Question

1685 was a very good year for German composers. Within the space of a month, two of the greatest were born: Johann Sebastian Bach and George Frideric Handel.

Handel’s father was a barber and surgeon, which sounds like a strange combination today, but back then those occupations went hand in hand. Even though Handel was very interested in music, his father didn’t think that was a good way to earn a living, so he wanted his son to be a lawyer. The story goes that Handel smuggled a quiet piano into the house so that he could practice in secret.

One day, Handel went along when his father went to shave a duke. While his father was working, Handel sat down and played the duke’s organ. The duke was so impressed that he convinced Handel’s father to let his son study music, and Handel finally got to learn how to compose.

Handel soon discovered that what he liked most was opera. In fact, he was so passionate about opera that he even fought a duel (決斗) over it with one of his friends. Since Italy was the place to learn about opera composing, Handel went off to Italy to study. When he got home, he got a job as court composer for a German prince.

Having landed such a wonderful job, Handel immediately asked his boss for time off. He wanted to go to England, where he’d heard that there weren’t nearly enough composers to satisfy the British taste for Italian opera.

After great success writing opera in London, Handel came back to Germany. Then fate played a funny trick on Handel and his boss. The Queen of England died, and it just so happened that the prince Handel worked for was next in line to the British throne. When he arrived in London as King George, followed Handel, his court composer in Germany.

In addition to serving the King, Handel became one of the most successful opera composers of his time. And he also produced them and traveled all over Europe to hire the best singers. There are stories of battles with rival opera producers and of fights between rival singers. Handel apparently had quite a temper.

If you ever go to London, look for Handel’s grave in Westminster Abbey, where there’s a wonderful monument to him.

1.How did Handel begin to learn to compose?

A．His father was sure of his future success.

B．His performance impressed a duke.

C．He begged his father to send him to Italy.

D．He practiced hard and taught himself music.

2.What does the underlined word “smuggled” mean in the passage?

A．bought secretly	B．took secretly
C．carried in advance	D．possessed personally

3. Why did Handel later settle down in Britain instead of Germany?

A．Because he could find better jobs in London.

B．Because he enjoyed greater fame in London.

C．Because his boss became King of Britain and brought him along.

D．Because London was a wonderful place to learn about opera.

4.Which of the following words can NOT be used to describe Handel, as shown in the passage?

A．bad-tempered

B．talented

C．enthusiastic

D．optimistic

5. Which of the following statements is WRONG according to the passage?

A．Handel was born in the same year with Bach.

B．Many people worked both as a barber and a surgeon.

C．Handel quit his job to learn about opera in Italy.

D．Handel was buried in London and was built a monument.

 

Answer 1

【答案】

1.B

2.B

3.C

4.D

5.C 

【解析】

試題分析：

1..B 細節題。根據第三段2,3行The duke was so impressed that he convinced Handel’s father to let his son study music, and Handel finally got to learn how to compose.說明是Duke說服了他的父親讓他學習音樂。故B正確。

2..B 推理題。根據第二段his father didn’t think that was a good way to earn a living, so he wanted his son to be a lawyer. The story goes that Handel smuggled a quiet piano into the house so that he could practice in secret.說明他父親不同意他學音樂，所以他偷偷的把鋼琴帶回家偷偷地練習，最后的in secret也說明了這一點，故B正確。

3.【小題】.C 細節題。根據第6段Then fate played a funny trick on Handel and his boss. The Queen of England died, and it just so happened that the prince Handel worked for was next in line to the British throne. When he arrived in London as King George, followed Handel說明他的學生成了國王，把他也帶到了倫敦。故C正確。

4..D 細節題。根據文章倒數第二段There are stories of battles with rival opera producers and of fights between rival singers. Handel apparently had quite a temper.說明他的脾氣很差。A是他的性格。根據文章第三段說明他很有才干。B也是他的性格。根據文章第四段他取意大利學習音樂，說明他為了自己的理想充滿熱情地去努力，說明他很有激情。C也是他的性格。D項樂觀在文章中沒有體現。故D符合題意。

5..C 推理題。根據第4段2,3行. Since Italy was the place to learn about opera composing, Handel went off to Italy to study. When he got home, he got a job as court composer for a German prince.說明他取意大利之前還沒有工作，也就沒有了放棄工作的說法。故C正確。

考點：考查人物傳記類短文閱讀

點評：本文屬于人物傳記類短文，介紹了德國著名的George Frideric Handel的成長史，對于他的童年和求學經歷做了詳細的解讀，敘述了很多的相關細節內容。集中考查了細節題，細節題需要考生在閱讀時細致耐心，在重要的信息點上做好標志，審題時準確定位考查點，做出準確地推理和判斷。