Part A: Reading Comprehension
Directions: Read the following text. Answer the questions below each text by choosing A, B, C or D. Mark your answers on the ANSWER SHEET. (40 points)
Text 1
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.
21. We learn from Paragraph 1 that Gilbert’s appointment has
22. Tommasini regards Gilbert as an artist who is
23. The author believes that the devoted concertgoers
24. According to the text, which of the following is true of recordings?
25. Regarding Gilbert’s role in revitalizing the Philharmonic, the author feels
全文翻译
纽约爱乐乐团决定聘请艾伦·吉尔伯特担任下一任音乐总监，自2009年这一任命突然宣布以来，此事一直是古典音乐界的热门话题。总体而言，反应至少可以说是积极的。一向严肃的古典音乐评论家安东尼·托马西尼写道："好哇！终于！"
然而，这一任命之所以如此令人惊讶，原因之一是吉尔伯特相对而言知名度不高。就连曾在《纽约时报》上主张任命吉尔伯特的托马西尼也称他为"一位谦逊的音乐家，身上没有那种令人生畏的指挥家派头"。对于一个迄今一直由古斯塔夫·马勒和皮埃尔·布列兹等音乐家领导的管弦乐团的下一任音乐总监来说，这样的描述似乎很可能至少会让一些《纽约时报》读者觉得是轻描淡写的赞美。
就我而言，我不知道吉尔伯特是不是一位伟大的指挥家，甚至不知道他是否称得上优秀。当然，他演奏了种类令人印象深刻的趣味作品，但我没必要去艾弗里·费舍尔音乐厅或任何其他地方听有趣的管弦乐。我所要做的就是走到我的CD架前，或者启动电脑，从iTunes上下载更多录制好的音乐。
那些忠实的音乐会常客回应说唱片不能替代现场演出，他们没有抓住要点。为了赢得热爱艺术的公众的时间、注意力和金钱，古典器乐演奏家不仅必须与歌剧院、舞蹈团、剧团和博物馆竞争，还要与20世纪伟大古典音乐家的录制演出版本竞争。这些唱片价格低廉，随处可得，而且其艺术质量往往远高于当今的现场演出；此外，它们可以在听众选择的时间和地点被"消费"。此类唱片的广泛可得性已经引发了传统古典音乐会制度的危机。
一个可能的回应是，古典音乐演奏家们安排那些尚未有唱片面世的、有吸引力的新音乐曲目。吉尔伯特本人对新音乐的兴趣已被广泛注意到：古典音乐评论家亚历克斯·罗斯将他描述为一个有能力将爱乐乐团变成"一个明显不同、更充满活力的组织"的人。但这种不同的本质是什么？仅仅扩大乐团的曲目是不够的。如果吉尔伯特和爱乐乐团想要成功，他们必须首先改变美国最古老的管弦乐团与它希望吸引的新观众之间的关系。
Answers & Explanations (答案与深度解析)
试题精解
21. [C] received acclaim.
【解析】细节题。第一段指出，纽约爱乐乐团任命 Gilbert 后的反应是 favorable（赞同的），Tommasini 甚至欢呼 “Hooray! At last!”。这说明该任命受到了广泛的称赞和欢迎（acclaim）。
22. [B] modest.
【解析】词义替换题。第二段 Tommasini 称 Gilbert 为 “an unpretentious musician”（一个谦逊的音乐家）。unpretentious 是 modest（谦虚的、不炫耀的）的完美同义替换。
23. [D] overestimate the value of live performances.
【解析】作者观点题。第四段首句指出，那些坚持认为录音无法替代现场演出的忠实听众“没有领会要点”（missing the point）。随后作者论证了录音在质量、价格和便捷性上的优势，暗示听众高估了（overestimate）现场演出的价值。
24. [B] they are easily accessible to the general public.
【解析】细节题。第四段明确提到：These recordings are cheap, available everywhere... 这里的 available everywhere 对应 B 选项的 easily accessible（易于获得）。
25. [A] doubtful.
【解析】态度题。最后一段中，作者在引用 Alex Ross 的积极评价后，连续发问：“但这种改变的本质是什么？”并断言“仅仅扩大曲目量是不够的”。最后使用虚拟语气（If Gilbert... were to succeed...）暗示成功的难度。整体语气表现出作者对 Gilbert 能否复兴乐团持怀疑态度（doubtful）。
考研核心句型与长难句
【长难句剖析】
1. 倒装与比较结构：
"For the time, attention, and money of the art-loving public, classical instrumentalists must compete not only with opera houses... but also with the recorded performances..."
【解析】not only... but also... 结构。作者强调古典乐演奏者面临的多重竞争，尤其是来自历史录音的冲击。
"For the time, attention, and money of the art-loving public, classical instrumentalists must compete not only with opera houses... but also with the recorded performances..."
【解析】not only... but also... 结构。作者强调古典乐演奏者面临的多重竞争，尤其是来自历史录音的冲击。
2. 后置定语与被动：
"The widespread availability of such recordings has thus brought about a crisis in the institution of the traditional classical concert."
【解析】availability（普及）是主语，brought about（引起）是谓语。本句点明了录音普及对传统音乐会制度造成的威胁。
"The widespread availability of such recordings has thus brought about a crisis in the institution of the traditional classical concert."
【解析】availability（普及）是主语，brought about（引起）是谓语。本句点明了录音普及对传统音乐会制度造成的威胁。