1 . Guy Noble, one of Australia’s most famous conductors, who conducted the touring concert “East Meets West”, said he’d like to learn more about Chinese music. “I’m impressed by the history and the beauty Chinese music has,” he’s said in an interview recently.
“East Meets West” concert tour in Australia was resumed this year after being postponed twice due to the pandemic. It was hosted in Canberra last Saturday, bringing audiences some well-known Chinese and Western pieces such as Jasmine Flower, Carmen, Romeo and Juliet, and The Yellow River.
While it was called “East Meets West”, music from China and the West with the same themes was brought together. Chinese singer Ya Fen and Australian singer Victoria Lambourn performed a duet (二重唱) Hope Betrayed, which was inspired by the Chinese classic novel A Dream of Red Mansions. Noble said he loved the duet as it showed completely different singing styles: traditional Chinese opera style and Western opera style. “They’re not exactly the same, but they came together,” he said.
Having been a professional conductor for more than 20 years, Noble called music an international language. He noted that most music at the concert was about love, which was also an international language. He also spoke highly of some Chinese musicians, such as pianist Lang Lang who he thought has inspired many kids in China to learn music.
Noble admitted his knowledge of Chinese culture was limited. He said that conducting the Canberra concert was “an experience that I’ve enjoyed”, which made him more interested in discovering the background and history of the music, as well as the stories behind it. Noble is ready to create more things that can involve dance or calligraphy or some of the other aspects of Chinese culture, and put them together with music.
What does the underlined word “resumed” in paragraph 2 mean?| A．Restarted. |
| B．Expanded. |
| C．Paused. |
| D．Concluded. |
2 . Family-Friendly Events in January
ZooLights: Glow Wild Jan. 1-19
The Phoenix Zoo’s yearly holiday light show is on until Jan. 19, allowing families one or more opportunities to enjoy the city’s zoo, with millions of lights giving an added dimension to the festivities.
Glow Wild, 455 N. Galvin Pkwy. , Phoenix, phoenixzoo.org, $11. 95 members, $13. 95 general admission.
Downtown Mesa Festival of the Arts Jan. 4-18
The Downtown Mesa Festival of the Arts features the work of established and emerging artists, including those who create woodwork, metal crafts, food items, art, photography and gifts.
On Macdonald, off of Main Street in Downtown Mesa, dtmesafest.com, free admission.
Family Fun Winterfest Jan. 4
OdySea Aquarium in the Desert is hosting the third annual Family Fun Winterfest in its Desert Courtyard, featuring real snow for the kids to play in. This free event features everything from bounce houses to rides, games, snowflake crafts and face painting to go with various stands set up by local sellers, with food and other offerings for sale at the event.
9500 E. Via de Ventura, Scottsdale, odyseainthedesert.com, free.Youth Fine Arts Course Jan. 18-Mar. 7
Mesa Arts Center is hosting an eight-week youth arts course on Saturdays to teach artistic skills and knowledge through fun and challenging art classes in a wide variety of art materials, including painting, drawing, mixed media and sculpture, ensuring mentally stimulating sessions for all.
Mesa Art Center, 1 E. Main St, Mesa, mesaartscenter.com, $93.Which event lasts the longest?
| A．ZooLights: Glow Wild. |
| B．Downtown Mesa Festival of the Arts. |
| C．Youth Fine Arts Courses. |
| D．Family Fun Winterfest. |
3 . Student Film Festival
Student Film Festival celebrates learning across the curriculum through the exciting and dynamic medium of short film.
Through film, students can tell stories, investigate ideas, document learning in any area of study and express the complexity of their thinking through a range of genres and technical approaches.
With the creative use of digital media, students can integrate their personal perspectives to explore the diverse and challenging issues of our time.
