In 1995, Susan Boyle went to Glasgow to audition (試演) for My Kind of people, a televised talent show popular in the UK．She was immediately rejected．She was nervous during the audition, and felt she didn't perform well, but her brother said that she was rejected because of her plain looks．Boyle was not discouraged and continued to sing at church and at the karaoke nights in a local pub.

Boyle suffered a personal loss in 1997, when her father passed away．After his death．Boyle put her big dreams on hold to care for her sick mother Bridget Boyle．The mother and daughter often talked of Susan's possible fame．Bridget Boyle encouraged her daughter to take part in singing competitions．“She was the one who said I should enter Britain's Got Talent．We used to watch it together.” Susan later told reporters．“She thought I would win.”

In 1999, Boyle used all of her savings to pay for a professional demo (樣本唱片) tape．which she sent to record companies．In 2002, Boyle began taking singing lessons from voice coach Fred O'Neil．

In 2007, Boyle's mother passed away at the age of 91．A neighbor reported that when Bridget Boyle died, her daughter “wouldn't come out for three or four days or answer the door or phone.” She lived alone with her cat, Pebbles．For over a year, she refused to sing．But in August of 2008, O'Neil urged her to try out for Britain's Got Talent．Convinced that the performance would be an honor to her mother, Boyle auditioned in Glasgow, Scotland．She sang I Dreamed A Dream in the first round of the show, which was aired on 11 April 2009.

The 47-year-old Scottish woman's plain looks provided a sharp contrast (對比) to her powerfully beautiful voice．The performance astonished the audience and the judges．Online videos of her performance totaled over 40 million views within a week．Although she failed to win the final of Britain's Got Talent, Susan Boyle became globally popular．Her first album I Dreamed A Dream has sold over five million copies.

1.Bridget Boyle's attitude towards her daughter's musical talent can be described as      .

  A．critical                     B．doubtful                  C．indifferent               D．optimistic

2.From Para．4 we learn that Boyle      .

  A．was slightly discouraged by her voice coach

  B．entered Britain's Got Talent to prove her ability

  C．decided to give up her singing career

  D．was deeply affected by her mother's death

3.Which of the following is TRUE about Susan Boyle?

  A．Her international fame grew rapidly in 2008.

  B．Her audition for My Kind of People failed.

  C．She has never stopped singing since 1995.

  D．She was the winner of Britain's Got Talent.

4.In writing this passage, the author mainly intends to      .

  A．tell us how Boyle's dream came true

  B．let us know more about Boyle's personal life

  C．show how Boyle was influenced by her family

  D．explain how to enter and win a talent show

 

【答案】

 

1.D

2.D

3.B

4.A

【解析】略

 

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