单选题 Acting is such an over-crowded profession that the only advice that should be given to a young person thinking of going on the stage is "Don't!" But it is useless to try to discourage someone who feels that he must act, though the chances of his becoming famous are slim. The normal way to begin is to go to a drama school. Usually only students who show promise and talent are accepted, and the course lasts two years. Then the young actor or actress takes up work with a repertory company, usually as an assistant stage manager. This means doing everything that there is to do in the theatre: painting scenery, looking after the furniture, taking care of the costumes, and even acting in very small parts. It is very hard work indeed. The hours are long and the salary is tiny. But young actors with the stage in their blood are happy, waiting for the chances of working with a better company, or perhaps in films or television.
Of course, some people have unusual chances which lead to fame and success without this long and dull training. Connie Pratt, for example, was just an ordinary girl working in a bicycle factory. A film producer happened to catch sight of her one morning waiting at a bus stop, as he drove past in his big car. He told the driver to stop, and he got out to speak to the girl. He asked her if she would like to go to the film studio to do a test, and at first she thought he was joking. Then she got angry and said she would call the police. It took the producer twenty minutes to tell Connie that he was serious. Then an appointment was made for her to go to the studio the next day. The test was successful. They gave her some necessary lessons and within a few weeks she was playing the leading part opposite one of the most famous actors of the day. Of course, she was given a more dramatic name, which is now world-famous. But chances like this happen once in a blue moon!

单选题 According to the passage, the main reason why young people should be discouraged from becoming actors is ______.
A. actors are very unusual people
B. the course at the drama school lasts two years
C. acting is really a hard job
D. there are already too many actors
【正确答案】 D
【答案解析】[解析] 本题是个细节判断题。根据题干,考生可锁定文章的第一段。段首讲,表演界人数众多,所以不鼓励年轻人从事表演事业。因此判断D为正确选项。
单选题 An assistant stage manager's job is difficult because he has to ______.
A. do all kinds of stage work B. work for long hours
C. wait for a better company D. act well
【正确答案】 A
【答案解析】[解析] 本题是个细节判断题。根据题干中的an assistant stage manager,考生可锁定文章的第一段。原文中讲,年轻演员开始在轮演剧团工作,职位一般为舞台总监助理。这意味着,要做剧院里所有的工作。选项B是个干扰项,这只是其中一个因素而已。
单选题 According to the context, the sentence "But young actors with the stage in their blood are happy" at the end of the first paragraph means ______.
A. they don't care if their job is hard B. they like the stage naturally
C. they are born happy D. they are easily satisfied
【正确答案】 B
【答案解析】[解析] 本题是个建立在细节上的同义辨析题。根据题干,考生可锁定文章的第一段。段末讲,天生爱表演的年轻演员非常高兴。这表明他们生来喜欢舞台。
单选题 Connie Pratt soon became a famous actress after ______.
A. learning some lessons about the art of speaking
B. playing her part in the "Blue Colored Moon"
C. successfully matching the most famous actors
D. acting a leading part with a most famous actor at that time
【正确答案】 D
【答案解析】[解析] 本题是个细节题。第二段后半部分讲,女孩随后接受了一些必要的训练,几周后便担当了主角,和当时最知名的演员之一演对手戏,然后便世界闻名了。因此D正确。选项A是个干扰项,文中说女孩接受了一些训练,但没有提及接受的训练是“the an of speaking”。
单选题 The phrase "once in a blue moon" in last line refers to ______.
A. all at once B. once for a long time
C. once in a while D. once and for all
【正确答案】 B
【答案解析】[解析] 本题是个同义转换题。根据题干,考生可锁定文章的最后一行,段末出现了这个短语。本段讲述了一个非常罕见的例子,所以作者在这里强调这种机会并不常见。选项A意为“同时,突然”;选项C意为“偶尔,有时”;选项D意为“彻底地”。