1 . Famous American performer Chita Rivera died on January 30 in New York. She was 91 years old. The famed dancer, singer and actor won many awards and honors in her long career on Broadway and beyond.
Rivera first gained wide notice in 1957 as Anita in the original production of the musical play West Side Story. She was still dancing on New York’s Broadway stages a half century later in 2015’s The Visit.
“I wouldn’t know what to do if I wasn’t moving or telling a story to you or singing a song,” she said at the time. “That’s the spirit of my life, and I’m really so lucky to be able to do what I love, even at this time in my life.”
Rivera was born on January 23, 1933, in Washington, D.C. Her father was a musician. He died when Rivera was seven. Her mother was of Scottish and Italian ancestry (血统).
Rivera studied dance as a young girl and was accepted into a highly respected school for ballet. She was 17 when she won her first part in a musical.
She won two Tonys, the highest award for live theater in the United States. Her first came in1984 with the production of The Rink. She won again in 1993 for the play Kiss of the Spider Woman.
The second Tony was an especially sweet victory for the star. Just five years earlier, Rivera had been in a serious car accident that broke her right leg. It could have ended her career. After months of physical treatment to regain her dancing skills, she returned to the stage singing and dancing as energetically as ever. She said, “It never entered my mind that I wouldn’t dance again.”
When accepting a Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in 2018, Rivera said, “I wouldn’t trade my life in the theater for anything, because theater is life.”
1. Why does the author mention the two plays West Side Story and The Visit?| A．To show respect for late Rivera. | B．To stress Rivera’s long art career. |
| C．To indicate why Rivera won honors. | D．To introduce the plays Rivera performed. |
| A．Art is everything to her. | B．She was sorry for her old age. |
| C．Art lifts her spirits when she’s in trouble. | D．She received good training in art. |
| A．Her leg. | B．The musical. | C．The accident. | D．Her award. |
| A．Independent and thoughtful. | B．Caring and curious. |
| C．Determined and talented. | D．Proud and confident. |
2 . Born in 1975 in a poor neighbourhood in Sao Paulo, Eduardo Kobra began his career at 12 years old and, since then, has become one of the most recognized street artists in the world.
With more than 5,000 murals(壁画) over five continents, he currently holds the record for the largest mural in the world, first for creating his famous mural Las Etnias (The Ethnicities) for the 2016 Rio Olympics. Then a year later he beat his previous record with his monumental work at Cacau Show Headquarters, a masterpiece that took 700 hours to complete and more than doubled his 2016 record. Influenced by the pop-art movement and modern artists, the realism in his designs makes his flat-surfaced extremely colourful wall paintings appear 3-D and alive with life.
With his project Greenpincel(2011), Kobra showed his strong will to the environmental cause. Climate change, water pollution, deforestation, predatory(掠夺性的) fishing, and mistreatment of animals became strong themes present in his work .In Stars of Peace, Kobra describes individuals who have given hope to the world through their lives, such as Mother Teresa, Mahatma Gandhi, Malala Yousafzai, and Anne Frank.
Kobra is involved in social causes, such as food collection campaigns and activities aimed at bringing art to poor communities, especially children who have no access to basic facilities.
In 2021, he started the Kobra Institute, which aims to bring art to vulnerable(脆弱的) people in Brazil.During the pandemic(大流行病), he led an activity together with the private sector to raise funds to build oxygen plants for COVID-19 patients.
1. Which of Kobra’s works made him set the second world record?| A．Las Etnias. | B．The Ethnicities. |
| C．Stars of Peace. | D．A work at Cacau Show Headquarters. |
| A．Social causes. | B．Famous individuals. |
| C．Painting skills. | D．Environmental protection. |
| A．He was born into an artistic fanily. |
| B．He specializes in romantic painting. |
| C．He devoted himself to helping the poor learn art. |
| D．He made a great fortune in 2016 Rio Olympics. |
| A．Sensitive. | B．Admirable. | C．Humorous | D．Adaptable. |
3 . Michael Morgan was six years old when his father moved a neighbor’s unwanted piano into their living room. “And that’s really where the whole thing started,” he says. “My mother and grandmother had played the piano a little bit, but my father just thought it was a good thing to have in the house.” Young Michael started piano lessons, but it was when he saw a conductor (指挥) 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 (作曲家) Leonard Bernstein and got to know how to direct with a baton (指挥棒) .
