As a solo artist，Brightman has sold 26 million albums and two million DVDs in 34 countries. Her musical styles put opera, pop and jazz together. She is popular in the States but not here（Britain）—the image of her and her second husband, Andrew Lloyd Webber（he much older, she his muse) seems for ever frozen.
The 47-year-old singer talks about the new album Symphony that came out of a “very dark time”, including her decision to give up trying to have children. “People have suggested I could adopt,” Brightman says. “But work is central to my life now. And so I am going to put it to one side. After a while not having children becomes the normal and perhaps that might sound alarming, to parents especially, but I have never known anything different. I’m not hurt by not having children. My life and career are incredibly rich.”
Talking about growing up in a large family in Berkhamsted （father a property developer who later committed suicide）, she says: “I was gifted as a child, and very musical. I seemed to be good at anything to do with the arts. At 5 I understood the music I was dancing to and had an eye for costume.” She first appeared in a West End musical at 11 and hated boarding school.
Brightman led the saucy dance troupe（辣妹三人舞）Hot Gossip and had her first hit with I Lost My Heart to a Starship Trooper in 1978. At 18 she married a music manager called Andrew Graham Stewart. “I was probably in love but I can’t remember. Girls change such a lot between 18 and 22. It didn’t really work out.” In 1981 she was spotted by Lloyd Webber. She became his leading lady in Song and Dance, Requiem and Phantom of the Opera. They married in 1984.
Brightman says she felt hostility（敌意） “from the beginning. I haven’t tried to understand it. I’ve done very well everywhere else, especially the UK, where I now live. I just accept it for what it is. The more you are away from Britain, the more you appreciate it. But I don’t miss it, although I miss my family. Our profession can be uncomfortable but I enjoy what I do. I get on with it.”
1.The first paragraph tells us that ______.
A. Brightman is very popular around the world except in America
B. Brightman’s musical style is a mixture of opera, pop and jazz
C. the British people don’t like her for her style of music
D. Brightman is much older than Andrew Lloyd Webber
2.Brightman decided to give up having children because ______.
A. she could adopt one
B. her life and career were unbelievably rich without children
C. she felt it normal not to have children
D. she was too busy
3.The following statements are true except ______.
A. Brightman first appeared in a West End musical at 5
B. Brightman disliked life on campus
C. Brightman was very gifted when she was young
D. the saucy dance troupe made Brightman famous
4. The underlined word in the fourth paragraph probably means ______.
A. located B. admired C. followed D. found
5.What does the author try to say in the last paragraph by quoting Brightman’s words?
A. Brightman has to accept the fact that she isn’t liked in Britain
B. Brightman lives in America but she loves her own country
C. The British coldness towards Brightman led to her hatred to her homeland
D. Brightman was at a loss why she was not welcome in Britain
Robeson was born in a very poor family. At seven, he had to pick coal in a deserted mine near his home, then he sold 1 he had picked and earned a few coins to help his parents. He had 2 schooling, for being so poor, how could they 3 school fees?
When he was fifteen, he worked 4 a servant in a school. Looking at other children studying in the classroom, he felt 5 for himself. How he 6 to have the same chance! He decided to study by 7 . In the daytime, after the sweeping and cleaning was over, he 8 stand by the window outside the classroom trying to catch what the teacher said. At night, he tried his best to remember what he 9 during the day. He worked 10 hard at his lessons that he sometimes had just three or four hours to sleep. The more he learned, the greater 11 he showed in his lessons. A maths teacher discovered him and came to like this diligent boy and 12 him to sit at the back of the class. In one exam, he was the 13 one in the whole school who reached the highest grade. He would have been given the scholarship if he 14 a regular student of the school.
Robeson 15 through six long years with his study of maths and wrote several articles which captured the 16 of some university professors. They admired his talent 17 his diligence. To give him a good chance, they hired him as a librarian and 18 him free guidance. Robeson felt 19 , for he was sure that before him there was a broad road 20 success.
1.A. whether B. which C. that D. what
2.A. many B. few C. little D. much
3.A. buy B. afford C. send D. read
4.A. as B. like C. for D. by
5.A. angry B. ashamed C. proud D. sorry
6.A. hated B. decided C. wished D. regretted
7.A. the teacher B. himself C. his parents D. his schoolmates
8.A. could B. ought to C. should D. would
9.A. had learned B. has been taught C. has heard D. had been written down
10.A. very B. so C. too D. quite
11.A. joy B. interest C. time D. taste
12.A. allowed B. agreed C. let D. refused
13.A. worst B. only C. last D. laziest
14.A. had been B. has been C. is D. was
15.A. learned B. listened C. mastered D. struggled
16.A. notice B. influence C. eyes D. attention
17.A. except for B. according to C. as well as D. in spite of
18.A. taught B. offered C. lent D. sent
19.A. sad B. angry C. happy D. disappointed
20.A. leading to B. coming from C. made of D. covered with
You can hardly imagine how excited I was when the day I had been looking forward to _____ at last.
A. coming B. come C. came D. comes
The effect a teacher has _______ children may be greater than that of their parents.
A. in B. on C. at D. with
—Everyone in my class passed the exam.
—Oh, really? It ________ difficult.
A. can’t have been B. needn’t have been
C. must be D. mightn’t be
I ran across David while walking along the street yesterday. I ________ him for three years.
A. hadn’t seen B. didn’t see
C. haven’t seen D. don’t see
