A
Diana Ross, American pop singer and actress, achieved international popularity, first as the leader singer of the Supremes and later as a solo(独唱的) artist. Diana Ross was born on March 26, 1944, in Detroit, Michigan. She was the second of six children of Fred and Ernestine Ross, who lived in one of Detroit’s poor districts. Because her family were closely connected with each other, Ross almost didn’t notice the difficult life as she grew up.
Ross’ professional career began in 1959, when she joined several neighborhood friends to form the Primettes. The group was renamed the Supremes after signing a recording contract(合同) with Motown late the following year. The group produced many number－one hit singles(热门单曲) on the U．S.Billboard Hot 100, including Baby Love, Stop! In the Name of Love and Someday We’ll Be Together. In 1967, the group was renamed Diana Ross and the Supremes, foreshadowing(预示) Ross’ solo career, which she started in 1970.
Beginning with Ain’t No Mountain High Enough from her first solo album, Ross enjoyed more than ten years of great success with her hit singles. Ross also developed a film－acting career in the 1970s, beginning with a starring role as blues singer Billie Holiday in Lady Sings the Blues and continuing with Mahogany, for which she also recorded the theme song Do You Know Where You’re Going To.
However, in the mid－1980s, Ross saw her career begin to wane. Most of her albums were re－recordings of earlier material. In 2006, she produced I Love You, a collection of love songs by many artists, and she started an energetic concert tour the following year to make the album publicly known. Although you can’t find her songs on the U．S.Billboard Hot 100 now, Ross remains popular as one of the leading musical performers of all time.
【解题导语】 本文是一篇夹叙夹议文。文章主要介绍了美国流行歌手和演员Diana Ross 自出道以来在演艺事业上的发展和成就。
1．According to the passage, the Supremes________．
A．had to break up in 1967
B．used to be named the Primettes
C．was made up of Ross and her classmates
D．signed a contract with Motown in 1959
B 解析：细节理解题。根据第二段的Ross’ pro－fessional career began in 1959, when she joined several neighborhood friends to form the Primettes. The group was renamed the Supremes after signing a recording contract(合同) with Motown late the following year.可知，Diana Ross和几个朋友组成的乐团最初的名字是the Primettes。
2．Which of the following songs is included in Ross’ first solo album?
A．Baby Love.
B．Stop! In the Name of Love.
C．Ain’t No Mountain High Enough.
D．Someday We’ll Be Together.
C 解析：细节理解题。根据第三段的Beginning with Ain’t No Mountain High Enough from her first solo album, Ross enjoyed more than ten years of great success with her hit singles.可知，Ain’t No Mountain High Enough是Diana Ross单人首张专辑中的单曲。
3．What can we learn about Do You Know Where You’re Going To?
A．It was the theme song of Mahogany.
B．It was one of Ross’ No.1 hit singles.
C．It was sung by a blues singer.
D．It was from Ross’ first film.
A 解析：细节理解题。根据第三段的．..continuing with Mahogany, for which she also recorded the theme song Do You Know Where You’re Going To.可知，Do You Know Where You’re Going To是电影 Mahogany的主题曲。
4．What does the underlined word “wane” in the last paragraph probably mean?
A．Develop faster. B．End quickly.
C．Start again. D．Become weaker.
D 解析：词义猜测题。根据画线词前后的内容可知，在20世纪80年代中期，Diana Ross发现自己的歌唱事业开始衰弱，故wane意为“衰弱，减退”。