When Michael entered junior high, he joined an orchestra and band and learned to play many instruments. He was just 12 years old when his instructor asked him to compose and conduct a concert piece. And that was only the beginning. Throughout high school, he continued to develop his artistic talent, and after graduating, he headed to Oberlin Conservatory of Music.
Morgan is dedicated (致力于) to offering kids a chance to explore classical music. In his hometown of Oakland, California, he started to volunteer in local schools, conducting student orchestras and talking with kids about music. Later, Morgan developed MUSE (Music for Excellence), a music education program for kids.
He brings musicians from Oakland Symphony into classrooms to teach kids. He also works with teachers in after-school programs to teach students who can’t afford lessons.
Morgan says his work is mostly about providing young people with an entrance into music. “Instruments are a way for kids to express their feelings, and give them an interest they can carry with them through life,” he says.
1. Why did Michael’s father move a piano into their house?| A．It was a gift from their neighbor. | B．It was his mother and wife’s favorite. |
| C．He just wanted to have one in the house. | D．He wanted to give Michael piano lessons. |
| A．After he developed MUSE. |
| B．After he read The Joy of Music. |
| C．After he was asked to compose a concert piece. |
| D．After he studied at Oberlin Conservatory of Music. |
| A．Get the chance of entering college. | B．Become world-class musicians. |
| C．Receive music education. | D．Join Oakland Symphony. |
| A．By giving examples. | B．By expressing opinions. |
| C．By making comparisons. | D．By following time order. |
4 . Lin-Manuel Miranda began writing what would become In the Heights as a university student. The musical play would make him a playwright and performer. Now, 20 years later, it has been made into a movie, which is in theaters for its first weekend.
Miranda said like other artists, he was driven by dream but also by something else. “It was a lot of fear, honestly,” Miranda said in a recent interview. “I was 18, 19 and starting to study the theater. The fear was: I’m going into a domain that has no space for me, that has no roles for me. It was sort of that thing: No one’s going to write your dream show.”
In the Heights opened on June 10. It celebrates many things: the Latino immigrant experience, neighborhood communities in New York City and life itself.
The movie was supposed to be shown last June, but was stopped by COVID-19. The film’s director, however，thinks the delay (推迟) was not necessarily a bad thing. Moviegoers might be ready for some energetic music, singing and dancing after a year of limited life.
Many performers acting in the first In the Heights Broadway show appear in the movie’s final song and dance Students from a nearby high school also can be seen in the film. The students Had produced their own In the Heights show which the filmmakers watched and found moving.
Others starring in the movie include Leslie Grace as Nina Rosano, a college student home for the summer; Corey Hawkins as Benny, a taxi driver; and Melissa Barrera as Vanessa, a beauty salon worker trying to get her own home. Thirty-year-old Barrera said the part she plays as a young woman searching for a better future away from home—is basically herself.
1. What can we infer about Miranda from the first paragraph?| A．He was good at performance. |
| B．He had no role to act in university. |
| C．He directed a movie during university. |
| D．He acted in a play he had written himself. |
| A．Field. | B．Game. | C．Future. | D．Trouble. |
| A．Unnecessary. | B．Helpful. | C．Unacceptable. | D．Exciting. |
| A．She spent her summer holiday at home. |
| B．She acted as a taxi driver in the movie. |
| C．She has the same experience as her role. |
| D．She appears in the movie’s final song and dance. |
5 . You may have heard of Dude Perfect. They are 5 guys who make crazy trick (技巧) shots and have fun for a living! They are so good at what they do. They have one of the top 10 channels (频道) on YouTube. It all sounds good. But their real story is much deeper and better. It is a story of trust, friendship, hard work, passion and giving back.
