George Li was born in 1995 and now is a young pianist on the rise. At age 10，he gave his first public concert and in 2015, he won a silver medal at International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow. Li recently released his first album, performing with some of the world’s great orchestras.
The centerpiece of Li’s album is the passionate Piano Sonata No. 2 by Chopin—the one with the funeral march as its third movement. Chopin is close to Li’s heart, as it was Chopin’s music that earned him the top prize at the Cooper International Competition at Oberlin Conservatory when he was just 15.
Li’s album, Live at the Mariinsky, released last fall on Warner Classics, opens with the Piano Sonata in B minor by Haydn. Li’s gentle touch makes the music shine. “I think the main requirement is the touch. It has to be so sensitive,” he says about Haydn. Imagine the champagne bubbles, or just that sound when the champagne pours into glass. ”
Li was born in Boston. His parents came to the U. S. from China in the 1980s. he says they had few opportunities to hear classical music in the process of growing up. Li began playing the piano at age four and thought of it only as a hobby. But one day, when he was 11, playing Beethoven’ First Piano Concerto, everything changed.
“All of a sudden，in the middle of the performance I felt different,” he says. “I was kind of transported in some other reality. And I felt all these emotions within the piece and within myself.” And that’s when Li’s light bulb switched on. After that moment he wanted to do this for the rest of his life. Fortunately for George Li’s fans，that’s likely to be a very long time.
1. What can we learn about George Li from the passage?| A．He was born and grew up in an artistic family. |
| B．He won the top prize at International Tchaikovsky Competition. |
| C．He played Haydn’s Piano Sonata in B minor in a gentle manner. |
| D．He released his album with Beethoven’s First Piano Concerto in it. |
| A．He didn’t know what reality was any more. |
| B．He felt as if he were transported to another space. |
| C．The performance seemed too excellent to be real. |
| D．His emotions responded to what was expressed in the piece. |
| A．The Key to George Li’s Success |
| B．George Li’s Journey into the World of Piano |
| C．The Birth of a Talented Pianist George Li |
| D．George Li’s Extraordinary Piano Skills |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】Sing with us! Dance with us! And be part of this absolutely unique Virtual Choir that we will create with you for Thanksgiving Day. There will be other young singers from all over Ireland members from the Gardiner Street Gospel Choir and together we will perform the super energetic song “The Best Day of my Life” by the band American Authors.
So that we can tell you more details, you need to register to be part of the choir and you can do that by sending an e-mail to GSGCproject2023@gmail.com.
On this page you will find all the information and you will find our “how to” videos where Cathy and Michael,the great leaders of the Gardiner Street Gospel Choir will tell you lots about singing,dancing and teach you the “The best Day of My Life” song.
The videos wi1 take you through warm-ups,song+line demonstrations, dancing design, and complete instructions on how you can record yourself at home on a. Smartphone. These “how to” videos will be published one a week in May on YouTube and in four steps we will teach you the song for our Virtual Choir. When we have learned the song together, we will invite you to send us your own video.And Chris,our talented video magician, will turn us all into a once-in-a-lifetime Virtual Choir.Be part of the fun and be a proud singer in a cool choir! Sing your heart out!
1. Why will the Virtual Choir be created?| A．To celebrate Thanksgiving Day. |
| B．To gather the Irish singers together. |
| C．To teach the locals a super song. |
| D．To cooperate with a famous band. |
| A．You will sing a choir with others. |
| B．You will find a new posted video. |
| C．You will become a popular singer. |
| D．You will meet a talented musician. |
| A．He is a talented Irish singer. |
| B．He is the leader of a local choir. |
| C．He is a professional video editor. |
| D．He is an instructor of dance design. |
【推荐2】Lisa walked into the chorus room with a smile on her face. The class was auditioning (试演) for parts in the holiday musical. Lisa loved to sing and this was her chance to get one of the lead roles.
Mr. Beckman passed out lyrics for the auditions. Lisa could hardly wait to sing quietly to herself. Mr. Beckman tapped his baton on the music stand at the front of the room. “I know you’re all excited to audition, but before we do I have an announcement. This year will witness a very special performance by a select number of students,” Mr. Beckman said. Lisa squeezed the sheet music in her hands. Maybe it was a chance to be featured as one of the best singers.
