1 . In the calm and traditional world of classical music, composer Tan Dun is something of a rock star. Born in 1957 in a village near Changsha, Tan Dun worked as a rice planter in his early years. While music was strongly discouraged within the rice-planting communities, Tan learnt to play traditional Chinese stringed instruments with his friends and eventually joined a local band.
But the transition from hobby to career came about through a tragic (不幸的) tum of events. After several members of a Peking Opera troupe (剧团) drowned in a boat accident, Tan was hired to work as an arranger and violinist. The time at the troupe proved successful and Tan got the attention of Central Conservatory of Music (CCOM) where he was accepted as a student in 1977. Years later, he further studied at New York’s Columbia University.
Under the teaching of famous composers around the word, Tan launched his international career through a series of modern operas. With the knowledge of eastern and western classical music, he composed Marco Polo, an abstract retelling of the 13th-century Venetian explorer’s life through eastern and western instruments.
Tan has composed symphonies and operas that have been performed in some of the world’s most famous theaters. He has also contributed the scores (配乐) to six films, including 2000’s Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, as well as several experimental multimedia projects. Such achievements have brought him great rewards, including Oscar, Grammy and Bafta awards, as well as the honor of Composer of Year, presented by classical music magazine Musical America.
1. What was Tan Dun’s job in his early years?| A．Farmer. | B．Arranger. | C．Violinist. | D．Composer. |
| A．His study in New York. | B．His success in the troupe. |
| C．His achievement in scores. | D．His experience in Changsha. |
| A．By making comparison. | B．By making classification. |
| C．By following the order of space. | D．By following the order of time. |
| A．He contributed scores to four films. |
| B．He directed Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. |
| C．He combined Eastern and Western musical styles. |
| D．He launched his international career through symphonies. |
2 . One of the most productive architects of the 20th century, Frank Lloyd Wright had no shortage of ideas. Throughout his life, he designed 1,171 architectural works. Many of them, like the Guggenheim Museum and Fallingwater, were eventually built. But over half — 660 to be exact — never moved beyond paper. Now, thanks to the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation, we are finally getting a look at what his unbuilt architecture would have looked like. Working with digital artist David Romero, the organization has been building an impressive library of works that show Wright’s creative genius.
The reasons that these pieces of incredible architecture were never built vary. Wright’s homage to his adopted home state of Arizona was rejected for several reasons. While Wright considered his avant-garde (前卫的) design for the Arizona State Capitol Building to be a gift to the city, officials felt otherwise. With a price of $5 million, too costly, he was passed over for the project.
In the case of the cliffside (悬崖边) Morris House, it’s not completely clear why the family did not go with Wright’s design. But, in examining his ideas for the home, it’s clear that Wright successfully combines the architecture and nature. The design uses rounded forms that fit into the cliffs and merge the home and the natural surroundings.
In 1947, he was asked to rebuild Roy Wetmore’s service station. What Wright provided was a futuristic design that included a ramp (斜坡) allowing a car to be displayed on the roof. Unfortunately, Wetmore wished to simply remodel the existing structure rather than demolish it and start over, so the project was never done. Later, Wetmore did incorporate the car ramp on the roof.
Romero has been able to bring these ideas to life and give a new generation of architecture lovers a reminder of why Wright had such a long, influential career.
1. Why was the design for Arizona State Capitol Building refused?| A．The government wanted a perfect design. |
| B．It was originally designed for other states. |
| C．It needed much more money than expected. |
| D．The design didn’t go with the surroundings. |
| A．Favorable. | B．Intolerant. | C．Doubtful. | D．Unclear. |
| A．Redesign. | B．Pull down. | C．Improve. | D．Put up. |
| A．Wright’s productive architecture wasn’t recognized. |
| B．Many good productive architects didn’t come to light. |
| C．Wright’s excellent designs for some famous buildings. |
| D．Modern technology makes a genius’ designs come true. |
3 . In the long river of inheriting and preserving intangible cultural heritages, people have encountered numerous challenges, especially in this rapidly developing era. Fortunately, there are still many individuals who persistently make efforts to safeguard it.
Chang Yangyang is such a person. As an inheritor of intangible cultural heritage, he once worked at a factory. Although he had learned the craft paper-cutting from his grandmother since childhood, in the eyes of Chang’s parents, a hobby was far less precious than a stable job. They didn’t change their minds until he won third prize in a national paper-cutting competition in 2010. This opened a new door for him in paper-cutting, which strengthened his determination to continue his career in the craft.
In addition to practicing skills diligently, Chang thought more about how to promote the Mengjin paper-cutting culture and let more people know about this intangible cultural heritage.
In his early years, Chang conducted local training and salons. Later, He tried Douyin live-streaming. At first, Chang was shy. But gradually, he became more familiar with it and learned to interact with viewers. In this way, he expanded his audience and followers from dozens of people to hundreds of thousands.
