(D)
George Gershwin, born in 1898, was one of America's greatest composers. He published his first song when he 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 plays 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 still 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.
56．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
57．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.
58．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.
59．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.
60．Which of the following best describes Gershwin?
A．Talented and productive.
B．Serious and boring.
C．Popular and unhappy.
D．Friendly and honest.
第II卷 (共55分)
五、单词拼写：请根据中文或首字母提示写出必修一所学单词，已给出首字母的请在答题卡
相应的空格写完整单词。（共15 小题, 每小题1分，满分15分）
61.India has a very large number of people who can speak _______（流利的） English.
62. It took her a long while to _________(恢复)from her heart operation.
63. After graduation, he became a _______(律师).
64. The railway ________（轨道） were now useless pieces of steel.
65. She is such a __________(可信赖的) student that everyone can believe her words.
66. He is __________(遭受) from bad headache.
67. The president will attend the ___________(官方的)opening of the theatre in June.
68. She takes the _________(态度) that children should be allowed to learn at their own pace.
69. He is trying to __________(说服) local and foreign businesses to invest in the project.
70. In my _______(观点), it’s difficult for the government to control the prices of housing.
71. The film is b______ on a short story by Thomas Mann.
72. A majority of the people v_____ to accept the offer of an 8% pay rise.
73. Some of the rescue workers and doctors were t__________ under the ruins.
74. Workers build s________ for survivors whose homes had been destroyed.
75. When people use words and e_________ different from the “standard language”, it is called a dialect.