Question

    I was enjoying this afternoon more than I had expected. Often, the tryouts for the spring musical tested the limits of my patience and nerves, with one hopeful girl after another taking turns walking onto the wooden stage, delivering an adequate but uninspired version of some Rodgers & Hammerstein number, and then being politely excused by Mrs. Dominguez as the next name on the list was called.

However, this was to be my third straight year in the musical, and the confidence that my seniority afforded me around the more nervous newcomers allowed me to take pleasure in radiance (光辉)of my own balance.

I had already sung my audition (试唱)song an hour ago, starting the day's ceremonies. This year, I used "God Bless the Child", a choice I found to be quite sophisticated since Billie Holiday's version of it was familiar mostly to adults, and even then, mostly to adults of the previous generation. More importantly, it required a reserved performance, which I felt showcased my maturity, especially because most of the other auditioners chose songs that would show their enthusiasm, even if it meant their technical mastery would not be on full display.

Normally, the first audition was feared by most. Mrs. Dominguez would ask if anyone wanted to volunteer to "get it over with,” but no one would make a sound. Then, she would call the first name off her list and the room would drop into an uncomfortably serious silence as the first student walked nervously up to the stage. I often imagined during those moments that I was witness to a death-house resident taking his march toward a quick curtain.

But not this year. I had decided to make a show of my own self-confidence by volunteering to go first. Such a fearless act, I had figured, would probably instill (灌输)even more fear into my competition because they would realize that I had something they clearly lacked. Mrs. Dominguez had seemed neither surprised nor charmed by my decision to go first. Although she was annoyed by my escalating (增加)pride, I also acknowledged that I was one of the more talented actors and was probably correct in assuming myself a winner.

At this late stage of the afternoon, I felt like a queen, sitting in the back of the auditorium with my royal court of friends and admirers. They took care to sit far enough away from Mrs. Dominguez that they would not be caught in the act of belittling (贬低)the other students’ auditions.

To me, the endless parade of the ambitious who sang their hearts out for three minutes each was like clowns performing for my amusement. As Mrs. Dominguez read another name off her list, I prepared myself for a special treat.

1.What did the writer do one afternoon?

A.She enjoyed her time watching the audition.

B.She performed in the school spring musical.

C.She attended the selective trial of the school musical.

D.She helped Mrs. Dominguez to select musical talent.

2.The writer believed the song she chose for her audition .

A.was the most sophisticated song by Billie Holiday's version

B.would allow her to more effectively showcase her enthusiasm

C.would be the most inspiring Rodgers and Hammerstein number

D.would likely be more recognizable to her parents than to her friends

3.The main purpose of the underlined statement in paragraph 5 is       .

A.offer a contrast created by the writer's decision to go first

B.present reasons why this year's audition was the strangest

C.suggest that the writer's imagination no longer involved the same imagery

D.inform the reader that students' fears of going first were something of the past

4.Why did the writer volunteer to perform the first audition of that day?

A.To guarantee her role in the play.

B.To break the uncomfortable silence.

C.To show the competitors her advantages.

D.To leave a good impression on the audience.

5.The passage portrays the writer as       .

A.concerned and nervous

B.proud and indifferent (漠不关心的)

C.friendly and generous

D.confused and surprised

Answer

1.C

2.D

3.A

4.C

5.B

【解析】

这是一篇记叙文。文章讲述了作者在一个下午参加学校的春季音乐选拔赛，往常她和同学都等着老师念自己的名字。但这次她觉得第一个表演，以此展示自己的信心和长处。她对自己的表演很自信，觉得自己一定会被选中，所以就非常傲慢地看其他同学的表演，并且认为他们都是逗她开心的小丑。

1.细节理解题。根据第一段的I was enjoying this afternoon more than I had expected. Often, the tryouts for the spring musical tested the limits of my patience and nerves, (我比想象中更喜欢这个下午。春季音乐会的选拔常常考验着我的耐心和神经)和第五段的I had decided to make a show of my own self-confidence by volunteering to go first.(今年，我已经决定通过自愿第一个去表演来展示我的自信)可知，作者在一个下午参加了那一年春季音乐会的选拔赛。C. She attended the selective trial of the school musical.(她参加了学校音乐会的选拔)符合以上说法，故选C项。

2.推理判断题。根据第三段的This year, I used "God Bless the Child", a choice I found to be quite sophisticated since Billie Holiday's version of it was familiar mostly to adults, and even then, mostly to adults of the previous generation.(今年，我用了"God Bless the Child"，我发现这是一富有经验的选择，因为Billie Holiday的版本对大多数成年人来说都很熟悉，甚至对更上一代的人来说也熟悉)可推测，作者认为比起朋友来，她的家长会熟悉她这次选的歌，因为这首歌的这一版本很多成年人熟悉。D. would likely be more recognizable to her parents than to her friends(比起她的朋友来，更有可能被她的父母认可)符合以上推测，故选D项。

3.推理判断题。根据第四段的Mrs. Dominguez would ask if anyone wanted to volunteer to "get it over with,” but no one would make a sound. Then, she would call the first name off her list and the room would drop into an uncomfortably serious silence as the first student walked nervously up to the stage. (Mrs. Dominguez会问是否有人自愿第一个表演，但没人作声。然后，她会叫出名单上的第一个名字，当第一个学生紧张地走上讲台时，教室陷入了令人不安的沉默)和第五段的I had decided to make a show of my own self-confidence by volunteering to go first.( 今年，我已经决定通过自愿第一个去表演来展示我的自信)可推断，划线部分But not this year的目的是为引出下文作者决定第一个上台的内容，让上下文形成对比。A. offer a contrast created by the writer's decision to go first(通过作者决定第一去，来形成一个对比)符合以上说法，故选A项。

4.推理判断题。根据第五段的Such a fearless act, I had figured, would probably instill (灌输)even more fear into my competition because they would realize that I had something they clearly lacked.(这样一个无所畏惧的行为，我想，可能会给我的竞争者灌输更多的恐惧，因为他们可能会意识到我拥有他们明显缺乏的东西)可推测，作者决定第一个表演是为了向她的竞争者展示自己的优势——无所畏惧。C. To show the competitors her advantages.(为了向竞争者展示她的优势)符合以上说法，故选C项。

5.推理判断题。根据倒数第二段的At this late stage of the afternoon, I felt like a queen, sitting in the back of the auditorium with my royal court of friends and admirers.(下午晚些时候，我感觉自己像个女王，坐在我皇家礼堂的后面，礼堂里有我的朋友和仰慕者)和倒数第一段的To me, the endless parade of the ambitious who sang their hearts out for three minutes each was like clowns performing for my amusement.(对我来说，那些没完没了地唱三分钟的雄心勃勃的人就像小丑在表演，逗我开心)可知，通过这两句文章刻画了作者的傲慢和对同学、朋友的漠不关心。B. proud and indifferent (漠不关心的)(傲慢和漠不关心)符合以上说法，故选B项。