LOS ANGELES，Feb 12-Whitney Houston, whose amazing voice lifted her to the top of the pop music world but whose personal decline was fueled by years of drug use, died on Saturday afternoon in a Beverly Hills hotel room．She was 48．
The pop superstar died on the eve of the Grammy Awards in Los Angeles at the same hotel where her lifelong friend, record master Clive Davis, was holding an annual pre-event party featuring scores of music industry celebrities．
A dramatic scene unfolded at the Beverly Hilton hotel as guests arriving for the party expressed shock at her death, while reporters poured into the hotel, fans gathered outside to light candles in her memory and helicopters hovered overhead．
Beverly Hills police said they were called to the Beverly Hilton at around 3∶43 p.m.PST, and fire department personnel who were already at the location responded immediately．Houston was in her fourth-floor room but was unresponsive to CPR, and she was pronounced dead at 3∶55 p.m.
"She has been positively identified by friends and family (who) were with her at the hotel, and next of kin(最近的血亲) have already been informed," Lieutenant Mark Rosen told reporters．Police said there were no obvious signs of criminal intention．
Los Angeles County coroners(验尸官) removed Houston's body from the hotel after midnight through a backdoor to avoid the crush of media set up to cover her shocking death．
Typically, coroners conduct an examination within a day or two, at which point they might release some information about the death．If drugs or alcohol are involved, however, an official cause of death would not be released until after toxicology(毒理学) tests, which could take six to eight weeks．
Tributes(赞词) poured in from around the world for a singer whose remarkable vocal power and range produced some of the most memorable music of her generation, including her signature hit, "I Will Always Love You．"
"I don't have to mask my emotion in front of a room full of so many dear friends," Davis told a grief-stricken crowd at his gala dinner and party just hours after Houston's death．"I am personally beaten down by the loss of someone who has meant so much to me for so many years．"
Neil Portnow, president of the Recording Academy, which runs the Grammys, told the audience at Davis's party that Jennifer Hudson would sing a tribute to Houston at Sunday night's Grammy Awards．“We will do something appropriate tomorrow, and nothing could be more appropriate than having Jennifer Hudson sing on stage for Whitney," Portnow said．” In our community, we celebrate things…let's celebrate Whitney Houston．"
(1)
We can learn from the first paragraph that ________．
[ ]
A．
Whitney Houston died suddenly because of drug use．
B．
Whitney Houston had little potential in the pop music world．
C．
Whitney Houston's profession was affected by drug use
D．
Whitney Houston's fame grew as she won the Grammy Awards
(2)
According to the passage, at the most, how long will people be waiting to find out the cause of Houston's death?
[ ]
A．
For two days．
B．
For a week．
C．
For six weeks．
D．
For two months．
(3)
Which of the following describes how people responded to Houston's death?
[ ]
A．
Reporters crowded to a backdoor of the hotel to cover Houston's death．
B．
Fans insisted the police find out the cause of Houston's death immediately．
C．
Policemen tried to prevent the news of Houston's death from being spread．
D．
Firemen rushed to the very hotel where Houston died without any delay．
(4)
What Neil Portnow said at Davis's party implies that ________．
[ ]
A．
Houston was a singer of great influence in the pop world
B．
Jennifer Hudson is likely to replace Houston in singing one day
C．
The Grammys are of little significance without Houston
D．
Singing Houston's songs is a good way to keep her memory alive
