B
题干：根据短文，下列哪项是正确的?
A.卡尔写了一封信感谢芬克尔先生送给他一把小提琴。
B.由于歉收，玛丽一家过着艰苦的生活。
C.玛丽在学校的第一次演出中担任第一小提琴手。
D.玛丽确信她会成为像芬克尔先生那样伟大的小提琴家。
根据第七、八段One evening we all sat around the table. Daddy wrote a letter to his friend, Mr Finkle, a fine violinist. When Daddy received a letter from Columbus a few weeks later, he announced, "We'll be driving to Columbus."（一天晚上，我们围坐在桌子旁。爸爸给他的朋友芬克尔先生写了一封信，他是一位优秀的小提琴家。几个星期后，爸爸收到哥伦布寄来的信，他宣布:“我们要开车去哥伦布。”）结合后文可知，这里还未收到小提琴，故A选项错误。
根据文章第五段第一行It was not a good year. At harvest the crops did not bring as much as we had hoped.（那一年不太好。丰收时，庄稼的收成没有我们所希望的那么好。）可知，谷物歉收了，这是Mary一家生活更艰难的原因。B选项正确，故选B。
根据倒数第五段When I was ready to join the school orchestra, I trembled with excitement. I sat in the third row of violins and wore my white orchestra jacket like a royal robe. My heart beat wildly at my first public performance, a school operetta. I felt sure everyone in the audience was watching me. Daddy and Mother smiled proudly at their little girl. And soon I found myself in the first-violin chair.（当我准备加入学校的管弦乐队时，我兴奋得浑身发抖。我坐在小提琴的第三排，穿着我的白色管弦乐服，就像一件皇家长袍。我的心在第一次公开演出时狂跳，那是一场学校的轻歌剧。我确信每个观众都在看着我。爸爸和妈妈骄傲地笑着看着他们的小女孩。很快我就坐上了第一小提琴的位置。）可知，第一次演出中并未担任第一小提琴手，故C选项错误。
根据第十段He picked up a case, opened it, lifted out a violin and started to play. The melody surged and spoke like waterfalls. Oh, to play like him, I thought.（他拿起一个箱子，打开，拿出一把小提琴，开始演奏起来。旋律如瀑布般汹涌澎湃。哦，要像他那样拉小提琴，我想。）可知，并不是确信她会成为像芬克尔先生那样伟大的小提琴家，故D选项错误。
