The following passage, set in the early 1970's,is from a 1992 novel. The principal characters, Virginia and Clayton, are two cellists in a college orchestra.

 

1 She'd met lots of crazy musicians, but no one like Clayton. He was as obsessed as the others, but he had a quirky sense of humor, a slow ironic counterpoint to his own beliefs. And he didn't look quite like anyone else. He wore his hair parted dangerously near the middle and combed it in little ripples like Cab Calloway,¹ , though sometimes he let it fly up a bit at the ends in deference to the campus pressure for Afros. His caramel-colored skin darkened to toffee under fluorescent light but sometimes took on a golden sheen, especially in the vertical shafts of sunlight that poured into his favorite practice room where she'd often peek in on him-an uncanny complexion, as if the shades swirled just under the surface.

 

2 Virginia's friends gave her advice on how to get him. "You two can play hot duets together," they giggled.

 

3 As it turned out, she didn't have to plan a thing. She was reading one afternoon outside the Fine Arts Building when the day suddenly turned cold. If she went back to the dorm for a sweater, she'd be late for orchestra rehearsal. So she stuck it out until a few minutes before rehearsal at four. By that time, her fingers were so stiff she had to run them under hot water to loosen them up. Then she hurried to the cello room, where all the instruments were lined up like novitiates; ² she felt a strange reverence every time she stepped across the threshold into its cool serenity. There they stood, obedient yet voluptuous in their molded cases. In the dim light their plump forms looked sadly human, as if they were waiting for something better to come along but knew it wouldn't.

 

4 Virginia grabbed her cello and was halfway down the hall when she realized she'd forgotten to leave her books behind. She decided against turning back and continued to the basement, where the five-till-four pandemonium was breaking loose. Clayton was stuffing his books into his locker.

 

5 "Hey, Clayton, how's it going?"

 

6 As if it were routine, he took her books and wedged them in next to his. They started toward the orchestra hall. Virginia cast a surreptitious glance upward; five minutes to four or not, Clayton was not rushing. His long, gangling frame seemed to be held together by molasses; he moved deliberately, negotiating the crush while humming a tricky passage from Schumann,³ sailing above the mob.

 

7 After rehearsal she remanded him that her books were in his locker.

 

8 "I think I'll go practice," he said. "Would you like to listen?"

 

9 “I'II miss dinner,” she replied, and was about to curse herself for her honesty when he said, "I have cheese and 50 soup back at the fraternity house, if you don't mind the walk."

 

10 The walk was twenty minutes of agonizing bliss, with the wind off the lake whipping her blue, and Clayton too involved with analyzing the orchestra's horn section to notice. When they reached the house, a brick building with a crumbling porch and weeds cracking the front path, she was nearly frozen through. He heated up a can of soup, and plunked the cheese down in the center of the dinette table.

 

11 "It's not much," he apologized, but she was thinking A loaf of bread, a jug of wine,⁴ and felt sated before lifting the first spoonful. The house was rented to Alpha Phi Alpha one of three Black fraternities on campus. It had a musty tennis-shoes-and-ripe-laundry smell. Books and jackets were strewn everywhere, dishes piled in the sink.

 

12 "When did you begin playing?" she asked.

 

13 "I began late, I'm afraid," Clayton replied. " Ninth grade. But I felt at home immediately. With the music, I mean. The instrument took a little longer. Everyone said I was too tall to be a cellist." He grimaced.

 

14 Virginia watched him as he talked. He was the same golden brown as the instrument, and his mustache followed the lines of the cello's scroll.

 

15 "So what did you do?" she asked.

 

16 "Whenever my height came up, I would say, 'Remember the bumblebee.' "

 

17 "What do bumblebees have to do with cellos?"

 

18 "The bumblebee, aerodynamically speaking, is too large for flight. But the bee has never heard of aerodynamics, so it flies in spite of the laws of gravity. I merely wrapped my legs and arms around the cello and kept playing."

 

19 Music was the only landscape in which he seemed at ease. In that raunchy kitchen, elbows propped on either side of the cooling soup, he was fidgety, even a little awkward. But when he sat up behind his instrument, he had the irresistible beauty of someone who had found his place.