The young paper-cutting artist and instructor hopes there are more young people learning the art. It is for this reason that he currently teaches the art of paper-cutting at several local primary schools, Chang says his life dream is to establish a paper-cutting museum one day so people can learn more about the art form and grow to love it as much as he does.
With more young craftsmen like Chang injecting fresh energy, the intangible cultural heritage will be able to continue sharing the same clear wind with mountains and forests, and the same bright moon with rivers in the future years, moving towards eternity.
1. How did Chang’s parents find his paper-cutting career before 2010?| A．Supportive. | B．Opposed. |
| C．Indifferent. | D．Contradictory. |
| A．He spread paper-cutting online. | B．He opened a paper-cutting school. |
| C．He took part in many competitions. | D．He practiced the skills occasionally. |
| A．Make profit from paper-cutting. | B．Learn more about other art forms. |
| C．Establish a paper-cutting museum. | D．Expand his audience and followers. |
| A．Young man with happy stories. | B．Traditions in Chang’s family. |
| C．Intangible cultural heritages in history. | D．New craftsman with old craft. |
4 . Former Disney child star Jennifer McGill recently shared how, after her mother passed away, she went through an extremely dark period in her life.
Jennifer was born ready for the stage. She grew up in a loving home in Texas. And by age 7, she begged her mom to let her enter contests. Jennifer’s mom was uncertain. But seeing her daughter’s high energy and unshakable love of the stage, she finally supported her daughter’s wish.
Jennifer won many contests, and soon her parents were advised to have her audition (试演) for The New Mickey Mouse Club, a Disney show. Jennifer tried out and landed her dream job.
Many of Jennifer’s costars on the show went on to run after their careers. But after many years as a Disney child star, Jennifer didn’t feel ready for Hollywood just yet.
“I just needed to grow up and grow wiser in order to be the artist I thought I was meant to be,” she said. Instead, Jennifer chose to go on to college — a decision her mother fully supported.
Jennifer’s parents were supportive throughout her career and schooling. But her mom was her champion — a constant source of support. Unfortunately, when Jennifer was 24 years old, her mom passed away.
“The biggest light and fan was gone, the person who’d reminded me that I was unique and valuable. I was kind of lost,” she said. The next several years grew very dark. She began feeling herself lonely. She felt lifeless and purposeless.
Much as Jennifer still missed her mother, she realized she should get her life back to normal. She’s now pursuing a new career in music. She also spends her time coaching young artists. She encourages them to put fame at the bottom of their list.
1. What do we know about Jennifer from Paragraph 2?| A．She loved her mother deeply. | B．She had a natural talent for acting. |
| C．Her parents didn’t support her acting career. | D．Her mother was for her decision from the very beginning. |
| A．She was much wiser than them. | B．She kept practicing her acting skills. |
| C．She got herself ready for Hollywood. | D．She decided to continue her education. |
| A．The death of her mother. | B．The loss of support from her family. |
| C．The failure to become a Hollywood star. | D．The lack of courage to pursue her career. |
| A．Never forget the social duty. | B．It is important to earn fame in the career. |
| C．Never think too much about being famous. | D．Get away from sorrow as soon as possible. |
5 . Michelle Yeoh won best actress at the 95th Academy Awards on Sunday night becoming the first Asian woman to win the award.
Yeoh, who earned the award for her excellent performance in Everything Everywhere All at Once, is the fifth Asian to win an Oscar in an acting category and the first to win in a lead acting category. “For all the little boys and girls who look like me watching tonight, this is an example of hope and possibilities. This is evidence to dream big, and dreams do come true,” Yeoh said while accepting her Oscar.
In Everything Everywhere All at Once, Yeoh played Evelyn Wang, an immigrant mother and laundromat owner who’s unexpectedly tasked with saving the multiverse (多元宇宙) from destruction. “And, ladies, don’t let anybody tell you that you are ever past your prime. Never give up.” Yeoh said in her acceptance speech. “I have to dedicate this to my mom—all the moms in the world. Because they are really the superheroes, and without them, none of us would be here tonight.”
Yeoh first made a name for herself in Hong Kong cinema, becoming a prolific and respected martial arts action star in the late 1980s and the 1990s. As an actor who managed not to play the typical “damsel in distress” stereotypes in action movies and instead often played crime-fighting heroes, Yeoh became known as a feminist pioneer in entertainment.
“We believe in our Asian talent. We believe all of us have stories that need to be told and need to be embraced,” Yeoh said in an interview with NBC.
1. What is Everything Everywhere All at Once?| A．A book. | B．An actress. | C．A film. | D．An award. |
| A．Her friend. | B．Her mother. | C．Her superhero. | D．Her teacher. |
| A．A news report. | B．A business report. | C．A science magazine. | D．A research plan. |
6 . If dropping two studio albums within five months in 2020 wasn't enough of a surprise, American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift is now serving her fans a third one. Fearless (Taylor's Version), released on April 9th, is a remake of her 2008 country album Fearless, which follows in the wake of the singer's contract battle with her former label Big Machines back in 2019. Upon its release, the album sold 205,000 digital copies in China in less than five minutes and instantly topped the charts on Chinese song streaming platforms, including QQ Music and NetEase Music.
