Question

Fred Astaire was born in Nebraska in 1899. Fred and his sister, Adele, learned to dance when they were very young. Their mother took them to New York to study dance. They performed in their first professional show when Fred was ten years old and Adele was twelve. Later, as teenagers, the two danced in many shows throughout the United States. Their first big success was on Broadway in 1917.

The Astaires -- as they were known --- became Broadway stars. However, in 1932, Adele Astaire married a British man, and stopped performing. But Fred did not give up his dream. He would go on alone, in the movies.

Fred said, “Dancing is a sweaty job. You cannot just sit down and do it. You have to get up on your feet. It takes time to get a dance right, to create something memorable. I always try to get to know my dance so well that I do not have to think.”

In 1949, Fred Astaire won a special award for his film work from America’s Motion Picture Academy. He also won awards from the television industry for a number of his television programs.

Fred stopped dancing in 1970. He was more than seventy years old at the time. He said a dancer could not continue dancing forever. He said he did not want to disappoint（使失望） anyone, even himself. He danced again in public only once after that. It was with another great male dancer, Gene Kelly, in the movie “That's Entertainment, Part Two”.

Fred Astaire and his first wife, Phyllis, had three children. Phyllis died in 1954. Twenty-five years later, Fred married race horse rider Robyn Smith. Fred Astaire died on June 22, 1987. He was eighty-eight years old. He was called the greatest dancer in the world. His dancing was called perfect. And moviegoers everywhere will remember him as a great performer whose work will live forever in his films.

1. The first paragraph is mainly about_________.

A. Fred Astaire’s first success

B. Fred Astaire’s education

C. Fred Astaire’s early life

D. Fred Astaire’s family

2.When did the Astaires become Broadway stars?

A. In 1899.  B. In 1917.  C. In 1932. D. In 1949.

3.What Fred Astaire said in Paragraph 3 shows that ___________.

A. he knew his dance was wonderful

B. he thought dancing was not difficult

C. he had ways to make people remember him

D. he devoted much time and effort to dancing

4. What is the correct time order of the following events?

a. Fred Astaire’s first wife died.

b. Fred’s sister Adele stopped performing.

c. Fred Astaire performed with Gene Kelly in a movie.

d. Fred Astaire won an award from America’s Motion Picture Academy.

A. abcd  B. bdac  C. cbad D. dcba

Answer

1.C

2.B

3.D

4.B

【解析】

试题分析：这篇短文主要介绍了世界著名舞蹈家弗雷德·阿斯泰尔的一生，在一开始她和自己的姐姐一起跳舞。在自己的姐姐结婚后，自己坚持梦想，继续自己的舞蹈事业。

1.C细节理解题。根据关键词when they were very young. when Fred was ten years old and Adele was twelve. 以及Later, as teenagers, the two danced in many shows描述，可知本段主要介绍了他们的早期生活。故选C。

2.B细节理解题。根据第一段结尾Their first big success was on Broadway in 1917. 及第二段开头The Astaires -- as they were known --- became Broadway stars.故选B。

3.D推理判断题。根据第三段弗雷德·阿斯泰尔说的话，可知他对舞蹈非常熟悉，由此可知他耗费了大量的时间和精力，故选D。

4.

考点：人物介绍类短文阅读。