Standing on a school stage, the master swings his arms and moves his body as he conducts an orchestra. The 70 young musicians keep a sharp focus on the master’s white baton (指挥棒) as it shoots upward, downward, and sideways.
Michael Morgan was six years old when his father moved a neighbor’s unwanted piano into their living room. He started piano lessons, but it was when he saw a conductor leading an orchestra on television that he realized what he really wanted to do. At age eight, he began reading The Joy of Music by conductor and composer Leonard Bernstein and figured out how to direct with a baton. After graduating from Oberlin College Conservatory of Music, Michael worked under Bernstein. “Conducting is a thing you learn by apprenticing (当学徒). You do more watching than anything else,” Morgan says. Even after Morgan had graduated from Oberlin, Bernstein’s masterful teaching continued to influence him.
Morgan is committed to offering kids a chance to explore classical music. In his hometown, he started to volunteer in local schools, conducting student orchestras and talking with kids about music. Morgan is also the music director and conductor of the Oakland Symphony. He works with teachers in after-school programs to reach students who can’t afford lessons.
Morgan is focused and works very hard. “He’s mastermind behind all of these programs,” says Elizabeth, Oakland Symphony Education Coordinator. “He is in an amazing harmony with students. He is really serious in getting down to his business.”
Morgan says his work is mostly about providing young people with an entrance into music. “Instruments give kids a way of emotional expression, a source of pride, and an interest they can carry with them through life. Young musicians come from many different cultures and communities. But with instruments in hand, their hearts sing as one,” he says.
1. What inspired Morgan to begin his career as a conductor?| A．A gift from his neighbor. | B．The piano lessons he took. |
| C．The guidance of his teacher. | D．A TV program in his childhood. |
| A．Passionate and honest. | B．Generous and demanding. |
| C．Ambitious and humorous. | D．Warmhearted and devoted. |
| A．To show recognition on Morgan. | B．To share her cooperation with Morgan. |
| C．To encourage kids to learn from Morgan. | D．To express people’s expectations for Morgan. |
| A．Playing music is the best way to relieve people’s tension. |
| B．Morgan opens a door to music teaching for young musicians. |
| C．Music has the power to bridge cultural gap and unite people. |
| D．Young musicians tend to play the same song whole-heartedly. |
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In be United States the most popular form of folk dancing has been square-dancing since the earlier days. In those days, men and women worked in groups to build a house or harvest crops. When the work was done, they usually danced merrily and happily in a store or in a farm kitchen.
Nowadays square-dancing is still performed. A square, which has four sides, is formed by four couples. Each couple stands on one side of the square, the man on the left and the woman on the right. That is to say, one square has eight people and they stand facing the center of the square.
Large or small numbers of people can dance together. Sometimes as many as 800 or 1,000 people may be dancing all at the same time.
Costumes are worn by those who do the square-dancing. This makes the dancing more colorful to watch. Men may have colored shirts and western trousers they wear only on special days. Women often wear full skirts of different colors with a pretty blouse. In some country areas, everyone wears their best clothes.
Today in all parts of the US you will find some schools, clubs, or other groups that are square-dancing for fun. They enjoy it very much.
1. In the earlier days, when did people do square-dancing? (No more than 6 words)2. How many people are square-dancing if there is one square? (One word)
3. What does the underlined word “costumes” mean in Paragraph 4? (No more than 8 words)
4. What do people in some country areas wear in square-dancing? (No more than 6 words)
5. How do people of the US like square-dancing today? (No more than 6 words)
【推荐2】Better known by his stage name KUN, Cai Xukun is a phenomenon, opening up the music industry in China.
Last year, after participating in the reality TV show Idol Producer, receiving the most votes from fans, the singer-songwriter rose to fame overnight. At just 21 years old, Cai has topped Chinese music charts with multiple singles.
On July 26, KUN released his newest single Young. Within just 20 seconds, it reached a million sales.
KUN wrote the song to share his understanding of youth. He mixed R&B and electronic beats (节拍) to make it more cheerful. A reviewer wrote on QQ Music, “When you listen to the song, you just seem to go back to youth again.”
