Deisha walked up and down as she waited backstage. This would be her most important piano performance yet. At ten years old, she was the youngest performer at the concert. She had practiced playing her song more than 30 times that week. When she closed her eyes at night, the music played over and over again in her head.
Now that the day had arrived, Deisha was not sure she was ready. She smoothed her hair and picked a piece of lint (绒毛) from the new dress that her mother had bought for her. She noticed that her hands were shaking. How could she play the notes of the song if her hands were shaking? She tried to concentrate on steadying (稳住) them, but they only shook more.
Deisha's piano teacher, Ms Neal, walked up to speak to her. “I have something for you,” she said, putting a smooth black stone into Deisha's hand. “It's a special stone. There's no other one like it in the world. You've practiced so much; you don't need anything else.”
The stage lights reflected off the rock. “Thank you,” Deisha said.
When Deisha's name was called, she rubbed (搓) the stone, stepped onto the stage, and played better than ever. After her performance, she noticed that Ms Neal had a whole bag of black stones. “Why did you say this one was so special?” she asked. Her teacher answered, “Because, like your talent, it belongs only to you.”
1. Why did Deisha hear the piano music in her head at night?| A．She listened to the song every day. |
| B．She wanted to remember the song forever. |
| C．She had practiced many times. |
| D．She liked this piece of music very much. |
| A．Energetic. | B．Nervous. | C．Confident. | D．Concentrated. |
| A．She was a curious girl. |
| B．She was well prepared. |
| C．She needed confidence. |
| D．She trusted people easily. |
| A．Hard work can make up for lack of talent. |
| B．Performing in front of people is hard. |
| C．Rubbing a stone can bring good luck. |
| D．People are talented in their own way. |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】While you are online there are plenty of perfectly legal sites where you can listen to music for free. This gives you the chance to listen to music before buying it, discover new music, and create great online playlists that you can share with others.
The Sixty One
The Sixty One is devoted to showcasing obscure (模糊的) or unknown artists of all genres (体裁). There is a range of musical styles from classical to rock and roll, folk to jazz, and everything in between. Don’t expect to find big name musicians on here; you are more likely to find the musicians playing at local coffee shops than bands you hear on the radio. You can find fantastic music that you never would have heard of otherwise.
Pow Wow
Pow Wows are the Native American people’s way of meeting together, to join in dancing, singing, visiting, renewing old friendships, and making new ones. This is a time method to renew Native American culture and preserve the rich heritage of American Indians. PowWows.com has 2 online radio stations that play Native American Music 24/7 free! Here you can listen to your favorite artist and drum groups on your computer or mobile device and add your music to our station.
Playlist
Playlist has an enormous library, so you can create playlists with almost any musician you can think of. They have both some less known artists and big names, so you have a really good selection. The worst part: Due to licensing laws, many of the songs on Playlist are now restricted, to certain countries. So unless you live inside the US, it is likely that you might not be able to find all of your favorite songs.
Pandora
Pandora is an intelligent Internet radio site. Basically, as you listen, you can give each song thumbs up or thumbs down. You can create your own radio station that only plays music you like. The best part: It listens to your opinion, so that after a while it’s only playing music you like, but the list is always changing and expanding.
My Space
Combine a major social networking site with thousands of artists around the world. Each musician has their own page, which normally has a playlist of several of their songs. But it has a huge range of musicians ranging from huge stars to the up-and-coming, and you can listen to the music and interact with the rest of the page.
1. If you enjoy listening to some new music, you can pay a visit to________.| A．The Sixty One | B．Playlist | C．Pow Wow | D．Pandora |
| A．you don’t have any playlist |
| B．you are not one of the members of the website |
| C．it is only open to those who are in the United States |
| D．the music is played only by the local people |
| A．listening to music is free of charge |
| B．the website keeps changing and expanding |
| C．it is built according to your suggestions |
| D．you can always enjoy your favorite music |
| A．Thousands of artists visits it every day. |
| B．It is unnecessary to create your own playlist of each musician. |
| C．People can enjoy music from musicians ranging from huge stars to the up-and-coming. |
| D．It is possible to meet the stars around the world. |
| A．Create Your Own Playlist | B．Best Free Music Websites |
| C．All Kinds of Music Online | D．Listen to Music for free |
【推荐2】Tickets for the New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Concerts
Due to extremely high demand, tickets for the three traditional end of year concerts of the Vienna Philharmonic are drawn by lot (抽签) over this website at the beginning of each year. In this way, music lovers from all over the world have an equal chance to purchase these highly desired tickets.
