīng)是一名歌手.
57.A 細節(jié)理解題.從第四段中的"Then,in 1997 at age 33,the age limit for sopranos to audition,she gave it one more try"可知,這次試演是Brown的最后一次機會,如不成功她就沒機會了.
58.C 推理判斷題.本文講述了 Angela Brown雖歷經(jīng)多次挫折和失敗,仍不放棄自己成為歌手的夢想.故最能體現(xiàn)Angela Brown成功的是C項,意思為"心之所愿,無事不成".A項意思為"沒有付出就沒有收獲";B項意思為"早起的鳥兒有蟲吃";D項意思為"勇者無懼".
59.D 推理判斷題.根據(jù)文中句子:Brown took her father's advice.Brown.因為聽從了爸爸的建議才能夠堅持下來,最終在四十歲的時候一夜走紅,可見她爸爸是一個嚴格的具有堅強意志力的人,所以答案選D.
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