The re-recorded Fearless, a composition of 19 tracks from the songwriter's original album and 6 additional “From the Vault" songs, represents a retrieval of her past memories and love stories. The same brisk (轻快的)and bright lyrics and melodies are presented in a mellower (醇 美的)and warmer voice and have received tons of praise and celebration among Chinese Swifties-the nickname for Taylor's fans in the country.
“A break with the past to start all over again-that needs good faith and a strong heart,” read one comment on Tencent's QQ Music. “So dulcet and ear-catching. If you missed the 19-year-old Taylor, the 31-year-old Taylor will guide you to begin again,” a fan declared boisterously in NetEase Music's comments section.
Taylor Swift has now taken the crown as the best-selling artist of all time on major Chinese music streaming platforms, with her studio recordings earning more than a combined 159 million RMB ($24.3 million) as of April 14, outselling many famous Chinese singers including Jay Chou, Lay Zhang, and Li Yuchun.
The American singer's huge success in China is derived from her never — go — out — of — style artistry and inexhaustible creativity, while also being a product of her enormous fan base, which has succeeded with China's booming music industry. Taylor boasts about 10 million followers on China's Weibo, a microblogging platform, and has more than 9.3 million and 4.9 million followers on QQ Music and NetEase Music, respectively. Apart from their frequent trending on social media platforms, her songs have also repeatedly appeared in music competition shows and in the promos （预告片）for popular films, such as Detective Chinatown, a Chinese comedy-mystery series.
1. What can we learn about Fearless released on April 9th?| A．It's a 2008 country album. |
| B．It's labelled Big Machines. |
| C．It's a composition of 19 songs. |
| D．It's an album of 25 songs. |
| A．Fashionable. | B．Productive. |
| C．Creative. | D．Determined. |
| A．They are full of artistry and creativity. |
| B．They are dulcet and ear-catching. |
| C．They have brisk and bright melodies. |
| D．They are popular in Weibo platform. |
| A．Taylor took part in the music competition in China. |
| B．Taylor's fans made China's boom music industry. |
| C．Taylor benefits from China's music industry. |
| D．Taylor starred in Detective Chinatown, |
7 . If you’re looking for someone to make a realistic, three-dimensional (3D) portrait of your pet cat using felted wool, you’ll have a tough time finding someone better than Wakuneco, a Japanese artist who started creating needle felt art back in 2015. Using different colored wool, this artist creates life-like cat portraits. Just have a look at what she can do with a needle and wool thread.
Looking at some of the cat portraits created by the talented Japanese artist, it’s hard to believe they are made of felted wool and not taxidermy (动物标本剥制术) masterpieces. To achieve this level of realism, which translates as “frame cat”, Wakuneco spends hours on end poking wool with a needle to create solid layers that imitate cat fur, applying realistic glass eyes and finally adding the whiskers. After everything is just as she wants, the 3D portrait is framed and sent to the owner who ordered it.
Losing a beloved pet is never easy, but Wakuneco’s realistic cat portraits — made using photographs of real cats as a reference — help owners deal with their loss. And while not all of her customers are owners looking for something special to remember their pets, many of her portraits are ordered as a means of copying.
Wakuneco currently offers her amazing wool felting skills through Yahoo Auctions, but only to Japanese customers. However, after photos of her amazingly detailed portraits spread quickly online, she did express her intention to start taking international orders in the near future. In the meantime, you can admire her amazing creations on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, and watch videos of the creative process on YouTube.
For more amazing felted wool artworks, check out the creations of Gardenia Miru and Terumi Ohta, two other very talented Japanese artists, as well as the felted wool animal portraits of Dani Ives.
1. What does the author mean by saying the underlined sentence in Paragraph 1?| A．No one can do better than Wakuneco. |
| B．Wakuneco is too busy to be visited or invited. |
| C．It’s hard for you to get along well with Wakuneco. |
| D．You’ll find many other skillful persons like Wakuneco. |
| A．They’re widely considered as taxidermy masterpieces. |
| B．Their eyes are made of felted wool in most cases. |
| C．They’re made by modeling the pictures of authentic cats. |
| D．Their fur is taken from animals no longer alive. |
| A．Dani Ives’s wool animal portraits are gaining in popularity. |
| B．Only the Japanese can buy Wakuneco’s artworks for the time being. |
| C．Wakuneco decided to show her creative process on Twitter. |
| D．Wakuneco is unsure about selling her artworks internationally. |
| A．3D Technology Used in Art. |
| B．Four Talented Japanese Artists. |
| C．Needle Felting: An Art in Danger. |
| D．Wakuneco’s Realistic 3D Cat Portraits. |
