1 . Tod Morgan was born blind, mentally challenged, and autistic. So he couldn't see, he could not learn like other children, and he didn't interact with people very much. He did not seem to have much of a chance. Then, when he was two years old, he began to play little songs on his tiny toy piano. He could play perfectly some of the children's tunes he had heard.
Today, Tod works as a professional pianist. He plays jazz, Broadway songs, and classical pieces. After hearing a tune, he can imitate it almost perfectly the first time he plays it. He doesn't only imitate; Tod is creative too. He can change a classical piece to a jazz, a jazz to a polka, and a polka to a waltz. In addition to the p1ano, Tod plays 13 other instruments and also sings. Tod's list of musical heroes includes Louis Armstrong, Mozart, and Beethoven. How can this be? How can such a severely challenged person be so musically talented?
Tod has what is called “savant syndrome'' — a condition in which a mentally challenged person has a tightly developed talent of a specific kind. Savant syndrome is a mystery to medical researchers. One person who is studying savant syndrome is Dr. David Brighton. He says that he has never seen a musical savant like Tod. Most musical savants are limited to simply repeating tunes they hear. Dr. Brighton points out that Tod's ability to come up with his own tunes is a giant step beyond memorization.
As for Tod, after studying jazz piano at the Music School at Rivers in Massachusetts, he attended and graduated from the famous Berklee College of Music in Boston. Tod is encouraged by his parents as he performs all over the world, appearing on TV and radio shows.
1. What does the author mean by saying that Tod “did not seem to have much of a chance"?| A．Tod was not likely to be completely cured. |
| B．Tod's chances of success in life were small. |
| C．Tod's ability to learn music was very limited. |
| D．Tod would have few opportunities to meet others. |
| A．mentally disabled but specially gifted |
| B．socially inactive but musically talented |
| C．physically disabled but highly intelligent |
| D．psychologically challenged but physically gifted |
| A．His memory. | B．His creativity. |
| C．His sociability. | D．His learning speed. |
| A．Tod is a typical case of a serious disease. |
| B．Family support is vital to Tod's recovery. |
| C．Music connects Tod to the world around him. |
| D．Music education is a cure to the mentally disabled. |
2 . Szilajka Erzsebet is a Hungarian artist who turns ordinary pebbles into amazing works of art. The artist says she’s inspired by the pebbles’ shape, the richness of their patterns, and the beauty of nature. “I use all the pebbles in their original form shaped only by nature itself.” says Szilajka.
When Szilajka is creating her art, she lets her feelings shape the details. “This way the completed picture becomes dynamic in spite of the fact that the pebbles themselves play a static role in the work of art,” explains the artist. “It’s like a photo taken in the perfect time. It includes the movement, the feeling, the story which can be continued. This way there are not only pebbles in the pictures but invisible fingerprints and ‘soul-prints’ as well.”
When creating her art, Szilajka often relies on her customers’ ideas but uses her artistic freedom as well. “If I only listen to myself, I do think that the most essential elements in life stand on the simplest things,” says the artist. “For me, art is adding that little something extra to simple subject matters.”
The artist believes that the completed work of art is not only her own but a common creation of the artist and the receiver. “These two things together is pebble art,” explains Szilajka. “It only becomes a real work of art if it really means something to the receivers as they have the opportunity to add their own feelings and thoughts as well. Pebbles have no face, so anyone can enter and play a part in a pebble picture…”
1. What’s the feature of her work according to Szilajka?| A．It’s original and dynamic. | B．It’s creative and picturesque. |
| C．It’s imaginative and static. | D．It’s emotional and inspiring. |
| A．A pebble. | B．A pebble picture. | C．A photo. | D．Nature itself. |
| A．The inspiration of Szilajka’s creation. | B．The concept of Szilajka’s creation. |
| C．The significance of Szilajka’s creation. | D．The rewards of Szilajka’s creation. |
| A．A feature. | B．An argumentative essay. |
| C．A biography. | D．A personage introduction. |
3 . Rock and pop hitmaker Jim Steinman, who wrote and composed music for Meat Loaf, Bonnie Tyler, Celine Dion, and more, died Monday in Danbury, Connecticut. He was 73. Steinman's brother Bill confirmed that the cause of death was kidney (肾) failure.
A statement posted on Steinman's Facebook page read, “It's with a heavy heart that I can confirm Jim's passing. There will be much more to say in the coming hours and days as we prepare to honor this giant of a human being and his glorious legacy.”
Steinman's wholly unique career found him working as a composer, lyricist, and producer for many artists in a variety of styles. According to a biography on his website, the records he's worked on have sold more than 190 million copies worldwide. He was nominated (提名) for four Grammys, and won Album of the Year for his work on Dion's 1996 smash, Falling Into You.
Steinman began his career in a musical theater while in college, writing and starring in a rock musical called The Dream Engine, which gained the attention of New York theatrical producer Joe Papp. After graduating, Steinman worked at the Public Theater (which was established by Papp). In 1973, Yvonne Elliman recorded Steinman's song “Happy Ending”, which became Steinman's first commercially released tune. That same year, the Public Theater staged his musical More Than You Deserve.
One of the actors who auditioned for More Than You Deserve was Meat Loaf, and he and Steinman soon struck up a close personal and professional relationship. The two began working on Meat Loaf's solo album, Bat Out of Hell, in the early 70s, but it wouldn't be released until 1977. It wasn't until about one year later — after Meat Loaf performed on Saturday Night Live — that the album became a hit.
