第二部分 閱讀理解（共兩節(jié)，滿分60分）

第一節(jié)（共15題；每小題3分，滿分45分）

閱讀下列短文，從每題所給的四個選項（A、B、C和D）中，選出最佳選項。

A

Both of Jessica’s parents were lawyers and expected her to follow suit. So she went to law school, got a job at a great firm in Washington, DC, and worked as a lawyer for a decade. But her heart was never in it. “I had a big salary but no personal satisfaction,” she says. 

Jessica found pleasure in the same thing that had brought her joy since joining the church choir at the age of 12. “Singing always felt like communicating something real at a spiritual and emotional level,” says Jessica. Yet she never considered it a career option. “That seemed like something people did in fairy tales, and I would never let my parents down,” she says. 

It was her mom’s diagnosis of brain cancer in 2009 that made Jessica realize she had to write her own happy-ever-after. “Work was busy and my mother was ailing. So I was flying back and forth from Washington, DC to Houston to see her,” Jessica says. “I finally said, ‘Enough!’ and quit.” While caring for her mom, Jessica made a plan. She would spend her savings and study music for a year, and then open a part-time law practice so she could pursue her passion. Before her mother passed away two years later, she encouraged Jessica to follow her dream. Her song Live This Life was inspired by her mom, and her dad came to watch her perform at clubs. 

In 2012, Jessica moved to Nashville to try singing and songwriting. A decade of presenting cases in court gave her the confidence to sing for a crowd. “At 20, I would have been too shy to perform,” says Jessica.

“Doing music is so free,” Jessica says. “There’s no pressure to be a star. Success, to me, isn’t a dollar amount or a record deal; it’s doing what I love.”

21. Which of the following is TRUE?

   A. Jessica didn’t really like working as a lawyer. 

B. Jessica didn’t know what she truly loved for ten years. 

C. Jessica wasn’t satisfied with the pay she got as a lawyer. 

D. Jessica was grateful for her parents’ arrangement for her. 

22. What does the underlined word “ailing” in Paragraph 3 mean?

A. Sick. B. Crazy. C. Worried. D. Unhappy.

23. What was Jessica’s mother’s attitude toward her singing?

A. Unknown. B. Doubtful. C. Supportive. D. Negative.

24. By telling Jessica’s story, the writer most probably wants to _______.

   A. encourage us to pursue our dreams

B. show that singing can be a practical career

C. tell us the importance of choosing a right job

D. show that family members’ support is important
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