Question

There was a man playing the piano in a bar. He was a good piano player and always performed in this bar. People came in just to hear him play. But one night, a customer told him that he didn’t want to hear him just play the piano any more. He wanted him to sing a song.

The man said, “I don’t sing.”

But the customer was persistent（执着的）. He told the bar manager, “I’m tired of listening to the piano. I want that man to sing!”

The manager shouted across the room, “If you want to get paid, sing a song. Our customers are asking you to sing!”

So he did. He sang a song. A piano player who had never sung in public did so for the first time. And everyone was surprised by his song “Mona Lisa”. He got lots of applause（掌声）that night.

He had such a talent for singing, but he just had been sitting on his talent for the past years! If without such a chance, he may have lived the rest of his life as a no-name piano player in a no-name bar. However, now he has become one of the best-known singers in America.

You, too, have skills and abilities. Maybe your “talent” is not as great as the singer above, but it may be better than you think! And with effort, most skills can be improved. So, in your life, you should be brave enough to try doing different things and find out what talents you really have!

1.Why did the man start to sing?

A. Because he wanted to make more money.

B. Because the bar manager said he liked his song.

C. Because the manager asked him to sing at the request of a customer.

D. Because he wanted to show everyone that he had a talent for singing.

2.What do you think of the bar manager?

A. Strict.B. Rude.C. Patient.D. Kind.

3.What do the underlined words “he just had been sitting on his talent” probably mean?

A. He didn’t discover his talent.

B. He didn’t play the piano.

C. He had no talent for singing.

D. He hated to sing.

4.What can we learn from the last paragraph?

A. Some people really have no skills or abilities.

B. None of us is as great as the singer.

C. Sometimes through effort we can know our talents.

D. No skills can be improved even if you try your best.

Answer

1.C

2.B

3.A

4.C

【解析】

试题分析: 本文通过一个无名的弹琴的酒吧钢琴师被迫唱歌，却发现自己原来还有如此出色的歌喉，最终成为美国很受欢迎的娱乐人物的故事来告诉我们：要大胆的尝试不同的事物，挖掘我们的才能，不要让自己的才能堙没了。

1.C 细节理解题。根据短文中The manager shouted across the room, “If you want to get paid, sing a song. Our customers are asking you to sing!”可知，经理要求他按照客户的要求唱一首歌，故选C项。

2.B 推理判断题。根据第三段提到If you want to get paid, sing a song. Our customers are asking you to sing!”酒吧经理说，如果他想赚到钱，就要按照客人的要求去唱歌，说明他是很粗鲁，故选B项。

3.A 句意猜测题。根据文意和划线短语所在的句子可知，一个弹钢琴的人，他从来没想过自己会唱歌，当他唱了之后，才发现自己唱得还不错。He has talent he was sitting on意为“他忽视了他的才能”，故选A项。

4.C 推理判断题。根据最后一段提到So, in your life, your should be brave enough to try doing different things and find out what talents you really have可知，在我们的生活中，只要你足够勇敢尝试不同的事情，你会发现你的天赋所在，故选C项。

考点：故事类阅读。