Billie Holiday was an American jazz singer and songwriter. Nicknamed Lady Day by her loyal friend and musical partner, Lester Young, Holiday had a great influence on jazz and pop singing. Her voiced style, strongly inspired by jazz instrumentalists, pioneered a new way of controlling tempo (节奏). Above all, she was admired for her deeply personal and direct approach to singing.
She cowrote a few songs, and several of them have become jazz standards, notably God Bless the Child, Don't Explain, and Lady Sings the Blues. She also became famous for singing jazz standards written by others, including Easy Living and Strange Fruit.
Her early career is hard to track down with accuracy. But she later gained work singing in local jazz clubs before being spotted by a talent scout (星探), John Hammond in 1933.
Her voice and recordings were loved for the depth of emotion and intensity she could bring to classic standards. Her range of voice was not the greatest, but her extraordinary low rough voice was soon to become very famous and influential.
She was an important icon (偶像) of the jazz era and influential in the development of jazz singing. In the late 1930s she began singing a civil rights song called Strange Fruit, a song which told the tale of a lynching (用私刑处死) of a black man in the Deep South. It was very controversial for that period and it was not played on radios. It was recorded for Commodore Records and she performed it many times over the next 20 years.
Billie Holiday had a difficult upbringing which influenced her attitude toward life. She experienced many violent relationships. She also became increasingly dependent on various drugs which contributed to her early death in 1959, aged just 44.
Billie Holiday是一个美国爵士乐歌手和词曲作家。本文介绍了她的演唱风格和演唱经历。
1．What made Holiday develop a new way of controlling tempo?
A．Her musical partner.
B．Her voiced style.
C．Jazz instrumentalists.
D．Her direct approach to singing.
答案：B
解析：细节理解题。根据第一段第三句Her voiced style, strongly inspired by jazz instrumentalists, pioneered a new way of controlling tempo (节奏)可知，Holiday的表达风格让她发展了控制节奏的一种新的方式。故选B。
2．Why was the song Strange Fruit banned on radios?
A．It was about a cruel story.
B．It concerned civil rights.
C．It was recorded very badly.
D．It was performed many times.
答案：B
解析：细节理解题。根据倒数第二段中In the late 1930s she began singing a civil rights song called Strange Fruit, a song which told the tale of a lynching (用私刑处死) of a black man in the Deep South. It was very controversial for that period and it was not played on radios.可知，歌曲Strange Fruit被禁止在收音机播放是因为它涉及到了公民权利。故选B。
3．It can be learned from the text that Holiday ________.
A．had the greatest range of voice
B．was gifted and had a happy childhood
C．wrote a few songs including Easy Living
D．was famous for her voice and way of singing
答案：D
解析：推理判断题。根据第二段第二句She also became famous for singing jazz standards written by others, including Easy Living and Strange Fruit.和倒数第三段最后一句Her range of voice was not the greatest, but her extraordinary low rough voice was soon to become very famous and influential.可知，Holiday因为她的嗓音和演唱风格而著名。故选D。
4．Which of the following had a great effect on Holiday?
a．John Hammond
b．Her independence
c．Jazz instrumentalists
d．Her hard experiences of growing
A．a, b, c B．a, b, d
C．a, c, d D．b, c, d
答案：C
解析：推理判断题。根据第三段第二句But she later gained work singing in local jazz clubs before being spotted by a talent scout (星探), John Hammond in 1933.可知，John Hammond对Holiday有影响；根据最后一段第一、二句Billie Holiday had a difficult upbringing which influenced her attitude toward life. She experienced many violent relationships.可知，她成长的苦难经历对她有大的影响。由此推知，C项正确。