“These individuals will be dressed in distinctive costumes and will set the stage for the rest of the show,” Mr. Beckman continued. “Brandon, Adriana, Tina, and Lisa, would you come up front please?” “Yes!” Lisa yelled, rushing to the front of the room.
Mr. Beckman removed a costume from the supply closet, “You four will be our wooden soldiers!” Lisa stared at the strange clothes. “No one is going to recognize us wearing those!” “Don’t worry, Lisa. Your names will be listed in the program under Wooden Soldiers.” Mr. Beckman said.
“But even my own parents won’t be able to tell which soldier is me!” “This is a very special honor,” Mr. Beckman said, “Lisa, I selected the top students in the class to open the show for us. You’ll need to learn a special march and dance, but if you don’t want to be a soldier, I can assign the part to someone else.” Lisa saw a few of her classmates’ eyes widen at the thought of taking her place. Maybe being a soldier was a good thing since Mr. Beckman had chosen her, and she wasn’t going to let him down. “Can we start practicing our march?” Lisa asked.
1. Why was Lisa in the chorus room?| A．She was watching the audition for the holiday musical. |
| B．She wanted to audition for a part in the school musical. |
| C．She wanted to convince Mr. Beckman that she was qualified to be a soldier. |
| D．She was attending her music class in her school. |
| A．He wanted everyone to get involved in the audition. |
| B．He wanted people to volunteer to be a soldier. |
| C．He was trying to get the attention of the class. |
| D．He was having troubling holding on to the baton. |
| A．She was unwilling to be recognized by parents. |
| B．She expected to be replaced by others. |
| C．She complained about being a soldier. |
| D．She thought it a great honor to be a soldier. |
【推荐3】Do you have difficulty falling asleep at night? If so, here is a piece of advice for you：listen to some soft music.
Why can soft music help us sleep better?The reasons aren’t clear yet. It may have something to do with the relaxing effect of a good song. Music can have real physical effects，too. Soft music can lower our heart rate and slow down our breathing.
Scientists say that for most people，music that has 70 beats per minute works best.
It is very important to get enough high-quality sleep. Before you go to bed tonight，play some soft music. Then，just prepare to be rocked off to dreamland!
| A．This prepares us for sleep |
| B．Make sure that the final piece is one that slowly fades out |
| C．It would take as many as three weeks to see any improvements |
| D．Therelore，folk music is something that anyone can understand |
| E．Classical，jazz and folk music are usually more effective than other musical styles |
| F．Scientists have found that soft music can help to improve sleep quality and quantity |
| G．Music plays a more important role in our life than just being a source of entertainment |
【推荐1】Duncan Jurman has been fascinated by butterflies since he was 4 years old. Early on, he learned that butterfly populations were becoming smaller globally due to human activities so he developed gardens at his home, where he raised more than 5,000 butterflies to be released.
In 2018, Jurman developed a large butterfly garden at his high school, which has since attracted 28 species of butterflies, including two endangered species. The garden has also attracted other wildlife, including birds, lizards, and insects.
Jurman is devoted to protecting butterflies by reviving natural habitats. He travels to high schools to share his knowledge and encourage others to help in his quest. He’s now working with gardeners and local residents to rescue endangered butterfly species and create better habitats in general for wildlife.
“From teaching, I recognized that most students don’t know the important roles butterflies play in our nature—as pollinators of plants and key food sources for numerous animals, such as birds and lizards,” Jurman said. “Most don’t know that butterfly populations worldwide are in serious danger. Though equipped with advanced technology as a whole today, most students don’t know gardening, insects and nature in general compared with previous generations."
“I want to change this situation and realize there’s an opportunity to raise youth’s awareness of the importance of butterflies, the many threats facing them, and the relatively little effort necessary to have an immediate effect on the future of butterflies," he added.
