语言朋友(9)
From my second grade on, there was one event I feared every year: the piano recital (独奏演唱会).A recital__1__I had to practice a boring piece of music and perform before strangers.Each year I__2__ask my father if I could skip the recital “just this once”.And each year he would shake his head, muttering(嘀咕)__3__about building selfconfidence and working toward a__4__.So it was with really great__5__that I stood in church one recent Sunday, video camera in hand, and__6__my 68yearold father sweating in his shirt__7__rising to play the piano in his very first recital.
My father had longed to play music since childhood, but his family was poor and couldn't__8__lessons.He could have gone on regretting it,__9__too many of us do.But though he was rooted in his past, he wasn't__10__there.When he retired three years ago, he__11__his church music director to take him as a student.
For a moment after my father sat down at the keyboard, he__12__stared down at his fingers.Has he forgotten the__13__? I worried, remembering those split seconds__14__ago when my mind would go blank and my fingers would__15__.But then came the beautiful melody(旋律),from the__16__fingers that once baited (装饵于) my fishing lines.And I__17__he had been doing what music teachers always stress:__18__the music and pretend the others aren't there.
“I'm__19__of him for starting something new at his age,” I said to my son Jeff.
“Yeah, and doing it so__20__,” Jeff added.
With his first recital, my father taught me more about courage and determination than all the words he used those 30plus years ago.
解题导语:我的父亲小时候因为家境贫穷无法学习钢琴,但是他没有放弃梦想。他在退休以后开始学习钢琴,并在演奏会上有很精彩的表现。1.A.reflected
B.explained
C.meant
D.proved
reflected“反射,反映”;explained “解释”;meant“意味着”;proved“证明”。句意:我从二年级开始,就一直很害怕一件事情:独奏演唱会;独奏演唱会意味着我不得不连续练习一首乏味的乐曲,并在很多陌生人前面弹奏。C
2.A.would
B.could
C.might
D.should
每年“我”都请求父亲让“我”不参加,但是每年他都拒绝“我”的要求。此处选would表示过去常常。A
3.A.nothing
B.everything
C.anything
D.something
句意:当我请求的时候,他总是嘀咕着一些话,如要有自信,要朝着目标而努力,等等。故选D。D
4.A.goal
B.stage
C.journey
D.chance
参见第3题解析。A
5.A.trouble
B.satisfaction
C.strength
D.disappointment
根据下文可知,这次是父亲举行独奏演唱会,看到他在台上因紧张而流汗,“我”有满足感。故选B。B
6.A.kept
B.sent
C.watched
D.felt
参见第5题解析。C
7.A.through
B.from
C.against
D.before
根据常识,在正式演奏之前,表演的人通常都要起立向观众示意。本句表示父亲在站起来之前流汗。D
8.A.miss
B.afford
C.select
D.understand
父亲从小就想学习钢琴,但是家里很穷,承担不起钢琴课的费用,所以他一直没有实现自己学习钢琴的愿望。afford“承受得起,买得起”。B
9.A.as
B.once
C.if
D.while
句意:他本可以继续为自己小时候没能学习钢琴而遗憾,正如我们中很多人一样。as“正如,因为”。本句是一个非限制性定语从句。A
10.A.educated
B.protected
C.stuck
D.spoilt
be stuck“被困住,被卡住”。此处指父亲没有被困在遗憾中,而是在退休后积极实现自己的梦想。故选C。C
11.A.allowed
B.invited
C.inspired
D.persuaded
句意:他说服了教堂里的音乐老师收他为学生,开始学习钢琴。D
12.A.roughly
B.simply
C.merrily
D.curiously
根据下文我们很担心父亲是否忘记了乐谱可知,此处指父亲只是盯着自己的手指看。simply“仅仅,只是”。B
13.A.words
B.videos
C.notes
D.lessons
words“话”;videos “视频”;notes“笔记,注释”;lessons “课程,教训”。句意:难道他忘记了自己的音乐乐谱上的注释了吗?本句是作者在猜测父亲为什么还不开始弹奏。C
14.A.decades
B.weeks
C.hours
D.moments
根据上下文可知父亲已经68岁了而“我”也有了儿子,故选A。decades“几十年”。“我”怀疑父亲和几十年前的自己一样,在登台表演的时候头脑一片空白。A
15.A.play
B.freeze
C.click
D.adjust
play“玩耍,弹奏”;freeze “冷冻,僵住”;click “点击”;adjust“调整”。此处选freeze指手指僵硬,什么都弹奏不出来。B
16.A.same
B.warm
C.different
D.dirty
句意:但是很快,优美的旋律就被那只给我装鱼饵的同样的手弹奏了出来,故选A。强调是同一双手,其他选项不符合语境。A
17.A.predicted
B.realized
C.imagined
D.insisted
句意:我突然意识到他在做老师一直要求我们做的事情:把注意力集中到音乐,假装认为别人都不存在。realize“意识到”。B
18.A.pass over
B.turn up
C.bring in
D.concentrate on
pass over“忽视,去世”;turn up “出现,调高”;bring in“介绍,引进”;concentrate on “集中注意力于……”。选D表示注意力集中,其他选项不符合语境。D
19.A.ashamed
B.aware
C.tired
D.proud
根据下文可知,“我”为父亲能在这样的年纪去实现自己的梦想而感到很自豪。D
20.A.casually
B.anxiously
C.nicely
D.frequently
nicely “令人满意地,很好地”。本句是“我”的儿子对“我”的父亲的评价。故选C。C
七选五
With the development of society,it is common that many people are rushing all the way and all day,tired and sub healthy(亚健康). __21__She described all the things she had to do—one was to make her bed—from the moment she woke up until she flew out of the door for work.I suggested she experiment by not making her bed for two weeks.She was shocked,probably thinking I'd been brought up by wolves in a forest.__22__Two weeks later she went into my office merrily.She had left her bed unmade for the first time in 42 years and nothing bad had happened.“And you know what?” she said.“I don't dry my dishes anymore,either.”
__23__ One was discovering that she had choices in her life that she had never seen before.The other was giving herself permission to be less than perfect.This story shows an important principle about managing time:No one can do it all.Each of us has to make choices and accept tradeoffs(利弊权衡).The problem is that many people choose in ways that put themselves and their health last.They take better care of their houses and cars than they do of themselves. __24__
So what is the solution? There's an easy way.Decide what you want in your life,and put that first.On a daily basis,that should include regular meals,enough sleep and time with your family.Exercise,leisure,friendships and hobbies should also be regular aspects of life.__25__The choice is yours:whatever makes you feel good about yourself and your life.Take a nap.Take a walk.Take time to play the piano.Stop bringing your briefcase home from the office.Stop keeping your house as clean as your mother kept hers.Fill more of your time with wanttodos instead of have to dos.
A.Most people do not take time to relax themselves.
B.The point is to do something for yourself every day.
C.A patient came to see me about the stress in her life.
D.This woman had made two major breakthroughs.
E.Above all,you needn't do anything for yourself regularly.
F.They put everyone else's needs ahead of their own.
G.However,she went along with my idea.
21~25 CGDAB