 

¹American jazz musician and bandleader (1907-1994)

² Persons who have entered a religious order but have not yet taken final vows

³ German composer(1810-1856)

⁴ A reference to Edward Fitzgerald's "A jug of wine, a loaf of bread, and thou," a line from The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam.

 

7.      The passage is best described as

(A) a social commentary on classical musicians in the early 1970's

(B) a nostalgic depiction of students in college orchestras

(C) a story of how one individual inspired many others

(D) an introduction to a character through the perspective of another character

(E) an illustration of a strained but enduring relationship

解析：主旨题

选项1：错误点social commentary（社会评论），本文不属于“社会评论”

选项2：错误点nostalgic depiction（怀旧性描述），本文未体现“怀旧”

选项3：错误点inspired （启发），本文未对任何人给与“启发”。

选项4：正确点introduction, 本文正是对一个大提琴青年的描述和介绍。

选项5：错误点strained（紧张的），本文未体现二人关系的“紧张”。

8.      The references to "fluorescent light" and "sunlight" (1^st paragraph) suggest the

(A) way that Clayton's demeanor brightened when Virginia was nearby

(B) contrast between Clayton's restraint and Virginia's passion

(C) attentiveness with which Virginia regarded Clayton

(D) monotony of Clayton's everyday routine

(E) superficiality of Clayton's beauty

解析：推理题

选项1：错误点“因果逻辑不成立”：不是因为V在场，C就光彩照人。

选项2：错误点restraint（收敛，深沉），这两个词根本不是在说C的这个性格。

选项3：正确点attentiveness（认真关注），这两个词体现了V对C观察的认真和爱意。

选项4：错误点monotony（单调乏味），跟这两个词语气态度相反。

选项5：错误点superficiality（肤浅），跟这两个词语气态度相反。

9.      The imagery in 1^st paragraph ("as if. . . surface") conveys which of the following about Clayton?

(A) His complicated nature

(B) His erratic reactions

(C) His unseemly complacency

(D) His passionate loyalty

(E) His tendency to argue

解析：推理题（归纳法：由特殊到一般）

原文考点的含义：面容流露神秘，就好像静水深流。

选项1：正确点“复杂的特质”，由原文的“神秘”，“深不可测”推测出来。

选项2：错误点reaction（行为），这里没有体现C的行为，而是面部表情。

选项3：错误点complacency（自得，自满），没有这个态度。

选项4：错误点passionate（激情），这里没有体现这个态度。

选项5：错误点argue （争论），这里没有体现争论内容。

10.   As contrasted with the language in the opening paragraph, the advice offered by Virginia's friends (2^nd paragraph) functions primarily to