1. Why did Jurman develop gardens?| A．Because he was fascinated by butterflies. |
| B．Because he was in love with unique butterflies. |
| C．Because there were different species of butterflies. |
| D．Because the populations of butterflies were dropping. |
| A．Serve as animals’ food. | B．Recognize serious natural dangers. |
| C．Advance agricultural technology. | D．Appeal to birds and lizards. |
| A．Uncertain. | B．Positive. |
| C．Unknown | D．Disappointed. |
【推荐2】When my son, Mark, was in the third grade, he saved all his pocket money for over three months to buy Christmas presents. The third Saturday in December Mark said he had made his list and had twenty dollars in his pocket.
I drove him to a nearby supermarket. Mark picked up a basket and went in while I waited and watched in the car. It took Mark over 45 minutes to choose his presents. Finally he came to the checkout counter and reached into his pocket for his money. It was not there! There was a hole in his pocket, but no money. Mark stood there holding his basket, tears falling down his face.
Then a surprising thing happened. A woman came up to Mark and took him in her arms. “You would help me a lot if you let me pay for you,” said the woman. “It would be the most wonderful gift you could give me. I only ask that one day you will pass it on. When you grow up, I would like you to find someone you can help. When you help others, 1 know you will feel as good about it as I do now.”
Mark took the money, dried his tears and ran back to the checkout counter as fast as he could. That year we all enjoyed our gifts almost as much as Mark enjoyed giving them to us.
I would like to say “thank you” to that very kind woman, and tell her that four years later, Mark went house to house collecting blankets and clothes for the homeless people in the fire. And I want to promise her that Mark will never forget to keep passing it on.
1. When did the story probably happen?| A．On Christmas Day. | B．Before Christmas Day, |
| C．On New Year’s Day. | D．After New Year’s Day. |
| A．His gifts were stolen. | B．He broke his basket. |
| C．He lost his money. | D．He lost his way. |
| A．Because she bought Mark a nice present. |
| B．Because she always paid money for others. |
| C．Because she collected clothes for the homeless. |
| D．Because she taught Mark to help people in need. |
| A．A big supermarket | B．A kind woman |
| C．A happy family | D．A wonderful gift |
【推荐3】As a clueless freshman, I waltzed into my first creative writing course by accident, thinking it was a literature class on how to read stories, not how to write them.
When the teacher introduced the course, I realized my mistake. The credits I earned from the course wouldn’t count toward my major. By the end of the session, however, I decided that I had to be a part of the course. Perhaps, as a lifelong reader, I was eager to understand how stories worked their magic.
But taking the class would be impossible: I wasn’t even on the waitlist. That’s when the teacher asked for a volunteer to submit the first workshop story.
Silence blanketed the room. No one risked eye contact. Whoever volunteered would have to write a whole story in a week. Perhaps they, like me, had never written one before.
Seizing my chance, I raised my hand and asked, “If I go first, will you give me a spot in the class?” He said he would.
So, instead of keeping my head down and avoiding eye contact, I did the opposite.
Years later, I’d completed a degree in creative writing and was working on a novel when a literary agent (经纪人) asked to read the first 50 pages of my draft. But I wasn’t comfortable showing her anything; the novel was far from done.
Throughout graduate school, I’d been advised many times not to contact agents until I have a complete draft. In the meanwhile, I knew the beginning of my story was attractive and that the agent might not remember me after a year.
So, once again, instead of keeping my head down and avoiding eye contact, I did the opposite. I sent her the first three chapters. A month later, she signed me on the strength of those chapters alone. She has since seen me through the publication of three novels.
Determination, focus, perseverance—the qualities that I consider crucial in getting me into Stanford no doubt helped me become the novelist I am today. And yet if I’d trained my gaze only on the path ahead, I would have missed so many happy accidents, so many beautiful opportunities to look up, raise my hand, and say yes.
1. What made the author finally decide to take the course?| A．The popularity of the course. |
| B．Her curiosity about story writing. |
| C．Her confidence in her writing skills. |
| D．The need to get credits for her degree. |
| A．challenge herself | B．impress the teacher |
| C．display her talent | D．win a place in the class |
| A．her friends advised her to do so |
| B．her story was attractive to readers |
| C．the agent asked her to turn in the work |
| D．she wanted to get the chance of publication |
| A．Action speaks louder than words. |
| B．Chance favors only the prepared mind. |
| C．Success comes to those who will and dare. |
| D．Confidence leads to growth and fulfillment. |
