Whitney Houston, who died on February 11,

题目内容：

Whitney Houston, who died on February 11, 2012 in Beverly Hills, California, is being remembered across the globe as a trailblazer（开拓者）. Among all of Houston’s outstanding achievements, including a total of more than 400 career a wards , her most significant achievement was her record-setting string of seven Number One singles on the Billboard Hot 100 chart . It broke the previous record of six set by The Bee Gees and The Beatles. The string began on October 26 , 1985 with her Grammy-winning hit “Saving All My Love For You,” and ended on April 23, 1988 with her R＆B ballad “Where Do Broken Hearts Go.” It was the fourth single from her album“Whitney”to go to Number One, also a record for a female artist. She sold more than 170 million albums worldwide and co-produced and recorded songs for one of the best-selling soundtracks（声带）of all time, The Bodyguard.

Whitney Houston was born the daughter of famed gospel（福音）singer Cissy Houston in Newak , New Jersey. Dionne Warwick was her cousin and Aretha Franklin her godmother. She began as a gospel singer and pianist in her mother’s church and sometimes performed alongside her in nightclubs. At age 15 , Whitney sang backup on Chaka Khan’s “I’m Every Woman,” a tune she later performed on The Bodyguard soundtrack.

Whitney signed with Arista in 1983 and released her self-titied debut album two years later. The New York Times called her first effort, “an impressive, musically conservative showcase（展示）for an exceptional vocal talent（声乐天才）.” She continued to achieve similar praise for subsequent albums, while her fast-growing fan base put her into the world-class entertainer. In 1998, she released her most musically-diverse album to date, “My Love Is Your Love.” The title track became her third best-selling single ever.

The past 10 years were filled with highs and lows. While Whitney’s contract at Arista Records was renewed for ＄100 million, album sales began to slide. Her 14-year marriage to singer Bobby Brown ended in 2007 , she canceled concerts and interviews , and accusation arose of drug abuse. Her final album “I Look To you,” sold more than two million copies and reached the Number One spot in 2009.

小题1:What’s Whitney Houston’s most outstanding achievements?

A．Selling more than 170 million albums worldwide.

B．Her 400 career awards.

C．Her vocal talent.

D．Her record-setting string of seven Number One singles.小题2:According to the text, Houston.

A．was born in a gospel singer family

B．released her famous album at the age of 15

C．sold the most of the albums worldwide

D．Whitney first signed with Arista in 1985小题3:What was Houston accused of ?

A．Her divorce with Bobby Brown.

B．Her conflict with her former husband.

C．The canceled concerts and interviews.

D．Drug abuse.小题4:When did Whitney release her first self-titled album?

A．In 1983.

B．In 1985.

C．In 1989.

D．In 1987.小题5:What is the main idea of the first paragraph?

A．Whitney’s success.

B．Whitney’s achievements.

C．Whitney’s best singles.

D．Whitney’s music talents.

最佳答案：

小题1:D

小题2:A

小题3:D

小题4:B

小题5:B

答案解析：

文章主要讲述了Whitney的个人成就。

小题1:细节题。根据第一段3,4行her most significant achievement was her record-setting string of seven Number One singles on the Billboard Hot 100 chart .

小题2:细节题。根据第二段第一行Whitney Houston was born the daughter of famed gospel（福音）singer Cissy Houston in Newak , New Jersey.

小题3:细节题。全文倒数第三行accusation arose of drug abuse。

小题4:推理题、根据第三段第一行Whitney signed with Arista in 1983 and released her self-titied debut album two years later.可知1983年与Arista签约，2年以后也就是1985年发布专辑。

小题5:主旨大意题。通读全文可知B正确，文章主要讲述了.Whitney的个人成就。

考点核心：

人物传记类文章的文体特征：

人物传记是记叙文体的一种，主要描写某人的生平事迹、趣闻轶事、生活背景、个性特征、成长奋斗历程等，包含记叙文的时间、地点、人物、事件等要素。其特点是以时间的先后或事件的发展为主线，空间或逻辑线索贯穿文章始终，脉络清楚，可读性较强。