Once there was a piano player in a bar(酒吧). People came just to hear him play. But one night, a lady asked him to sing a song.

      "I don't sing," said the man.

     But the lady told the waiter, "I'm tired of listening to the piano. I want the player to sing!

     The waiter shouted across the room, "Hey, friend! If you want to get paid, sing a song!'

     So he did. He had never sung in public before. Now he was singing for the very first time! Nobody had ever heard the song Mona Lisa sung so beautifully!

     He had talent(天赋) he was sitting on! He may have lived the rest of his life as a no-name piano player in a no-name bar. But once he found, by accident, that he could sing well, he went on working hard and became one of the best-known singers in the US. His name was Nat King Cole.

     You, too, have skills and abilities. You may not feel that your talent is great, but it may be better than you think. With hard work, most skills can be improved. Besides, you may have no success at all ff you just sit on your talent.

1. The lady asked the player to sing a song because _____.

    A. she had paid him for this           B. she knew him very well

     C. she wanted to have a change       D. she enjoyed his singing

2. Nat King Cole succeeded because _____.

    A. the lady helped him a lot            B. he caught the chance

     C. he continued to play in the bar       D. he stopped playing the piano

3.The words "sit on" in the passage probably mean"

A. fail to realize          B. forget to use

C. try to develop          D. manage to show

4.From the story we know if you have some talent, you should _____.

     A. hide it and wait       B. ask others for help

    C. pay no attention to it     D. work hard to improve yourself

5. Which could be the best title (标题) for the passage?

     A. Sing in the Bar              B. Achieve Success in Life

     C. Never Lose Heart            D. Find Your Hidden Talent

 

1 

Once there was a piano player in a bar. People came just to hear him play. But one night, a lady asked him to sing a song.

"I don't sing," said the man.

But the lady told the waiter, "I'm tired of listening to the piano. I want the player to sing!

The waiter shouted across the room, "Hey, friend! If you want to get paid, sing a song!'

So he did. He had never sung in public before. Now he was singing for the very first time! Nobody had ever heard the song Mona Lisa sung so beautifully!

He had talent(天赋) he was sitting on! He may have lived the rest of his life as a no-name piano player in a no-name bar. But once he found, by accident, that he could sing well, he went on working hard and became one of the best-known singers in the US. His name was Nat King Cole.

You, too, have skills and abilities. You may not feel that your talent is great, but it may be better than you think. With hard work, most skills can be improved. Besides, you may have no success at all if you just sit on your talent.

1.The lady asked the player to sing a song because _____.

A. she had paid him for this

B. she knew him very well

C. she wanted to have a change

D. she enjoyed his singing

2.Nat King Cole succeeded because _____.

A. the lady helped him a lot

B. he caught the chance

C. he continued to play in the bar

D. he stopped playing the piano

3.The words "sit on" in the passage probably mean"

A.参加                 B.搁置            C. 开发                D.展示

4.Which could be the best title for the passage?

A. Sing in the Bar

B. Achieve Success in Life

C. Never Lose Heart

D. Find Your Hidden Talent

 

You want to know about my staying in America, right? Well, to tell you the truth, it is really an eye-opening experience to study here.

In China, I had English classes five times a week since fifth grade. However, I didn’t know how different textbook English could be from everyday English until I came to Hotchkiss School, Connecticut.

When I first studied English, I was told to say,” I am fine” when people say “How are you?” But in the US, I found that people say, “I am good” or “I’m tired”.

One day, someone greeted me with “What’s up?” It made me confused . I thought for a moment and then smiled because I didn’t know what to say.

Since then, I have discovered more and more differences between Chinese and US cultures.

To my surprise, US girls spend a lot of time in the burning sun to get a tan(晒黑). However, in China, girls try every possible way to get their skin paler, or “whiter”.

I was also surprised by how hardworking US students are.  In China, schoolwork is almost everything, so we study hard and that’s it. But here, a “good” student gets good grades, does a lot for the public and plays sports or music.

The kids here are so talented, I am starting to be sorry that I gave up playing the piano at an early age and that I have never thought about sports.

1. What does the word “confused” in the fourth paragraph mean in Chinese ?

A．困惑

B．憧憬

C．悲痛

D．后悔

2.A good US student spends his / her time ______ .

A．only in doing homework

B．on studies, sports or music and public work

C．only in working for the public

D．only on sports or music

3.Which of the following is NOT true ?

A．The writer is now in US.

B．American girls love to have white skin.

C．US students are talented and hard working.

D．The writer regrets that he gave up playing the piano.

 

You want to know about my staying in America, right? Well, to tell you the truth, it is really an eye-opening experience to study here.
In China, I had English classes five times a week since fifth grade. However, I didn’t know how different textbook English could be from everyday English until I came to Hotchkiss School, Connecticut.
When I first studied English, I was told to say, “I am fine.” when people say “How are you?” But in the US, I found that people say, “I am good.” or “I’m tired.”
One day, someone greeted me with “What’s up?” It made me confused(不知所措). I thought for a moment and then smiled because I didn’t know what to say.
Since then, I have discovered more and more differences between Chinese and US cultures.
To my surprise, US girls spend a lot of time in the burning sun to get a tan(晒黑). However, in China, girls try every possible way to get their skin paler, or “whiter”.
I was also surprised by how hard-working US students are.
In China, schoolwork is almost everything, so we study hard and that’s it. But here, a “good” student gets good grades, does a lot for the public and plays sports or music.
The kids here are so talented, I am starting to be sorry that I gave up playing the piano at an early age and that I have never thought about sports.
【小题1】According to the writer, textbook English is ______ everyday English.

A．quite different from	B．the same as
C．more difficult than	D．easier than

【小题2】A good US student spends his / her time ______.

A．only in doing homework

B．only on sports or music

C．only in working for the public

D．on studies, sports or music and public work

【小题3】Which of the following is NOT true ?

A．The writer is now staying in the US.

B．American girls love to have white skin.

C．The US students are hard-working.

D．Schoolwork is almost everything in China.

Once there was a piano player in a bar. People came just to hear him play. But one night, a lady asked him to sing a song.
"I don't sing," said the man.
But the lady told the waiter, "I'm tired of listening to the piano. I want the player to sing!
The waiter shouted across the room, "Hey, friend! If you want to get paid, sing a song!'
So he did. He had never sung in public before. Now he was singing for the very first time! Nobody had ever heard the song Mona Lisa sung so beautifully!
He had talent(天赋) he was sitting on! He may have lived the rest of his life as a no-name piano player in a no-name bar. But once he found, by accident, that he could sing well, he went on working hard and became one of the best-known singers in the US. His name was Nat King Cole.
You, too, have skills and abilities. You may not feel that your talent is great, but it may be better than you think. With hard work, most skills can be improved. Besides, you may have no success at all if you just sit on your talent.
【小题1】The lady asked the player to sing a song because _____.

A．she had paid him for this

B．she knew him very well

C．she wanted to have a change

D．she enjoyed his singing

【小题2】Nat King Cole succeeded because _____.

A．the lady helped him a lot

B．he caught the chance

C．he continued to play in the bar

D．he stopped playing the piano

【小题3】The words "sit on" in the passage probably mean"

A．参加

B．搁置

C．开发

D．展示

【小题4】Which could be the best title for the passage?

A．Sing in the Bar

B．Achieve Success in Life

C．Never Lose Heart

D．Find Your Hidden Talent