强化训练06 阅读理解(六)
(45分钟，100分)
A
George Gershwin, born in 1898, was one of America's greatest composers. He published his first song when he was eighteen years old. During the next twenty years he wrote more than five hundred songs.
Many of Gershwin's songs were first written for musical plays performed in theatres in New York City. These plays were a popular form of entertainment in the 1920s and 1930s. Many of his songs have remained popular as ever. Over the years they have been sung and played in every possible way－from jazz to country.
In the 1920s there was a debate in the United States about jazz music. Could jazz, some people asked, be considered serious music? In 1924 jazz musician and orchestra leader Paul Whiteman decided to organize a special concert to show that jazz was serious music. Gershwin agreed to compose something for the concert before he realized he had just a few weeks to do it. And in that short time, he composed a piece for piano and orchestra which he called Rhapsody in Blue. Gershwin himself played the piano at the concert. The audience were thrilled when they heard his music. It made him worldfamous and showed that jazz music could be both serious and popular.
In 1928, Gershwin went to Paris. He applied to study composition (作曲) with the wellknown musician Nadia Boulanger, but she rejected him. She was afraid that classical study would ruin his jazzinfluenced style. While there, Gershwin wrote An American in Paris. When it was first performed, critics (评论家)were divided over the music. Some called it happy and full of life, to others it was silly and boring. But it quickly became popular in Europe and the United States. It still remains one of his most famous works.
George Gershwin died in 1937, just days after doctors learned he had brain cancer. He was only thirtynine years old. Newspapers all over the world reported his death on their front pages. People mourned the loss of the man and all the music he might have still written.
1. Many of Gershwin's musical works were __________.
A. written about New Yorkers
B. composed for Paul Whiteman
C. played mainly in the countryside
D. performed in various ways
2. What do we know about the concert organized by Whiteman?
A. It attracted more people to theatres.
B. It proved jazz could be serious music.
C. It made Gershwin leader of the orchestra.
D. It caused a debate among jazz musicians.
3. What did Gershwin do during his stay in Paris?
A. He created one of his best works.
B. He studied with Nadia Boulanger.
C. He argued with French critics.
D. He changed his music style.
4. What do we learn from the last paragraph?
A. Many of Gershwin's works were lost.
B. The death of Gershwin was widely reported.
C. A concert was held in memory of Gershwin.
D. Brain cancer research started after Gershwin's death.
【语篇解读】 这是一篇人物传记。文章主要讲述了美国著名作曲家乔治·格什温的生平以及他在音乐方面的巨大贡献。
1．解析：考查细节。由第二段最后一句“Over the years they have been sung and played in every possible way－from jazz to country.”可知：乔治·格什温的音乐作品是以各种形式传唱和演奏。
答案：D
2．解析：考查推断。由第三段最后三句“Gershwin himself played the piano at the concert. The audience were thrilled when they heard his music. It made him worldfamous and showed that jazz music could be both serious and popular.”信息可知：这场音乐会证明了爵士音乐庄重严肃。
答案：B
3．解析：考查细节。由第四段最后一句“It still remains one of his most famous works.”可知他创作了最好的音乐作品之一。
答案：A
4．解析：考查推断。由最后一段倒数第二句“Newspapers all over the world reported his death on their front pages.”信息可知：世界各地的报纸都进行报道了格什温的去世。
答案：B
B
Walt Disney is credited for creating such wonderful things as Donald Duck and Mickey Mouse. However, he cannot take the credit for creating other wellloved characters, such as Cinderella and Snow White. They are almost automatically associated with Disney because Disney turned old fables(寓言) into cartoon movies.
The original Cinderella varies very much from the Disney version we know today. It started off with the girl mourning her mother's death and going to her tomb three times a day. In addition, there were only birds that helped Cinderella; there was no such thing as a fairy godmother or helpful mice, nor was there mention of a horse and carriage.
The stepsisters were cruel: they always threw Cinderella's food into the ashes of the fire and made her sleep on the ashes on the floor, hence(因此)her name.
In the original story, the king's ball actually lasted for three days. With the help of the birds, the girl, beautifully dressed, danced with the prince on all three nights and the prince fell in love with her. However, she broke away from him to rush back home each night. On the last night, the prince placed something sticky on the stairs; as Cinderella made her escape, a shoe got stuck on it.
Here now is where the story becomes unpleasant: when the prince went to the house looking for the girl whose foot fit the shoe, the wicked(邪恶的)stepmother told one of her two daughters to cut off her big toe to fit into the shoe. The daughter did as told. So the prince took her away to be his bride. But when they passed the tomb of Cinderella's mother, the birds called out to the prince, “Turn and peep, there's blood in the shoe; the shoe is too small, the true bride waits for you. ”
Realizing he had been tricked, the prince returned the daughter to her mother. The other then had to cut off part of her heel in order to fit into the shoe, with the same result. Only Cinderella's foot fit perfectly and so the prince chose to marry her.
