Question

A year ago, at the annual pre-Grammy party, Whitney Houston, the great star, walked on stage and closed the evening with a brilliant performance．

Last Saturday, Houston was once again the focus before the Grammy, but her presence was a regrettable one．Earlier that day, the pop music's former queen was found dead in her hotel room．She was 48．This, no doubt, is sad news to the whole music industry and her fans all over the world．

At her peak(巅峰), Houston was the golden girl of the music world．From the mid-1980s to the late 1990s, she was one of the world's best-selling artists．She impressed audiences with her effortless, powerful and peerless performance．

Besides multi-million record sales, Houston made countless hits such as The Greatest Love of All, I Have Nothing, and the mostly famous I Will Always Love You．She also influenced a generation of younger singers, from Christina Aguilera to Mariah Carey．

But by the end of her career, there was a shocking fall for this superstar．Houston had been addicted to(上瘾) drugs．Her album sales declined (下降) and the hits stopped coming and her once beautiful voice became hoarse （嘶哑的）, unable to hit the high notes as she used to．

In 2009, Houston staged a successful comeback with the album I Look To You, which fell on top of the charts．But hoarse voice, canceled concerts, and continuous illness-Houston's comeback trail wasn't smooth at all．In an interview with Oprah Winfrey in 2009, Houston admitted: "It (show business) is too much for me and I wanted out．"

Now that Houston has finally taken a break from all the chaos(混乱), may she rest in peace．

1.Whitney Houston died ______．

A．shortly before the Grammy this year         B．earlier last Sunday

C．a year ago                             D．at the annual pre-Grammy party

2.The underlined word "peerless" in Paragraph 3 most probably means ______．

A．having no power                        B．having no equal

C．requiring no effort                      D．leaving no impression

3.The cause of the fall of Whitney Houston was that _____．

A．her album sales declined

B．show business was too much for her

C．her fans no longer love her

D．she had been addicted to drugs

4.According to the passage, which is not Houston’s achievement?

A．She made countless hits such as I Have Nothing.

B．She influenced a generation of younger singers.

C．She became the focus before the Grammy this year.

D．She staged a successful comeback in 2009.

Answer

1.A

2.B

3.D

4.C

【解析】

试题分析：本文介绍了流行巨星Whitney Houston一生的成就和悲惨的结果。

1.A 细节题。根据第二段1,2行Last Saturday, Houston was once again the focus before the Grammy, but her presence was a regrettable one．Earlier that day, the pop music's former queen was found dead in her hotel room．说明在今年的格莱美颁奖前，她去世了，故A正确。

2.B 推理题的。根据本句She impressed audiences with her effortless, powerful and peerless performance．以及本段内容都说明她的表演是非常棒的，故B项无与伦比与句意相符，故B项正确。

3.D 推理题。根据倒数第二段第2行．Houston had been addicted to(上瘾) drugs．说明染上毒瘾是她去死的根本原因，故D正确。

4.C 细节题。根据文章第三段Besides multi-million record sales, Houston made countless hits such as The Greatest Love of All, I Have Nothing, and the mostly famous I Will Always Love You．She also influenced a generation of younger singers, from Christina Aguilera to Mariah Carey．二行第四段In 2009, Houston staged a successful comeback with the album I Look To You, which fell on top of the charts都说明ABD三项是她的成就，只有C项只是她的一个活动，不是 成就，故C项符合要求。

考点：考查人物类短文阅读