I grew up in a small town. My father raised chickens and ran a construction company. I was barely 10 years old when my dad gave me the responsibility (责任) of feeding the chickens and cleaning up the stable. He believed it was important for me to have those jobs to learn responsibility. Then, when I was 22, I found a job in Natchbill at a country music club called the Natchbill Palace, I washed dishes and cooked from 4: 00 pm to 9: 00 pm and then went on stage and sang until 2:00 in the morning. It wasn’t long before I became known as a singing cook. I had been rejected so many times by record companies that it was hard not to be discouraged. One night, a woman executive (懂事) from a company named Warner Brothers Records came to hear me sing. When the show was over, we sat down and talked and after she left, I said to myself it was one more rejection. A few weeks later, my manager received a phone call — Warner Brothers wanted to sign me to a record deal. Soon after, I released my first record in June 1986. It sold over 2 million copies. My best efforts had gone into every job I’ve ever held. It was the sense of responsibility that made me feel like a man. Knowing that I had done my best filled me with pride. I still feel that way today, even though I have become a well-known singer.

　　 Why was the writer once known as the singing cook?

　　A. Because he was a cook at a country-music club.

　　B. Because he sang for guests while he worked as a cook.

　　C. Because he often sang while cooking.

　　D. Because he liked singing better than cooking.

　　 Who first recognized his talents and helped make his career successful?

　　A. Wamer Brothers.                        B. His manager.

　　C. His father.                                 D. A businesswoman.

　  What made the writer proud of himself?

　　A. His ability to live independently.

　　B. His sense of responsibility in whatever he did.

　　C. His courage in the face of rejections.

D. His hard work in his early days.

Despite the great progress in medical science, human beings are constantly attacked by cancer, which means death. A woman named Bonnie suffered a   36  of discomforts caused by the treatment of cancer. She didn’t regard cancer as a   37  disease, but a laughing matter. She treated it in a humorous way. To put it in   38  way, she is teaching people that even though cancer isn't   39 , we can treat it in a humorous way.
Her second child was going to be born three months away   40  she was diagnosed with cancer. Suddenly, a   41  mother turned into a helpless woman afraid for her own   42 . It was after she had had her baby   43  that she had an operation.   44  came chemo（化疗）and her life seemed to be made up of fears and   45 . But the   46  moment in her life came after she lost all her hair and a free wig(假发) arrived. She   47  it on as her older son Kyler watched.
“That was when I decided how to   48  it: crying over this bad wig or laughing about it.   49  way would make   50  remember it.” Bonnie said. She spent a lot of time looking for anything funny from cancer patients. She got a lot out of collecting   51  stories. She started laughing a lot, finding it the perfect medicine. Using herself as a bald (光头) model, Bonnie   52   to design her own greeting cards and calendars, making fun of the sufferings of chemo.
"To have joy, we badly   53  to laugh," she said.
Clearly, you can increase your confidence to   54  over any disease and trouble   55   laughing.

Some people call her innovative, others say she’s simply a copycat--- a Chinese version of US singer Lady Gaga---or just an attention seeker who tries too hard. But whatever labels fans and critics pin on her, Shang Wenjie, whose English name is Laure, keeps herself cool.

As she sings in her song The way I am: “Whether you like it or not, it has nothing to do with me.”

Shang, 30, first rose to fame in 2006 as the champion of Hunan TV’s talent contest Supergirls. However, she didn’t enjoy much popularity until she changed her girl-next–door image into a more shocking style four years later. 

While her fashion taste caught public attention, criticism came just as quickly, with many saying her rebellious look was only meant to get more media exposure.

“My styling goes with the music,” Shang told Yancheng Evening News. “I don’t need to be known as the Chinese Lady Gaga. I just want to be known as Laure Shang.”

She’s recently made that a reality thanks to I’m a Singer, another talent show produced by Hunan TV, which gathers famous singers to compete and an audience of 500 to decide who goes to the next round,

The show gave Shang an opportunity to display her musical abilities. She tried out a wide range of styles including pop, hip-hop, rock’n’roll, punk and electro. The highlights of her time on the show were when she chose tunes which are lesser-known than other contestants’ choices. For example, she sang her own versions of American pop star Michael Jackson’s Man in the “Shang has shown an international flavor which is just as inspiring as her fashion sense,” commented Sina.com. “She has become a trail blazer on the Mandopop scene, creating a music style bearing her own mark.”