The song was an early birthday present to himself which he celebrated on Aug 2. KUN also hopes that he always has the courage to pursue (追求) his love of music, no matter what people think. “My works are like my children and I have put my best effort into them.” he told the Global Times.
Indeed, KUN has written and produced most of his songs on his own. “I want every piece of my work to have my own spirit in it,” he told music website Soundigest, “I feel more enjoyment when I'm performing my own work.”
Although KUN loves performing onstage, when the lights go down, he prefers to fall back into his own world and darkness at night. “I always get inspired when it's quiet, late at night”, he told I-D magazine, “It’s a great moment for me to create new things. Sometimes, I can write songs with a melody (旋律) I heard in a dream.”
To develop his introspection (反思) and find new inspiration, KUN attends different kinds of musical performances — from festivals to opera houses. “I just like to do everything, all for my music, all for my art,” he told I-D.
With such talent and dedication to music, it seems that KUN will continue to make his mark in the competitive Chinese music industry.
1. What do we know about KUN’s newest single?| A．It earns him a birthday present. |
| B．It makes people feel happy and energetic. |
| C．It shows how he pursues his dream. |
| D．It combines jazz and electronic music. |
| A．He goes to music shows. |
| B．He talks to famous singers. |
| C．He attends music classes. |
| D．He finds melodies in his dreams. |
| A．Courageous and patient. |
| B．Talented and humorous. |
| C．Hardworking and creative. |
| D．Optimistic and outgoing. |
【推荐3】Dancing is natural and almost any child can dance. However, why do so many people find it hard to dance when they reach their teens or adulthood?
Most people have heard the words Dance like nobody is watching. “
We all have patterns of muscle memory. Your body likes doing repetitive movements that it doesn t have to think about.
A lack of rhythm is the biggest obstacle to learning to dance. However, it can be overcome with enough practice.
| A．It’s human nature to dislike looking foolish |
| B．You’ll be able to do them almost without thinking. |
| C．If you have no rhythm, try to master dance steps first. |
| D．Learning a musical instrument is a good way to learn rhythm. |
| E．Dance requires you to move your arms and legs in unusual ways. |
| F．The other possibility is that you picked a style of dance that doesn’t suit you. |
| G．There are many things that can hold people back when they try to learn dancing. |
【推荐1】In 2003, Mary Marggraff was a 47-year-old California mother, devoted to school committees and car pool schedules. But after losing her trusty notebook and buying a new one, she had an inspiration. “It was blank,” says Marggraff, now 64. “What else could I fill it with?” Soon she was thinking about her childhood love of flying, and next thing she knew, she determined to register in flight school. “In my first class, all the students were single men half my age. I felt like a housemother attending a fraternity (兄弟会), but I loved it too much to walk away.” she says.
Marggraff earned her first pilot’s license in 2005. Six years and four additional licenses later, her addiction to being in the air changed into something grander: a desire to go to space. To move closer to her starry dreams, Marggraff got a part-time job as a mission support representative at Virgin Galactic, Richard Branson’s commercial space line. In that role, she attended space-related gatherings where she educated people about the future of universe voyages. Though space tourism isn’t quite a reality yet, Marggraff has already begun space training in expectation of being on one of Virgin’s early flights. “I’ve completed acceleration force exercises,” she says, “which require getting inside a machine, spinning around at 2,500 miles per hour, and trying not to black out. ”
Marggraff’s training has meant more than getting her wings — it’s expanded her sense of what the future may hold. “It turns out I’m capable of much more than I imagined,” she says. “I used to think it’d be a miracle if I got my first license. Now I’ve completed nearly 1,000 hours of flight! I'm rotten in the kitchen and I burn anything I iron, but if you need someone to land a plane, call me.”