Application Period: February 1—28, 2020
During this period, interested persons are invited to apply on this website for tickets to the Preview Performance (December 30, 2020, 11:00 am), the New Year’s Eve Concert (December 31, 2020, 7:30 pm), and the New Year’s Concert (January 1, 2021, 11:15 am).
Price Categories
The number of the tickets for the New Year’s Concert is limited to two, and the number of the tickets for the Preview Performance and New Year’s Eve Concert can be up to four. The ticket prices range between $35 and $1,200 for the New Year’s Concert, $25 and $860 for the New Year’s Eve Concert, and $20 and $495 for the Preview Performance.
You can view the status of the draw at any time under your personal account. Should you make a change in your application, you would only do so during the application period (February 1—28). In March, you will be informed of the results of the draw in the “My Account” area and by e-mail.
1. How long is the application accessible?| A．About one month. | B．About ten months. |
| C．About eleven months. | D．About half a month. |
| A．6. | B．12. | C．8. | D．10. |
| A．On December 30. | B．On December 31. | C．On March 1. | D．On January 1. |
【推荐3】Last summer, 15-year-old Bob had a problem. Like a lot of children, Bob was interested in doing many things. He liked dancing most and wanted to join a dancing team. But Bob’s high school didn’t have a boys’ dancing team. It only had a girls’. So he tried to join the girls’ team. And he made it.
Bob thought his problem was over because he was a member (成员) of a dancing team. But a bigger problem was just starting. The school asked Bob not to stay in the girls’ team. “If we let Bob stay in the team,” the school said, “Other boys will want to join. Soon, there won’t be any girls in the team.”
Bob was very angry about it, so he decided to look for another boys’ dancing team.
1. It was difficult for Bob to join the school dancing team because ______.| A．the school only had a girls’ dancing team |
| B．the school didn’t let boys dance |
| C．the team had enough dancers already |
| D．he was not a good dancer |
| A．nobody would watch their dance |
| B．other boys would join and the girls might leave |
| C．other schools might laugh at them |
| D．the parents would be angry about it |
| A．stayed in the team | B．left the team |
| C．asked the girls to leave | D．asked other boys not to join |
| A．Bob likes a lot of children. |
| B．His school only had a boys’ dancing team. |
| C．Bob’s parents let him leave the dancing team. |
| D．Bob was angry to leave the dancing team. |
【推荐1】Darwin was not a bright boy. He was much slower than his younger sister, and he was in many ways a naughty boy. However, at the age of eight he was trying to make out the names of all plants he saw, and he was busy collecting all sorts of things and he even imagined producing coloured roses by watering them with certain coloured liquids. Once he read the book Wonders of the World, he wished to work wonders himself some day.
One summer vacation Darwin became a great collector of beetles (甲虫). At that time he only collected them but made no scientific study of them. One day on tearing off the bark (树皮) he saw some unusual beetles, and seized one in each hand, then he saw a third and new kind, which he didn’t want to lose, so he put the one that he held in his right hand into his mouth. But it sent out some gas, which burned his tongue. He was forced to spit it out. It was lost, so was the third one.
Darwin accepted the offer by the navy (海军) to go on a voyage to explore the Southern Sea in the name of the government on a warship at the age of twenty-two. He was on board for five years. And during the long voyage he collected a great many of facts in Natural Science.
1. In his early years, Darwin was _________ in producing coloured roses.| A．successful | B．helped | C．interested | D．not interested |
| A．to have a wonderful job |
| B．to work with surprising results |
| C．to make something difficult to understand |
| D．to produce beautiful things |
| A．taste the gas it sent out | B．spare his right hand to catch the third one |
| C．save the life of the beetle | D．eat it as he was hungry |
| A．“Wonders of the world” was his famous work. |
| B．He was forced to explore the Southern Sea by the government. |
| C．When he was young he showed interest in natural science. |
| D．He ran much slower than his younger sister. |
【推荐2】Sarah Toumi, a young girl growing up in France, had a dream of becoming a leader who could make a positive impact on the world. Her desire to help others was awakened when she accompanied her Tunisian father to his hometown in the eastern part of Tunisia during vacations. During her time there, she organized homework clubs and activities for children. Toumi personally witnessed the negative effects of desertification (沙漠化). She realized that within 10 years, wealthy farmers had become worse off. Toumi was determined to stop the progression of the Sahara Desert. Due to a decrease in average rainfall and an increase in severe droughts (干旱), nearly 75% of Tunisia’s agricultural lands are currently at risk of desertification.
Toumi understood the need for a change in farming practices. She firmly believed that even small plots of land could bring significant returns if farmers were willing to adapt. This adaptation involved planting sustainable crops, using advanced water treatment technologies, and using natural products and fertilizers (肥料) instead of chemical alternatives.
