A. Beethoven thought about giving up, but in the end he continued to write music.
B. In his twenties, he had been very famous for his skills on the piano, but then he began to lose his hearing.
C. Ludwig van Beethoven was a German composer, who is regarded as one of the greatest composers in the history of music.
D. He proceeded with the composition until his death in 1827, writing more than 130 musical works, including his Symphony No.9 in D minor.
E. Inspired by his struggles with deafness, the composer produced some amazing pieces, including nine symphonies, five piano pieces, and an opera!
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【推荐1】Some of the world’s most famous musicians recently gathered in Paris and New Orleans to celebrate the first annual International Jazz Day. UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) recently set April 30 as a day to raise awareness of jazz music, its significance, and its potential as a unifying(联合) voice across cultures.
Despite the celebrations, though, in the U.S. the jazz audience continues to shrink and grow older, and the music has failed to connect with younger generations.
It’s Jason Moran’s job to help change that. As the Kennedy Center’s artistic adviser for jazz, Moran hopes to widen the audience for jazz, make the music more accessible, and preserve its history and culture.
“Jazz seems like it’s not really a part of the American appetite,” Moran tells National Public Radio’s reporter Neal Conan. “What I’m hoping to accomplish is that my generation and younger start to reconsider and understand that jazz is not black and write anymore. It’s actually color, and it’s actually digital.”
Moran says one of the problems with jazz today is that the entertainment aspect of the music has been lost. “The music can’t be presented today the way it was in 1908 or 1958. It has to continue to move, because the way the world works is not the same.” says Moran.
Last year, Moran worked on a project that arranged Fats Waller’s music for a dance party, “just to kind of put it back in the mind that Waller is dance music as much as it is concert music,” says Moran. “For me, it’s the recontextualization. In music, where does the emotion(情感)lie? Are we, as humans, gaining any insight(感悟) on how talk about ourselves and how something as abstract as a Charlie Parker record gets us into a dialogue about our emotion “so I want to continue those dialogues. Those are the things I want to foster.”
Which of the following can be the best title for the text?
A.Exploring the Future of Jazz |
B.The Rise and Fall of Jazz |
C.The Story of a Jazz Musician |
D.Celebrating the Jazz Day |
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
【推荐3】Starting a band across multiple time zones proved to be tricky. Shaky Wi-Fi and other technical difficulties meant they were often out of sync. And being even half a second off from one another wrecked their sound. To fix this, they created a sort of musical assembly line. Baltimore Paul and Rotterdam Paul wrote and recorded a basic track, then e-mailed it to Manchester Paul.
What does “this” refer to in paragraph three?
A.The inaccessibility of Wi-Fi. |
B.The existence of technical barriers. |
C.Their being in different time zones. |
D.Their lack of experience. |
【推荐1】But even then, what he had wasn't quite what he wanted. Nielsen always felt he should be doing comedy but his good looks and distinguished voice kept him busy in dramatic roles. It wasn't until1980-32 years into his career-that he landed the role it would seem he was made for in Airplane! That movie led him into the second half of his career where his comedic presence alone could make a movie a financial success even when movie reviewers would not rate it highly.
What do we know about Nielsen in the second half of his career?
A.He directed some high quality movies. | B.He avoided taking on new challenges. |
C.He focused on playing dramatic roles. | D.He became a successful comedy actor. |
Armstrong was called Pops because he ______.
A.looked like a musician | B.was a musician of much influence |
C.showed an interest in music | D.traveled to play modern music |
【推荐3】A British woman who won a $1 million prize after she was named the World’s Best Teacher will use the cash to bring inspirational figures into UK schools.
Andria Zafirakou, a north London secondary school teacher, said she wanted to bring about a classroom revolution (变革). “We are going to make a change,” she said. “I’ve started a project to promote the teaching of the arts in our schools.”
The project results from the difficulties many schools have in getting artists of any sort — whether an up-and-coming local musician or a major movie star — into schools to work with and inspire children.
Zafirakou began the project at Alperton Community School, her place of work for the past twelve years. “I’ve seen those magic moments when children are talking to someone they are inspired by their eyes are shining and their faces light up,” she said. “We need artists more than ever in our schools.”
Artist Michael Craig-Martin said: “Andria’s brilliant project to bring artists from all fields into direct contact with children is particularly welcome at a time when the arts are being downgraded in schools.” It was a mistake to see the arts as unnecessary, he added.
Historian Sir Simon Schama is also a supporter of the project. He said that arts education in schools was not just an add-on. “It is absolutely necessary. The future depends on creativity and creativity depends on the young. What will remain of us when artificial intelligence takes over will be our creativity, and it is our creative spirit, our visionary sense of freshness, that has been our strength for centuries.”
Which of the following is a suitable title for the text?
A.Bring Artists to Schools | B.When Historians Meet Artists |
C.Arts Education in Britain | D.The World’s Best Arts Teacher |