雅思阅读第091套P1:Taking us back to the Paradise CityREADING PASSAGE 1
You should spend about 20minutes on Questions 1 -13, which are based on Reading Passage 1 below.
Taking us back to the Paradise City
Formed in 1985 by Axl Rose andthen lead guitarist, Tracii Guns, and taking its name from its two foundingmembers, the hard rock band Guns and Roses reached heights of success that fewcould or would have ever predicted. Having sold more than 100 million albumsworldwide, 46 million in the States alone, to date, the band that came tosymbolise the hedonistic rebelliousness of the 1980s and 90s punk-rock periodhas, after much speculation, resurrected itself for one more assault on themusic charts. GNR, as the band has come to be known, has just begun a new worldtour. And as it embarks on another chapter of its journey, we take a look backat the colourful and often controversial history of the band.
1985 -1986
The band line-up underwent manychanges in the early days. Founding member Tracii Guns’ failure to attendrehearsals led to him being replaced as lead guitarist by Slash. And once RobGardner, the band’s original drummer quit for personal reasons, Slash broughthis close friend Steven Adler into the fold. With the band members now settledand the line-up complete, Axl Rose (vocals), Izzy Stradlin (rhythm guitar),Duff McKagan (bass), Slash (lead guitar) and Steven Adler (drums) embarked ontheir first tour, nicknamed 'Hell Tour’. It was here on the road that the bandestablished its chemistry and though it only managed to release one four-trackEP, Like a Suicide, during this period, the seeds of success were being sown asthe band quickly earned a reputation for its impressive live performances.
1987 - 1989
On July the 21st, 1987, theband released its first album, Appetite for Destruction. But success wasn’t byany means instant; the album lingered low in the charts for almost a year beforethe band’s agent managed to convince MTV executives to play Welcome to theJungle, the first single off the album, during their afternoon rotations. Rockand punk fans soon took notice and began requesting the video en masse. SweetChild of Mine was the album’s second US single and, thanks largely to growinggrassroots support, the song and its accompanying music video received regularairplay and shot to the top of the US charts. A world tour and invitations toappear at major international rock festivals followed. The band was now well onits way to achieving fame and fortune.
1990 - 1993
Band members lived life on theedge and, unfortunately, drummer Adler’s lifestyle got the better of him. Theextent of his dependence on drugs was so bad that he could no longer performwith the band and was fired in July, 1990, to be replaced by Matt Sorum. Asixth member of the group was also added as Dizzy Reed became the band’skeyboardist. And, having gotten rid of its old management team as well, theband now launched its most ambitious project to date, releasing two albums, UseYour Illusion 1 and Use Your Illusion 2, at the same time. The gamble paid offspectacularly with the albums shooting to numbers one and two in the chartsrespectively - GNR was the first band ever to achieve such a feat. But thoughthey were riding the crest of a wave, controversy was never far from the bandmembers, especially vocalist Rose who was, among other things, charged withassault and accused of inciting a riot that led to several fatalities. Thatsaid, the Use Your Illusion Tour ended on a high, registering recordattendances and lasting an incredible 28 months.
1994 - 2008
But just when it seemed thatthe band could do no wrong, things slowly began to unravel. Rose and Slash hadpersonal issues and the band went on a hiatus, not recording or touringtogether for the best part of two years, before Slash officially quit in 1996.Most of the other band members followed Slash out and, though Rose replacedthem, it was a full nine years before a much-touted comeback gig was played inLas Vegas. The band’s promised new album, Chinese Democracy, never materialisedand tour schedules were interrupted and often cancelled altogether. It wasn’tuntil 2008, with Rose now the only remaining member of the original band, thatChinese Democracy was finally released. 2009 - Present
A new world tour followed therelease of Chinese Democracy and, although it received largely positivereviews, the band has continued to be plagued by controversy; Rose is notoriousfor arriving late for performances and his onstage behaviour has led to muchcriticism. But when all’s said and done, there’s no denying the enduring appealof GNR. Loyal fans still line up in their thousands to get tickets for everynew tour date, just as they did all those years ago at the height of the band’ssuccess. The only difference is that today they are more hoping for thanexpecting a great performance, but then that’s rock and roll baby
SECTION 1: QUESTIONS 1-13
Questions 1-3
Questions 1-3 relate tothe first paragraph only.
Complete each sentence with thecorrect ending, A - G, from the box below.
A
takes its name from two former members.
B
was named after its founding members.
C
success in the States alone.
D
was never a predictable band musically.
E
considerable success in America.
F
a symbol of success in the 1980s.
G
representative of a certain attitude in music in the 80s and 90s.
You may use each letter onceonly.
1 ____________Guns and Roses
2 ____________The band has enjoyed
3 ____________The band became
Questions 4-7
Complete the sentences below.
Write NO MORE THAN ONE WORDfor each answer.
Between 1985 and 1986 one ofthe original members wasn’t capable of going to 4 _________________ which forced the band to replace him.
During their first tour theymanaged to have good 5_________________ and play well together.
The album Sweet Child of Minegot regular 6 _________________ and reached the top of the charts.
Nobody can argue that they havenot enjoyed long-lasting 7_________________
Questions 8-13
Look at the followingstatements (Questions 8-13) and the lists of periods of time below.
Match each statement to thecorrect period A - D.
Write the correct letter, A- D, in the spaces 8-13 below.
NB You may use any letter morethan once.
A
from 1985 to 1986
B
from 1987 to 1989
C
from 1990 to 1993
D
from 1994 to 2008
8 ___________The band took a long break, during which many members decided to leave.
9 ___________There was an extremely long delay before the release of the band’s next album.
10 ___________The relationship between band members developed in a positive way while ontour.
11 ___________A damaging addiction prevented one band member from performing well and led tohim being sacked.
12 ___________A new member joined the band playing an instrument that hadn’t been played byprevious band members.
13 ___________The band registered its first number-one hit single.
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雅思阅读第090套P1-The Final Frontier for Tourismhttp://www.tuonindefu.com/?p=2670雅思阅读第091套P1:Taking us back to the Paradise City