1. Why did Marggraff register in flight school?| A．To break away from car pool schedules. | B．To fill her new blank notebook. |
| C．To pursue her childhood dream of flying. | D．To prove women are equal to men in flying. |
| A．She got into space on one of Virgin’s early flights. |
| B．She instructed people in how to make universe voyages. |
| C．She tried in vain to overcome faintness from high speed. |
| D．She received space training in preparation for space tourism. |
| A．It proves her a miracle. | B．It increases her self-confidence. |
| C．It wins her a qualification. | D．It improves her imagination. |
| A．Aggressive and hopeful. | B．Creative and fragile. |
| C．Energetic and sensitive. | D．Considerate and persistent. |
Since I studied engineering, I decided to come up with a solution (解决办法). I ran down to my basement and found a piece of wooden board, some pushpins and hooks (图钉和钩子). With the help of these things, I managed to make a bracelet. One of my daughters said, “Wow, that’s cool, but I can make it by hand.” So I started to put two, three, four, five rows together. I crossed the bands into diamond patterns using rainbow colors, which is how the Rainbow Loom (彩虹织机) got its name.
My daughters were so excited that they showed the bracelets to their friends. We started to get requests for them. But they were still difficult to make. I thought, “If I can make a small, easy-to-use loom, I’m onto something big.” It took six months and a lot of support from my kids to perfect the idea.
I tried to sell the loom by making videos about how to use it and taking my daughters to stores to show it. Many store owners thought it might be too difficult to use. For a year, we sold it only on our website. When it became popular with kids, it got noticed by toy stores.
It is so exciting that a simple idea my kids and I came up with together at our living-room table has become a nationwide fad.
1. The author tried to show his daughters how to make bracelets but _____.
| A．was refused | B．regretted |
| C．failed | D．was misunderstood |
| A．making bracelets |
| B．using a jump rope |
| C．impressing his daughters |
| D．inventing the Rainbow Loom |
| A．looms | B．bracelets |
| C．friends | D．rainbows |
| A．They thought highly of it. |
| B．They had a long wait for it. |
| C．They showed a great interest in it. |
| D．They thought there was no market for it. |
【推荐3】Standing on the edge of the plane, my tandem skydiving (双人跳伞) instructor, Bill, asked “Do you have any last words?” “Yes,” I said, joking. “I hope my parachute opens.”
I’d never felt more alive as Bill and I stepped out and started our freefall. Those first few seconds were amazing. As we reached 4,000 feet, I felt a parachute open above us. This, I was told , would slow us down for a smooth descent (下降). So why were we still traveling so fast? I looked up: The parachute was flopping unopened in the wind. I started to freak out. I could hear Bill swearing as he tried to fix whatever had gone wrong. Seconds passed, which felt like forever, until finally our emergency parachute opened. Except it got caught in the first one, making both parachutes useless. I asked Bill, “Are we going to die?” He said he didn’t know. At that moment, I just felt guilty. I’d brought my family along for the day. I’d invited them along to watch me die.
We hit the ground. I was immediately breathless, and an unimaginable pain shot up my back as we bounced into a lake on a golf course. Gathering all my strength, I turned to face Bill. He started screaming. We were found by some golfers. My mother and sister cried uncontrollably as Bill was put into a helicopter, and I was placed into an ambulance. The next four or five months were intense. I had broken my back. After being discharged (出院) from the hospital, I locked myself in my bedroom and took painkillers. I became terrified of the outside world.
After years of therapy(治疗) and hard work, the deep physical and mental pain is healing. I heard that Bill made a full recovery and returned to skydiving. I was always terrified of being myself and doing the things I wanted. Now I’ve learned that I need to be fearless. There’s nothing like falling from 15,000 feet without a parachute and surviving to force you to make the most of every day.
1. How did the author feel before skydiving?| A．Worried | B．Excited |
| C．Terrified | D．Guilty |
| A．Bill didn’t open the parachute in time. |
| B．The author stayed calm the whole time. |
| C．Something went wrong with the parachutes. |
| D．The author couldn’t breathe during the freefall. |
| A．He had constant pain in his head. |
| B．He became crazy about extreme sports. |
| C．He was sick both physically and mentally. |
| D．He became more confident in himself. |
| A．Safety first. | B．Fear can lead to failure. |
| C．Cooperation matters. | D．Seize and cherish every day. |