Dude Perfect is made up of 5 best friends who met while at college at Texas A&M University. Their names are Coby, Cory Cotton, Garrett Hilbert, Cody Jones, and Tyler Toney. At college, they became friends through their love of sports. They enjoyed spending time with each other so much that they all became roommates.
One day, in their backyard, they said they could make a trick basketball shot. They started to take video of their crazy shots. Within one week, the video received over 200,000 views! Soon, they received a call from the TV show Good Morning America who wanted to interview them. That was their first interview, the one that started everything! As Dude Perfect started to catch on, they started to attract star athletes to shoot videos with them.
Despite all their success, they have never taken their eyes off their bigger goal to spread good worldwide. Their message of the power of faith and friendship is at the heart of what they do.
Their videos show the history of Dude Perfect and the values that drive them. There is a great example of how they use their fame (名声) to spread good. They also show how they invite children from the Make a Wish Foundation to be a “Dude for a Day”!
Dude Perfects tricks are so good that some people question whether they are real. Well, they are. The secret is simply hard work and persistence (坚持). Their videos show how they do what they do!
1. What is the key to setting up Dude Perfect?| A．The star athletes’ love for it, |
| B．The members’ common interest. |
| C．The popularity of social media. |
| D．The trust between different people. |
| A．Strong but shy. | B．Humorous but crazy. |
| C．Kind and hard-working. | D．Handsome and easy-going. |
| A．It is never too old to learn. | B．Never forget why you started. |
| C．You can’t judge a book by its cover. | D．Be prepared for danger in times of peace. |
| A．Dude Perfect, an amazing team | B．Dude Perfect’s tricks are real |
| C．Dude Perfect built on friendship | D．Dude Perfect achieved their goal |
6 . Irina Kolesnikova has a wealth of credits on her dance card, but the prima ballerina (芭蕾舞女演员) has made her career from one particular role of a lifetime.
That would be the famous yin and yang characters of Odette and Odile in Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake, which has become her personal trademark since the age of 21. Her performance as the Swan Queen is regarded as a standout for a ballet that has been redone countless times on the stage and silver screen for nearly 150 years. After her debut at the London Coliseum, The Telegraph described Kolesnikova’s performance of Odette as “truly a thing of remarkable beauty.” Kolesnikova just made her U.S. debut and took the time to speak with Fortune.
Fortune: What inspired you to go into ballet?
Kolesnikova: When I was 5, I saw a ballet, The Sleeping Beauty, on TV, and I was so impressed by what I’d seen. That’s when I decided to be a ballet dancer.
Fortune: Playing the twin roles of Odette and Odile has become a bit of a trademark for you. What attracted you in Swan Lake? Are you looking forward to trying new projects?
Kolesnikova: First of all, in my repertoire (全部节目) of classical ballet, there is not only Swan Lake, but also The Nutcracker, Romeo and Juliet, and also my favorite: La Bayadere. In regards to Swan Lake, I really love this ballet as I have a chance to show two opposite characters during one show. In terms of new projects, I would like to dance Anna Karenina, Manon, and Tatiana from Evgeny Onegin.
Fortune: What is your long-term plan for your career? How do you prepare for life after dancing professionally?
Kolesnikova: At present, I am not thinking about finishing my career. However, last year I graduated from Vaganova Academy with a coaching diploma—even though I already have the experience of coaching and preparing two other ballerinas for the roles of Odette and Odile.
1. How did The Telegraph think of Irina Kolesnikova’s performance?| A．Too terrible. | B．Very fantastic. | C．Unsatisfactory. | D．Not mentioned. |
| A．The charm of a ballet. |
| B．The love for Swan Lake. |
| C．The influence of her parents. |
| D．The admiration to ballerinas. |
| A．She is inclined to end her career after years. |
| B．She plays a role in Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake. |
| C．She likes Swan Lake best among all ballets. |
| D．She looks forward to playing a role in Evgeny Onegin. |
| A．A ballet coach. | B．A ballet director. |
| C．An academy teacher. | D．A reporter of Fortune. |
