The decision of the New York Philharmonic to hire Alan Gilbert as its next music director has been the talk of the classical-music world ever since the sudden announcement of his appointment in 2009. For the most part, the response has been favorable, to say the least. "Hooray!At last!" wrote Anthony Tommasini, a sober-sided classical-music critic. One of the reasons why the appointment came as such a surprise, however, is that Gilbert is comparatively little known. Even Tommasini, who had advocated Gilbert's appointment in the Times, calls him "an unpretentious musician with no air of the formidable conductor about him." As a description of the next music director of an orchestra that has hitherto been led by musicians like Gustav Mahler and Pierre Boulez, that seems likely to have struck at least some Times readers as faint praise. For my part, I have no idea whether Gilbert is a great conductor or even a good one. To be sure, he performs an impressive variety of interesting compositions, but it is not necessary for me to visit Avery Fisher Hall, or anywhere else, to hear interesting orchestral music. All I have to do is to go to my CD shelf, or boot up my computer and download still more recorded music from iTunes. Devoted concertgoers who reply that recordings are no substitute for live performance are missing the point. For the time, attention, and money of the art-loving public, classical instrumentalists must compete not only with opera houses, dance troupes, theater companies, and museums, but also with the recorded performances of the great classical musicians of the 20th century. These recordings are cheap, available everywhere, and very often much higher in artistic quality than today' s live performances; moreover, they can be "consumed" at a time and place of the listener's choosing. The widespread availability of such recordings has thus brought about a crisis in the institution of the traditional classical concert. One possible response is for classical performers to program attractive new music that is not yet available on record. Gilbert' s own interest in new music has been widely noted: Alex Ross, a classical-music critic, has described him as a man who is capable of turning the Philharmonic into "a markedly different, more vibrant organization." But what will be the nature of that difference? Merely expanding the orchestra' s repertoire will not be enough. If Gilbert and the Philharmonic are to succeed, they must first change the relationship between America' s oldest orchestra and the new audience it hopes to attract.
单选题
We learn from Paragraph 1 that Gilbert' s appointment has
【正确答案】
C
【答案解析】解析：态度题。根据关键词Paragraph 1、Gilbert’s appointment定位在文章第一段。本段一开始 就提及，任命Alan Girbert为下一任音乐指挥已成为古典音乐界谈论的焦点。第二句For the most part，the response has been favorable，to say the least．(至少可以这样说，大部分人的反应是 积极的)暗示了答案。原文使用了形容词favorable(赞成的)，四个选项中，只有C项的acclaim和 favorable是同义，意为“喝彩，欢呼，赞同”，因此选C项。A项“招致批评”，B项“引起怀疑”，D项 “引起好奇”，均不符合原文意思。
单选题
Tommasini regards Gilbert as an artist who is
【正确答案】
B
【答案解析】解析：细节题。根据关键词Tommasini、artist定位在文章第二段。第二句Even Tommasini．．．calls him“an unpretentious musician with no air of the formidable conductor about him．”表示Gilbert是 低调的音乐家，在他身上没有任何令人敬畏的大指挥家的架子。B项中的modest和原文中的 unpretentious“不炫耀的，含蓄的，谦虚的”同义，故为正确答案。第二段第一句讲到Gilbert名气较 小，由此可以断定A项influential“有影响力的”是不正确的。C项respectable“值得尊敬的”和D 项talented“有天赋的”在文中没有提及。
单选题
The author believes that the devoted concertgoers
【正确答案】
D
【答案解析】解析：细节题。根据题干关键词devoted concertgoers定位到第四段。首句是作者对他们的负面 评价：没有抓住核心问题(missing the point)，接下来各句具体叙述他们没有抓住的这个核心问题 是什么。作者分析指出古典音乐演奏者的竞争对手众多，特别是演奏者的诸多优势带来了巨大 的威胁。可见，作者认为音乐会迷们低估了其他艺术消费形式特别是演奏录音的价值，过于乐观 地估计了古典音乐现场演奏的价值，故D项正确。其他三项都是对原文的曲解。
单选题
According to the text, which of the following is true of recordings?