It’s open to all students, regardless of school. We are accepting submissions in the following categories:
Cartoon (up to 30 mins)
Documentary(纪录片)(up to 60 mins)
Music Video(under 10 mins)
Science Fiction Short (up to 25 mins)
Situational Comedy (under 10 mins)
Web Series(up to three episodes, no more than 30 mins each)
So far, more than 20 entries have been selected across all categories. We will gradually announce the chosen entries for each category, giving you a chance to watch all the films online and vote for your favourites. Winners in all categories will be announced on Wednesday, 27 December.
Over the years, our film festivals have attracted thousands of filmmakers from around the world. Each festival features live screenings in our own school theater. Our 80-seat theater is outfitted with a 4K projector and seven speakers throughout the venue, delivering high quality in a first-class screening environment. Filmmakers whose works are accepted into our festival will receive free passes to the school theater, invitations to film masterclasses, and are considered for awards.
What is the text?| A．A schedule for the film selecting process. |
| B．An invitation to a filmmakers’ celebration. |
| C．An announcement of a film festival awards. |
| D．An advertisement for an upcoming festival. |
4 . Seated at the grand piano in MIT’s Killian Hall last fall, first-year student Jacqueline Wang played one piece of Mozart’s music. When she’d finished, Mi-Eun Kim, a pianist and lecturer at MIT, asked her to move to the back of the hall. Kim tapped at an iPad. Suddenly, the music Wang had just played poured forth again from the piano - its keys sinking and rising just as they had with Wang’s fingers on them. Wang stood with a confused expression, taking in a repeat of her own performance.
This unusual lesson took place during a three-week residency (驻留期) of the Steinway Spirio|r, a piano that obtains the data of live performances and offers students new possibilities for studying and experimenting with music.
Wang was one of several participants to have the experience of hearing herself play while watching the data of her performance move up and down across a screen: color-coded rectangles (矩形) indicating the speed and duration of each note, and a moving line charting her use of the damper pedal (阻尼踏板). Wang could even edit her own performance when Kim suggested her rhythmic use of the pedal might be unnecessary. Using the iPad interface to erase the pedaling entirely, they listened to the playback again, the notes gaining new clarity,
For Wang, the session introduced an element she’d never experienced since beginning her piano studies. The visual display of how long each key was played and with what speed gave her a more precise demonstration of the ideas of voicing and evenness.
Playing the piano is one of the most complex activities that humans do with their hands. Some people might think the new technology will replace the pianist. In Kim’s view, that human complexity is complemented by this kind of technical possibility. But it doesn’t mean all of the things that go into learning music will be abandoned. It’s going to be an invaluable third partner: the student, the teacher, and the Spirio | r. It’s going to play a necessary role in lots of musical efforts.
What happened after Jacqueline Wang finished her performance?| A．Her teacher played a piece of music to compete against her. |
| B．She got her performance reviewed on the Spirio|r. |
| C．She was asked to comment on her performance. |
| D．Her teacher instructed her to improve her skills. |
1. Look at the characters listed in the box and the picture on the top of this page. Then predict who will appear in the film clip.
bellboy manager tailor police officer maid waiter/waitress doorman driver secretary chef |
| A．Henry Adams lost his bank note at the hotel. |
| B．Henry Adams fell in love with Portia at the hotel. |
| C．Henry Adams received a warm reception at the hotel. |
Good morning! My name is Sarah Williams. It’s
Have you ever faced a time
Music gave me
Imagine
The virtual choir was the idea of award-winning
In 2009, Whitacre received a video of a girl
The virtual choir is a
Imagine having the opportunity to sing together with hundreds of other people while you are at home alone. You can do this in a virtual choir. Virtual choir members record themselves while they perform alone on video. These videos are uploaded onto the Internet, and then they are put together into one video that you can see online—a virtual choir. Anyone can take part in a virtual choir from anywhere—all you need is a video camera and an Internet connection. You do not even need a studio. A virtual choir helps connect ordinary people together. Many people do not have close friends or contacts who have the same interest in music. Many others do not have the chance to join a local choir. A virtual choir enables them to add their voices to those of other individuals and become part of the global community. It has proved to be a positive influence on the lives of many people. As one virtual choir member said, “Music helps me to … forget my problems. With music, I become someone else.”