The story ends with the wedding day: as Cinderella's two stepsisters followed her, pretending to be devoted to her so that they could enjoy the king's riches, two birds flew by and plucked(啄)out their eyes. Because of their wickedness and falsehood, they had to spend the rest of their days blind.
The original Cinderella is so different from the Disney version.
Thank goodness Disney made such changes; it indeed was a wise move.
1. What dose the underlined word “They” in the first paragraph refer to?
A. Such wonderful things.
B. Other wellloved characters.
C. Old fables.
D. Cartoon movies.
2. How did Cinderella get her name?
A. The Birds came up with it.
B. It was given by Disney.
C. It came from the word “ash”．
D. She got it from her mother.
3. Which of the following is TRUE according to the original story?
A. Helpful mice got Cinderella a beautiful dress.
B. The ball was held to celebrate the prince's wedding.
C. Cinderella left her shoe on the stairs on purpose.
D. The birds told the prince that he had been cheated.
4. The moral of the original story is that __________.
A. a wicked person cannot escape punishment
B. a devoted person certainly deserves respect
C. a wellbehaved child earns a great reward
D. a dishonest child cannot get mother love
5. What does the author think of the Disney version?
A. Excellent.
B. Ordinary.
C. Dull.
D. Ridiculous.
【语篇解读】 本文主要关于另一个版本的灰姑娘故事。
1．解析：考查指代关系。由上下文的语义可知。
答案：B
2．解析：考查细节。根据the stepsisters were cruel: they always threw Cinderella's food into the ashes of the fire, and made her sleep on the ashes on the floor, hence her name。
答案：C
3．解析：考查细节。根据第五段最后一句话the birds called out to the prince可知是小鸟们告诉王子，他被欺骗了。
答案：D
4．解析：考查细节。根据第六自然段最后一句话可知最初这个故事的寓意是邪恶的人不能逃脱惩罚。
答案：A
5．解析：考查推断。根据全文最后一句话可知，作者认为迪斯尼版本的灰姑娘非常好。
答案：A
C
Are you good with money? I learnt to be careful with it during my childhood. My father would give me some pocket money and tell me it should last for a whole week. So, I learnt I had to save some if I didn't want to run out of cash quickly. No surprise there: my dad was an accountant!
It's never too early to become money savvy (会理财). That's what British personal finances expert Martin Lewis thinks.
He was part of a successful campaign to include financial education on the school curriculum in England. It will be embedded (植入) in maths and citizenship education. This includes children from 5 to 16 years old.
Lewis says: “We desperately need to break the cycle of financial illiteracy (无知) in the UK－one of the causes of our current economic crisis and a huge contributor to continued misselling epidemics (违规销售). ”
Being careful with money pays off. Banks in Britain recently found themselves having to pay a large number of people who were persuaded to spend money and buy insurance policies they didn't need. Many wasted their money on investments which were not for them. Few have the patience to read the small print.
The British says “Take care of the pennies and the pounds will take care of themselves”. It means you have to watch your daily expenses and not just the big purchases in your life such as houses.
Martin Lewis has made millions from his website which advises people to be thrifty (节俭) and refuses any suggestion that he is mean.
The expert says in an interview with the English newspaper the Daily Express: “The better you are with your cash, the better your life can be.” People think I am telling them to stop spending money but I am simply telling them to spend it wisely.
1. From Paragraph 1 we can know that the author __________.
A. ran out of cash quickly
B. earned a lot of money
C. was in deep debt
D. was good with money as a child
2. The financial education in England aims to __________.
A. help children make money
B. deal with the current economic crisis
C. educate children to become money savvy
D. avoid continued misselling epidemics
3. What's the financial problem of some people in Britain?
A. They invest money blindly and unwisely.
B. They neglect big purchases.
C. They have no patience to spend money.
D. They watch their daily expenses.
4. What does the author mainly tell us?
A. Financial illiteracy is the cause of economic crisis.
B. Take care of money and life will be better.
C. Financial education must be included in school.
D. People should learn to be thrifty and mean.
【语篇解读】 本文主要关于理财的重要性、理财出现的一些问题和建议。
1．解析：考查细节。由第一段第二句“I learnt to be careful with it during my childhood.”信息可知：我从小就学会了理财。
答案：D
2．解析：考查推断。由第二段第一、二和三句“It's never too early to become money savvy (会理财). That's what British personal finances expert Martin Lewis thinks.
He was part of a successful campaign to include financial education on the school curriculum in England.”可推知：英国金融教育是教会孩子理财。
答案：C
3．解析：考查推断。由第四段第二句“Banks in Britain recently found themselves having to pay a large number of people who were persuaded to spend money and buy insurance policies they didn't need.”信息可知：不少英国人盲目购物。
答案：A
4．解析：考查主旨。本文主要关于理财的重要性、理财出现一些问题和建议。
答案：B