题目内容
On November18, 1995, Itzhak Perlman, the world famous violinist, came on stage to give a concert at Lincoln Centre in New York City. If you have ever been to a Perlman concert, you know that getting on stage is not easy for him. He got polio(小儿麻痹症)as a child, and has to walk with the aid of two crutches(拐杖)now.
That night Perlman walked slowly to his chair. Then he sat down and began to play. But, suddenly, one of the strings on his violin broke. You could hear it break---it broke with a loud noise.
People thought to themselves, “He would have to get up to either find another violin or find another string for this one.”
But he didn’t. Instead, he waited a moment, closed his eyes and then signaled the conductor to begin again. The orchestra(管弦乐队)began, and he played from where he had stopped. He played with such passion and such power.
Of course, everyone knows that it is impossible to play a symphonic work with just three strings. But that night Itzhak Perlman refused to know that. You could see him changing and recomposing(重新作曲)the piece in his head.
When he finished, there was a silence in the room. Then people rose and cheered. We were all on our feet, doing everything we could to show how much we appreciated what he had done.
He smiled and then he said in a quiet tone, “You know, sometimes it is the artist’s task to find out how much music you can make with what you have left.”
His words have stayed in my mind ever since I heard them. That is also the way of life. Perhaps our task in this quickly changing world in which we live is to make music, at first with all that we have, and then, when that is no longer possible, to make music with what we have left.
1.Holding a concert is challenging for Perlman because ______.
A. he is just a world famous violinist
B. he has never performed on stage before
C. he is physically disabled as a result of a disease
D. he has difficulty in moving his body
2.When Perlman had just begun playing, ______.
A. there was something wrong with the violin
B. he fell ill suddenly
C. an accident happened and caused a disturbance
D. a very loud noise arose from the audience
3. If one of the strings suddenly broke, what would an ordinary player do?
A. He would cancel the concert. B. He would play another violin.
C. Another performer would play instead. D. The concert would be put off.
4.The audience rose and cheered ______.
A. to show they are satisfied with Perlman’s performance
B. to thank the orchestra for their passionate performance
C. to ask Perlman for another performance
D. to express their appreciation of Perlman’s creative mind
5. The lesson we draw from the story is that ______.
A. we should make the best of what we have
B. what we have is more important than what is lost
C. we should not care about what is lost
D. the way of life is to always live with music
1.C
2.A
3.B
4.D
5.A
【解析】 略
For Rachael and Leigh Badman, there is only one wish on their Christmas list this year__ that their sick daughter survives until December 25.
Fifteen –year-old Paige suffers from a rare brain condition. The disease affects as few as 12 people in the world, and can kill her any day without warning. And her condition has deteriorated in recent months. Each time she closes her eyes, she may never wake up. Rachael and Leigh Badman are worried that she couldn’t live through Christmas. They filled their house with Christmas decorations on November1, so she could enjoy her favorite day of the year in advance.
Paige was diagnosed with the condition four years ago. Mrs. Badman described the condition as “being on death row” as she never knows if she will wake up and still have a daughter. She said, “ Paige always loves Christmas and it’s heartbreaking to see her suffering like this.”
In the last months, Paige has been unable to eat and has never walked or spoken. But she loves music, and enjoys watching pop stars’ DVDs. And in May she also went on holiday to Florida with her parents and little brother, Kefton. The family , who have already organized parts of Paige’s funeral, also saw the teenager swimming with dolphins during the trip. Since then, however, her condition has worsened.
Mrs Badman, who is separated from her husband and works as Paige’s full-time carer, said, “Now she can’t eat or drink anymore, and her brain is shrinking.(萎缩) With all her problems, we just thought, ‘Let’s get the Christmas tree up as soon as possible.’ We’re praying she lives to see Christmas Day.”
【小题1】Paige’s parents got the Christmas tree up on November 1 to ____.
A.let her enjoy the great time with visitors |
B.let her understand her parents’ love |
C.let her enjoy Christmas early before her death |
D.let her receive more good wishes from others |
A.Paige could die at any time without warning |
B.she found Paige struggling painfully |
C.she had organized Paige’s funeral |
D.Paige lost the abilities to walk and speak |
A.proved satisfying | B.grown stronger | C.got improved | D.become worse |
A.Christmas is Paige’s favorite festival. |
B.12% of children in the world suffer from the disease. |
C.Paige enjoyed watching pop stars’ DVDs on a trip. |
D.Paige travelled with her family before suffering the disease. |