Passage 2
体裁：记叙文 话题：逸闻趣事 时间：7分钟
There was once a tiny country that was suffering from a long drought.It had gone so long without rain that the people there were starting to go hungry because of the bad harvests.
It just so happened that a group of musicians were traveling the country，trying to make a living from their concerts.But with so many problems in the land，no one felt like listening to music.“But music can help overcome any problems，” said the musicians，without anyone paying them the slightest attention.
So the musicians tried to find out the reason it wouldn't rain.It was very strange，because the sky was overcast，but no one could provide an answer.
“It's been cloudy like this for many months，but not a single drop of rain has fallen，” people told them.
“Don't worry，we'll bring rain to the country，” the musicians responded，and they began rehearsing for a concert at the summit of the highest mountain.
Everyone who heard the music was seized by curiosity and went up the mountain.And the conductor of this strange orchestra gave the order，and the musicians began to play.
From their instruments came small，playful musical notes that rose and rose into the clouds.The music was so joyous，happy and fun，and the notes started playing with the clouds' soft，fluffy bellies，running here and there，up and down，and the whole sky turned into one big game of tickle torture.Before long，the giant clouds were thundering with laughter.
The musicians continued playing joyfully and a few minutes later the clouds，crying with laughter，soaked the little country below with their precious tears，bringing happiness to all.
And in memory of that musical rain，everyone in the country learned how to play an instrument and，taking turns，would go up the mountain every day to bring joy to the clouds with their beautiful songs.
【语篇导读】 一个干旱已久的小国，却因为音乐家们的到来，改变了他们的命运——音乐家通过在山顶上演奏音乐，从而为当地降下了甘霖。为了纪念那场音乐雨，人们开始学习音乐，并轮流到山上为云彩演奏音乐。
1.Why did the country have the bad harvests?
A.Because it's too hot. B.Because it's too cold.
C.Because it's too wet. D.Because it's too droughty.
解析 细节理解题。根据第一段可知那个国家歉收的原因是因为长期干旱少雨，故选D项。
答案 D
2.What's the attitude of the people toward the musicians?
A.Active. B.Energetic.
C.Cold. D.Enthusiastic.
解析 推理判断题。根据第二段中的“But with so many problems in the land，no one felt like listening to music.”和“without anyone paying them the slightest attention.”可以推出人们对音乐家们的态度是冷淡的。故选C。
答案 C
3.What's the meaning of the underlined word in the third paragraph?
A.Cloudy B.Rainy
C.Sunny D.Windy
解析 词义猜测题。根据第四段中的“It's been cloudy like this...”可以推出overcast的意思与cloudy意思一样。故选A项。
答案 A
4.Which of the following might be the best title of the passage?
A.Great musicians B.Music for the clouds
C.Laughing clouds D.Music rehearsing
解析 标题概括题。本文主要讲述了音乐家通过在山顶上为云彩演奏音乐，从而使云彩流动起来，最终降下了期盼已久的雨，为当地人们带来了快乐。由此可以推出文章的标题应选B项。
答案 B
5.From the last paragraph we can learn that the people in the small country ______.
A.hate music B.love music
C.teach music D.practice music
解析 推理判断题。最后一段中讲到为了纪念那场音乐雨，人们开始学习乐器，并轮流到山上为云彩演奏音乐。由此可以推出人们喜欢音乐。
答案 B