In 2012, Toumi took a decisive step towards realizing her dream of fighting desertification. She moved to Tunisia and set up a program called Acacias for All, with the aim of putting her sustainable farming ideas into action. “I want to show young people in the countryside that they can create opportunities where they are. Nobody is better able to understand the impact of desertification and climate change than somebody who is living without water.”
By September 2016, over 130,000 acacia trees had been planted on 20 pilot farms, with a survival rate of 60% reported by farmers. Toumi estimates that around 3 million acacia trees are required to protect Tunisia’s farmland. She plans to plant 1 million trees by 2018. In the coming years, Toumi aims to promote the program to Algeria and Morocco.
1. How did Toumi’s holiday trips to Tunisia influence her?| A．They made her decide to leave the country. | B．They helped her better understand her father. |
| C．They destroyed her dream of being a teacher. | D．They inspired her to take action to help others. |
| A．Cold weather. | B．Soil pollution. | C．Low rainfall. | D．Forest damage. |
| A．To ensure access to primary education for children. |
| B．To promote the protection of agricultural land. |
| C．To create job opportunities for young people. |
| D．To persuade the farmers not to use fertilizers. |
| A．Determined and helpful. | B．Considerate and calm. |
| C．Wealthy and academic. | D．Thankful and flexible. |
【推荐3】Luisa Yu, a 79-year-old woman from Miami, dreamed about traveling as a young girl. Now she completed visiting every UN nation in the world, all 193, in November 2023.
“When I went to the movies, I saw this beautiful background about the scenery, the nature, the rivers, the mountains, and that fascinated me,” Yu said. “That’s why I always thought someday I will go to these places and travel.
At 23, as an exchange student studying medical technologies in the US, Yu decided that she wanted to visit all of the countries in the world, but visa restrictions didn’t allow her to travel outside of the country. She decided to explore the US via Greyhound buses. She saved her vacation time from working at Miami, Florida hospitals and was able to take long trips across the US. There are only two states that Yu has yet to visit — Kentucky and Oklahoma.
It took Yu 15 years to get her green card that would allow her to travel internationally and there were times that she worked three jobs to save money to travel. The Miami resident eventually took a part-time job as a travel agent, which gave her many more opportunities to travel to new places around the globe.
In the past 50 years, Yu has been visiting countries across the world, even some that are very tough to get into. She has tried several kinds of meat when she visited North Korea, explored the beaches of Somalia, and even skydived in Dubai when she was 73.
Yu’s advice to people who are fond of traveling is to just do it. She said, “Don’t wait for anybody. If I keep on waiting, it will never happen, because the opportunity sometimes comes only once.”
1. What inspired Luisa Yu to travel?| A．Reading books. | B．Watching movies. |
| C．Friends’ suggestions. | D．Work experience. |
| A．Because of visa limits. | B．Because of tight finances. |
| C．Because of short holidays. | D．Because of safety problems. |
| A．Dubai. | B．Miami. | C．Somalia. | D．North Korea. |
| A．Apply for the travel visa in advance. |
| B．Try various jobs to get colorful experiences. |
| C．Look for friends with shared interest in travel. |
| D．Catch every chance to do what they want to do. |
【推荐1】Sirine Jahangir has been singing, writing and performing music since she was a little girl. She lost all her vision in one eye by the time she turned 5, so now the teen uses her gift “as a way to —not escape, but to help me through.” Not only did her passion get her through some difficult times, but when she was 14 it also brought her to the “Britain’s Got Talent” stage, where she impressed everyone with her performance.
Sirine has a rare condition that left her completely blind by the time she was 10 years old. While her parents and doctors have tried to find treatments for her, there isn’t much they can do. So her parents focused on helping her adjust to her new life, which was when her dad said she was first introduced to music. “I remember one day, we were driving in the car. This is about when she was getting to the stage where she couldn’t look out the window anymore to see things, and I didn’t know what to do. I just put the music on really loud. She started singing in the car, and she was so happy. And then she just found happiness every time I put it on,” her father said.
It didn’t take long for them to realize Sirine has tremendous talent. When she appeared on “Britain’s Got Talent”, she told everyone just how much her passion means to her. “I guess music is my vision,” she said. “That’s just what I live by, and music is my thing.” Then she headed over to the piano, where she played the piano and sang beautifully enough to bring the audience to tears! Unsurprisingly to everyone but Sirine, all four judges voted her into the next round of the competition!
Afterward, she said, “I can’t even say it’s a dream come true, because I didn’t even dream of it at any point... I never thought that would be realistic in my life.”
