Question

Artie Shaw was born in New York City in 1910. His name was Arthur Arshawsky. His parents were poor immigrants who had come to the United States from Eastern Europe. His family later moved to New Haven, Connecticut.

At the age of fourteen, he began to play the saxophone and then the clarinet. From a very young age, Artie Shaw wanted to play his clarinet better than anyone. He wanted his sound and music to be perfect. He worked at this task much of his life.

He began working as a professional musician when he was fifteen. He left home and began playing in bands across the United States.

In 1928, young Artie Shaw traveled to Chicago, Illinois to hear the great trumpet player, Louis Armstrong. He immediately understood that Armstrong's great jazz sound was the beginning of something new and exciting. Artie left Chicago with a growing interest in jazz music. Soon after, he moved to New York City.

He got work playing the clarinet for the Columbia Broadcast System radio network. In 1936, he was given a chance to form a small group and play at New York's famous Imperial Theater on Broadway. His group was not the top band in the show. But the crowd loved his music. This proved to be a major step in his career.

Artie Shaw was always trying something new, something different. He heard a young black woman sing and hired her for his band. This was the first time that a black woman sang with white musicians. Racial separation was the rule in many states. Artie Shaw did not care.

Artie Shaw wrote several books in his later years. He wrote stories for magazines. He spoke about music at colleges and universities. But he had very little to do with the world of recording or music. During those years however, he received many awards and honors for his music. These included a Hall of Fame award from the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences.

1.When he was very young, Artie Shaw was ________.

A.born to a wealthy family

B．a famous singer

C．a man with a great dream

D．was in love with music when he was a baby

2.To achieve his music dream, Artie Shaw ________.

A.first began to play the clarinet

B.wanted to be the most famous musician around the world

C.began playing in bands across the United States

D.became a famous musician when he was fifteen

3.When Artie Shaw became an adult, ________.

A.he showed a growing interest in jazz music

B.he worked for Columbia Broadcast System radio network as a singer

C.he formed a small band when he was twenty three

D.he thought that racial separation should be the rule of the society

4.In his later years, Artie Shaw ________.

A.almost stopped playing music

B.worked for a magazine as an professional writer

C.he made many speeches about his life at colleges

D.he received many awards and honors for his books

5.Which one can be the title of the passage?

A.Artie Shaw’s Life Stories

B．Artie Shaw — A Crazy Musician

C．Artie Shaw — A Great Writer

D．Artie Shaw’s Music Life

Answer

1.C

2.C

3.A

4.C

5.D

【解析】

试题分析：Artie Shaw出身贫寒，但是着不妨碍他有一个音乐梦。他想做最棒的单簧管演奏者，为了这个梦想。他15岁开始和乐队一起在全美演唱。后来他接触到并喜欢上爵士乐。他喜欢创新、喜欢与众不同。是音乐成就了Artie Shaw的非凡人生。

1.第二段可知，从很小的时候，Artie Shaw 想吹单簧管比任何人都更好。他希望他的声音和音乐都很完美。他把这当做是一生的任务。所以选C 。

2.细节理解题。根据He began working as a professional musician when he was fifteen. He left home and began playing in bands across the United States.可知，他15岁开始做职业音乐人，离开家乡和乐队一起在全美国弹奏。故选C。

3.细节理解题。根据文章介绍Artie Shaw 在Columbia Broadcast System radio network工作时还是吹单簧管；26岁时他组建了自己的乐队；他不顾种族隔离政策，邀请黑人女孩到他的乐队里演唱。28岁时他对爵士乐逐渐有了兴趣。故选A。

4.细节理解题。根据文章最后一段可知，Artie Shaw 后来写了书，还为杂志写文章；还到大学里讲述关于音乐的故事；因为他的音乐他获得了很多的荣誉和奖项。故选C。

5.主旨大意题。通读全文可知，本文介绍了Artie Shaw追求音乐的一生。故选D。

考点：人物类短文阅读。