More than 50 music students of New Milford High School in New Jersey, US, got a letter from their headmaster. The letter said that the music department of the school was in big trouble. The students had to pass a test, or the department(系) would be shut down.
On a Saturday, two officials greeted the nervous students. They asked the students to play a piece by Richard Strauss. But they had to sing the words to the music – German words!
Other tasks were also difficult. One student had to sing Mary had a Little Lamb, a children’s song, in an operatic (歌剧的) voice.
After three hours of testing, students waited for the results. They met some students from the New Jersey Youth Orchestra (管弦乐团). The judges(裁判员) gave them only a passing grade.
The worried New Milford students started to realize they had no chance. “I thought it was over,” said Bryan Olsen-Santana, a junior. “The person next to me was crying. I felt bad for her. I felt bad for myself, too, because music is everything to me.”
But then the headmaster came and told them something very dramatic (戏剧性的): “Someone’s played a joke on you!”
What was going on?
The test was part of a reality TV show (电视真人秀) called “Schooled”. The students’ parents, the school and a TV network had made it together.
Everything was fake. The two “officials” were really comedians (喜剧演员). The “students from New Jersey Youth Orchestra” were from another school. There were hidden cameras. The students’ parents were hiding as they watched.
As a reward for putting up with the joke, the students got gifts: MP3 players, digital cameras and school supplies. They were all from the show’s sponsor (赞助商).
小题1:What is the letter about?
A．The headmaster would come back next term.
B．The school didn’t have money to run.
C．The music department was in big trouble.
D．The students had to give up music.小题2:The students were nervous before the test, because _____.
A．they were not good at music
B．the judges were very strict
C．they thought they couldn’t pass
D．it would decide the future of the music department小题3:According to Olsen-Santana, we learn that _____.
A．their school failed the test
B．he likes music very much
C．the test was just a joke
D．the girl next to him was sorry for herself小题4:What does the underlined word “fake” mean in the passage?
A．顺利的
B．假扮的
C．受欢迎的
D．便捷的小题5:The students didn’t get _____ as gifts.
A．money
B．MP3 players
C．digital cameras
D．school supplies