(A) break the mood of abstracted musing

(B) introduce an element of foreboding

(C) poke fun at the pretensions of romantic music

(D) contradict Virginia's opinion of Clayton

(E) counter Clayton's offbeat sense of humor

解析：功能题（文章写作手法类）

选项1：正确点break （打断），musing（沉思），第一段通过作者的笔触写出V观察C时的所思所想。

选项2：错误点foreboding（预测），下文没有延续第一段内容，所以是错误的。

选项3：错误点poke fun （嘲笑），pretensions（虚伪），与第一段态度相反。

选项4：错误点contradict（反驳），V对C没有观点，这里也不是对C的观点。

选项5：错误点counter （反驳），offbeat（奇怪的），这里没有具体讲C的幽默感。

11.   As described in lines 3rdd paragraph, the atmosphere in the cello room is most nearly one of

(A) creativity  创造：要有新事物出现

(B) emptiness  空旷：要没有任何物品

(C) urgency   急切：要有时间感

(D) sanctity    神圣：有肃穆和安静感

(E) accomplishment 成就：有事件的完成感

12.   In 6^th paragraph, "crush" most nearly means

(A) pressure  压力（抽象）

(B) crowd   人群（具体）跟下文mob同义

(C) power  权力（抽象）

(D) infatuation 迷恋（抽象）

(E) critical condition 关键条件（抽象）

13.   In lines 6^th paragraph,the reference to Clayton's humming creates an impression that he is

(A) uncomfortable with making conversation

(B) amused by the plight of other musicians

(C) unaware of his effect on other people

(D) compelled to show off his talent

(E) immersed in his private world

解析：推理题（归纳法）

选项1：错误点uncomfortable（不舒服），这里没有体现此态度。

选项2：错误点amused（有趣），plight（苦难），这里没有提到其它人的“苦难”。

选项3：错误点：“哼唱”→（别人高兴/烦）→“无意识”，推理不成立。

选项4：错误点show off（炫耀），这里没有体现此态度。

选项5：“沉浸在自我的世界里”，完全没有收到外界因素的干扰和影响。

14.   In the context of the passage, Clayton's statement 8^th paragraph("I think. . . practice")emphasizes his

(A) need to make a dramatic first impression

(B) willingness to disrupt a fixed routine

(C) consuming interest in music

(D) distaste for competition

(E) insecurity around other musicians

解析：推理题（归纳）

选项1：错误点dramatic （剧烈的），跟他沉稳的性格不符。

选项2：错误点disrupt（打乱），fixed（固定下来的）,没有体现这两个态度。

选项3：“体会音乐的乐趣”，前面内容讲了他们排练过来，C还要练习。

选项4：错误点distaste（没有品位），这里没有体现本态度。

选项5：错误点insecurity（缺乏安全感），这里没有体现。

15.   In paragraph 10, the phrase "agonizing bliss" suggests that Virginia's pleasure is tempered by

(A) Clayton's cold manner

(B) Clayton's visible uneasiness

(C) her physical discomfort

(D) her overriding self-consciousness

(E) her sense that the happiness would be short-lived

解析：推理题（演绎法，修辞：反差）

选项1：错误点cold体现不出

选项2：错误点visible，没有“可见”的感觉。

选项3：下文有提到“寒风”，所以这里的“痛并快乐着”就是指“陪伴”的乐和“寒风凛冽”的痛。

选项4：错误点overriding（最重要的），态度不对。

选项5：错误点short-lived（短暂），没有体现。

16.   In paragraph 11, Virginia's reaction to the meal most directly suggests that she

(A) was contented enough without the food

(B) was amused by Clayton's attempts at hospitality

(C) was suddenly aware of the chaos in the fraternity kitchen

(D) felt guilty about making Clayton uneasy

(E) did not find the atmosphere conducive to romance

解析：推理题（归纳）

选项1：原文引用的经典（一箪食一瓢饮）体现出了“contented”满足感。

选项2：错误点amused（有趣），没有体现。

选项3：错误点chaos（混乱），没有体现。

选项4：错误点guilty（内疚），没有体现。

选项5：错误点conducive（有帮助的），没有体现。

17.   The description in paragraph 14 emphasizes how

(A) strikingly Clayton resembles famous musicians

(B) awkwardly Clayton behaves in social situations

(C) profoundly Clayton is affected by music

(D) closely Virginia associates Clayton with his cello

(E) strongly Virginia identifies with Clayton's situation

解析：推理题

选项1：错误点strikingly（令人震惊的），resemble（相似）

选项2：错误点awkwardly（尴尬地），behave（行为）

选项3：错误点affected（受到负面的影响）

选项4：V把C非常紧密的跟大提琴联想在一起：因为V看到C便想到Cello。

选项5：错误点identify with（强烈地把C跟场景相联系）。

18.   In referring to the bumblebee (paragraph 18), Clayton conveys his

(A) superstitious nature

(B) cunning instincts

(C) frail pride

(D) resolute determination

(E) volatile temperament

解析：通过C对于bumblebees的特征描述（虽理论上被认为不能飞翔，但是实际上飞翔能力上佳），来类比自己虽然身材高大，但是也能够把大提琴练好。

19.   In paragraph 19, the descriptions of Clayton in the kitchen and Clayton behind his instrument present a contrast between his

(A) chaos and organization

(B) mediocrity and excellence

(C) pretension and genuineness

(D) laziness and dedication

(E) clumsiness and gracefulness

解析：推理（归纳描述，反差）：在厨房里C “propped on either side of the cooling soup”, (双肘沾到汤渍)，体现了C的clumsiness（笨拙），在演奏大提琴的时候体现出”beauty”（美感），体现了gracefulness（优雅）。