A
Although she was to become one of the world’s most attractive sex symbols,Marilyn Monroe’s start in life was very,very far from attractive.Born in Los Angeles on June 1,1926,Norma Jeane Mortenson spent most of her childhood in and out of foster homes(寄养家庭) and orphanages(孤儿院).“No one ever told me I was pretty when I was a little girl,”she once said.“All little girls should be told they’re pretty,even if they aren’t.”
By 16,Norma Jeane was a high school dropout and married,although she was a greedy reader and lover of the classics and would later take literature courses at University of California at Los Angeles.When her husband was sent to the South Pacific,19-year-old Norma Jeane worked in a munitions factory(军工厂) in Southern California.
David Conover,a photographer working on a story for Yank magazine about women helping the war effort,photographed the curly-haired lady working on an airplane.He then referred her to another photographer,Bill Carroll,who was seeking a “good looking plain Jane” to photograph and gave her $20 for the work.From there,her modeling career was launched.
She landed an agent and a contract with Twentieth Century Fox,and divorced her first husband.Marilyn Monroe,the curly-haired bombshell,was born.She then became a very famous actress,model,and singer,starring in a number of commercially successful motion pictures during the 1950s and early 1960s.
Monroe died at the age of 36.Throughout her all-too-short life,Monroe had the rare ability to combine an intense sensuality with a genuine innocence.As her friend and favorite photographer,George Barris,observed,“She was a sweet little girl in a woman’s body.”Monroe herself once explained she knew what the photographers said about her.“Don’t let anyone tell you it is in her body.You know where it is.It’s in her mind.”
【语篇导读】本文是记叙文。文章简述了玛丽莲·梦露的生平。
1.Marilyn Monroe had .
A.a tough childhood
B.a happy childhood
C.a normal childhood
D.an interesting childhood
答案:A
解析:推理判断题。由第一段中的“Marilyn Monroe’s start in life...foster homes and orphanages”可推断,梦露的童年很艰苦。
2.What is Paragraph 3 mainly about?
A.Monroe’s family life.
B.Monroe’s main achievements.
C.How Monroe helped the war as a worker.
D.How Monroe started her career as an artist.
答案:D
解析:段落大意题。该段讲梦露在军工厂工作时被摄影师意外发现,并从此开始了她的模特事业。
3.We can infer that Monroe made a success of her career mainly due to .
A.her friends
B.her attractive body
C.her family background
D.her charming personality
答案:D
解析:推理判断题。由最后一段中的“She was a sweet little girl in a woman’s body.”及“It’s in her mind.”可推断,梦露事业的成功主要归功于她迷人的、如孩童般天真的个性。
4.What can we infer from the text about Monroe?
A.She was a gifted artist.
B.She worked very hard.
C.She had a happy marriage.
D.She performed well at school.
答案:A
解析:推理判断题。由最后一段中的“Monroe had the rare ability to combine an intense sensuality with a genuine innocence”可推断,梦露是一位有天赋的艺术家。