Shang was eliminated (淘汰) on March 8, but “thanks to the show, her popularity has grown rapidly,” People’s Daily wrote.

“I love Shang, the youngest singer on the show,” said 16-year-old Guo Chen, a Senior 1 student from Daqing Shiyan High School in Heilongjiang. “Shang is quite international. She not only introduces European and US fashion, but also creatively combines Western music with Mandopop.”

Shang owes her international style to her educational background. She graduated from Fudan University as a French major. “The advantage of learning foreign languages is intangible. For example, it helps me communicate well with foreign musicians and broaden my horizons of music styles,” she said.

Singing had always been an important part of Gloria Estefan’s life. “ Since I was three years old, I sang. I sang everything,” Gloria said. “Gubans,” she added, “are a musical people.”
Gloria was born in Cuba in 1957. Her family left the country just before Fidel Castro came to power. In Miami, where the family settled, many people did not accept Cuban immigrants. In first grade, she spoke little English, but she worked hard to learn the language. Six months after she entered school, she won an award for reading in English!
When Gloria was ten , her father returned from the Vietnam War. Soon, the family realized he wasn’t well. They soon found out that he was badly ill. Her mother went back to teaching at school to support the family. Gloria cared for her father and her younger sister.
She still made the honor roll, and she still had her music, but Gloria was lonely. However, when the band leader Emilio Estefan came to speak at her high school, Gloria sang for him. He asked her to join his band. It was the beginning of the Miami Sound Machine. Within a few months, the Miami Sound Machine was the top band in Miami. In 1978, Gloria and Emilio married.
At first, the Miami Sound Machine was known only in Miami. Then the band signed with CBS Records. Estefan and his band became stars.
Since then, the Miami Sound Machine has sold millions of records. Estefan has done more than just singing when Hurricane Andrew hit central Florida in 1992. She used only two weeks to organize an all-star concert that raised $ 2 million for the people who suffered in the hurricane. “We needed a party after that disaster,” she said.
Estefan said, “You have to stay true to the music you really love to do. There will always be people who will tell you, ‘that won’t work.’ You’ve got to be firm in spite of difficulties. Stick to it——that’s the main thing.”
【小题1】Estefan’s father was ill ______.  

第二节完型填空（共20小题；每小题1.5分，满分30分）
阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后从21—40各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项。
One day a small group of young people were at a wildlife park on a field trip.
“Oh, look at her, she's so beautiful.” All of us   21   a cheetah（印度豹）named Subira in respect－except a teenage boy called Cory in the back row, who seemed to be   22   to himself in impatience. When several members of the group turned in his   23  , he brushed the front of his T-shirt as though to   24   dust, and, in a gesture clearly meaning to   25   us, rolled up the right sleeve (袖子）of his shirt, further showing his well-developed   26  .
Cory had   27   of playing professional baseball someday. No one doubted Cory's   28  . But that was before the car accident. Not only did Cory lose a   29    in the accident but his hope and his spirit.
Seeing such a large audience, Subira couldn’t wait to give the crowd a   30   of her skills. “How fast she runs!” one shouted. “But she only has three legs.” one cried.
No one was more   31   than Cory. He stared at the animal with the missing leg and he smiled, tears of hope in his   32  .
Looking   33   into Cory' s face, the organizer explained “It was soon after she came to us that she showed her own worth－a   34    gift of love and spirit. In the past few years, the gift of Subira has   35   people around the world，and without words Subria has become our most persuasive   36  , and the most priceless gift.”
Cory asked   37  , “Can I touch her?”
As the rest of the group looked on in amazement, the boy wheeled himself over to the large gate and   38   to push it open. The expression on his face was one of great   39  . It was clear that Cory had   40   the gift of Subira.
21. A. listened to   B. laughed at C. smiled at    D. stared at
22. A. talking     B. wondering  C. sitting     D. lying