A man sat at a metro station in Washington D.C. and started to play the violin; it was a cold January morning. He played six pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time, since it was rush hour, 1,100 people went through the station, most of them on their way to work.
Three minutes went by, and a middle-aged man noticed there was musician playing. A few minutes later, someone leaned against the wall to listen to him. They stopped for a few seconds, and then hurried up to meet their schedule.
The one who paid the most attention was a 3-year-old boy. His mother followed him along, hurried, but the kid stopped to look at the violinist. Finally, the mother pushed hard, and the child continued to walk, turning his head all the time. This was repeated by several other children. All the parents, without exception, forced them to move on.
In the 45 minutes the musician played, only 6 people stopped and stayed for a while. About 20 gave him money, but continued to walk their normal pace. He collected $32. When he finished playing and silence took over, no one noticed it. No one applauded(鼓掌), nor was there any recognition.
No one knew this, but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the most talented musicians in the world. He had just played one of the most beautiful pieces ever written, on a violin worth 3.5 million dollars.
Two days before his playing in the subway, Joshua Bell sold out at a theatre in Boston where the seats averaged $100.
This is a real story. Joshua Bell’s playing in the metro station was organized by the Washington Post as part of a social experiment.
One of the possible conclusions from this experience could be: If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world playing the best music ever written, how many other things are we missing?
4. Why did few people stop to listen to Joshua Bell playing?
A.People were in a hurry. |
B.They were not interested in music. |
C.It was too cold in the subway. |
D.The performance was not good enough. |
5. What did the parents do when children stopped to look at the violinist?
A.They would applaud for the performance. |
B.They would urge them to continue walking. |
C.They would stop to enjoy the music. |
D.They would give him some money. |
6. Why did Joshua Bell play in the metro station?
A.To make more money. |
B.To practise his skills in playing music. |
C.To made an advertisement for his concert. |
D.To find out people’s reaction under such a circumstance. |
7. What is the purpose of the passage?
A.To tell us the importance of music. |
B.To show us how to play music. |
C.To set us to think about our life. |
D.To report a subway performance. |