单选题
The Street Violinist

I got up and dressed, stuck my violin under my jacket, and went out into the streets to try my luck. I wandered about for an hour, looking for a likely spot, feeling as though I were about to commit a crime. Then I stopped at last under a bridge near the station and decided to have a try.
I felt tense and nervous. It was the first time, after all. I drew the violin from under my coat like a gun. It was here, in Southampton, with trains rattling overhead, that I was about to declare myself. One morning I was part of the hurrying crowds, the next I stood apart, my back to the wall, my hat on the pavement before me, the violin under my chin.
The fist notes I played were loud and raw, like a declaration of protest. Then they settled down and began to run more smoothly and to stay more or less in turn. To my surprise I was neither arrested nor told to shut up. Indeed, nobody took any notice at all. Then an old man, without stopping, surreptitiously tossed a penny into my hat as though getting out of some guilty evidence.
I worked the streets of Southampton for several days, gradually acquiring the truths of the trade by trial and error. It was not a good thing, for instance, to let the hat fill up with money—the sight could discourage the patron. Nor was it wise to empty it completely, which could also confuse him, giving him no hint as to where to drop his money. Placing a couple of pennies in the hat to start the thing going soon became a regular ritual, making sure between tunes, to hide most of the earnings, but always leaving two pennies behind.
Old ladies were most generous, and so were women with children, shopgirls, typists and barmaids. As for the man, heavy drinkers were always willing listeners and so were big guys with muscles. But never a man with a gentleman's hat, briefcase or dog. Respectable types were the meanest of all. Except for retired army officers, who would tell " why aren't you working, young man?" and then toss some money into the hat to hide their confusion.

单选题 How long did the author wander about in the streets before he stopped under a bridge?
A. a day.
B. an hour.
C. all morning.
D. all afternoon.
【正确答案】 B
【答案解析】[解析] 答案相关句在第1段的第2句“I wandered about for an hour,looking for a likely spot,feeling as though I were about to commit a crime”,我转悠了一个小时,寻找着一个合适的地方,颇有去作案的感觉。about在句子中是副词,表示“在周围”。
单选题 The first time the author played the violin in the street, he expected______.
A. he would became a great musician
B. he would get into trouble
C. people would be happy to give him money
D. people would stop and listen
【正确答案】 B
【答案解析】[解析] 第3段说“To my surprise I was neither arrested nor told to shut up”,令我惊讶的是,既没有人逮捕我,也没有人不让我演奏。可见作者第一次在街头拉小提琴时想到了可能会遇到的种种麻烦,因此B是正确答案。
单选题 The first person who gave him money______.
A. was an old lady
B. stopped and listened for a while
C. dropped the money by mistakes
D. didn't want to be noticed
【正确答案】 D
【答案解析】[解析] 第3段最后一句说“Then an old man,without stopping,sull repetitiously tossed a penny into my hat as though getting rid of some gushy evidence”,一位老人,偷偷地往我的帽子里扔了一便士,脚下毫不停留,就像要扔掉犯罪的证据一般。因此判断D是正确答案。
单选题 According to the author, what is the best way to encourage people to give a street violinist money?
A. To wear an attractive hat.
B. To fill up the hat with money.
C. To leave a couple of pennies in the hat.
D. To empty the hat completely.
【正确答案】 C
【答案解析】[解析] 第4段最后一句中的“but always leaving two pennies behind”是关键,说明在帽子里留2便士才是让人们给钱的好办法。因此C是正确答案。
单选题 The retired army officers gave him money______.
A. to show they were most generous
B. to show they were most respectable
C. to cover up their confusion
D. to show they were rich
【正确答案】 C
【答案解析】[解析] 与此题相关的是文章最后一句话中的“then toss some money into the hat to hide their confusion”,然后扔一些钱在Neff来掩饰他们的困惑。此题中用cover up替代了hide。