高考英语阅读理解·附详解(11)AI grew up in a small town. My father raised chickens and ran a construction company. I was barely 10 years old when my dad gave me the responsibility (责任) of feeding the chickens and cleaning up the stable. He believed it was important for me to have those jobs to learn responsibility. Then, when I was 22, I found a job in Natchbill at a country music club called the Natchbill Palace, I washed dishes and cooked from 4: 00 pm to 9: 00 pm and then went on stage and sang until 2:00 in the morning. It wasn’t long before I became known as a singing cook. I had been rejected so many times by record companies that it was hard not to be discouraged. One night, a woman executive (懂事) from a company named Warner Brothers Records came to hear me sing. When the show was over, we sat down and talked and after she left, I said to myself it was one more rejection. A few weeks later, my manager received a phone call — Warner Brothers wanted to sign me to a record deal. Soon after, I released my first record in June 1986. It sold over 2 million copies. My best efforts had gone into every job I’ve ever held. It was the sense of responsibility that made me feel like a man. Knowing that I had done my best filled me with pride. I still feel that way today, even though I have become a well-known singer. 1. Why was the writer once known as the singing cook?A. Because he was a cook at a country-music club.B. Because he sang for guests while he worked as a cook.C. Because he often sang while cooking.D. Because he liked singing better than cooking.2. Who first recognized his talents and helped make his career successful?A. Wamer Brothers. B. His manager. C. His father. D. A businesswoman.3. What made the writer proud of himself?A. His ability to live independently.B. His sense of responsibility in whatever he did.C. His courage in the face of rejections.D. His hard work in his early days.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7]下一页 说明:引用此文请注明出处,并请保留该文章链接地址,谢谢~~BIn ancient times the most important examinations were spoken, not written. In the schools of ancient Greece and Rome, testing usually was made up of saying poetry aloud and giving speeches.In the European universities of the Middle Ages, students who were working for advanced degrees had to discuss ques­tions in their field of study with people who had made a spe­cial study of the subject. This custom exists today as part of the process of testing candidates (应试者) for the doctor’s de­gree.Generally, however, modem examinations are written. The written examination, where all students are tested on the same questions, was probably not known until the nineteenth century. Perhaps it came into existence with the great increase in population and the development of modem industry. A room full of candidates for a state examination timed exactly by electric clocks and carefully watched over by managers, looks like a group of workers at an automobile factory. Certainly, during examinations