第三部分：阅读理解(共20小题;每小题2分，满分 40分)
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
A
Jimmy is an automotive mechanic, but he lost his job a few months ago. He has good heart, but always feared applying for a new job.
One day, he gathered up all his strength and decided to attend a job interview. His appointment was at 10 am and it was already 8:30. While waiting for a bus to the office where he was supposed ot be interviewed, he saw an elderly man wildly kicking the tyre of his car. Obviously there was something wrong with the car. Jimmy immediately went up to lend him a hand. When Jimmy finished working on the car, the old man asked him how much he should pay for the service. Jimmy said there was no need to pay him; he just helped someone in need, and he had to rush for an interview. Then the old man said, “Well, I could take you to the office for your interview. It’s the least I could do. Please. I insist.” Jimmy agreed.
Upon arrival, Jimmy found a long line of applications waiting to be interviewed. Jimmy still had some grease on him after the car repair, but he did not have much time to wash it off or have a change of shirt. One by one, the applicants left the interviewer’s office with disappointed look on their faces. Finally his name was called. The interviewer was sitting on a large chair facing the office window. Rocking the chair back and forth, he asked, “Do you really need to be interviewed?” Jimmy’s heart sank. “With the way I look now, how could I possibly pass this interview?” he thought to himself.
Then the interviewer turned the chair and to Jimmy’s surprise, it was the old man he helped earlier in the morning. It turned out he was the General Manager of the company.
“Sorry I had to keep you waiting, but I was pretty sure I made the right decision to have you as part of our workforce before you even stepped into the office. I just know you’d be a trustworthy worker. Congratulations!” Jimmy sat down and they shared a cup of well-deserved coffee as he landed himself a new job.
56. Why did Jimmy apply for a new job?
A. He was out of work B. He was bored with his job
C. He wanted a higher position D. He hoped to find a better boss
57. What did Jimmy see on the way to the interview?
A. A friend’s car had a flat tyre B. a wild man was pushing a car
C. a terrible accident happened D. an old man’s car broke down
58. Why did the old man offer Jimmy a ride?
A. He was also to be interviewed B. He needed a traveling companion
C. He always helped people in need D. He was thankful to Jimmy
59. How did Jimmy feel on hearing the interviewer’s question?
A. He was sorry for the other applicants
B. There was no hope for him to get the job
C. He regretted helping the old man
D. The interviewer was very rude
60. A. What can we learn from Jimmy’s experience?
A. Where there is a will, there’s a way
B. A friend in need is a friend indeed
C. Good is rewarded with good.
D. Two heads are better than one
B
George Gershwin, born in 1998, was one of America’s greatest composers. He published his first song when the was eighteen years old. During the next twenty years he wrote more than five hundred songs.
Many of Gershwin’s songs were first written for musical plays performed in theatres in New York City. These palys were a popular form of entertainment in the 1920s and 1930s. Many of his songs have remained popular as ever. Over the years they have been sung and played in every possible way — from jazz to country.
In the 1920s there was a debate in the United States about jazz music. Could jazz, some people asked, be considered serious music? In 1924 jazz musician and orchestra leader Paul Whiteman decided to organize a special concert to show that jazz was serious music. Gershwin agreed to compose something for the concert before he realized he had just a few weeks to do it. And in that short time, he composed a piece for piano and orchestra which he called Rhapsody in Blue. Gershwin himself played the piano at the concert. The audience were thrilled when they heard his music. It made him world-famous and showed that jazz music could be both serious and popular.
In 1928, Gershwin went to Paris. He applied to study composition (作曲)with the well-known musician Nadia Boulanger, but she rejected him. She was afraid that classical study would ruin his jazz-influenced style. While there, Gershwin wrote An American in Paris. When it was first performed, critics (评论家)were divided over the music. Some called it happy and full of life, to others it was silly and boring. But it quickly became popular in Europe and the United States. It sill remains one of his most famous works.
George Gershwin died in 1937, just days after doctors learned he had brain cancer. He was only thirty-nine years old. Newspapers all over the world reported his death on their front pages. People mourned the loss of the man and all the music he might have still written.
61. Many of Gershwin’s musical works were ________ .
A. written about New Yorkers B. Composed for Paul Whiteman
C. played mainly in the countryside D. performed in various ways
62. What do we know about the concert organized by Whiteman?
A. It attracted more people to theatres B. It proved jazz could be serious music
C. It made Gershwin leader of the orchestra D. It caused a debate among jazz musicians.
63. What did Gershwin do during his stay in Paris?
A. He created one of his best works B. He studied with Nadia Boulanger
C. He argued with French critics D. He changed his music style
64. What do we learn from the last paragraph?
A. Many of Gershwin’s works were lost
B. The death of Gershwin was widely reported
C. A concert was held in memory of Gershwin
D. Brain cancer research started after Gershwin’s death.
65. Which of the following best describes Gershwin?
A. Talented and productive B. Serious and boring
C. popular and unhappy D. Friendly and honest