“There is no other songwriter ever like him,” Meat Loaf said. “I can never repay him. He has been such an influence, in fact, the biggest influence on my life, and I learned so much from him that there would be no way I could ever repay Mr. Jim Steinman.”
1. What caused Jim Steinman's death?| A．A hit on the head. | B．A kidney problem. |
| C．A failed operation. | D．A lack of blood supply. |
a. Meat Loaf performed on Saturday Night Live.
b. Jim released his first commercial tune Happy Ending.
c. Jim and Meat Loaf released the album Bat Out of Hell.
d. Jim starred in a rock musical called The Dream Engine.
e. Jim's musical More Than You Deserve was put on show.
f. Jim won Album of the Year for his work on Falling Into You.
| A．dbecaf | B．dbcfae |
| C．fdcaeb | D．fbceda |
| A．Because Jim was an extraordinary songwriter. |
| B．Because Jim allowed him not to repay his debt. |
| C．Because Jim was influential in the music industry. |
| D．Because Jim gave him friendship and career support. |
| A．He mainly focused his career on acting in musicals. |
| B．He is a well-known and widely respected musician. |
| C．His closest friends were Bill, Papp and Meat Loaf. |
| D．He won four Grammys in the course of his career. |
4 . There was a fine piece of carving stone material, but it was ruined by an unskilled sculptor. Mistakenly, he dug a hole on the part that was originally for the figure's leg. So this rare piece of marble （大理石）was abandoned in a church.
One day, someone called in Michelangelo. They believed only he was able to make use of this piece of marble. Michelangelo looked at the stone and concluded that he could carve out a beautiful figure as long as he got the design adjusted to hide the damaged part.
Michelangelo decided to carve the young David. One day, the mayor （市长）of the city entered the studio. He regarded himself as a carving expert and appreciated the work. He told Michelangelo that his work was a fantastic masterpiece, but the nose was too big.
Michelangelo knew the mayor was standing right below the statue, so his visual angle was incorrect. Without a word, he asked the mayor to climb up the platform following him to the nose position. He then picked up a tool and some small pieces of marble. Michelangelo began to carve gently with the tool and made the collected stone pieces in his hand drop bit by bit. In fact, he didn’t change the nose, but it seemed as if he did. After several minutes, he stood aside and said, “Now, have a look!"
The mayor answered, "This is better. You have made it true to life."
Everyone believes they are right. If you try to persuade others to change their grounds by words, the reasoning of your argument may fall on deaf ears. Learn to prove the correctness of ideas in an indirect way. Getting the support of others through your own actions will be more powerful. One can never win if he only relics on arguments.
1. Why was Michelangelo invited to make the sculpture?| A．The former sculptor broke the figure's leg. |
| B．He could design a young David for a church. |
| C．The mayor believed he could do a good job. |
| D．He could reuse the rare damaged material. |
| A．Dishonest. | B．Responsible. |
| C．Overconfident. | D．Intelligent. |
| A．Lifestyles. | B．Hobbies. |
| C．Opinions. | D．Floors. |
| A．A smart move is better than words. |
| B．Do what you say and say what you do. |
| C．Action is the proper fruit of knowledge. |
| D．From small beginning come great things. |
5 . Walk around the city of Ann Arbor, Michigan, and you may see a green animal named Sluggo and a flying pig named Philomena. You might even see street artist David Zinn drawing them using only sidewalk chalk and charcoal (炭笔).
At the age of 12, David began working as an artist. His dad was writing a computer instruction and worried that it would be boring to read. So he asked David to draw pictures of turtles (the name of the computer program) to explain it. The publisher liked his drawings, and soon David had the job of drawing more turtles in action. “I learned a great lesson, which was that, to make money as an artist, I couldn't always draw what I wanted,” he says. “I had to figure out how to draw a turtle drinking tea and other things like that.”
David worked for 20 years as a commercial (商业的) artist, but he often felt cooped up (禁锢) sitting at a computer for 10 hours a day. Then, on a sunny afternoon about ten years ago, he brought some chalk and started drawing on the sidewalk. That's when Sluggo came to life.
“One of the reasons I like to put art on the street is to take people by surprise,” he says. “I can have fun drawing, and knowing it will be washed away helps me not think too much. It frees me up.”
It takes David about two hours to complete one drawing. He uses a lot of sidewalk characteristics in his street art. It can be difficult to draw on surfaces that are not flat. He has to notice where shadows will land so they won't destroy the 3D drawings he creates.
Today, more and more people are accepting and looking for his work. David's artwork can also be found across the country and even throughout the world. Photos of his drawings have been shown at many universities and museums.
1. What did David learn from drawing turtles for his father?| A．Work hard. | B．Follow your heart. |
| C．Draw what you like. | D．Draw in a creative way. |
| A．Relaxed. | B．Worried. |
| C．Unhappy. | D．Surprised. |
| A．It shows his real life. |
| B．It is drawn on the flat sidewalk. |
| C．It needs a very long time to finish a drawing. |
| D．It is 3D street art created by simple painting tools. |
| A．They are becoming popular. |
| B．They are too difficult to understand. |
| C．They are found mainly at museums. |
| D．They are hardly accepted by adults. |
