A
There have certainly been records that have been hugely popular and some of those have had a message.Can there be many songs that really did change the world?Did they really change the hearts and minds of ordinary people?
There is one,Goettingen,which did,but it's hardly known now.
Even though France and Germany are neighbors,there was bad feeling between them 50 years ago as a result of World War Ⅱ.Into this area of hatred and anger stepped a singer with a gentle voice.
Barbara was her stage name.She took it from her Russian grandmother.She was born in Paris in 1930.She was Jewish and so a target (目标) for the Nazis.But,twenty years after the end of the Second World War,she travelled to the German city Goettingen.She fell in love with the city and its people and recorded the song Goettingen,first in French and then in German.
It moved her German audience at the theatre.The song became a hit.A street was named after her.The city gave its Medal of Honor to her.The song's popularity made an important contribution to repairing FranceGermany relations.
One of the people in the audience was a student by the name of Gerhard Schroeder.He later became Chancellor of Germany.He said:“I was a college student when she came to sing.It went to our hearts,the start of a wonderful friendship between our countries.”
Listening to the song today,it's easy to understand its attraction then.It is still a beautiful song of love,although it is a bit sad in parts.Barbara had much to be sad about.She was extremely frightened by the war.
In Germany,she was loved for the love she had given to the people.In France,she was a star.Streets were named after her there,too.A stamp had her face on it.When she died in 1997,250 thousand people went to the funeral (葬礼).
Lionel Jospin,who served as Prime Minister of France from 1997 to 2002,once said:“Barbara was a woman who knew suffering and understood the suffering of others.”
【语篇解读】 本文是一篇记叙文。文章介绍了在二战后让德法人民冰释前嫌的一首歌曲以及它的歌唱者Barbara。
1.The author raises questions in the first paragraph to ________.
A.introduce the topic B.expect an answer
C.criticize some songs D.support his argument
A [推理判断题。作者在首段用提问的方式引出本文的话题:一首改变世界,感动德、法两国普通民众心灵的歌曲。故A项正确。]
2.What do we know about Barbara?
A.She was born in Russia.
B.She was a popular German singer.
C.She had suffered a lot during World War.
D.She came to Germany soon after World War Ⅱ.
C [细节理解题。由倒数第三段的“Barbara had much to be sad about.She was extremely frightened by the war.”可知,Barbara本人也饱受战争摧残。]
3.According to the text,Barbara's Goettingen ________.
A.is a very cheerful song
B.was first recorded in German
C.helped bring France and Germany closer
D.was more popular in Germany than in France
C [推理判断题。由第五段中的“The song's popularity made an important contribution to repairing FranceGermany relations.”以及Gerhard Schroeder所说的话可知C项正确。]
4.It can be learned from the text that ________.
A.Barbara died in her eighties
B.a French city was named after Barbara
C.Barbara once appeared on Germany stamps
D.Lionel Jospin believed Barbara was a caring lady
D [推理判断题。由最后一段中Lionel Jospin所说的“Barbara was a woman who knew suffering and understood the suffering of others.(Barbara是一个经历过痛苦并能理解他人痛苦的人。)”可知,他认为她是一个有爱心的人。]