As a solo artist，Brightman has sold 26 million albums and two million DVDs in 34 countries. Her musical styles put opera, pop and jazz together. She is popular in the States but not here（Britain）—the image of her and her second husband, Andrew Lloyd Webber（he much older, she his muse) seems for ever frozen.
The 47-year-old singer talks about the new album Symphony that came out of a “very dark time”, including her decision to give up trying to have children. “People have suggested I could adopt,” Brightman says. “But work is central to my life now. And so I am going to put it to one side. After a while not having children bees the normal and perhaps that might sound alarming, to parents especially, but I have never known anything different. I’m not hurt by not having children. My life and career are incredibly rich.”
Talking about growing up in a large family in Berkhamsted （father a property developer who later mitted suicide）, she says: “I was gifted as a child, and very musical. I seemed to be good at anything to do with the arts. At 5 I understood the music I was dancing to and had an eye for costume.” She first appeared in a West End musical at 11 and hated boarding school.
Brightman led the saucy dance troupe（辣妹三人舞）Hot Gossip and had her first hit with I Lost My Heart to a Starship Trooper in 1978. At 18 she married a music manager called Andrew Graham Stewart. “I was probably in love but I can’t remember. Girls change such a lot between 18 and 22. It didn’t really work out.” In 1981 she was spotted by Lloyd Webber. She became his leading lady in Song and Dance, Requiem and Phantom of the Opera. They married in 1984.
Brightman says she felt hostility（敌意） “from the beginning. I haven’t tried to understand it. I’ve done very well everywhere else, especially the UK, where I now live. I just accept it for what it is. The more you are away from Britain, the more you appreciate it. But I don’t miss it, although I miss my family. Our profession can be unfortable but I enjoy what I do. I get on with it.”
【小题1】The first paragraph tells us that .A．Brightman is very popular around the world except in AmericaB．Brightman’s musical style is a mixture of opera, pop and jazzC．the British people don’t like her for her style of musicD．Brightman is much older than Andrew Lloyd Webber【小题2】Brightman decided to give up having children because .A．she could adopt oneB．her life and career were unbelievably rich without childrenC．she felt it normal not to have childrenD．she was too busy【小题3】The following statements are true except .A．Brightman first appeared in a West End musical at 5B．Brightman disliked life on campusC．Brightman was very gifted when she was youngD．the saucy dance troupe made Brightman famous【小题4】 The underlined word in the fourth paragraph probably means .A．located B．admiredC．followedD．found【小题5】What does the author try to say in the last paragraph by quoting Brightman’s words?A．Brightman has to accept the fact that she isn’t liked in BritainB．Brightman lives in America but she loves her own countryC．The British coldness towards Brightman led to her hatred to her homelandD．Brightman was at a loss why she was not wele in BritainB
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(答案→)B
解析：本文叙述了独唱一人布莱特曼的成长过程及作品。布莱特曼从小成长在一个大家庭里，不喜欢上学。她的音乐风格把歌剧,流行音乐和爵士乐集中在一起。她认为工作是她生活的重心，所以她把生儿育女放在一边。她的歌曲在英国不被喜欢，但在其他地方非常受欢迎。
【小题1】细节理解题。根据第一段的Her musical styles put opera, pop and jazz together. 她的音乐风格把歌剧,流行音乐和爵士乐集中在一起。故选B。
【小题2】细节理解题。根据第二段的After a while not having children bees the normal可知布莱特曼认为不生儿育女是正常的。故选C。
【小题3】细节理解题。根据第三段的She first appeared in a West End musical at 11可知她是在11岁是首次出现在伦敦西区的一个音乐剧上。所以A项说的“5岁出现在伦敦西区的一个音乐剧上”是不正确的。故选A。
【小题4】词义猜测题。根据第四段的In 1981 she was spotted by Lloyd Webber. She became his leading lady in Song and Dance,可知她成为主唱之前，应是先被Lloyd Webber找到，发现她的才华，因此spot在此处的意思是找到。故选D。
【小题5】作者意图题。根据最后一段的I haven’t tried to understand it. I’ve done very well everywhere else, especially the UK, where I now live. I just accept it for what it is.从中可知她已经接受了在英国不被喜欢的事实。故选A。