B(2025·江苏南京调研)
Horace was walking through the music store with his mother. She wanted him to join the school band and play an instrument. As they passed the flute and trumpet(长笛和小号) section, Horace frowned. He didn't like their high, bright sounds. He also worried that joining the band might make other kids think he was a “band geek” and not cool.
Then he saw the electric guitars. “That’s more like it,” he thought. A guitar looked cool and strong, not soft like a violin. Excited, he picked one up, put the strap over his shoulder, and tried to play a chord. But when he strummed the strings, all that came out was a messy, twanging(刺耳的) noise. He had no idea what he was doing. His excitement
disappeared, replaced by embarrassment. “I’m awful at this,” he muttered, putting the guitar down.
His mother, trying not to show her disappointment, gently led him to the last section of the store. There, an old man was sitting on a stool, playing a large, wooden instrument—a cello(大提琴). The man moved a long bow across the strings, and a deep, rich, beautiful sound filled the air. Horace stopped. The melody was sad but beautiful, and it felt completely different from the sharp sounds of the flutes or the noisy guitar.
The old man saw Horace watching and smiled. He showed Horace how to hold the cello and how to pull the bow gently across one string. With a little help, Horace managed to produce a single clear, vibrating(振动的) note. It wasn’t a messy noise, and it was a real musical sound. A feeling of surprise and happiness washed over him, “Mum,” he said, looking up with shining eyes, “this is it. I want to learn this. (Picture ★ )”
His mother agreed happily. For the next hour, while she was talking to the store clerk about prices and lessons, Horace didn’t listen. He just watched the old man play and tried to make a few more notes himself. He had found his instrument not by looking for what seemed cool, but by listening for what truly spoke to him.
(
C
)4. What does Horace mean when he thinks “That’s more like it” about the electric guitar?
A. It is what the school band needs.
B. It is the instrument his mother likes most.
C. It looks cool and feels right for him.
D. It is easier to play than other instruments.
(
B
)5. 创新考法—图片理解 Which of the following pictures can be put into ★?
(
B
)6. What does the underlined word “disappeared” mean in Paragraph 2?
A. Went up.
B. Went away.
C. Went down.
D. Went on.
(
D
)7. What does the story mainly tell us?
A. Insist on your first choice.
B. Cool-looking things are best.
C. Parents always know what is best.
D. Choose what truly touches your heart.