1. What helped Sirine get through her difficult times?| A．Britain’s Got Talent. | B．Her passion for music. |
| C．Support from her parents and doctors. | D．Encouragement from four judges. |
| A．Sirine displayed all her passion on stage. | B．Sirine lost her sight totally at the age of five. |
| C．Her parents focused on treatments all the way. | D．Sirine was not surprised at the judges’ decision. |
| A．Music. | B．Clothes. | C．Talent. | D．Microphone. |
| A．Never give up your dream. | B．Music lights up the world. |
| C．True happiness lies in competition. | D．Life can be too good to be true. |
【推荐2】Wilma Rudolph was born in 1940 in a very large and poor African-American family in Tennessee. When she was four years old, a deadly illness made her left leg useless. She had to wear an iron leg brace. Her doctors told her she would never walk like a normal person without the brace. Yet she was lucky in having a mother who encouraged her to have faith and courage.
At nine years of age, the little girl removed the leg brace and took the first step, which her doctors had said was impossible. Then she got the idea that she would like to be the worlds greatest woman runner.
At the age of thirteen, she began to enter races, but she came in last in every race. Everyone asked her to give up. One day, however, she came in next to last. Then there came a big day when she won a race. From then on, Wilma Rudolph won every race that she entered.
In 1957, Wilma went to Tennessee State University, where she met a coach named Ed Temple. He trained her so well that in 1960 she went to the Olympic Games in Rome. There she beat a German girl named Jutta Heine, the greatest woman runner of the day. Wilma had just won two Olympic gold medals both in the 100-metre race and the 200-metre race. Then came the 400-metre relay. Wilma Rudolph had got her third Olympic gold medal in the 17th Olympic Games.
That day Wilma made history as she became the first woman to win three gold medals in the same Olympic Games. Later she said, “The triumph can’t be had without the struggle. I know what struggle is. I have spent a lifetime trying to share the importance of being a woman first in the world of sports, so that other young women have a chance to reach their dreams.”
1. What was the turning point in Wilma Rudolph’s racing career?| A．When she won her first race. |
| B．When she came in last in every race. |
| C．When she got her third Olympic gold medal. |
| D．When she started racing at the age of thirteen. |
| A．Defeating someone. | B．Earning a lot of money. |
| C．Overcoming difficulties. | D．Being famous and recognized. |
| A．Determined and positive. | B．Courageous and outgoing. |
| C．Brave and friendly. | D．Hardworking and modest. |
| A．Wilma Rudolph’s Career Life |
| B．Wilma Rudolph’s Olympic Glory |
| C．Wilma Rudolph’s Sports Legends |
| D．Wilma Rudolph’s Race Experiences |
【推荐3】I was 11 years old when I asked my mom for piano lessons in 2010. We were in the economic crisis. She said a polite “ no ”.
That didn’t stop me. I googled the measurements for a keyboard, drew the keys on a piece of paper and stuck it on my desk. I would click notes on an online keyboard and “ play” them back on my paper one—keeping the sound they made on the computer in my head. I spent six months playing without touching a real piano. Once my mom saw that I was serious, she borrowed money and bought me 10 lessons.
I still remember the first one. I was struck by how real the sound of the piano was. I sat my grade one after eight lessons. Once I started secondary school, we couldn’t afford lessons again. I passed grade three, and then grade five, practicing only on my piece of paper.
One evening, when I was about 13, my mom said she had a surprise for me; it was an electronic keyboard, bought with more borrowed money. It was the first time I’d played for her. She was in shock.
My school didn’t offer music A-level. I found the Purcell School for young musicians. But I had to pass a difficult test. Some of the questions involved an evaluation of the composer or when some piece was written. I felt stressed. To my amazement, I was offered a place.
At Purcell, I spent two years working as hard as I could. I performed to raise money and save enough to buy my first piano. When I left Purcell, I was awarded the senior piano prize and senior academic music prize. I am now at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama in London. I feel proud: it’s been 10 years since I drew my paper piano, and I’m at one of the world’s leading music schools.
The irony is that I continue to do a lot of my practice away from the piano---what we call mental practice. The paper piano helped arouse my curiosity about how music works, the building blocks that form the pieces.
1. Why did the author’s mom buy him 10 lessons at last?| A．She was shocked by his first performance. |
| B．She had no doubt about his talent for piano. |
| C．She realized that he meant what he said. |
| D．She suddenly made a fortune. |
| A．Honest. | B．Determined. | C．Humorous. | D．Optimistic. |
| A．surprised | B．proud | C．satisfied | D．disappointed |
| A．Mental Practice Matters |
| B．A Surprise from Mum |
| C．Learning An Instrument Costs Too Much |
| D．Stick to Your Dreams |