The virtual choir was the idea of award-winning composer and conductor Eric Whitacre. Born in the USA on 2 January 1970, Whitacre began studying music at the University of Nevada in 1988. He fell in love with Mozart’s classical music when he sang for the university choir. Moved by this music, he said, “It was like seeing color for the first time.” He graduated from university in 1995, and then received a master’s degree in musical composition from the Juilliard School in New York in 1997. Over the next 10 years, Whitacre’s original compositions began to become quite popular among choirs and singers. This led to the creation of the virtual choir.
In 2009, Whitacre received a video of a girl who was singing one of his works. Inspired, he asked his fans to make videos, which he then joined together into one performance. His first virtual choir, “Lux Aurumque”, had 185 singers from 12 different countries. It has received millions of views on the Internet. Since then, the virtual choir has become a worldwide phenomenon. Whitacre’s next effort was the Virtual Youth Choir for UNICEF, which was first seen on stage on 23 July 2014 in the UK. Altogether, 2,292 young people from 80 countries joined in to sing Whitacre’s song “What If”.
The virtual choir is a wonderful way for people around the world to sing with one voice and thus make the world a better place.
1. Scan the text and find out the following information.| The man who came up with the idea for a virtual choir | |
| The place where he studied musical composition | |
| The name of his song |
Intensive reading
2. Activity 1 Read Paragraph 1 and find out the key elements of virtual choir.
3. Activity 2 Find out the differences between a virtual choir and a real choir.
| Virtual choir | Real choir | |
| Form | ||
| Place | ||
| Identity of singers | ||
| Number of singers |
5. Activity 4 Read Paragraph 2 again and answer the following questions.
(1)What can you learn from what Whitacre said?
(2)Why does the author mention Eric Whitacre’s studying experience and his achievements in music?
6. Activity 5 Read Paragraph 3 and 4 and answer the following questions.
(1)What gave him the inspiration to make his first virtual choir?
(2)Does the writer hold a positive attitude toward the virtual choir? How do you know?
Good morning! My name is Sarah Williams. It’s an honour to be here and to share with you the story of how music has had an impact on my life.
(A) Have you ever faced a time when things looked dark and you had no hope at all? Two years ago, I was told I had a serious disease which was difficult to cure. My body ached all the time and thus I thought I didn’t have much longer to live. I was very afraid and I felt so alone and discouraged. Then one day, I had to go through a two-hour medical treatment. The doctor wanted me to relax, so he had me listen to some music, and one of the songs was “Happy”. The song made me feel so much better that from then on I began to listen to music all the time. (B) John A. Logan said, “Music is the medicine of the mind.” And it’s true. Music helped me recover.
(C) Music gave me happiness. When I listened to music, (D) it made my spirits fly like a kite in the wind. (C) Music gave me strength and brought me relief. (E) It was the rock I leant on to become strong and to get through those hard times. Moreover, (C) music gave me hope and a sense of satisfaction. (F) It became my best friend. It spoke words of encouragement to the deepest part of my being.
Of course, I hope none of you have to go through the same kind of suffering that I did. At the same time, we all go through various periods when we feel sad or alone. During those times, music can help you in the same way that it helped me. I hope all of you will somehow begin to treasure music and make it a part of your life.
Thank you!
1. Reading for informationRead the speech and answer the questions.
(1) What was Sarah’s problem?
(2) How did music help her during her difficult time?
(3) What is her advice to others?
2. Reading for structure
Read the speech again and figure out the structure.
3. Reading for language features
Match the names of rhetorical devices to the lettered sentences in the speech.
metaphor
personification
quote
repetition
rhetorical question
simile
A.people to give music lessons
B.choir members
C.people to run food stands (打理食品摊位的人员)
D.people to sell festival tickets
E.people to sell music CDs
F.people to set up equipment (布置设备的人员)
G.musical performers
