After the pandemic (流行病) began, life has been hard for Chinese villager Zu Wenbao, who is in his early       1     (twenty), but thanks to Beijing-based Chen’s Studio, music has become his saving grace. Zu has autism spectrum disorder (孤独症谱系障碍),     2     developmental disability caused by differences in the brain. Autism has meant Zu was unable to fit in at school. All that changed when he     3     (start) learning music at Chen’s Studio.

In 2020, Zu began learning to play the keyboard, and sing along with the other members of the “Star Kids” band,     4     was set up by their teacher, Chen Shensi. When COVID-19 broke out, Chen started free-of-charge lessons for people with autism. “COVID has been hard, and I wanted to do as much as I could       5     (give) them joy through music,” he said. Chen admitted he was very frustrated at first because he had to repeat     6     (he) many times. Disciplining the class was also tough,     7     the students started communicating better with him and each other eventually.

Chen hopes he can give his students a way to earn a living: the “Star Kids” band has already performed in several concerts at events     8     (hold) at campsites on the outskirts of Beijing. “It’s just difficult for them to communicate     9     (normal) with other people, let alone work in a typical job, but they might be able to make a living as artists.     10     some degree, I think music might be their language,” Chen said.

Dreaming of singing together with others while you are at home alone, you can do this in a virtual choir. Virtual choir members record     1     (they) while performing alone on video. These videos     2     (upload) onto the Internet where they are put together into one video     3     (make) a virtual choir. If you want to take part in a virtual choir,     4    you need is a video camera and an Internet     5     (connect). A virtual choir not only helps connect ordinary people together but also enables them become part of the     6     (globe) community. It has a positive influence on the lives of many people.

Eric Whitacre came up with the idea of the virtual choir. He began studying music at the University of Nevada in 1988 and fell in love     7    Mozart’s classical music, which moved him     8     (deep). He received a master’s degree in musical composition in 1997.Over the next 10 years, Whitacre’s original compositions began to become quite popular among choir and singers, which led to the creation of the virtual choir.

The virtual choir is an     9     (impress) way for people around the world to sing with one voice and thus make the world     10    better place.