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 . 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. |
3 . New England holds some special museums. They are devoted largely or entirely to the work of just one person. And they are the artists’ birthplaces or onetime homes. Here are four examples of such museums.
Cyrus E. Dallin Art Museum
The name Cyrus E. Dallin (1861-1944) might not be familiar, but several of the artist’s sculptures (雕塑) are, especially those related to Native Americans. A good example is his “Appeal to the Great Spirit” standing in front of the Museum of Fine Arts. Born in Utah, he lived in Arlington for the final four decades of his life. The museum is in the Jefferson Cutter House, an 1830 Greek styled building.
Norman Rockwell Museum
Rockwell (1894-1978) was America’s well-known artist. The museum, founded in 1969, moved into its present location, Robert A.M. Stern-designed building in 1993. Its 998 paintings and drawings are the largest single collection of Rockwell's artworks.
Kids 16 and under: free; adults: $20; the old: at a 10% discount (折扣)
Edward Gorey House
Edward Gorey (1925-2000) was an artist, but he was also an author and clothes designer. Gorey bought this 18th-century house in 1979 and lived there for the rest of his life. Edward Gorey House is also known as the Elephant House. Gorey had respect for animals. The activities of the house, from art education to exhibits, show Gorey's support of animal well-being.
Gibert Stuart Birthplace and Museum
Gilbert Stuart (1755-1828) is responsible for what may well be the most familiar work of any American artist, His drawing of George is the basis of the first president’s portrait (画像) on the dollar. Stuart painted more than a thousand portraits throughout his life.
1. What do we know about Cyrus E. Dallin?| A．He built the Jefferson Cutter House. |
| B．He lived in Arlington for half a century. |
| C．He was best known for his Greek styled sculptures. |
| D．He created famous works related to Native Americans. |
| A．$36. | B．$40. | C．$60. | D．$72. |
| A．Edward Gorey House. | B．Norman Rockwell Museum. |
| C．Cyrus E. Dallin Art Museum. | D．Gilbert Stuart Birthplace and Museum. |
4 . Growing up in rural Jiangsu Province, Yu Jigao showed a strong interest in fine arts at an early age and studied on his own for years. His hard work paid off later. In the early 1950s, he made his way to Nanjing Normal University, where he learned painting theories and techniques from some famous artists. It was then that Yu found his lifelong artistic passion for gongbi. Gongbi paintings usually describe birds and flowers, symbols of beauty and joy, in an artistic way with intense color.
After graduation from the art school in 1957, Yu began his professional career at the Chinese Painting Institute of Jiangsu. He has since published a series of art collections. Since 1959, Yu has contributed a series of works to many important sites. Yu’s works have also been displayed in a range of national and international exhibitions. From 1986 to 1997, he held his exhibitions in such places as Beijing, Guangzhou and New York. Both the themes and artistic techniques have won widespread praise in the past years.
While observing traditional rules, he uses accurate lines, powerful brush movements as well as the interplay between dark and light to represent the harmony of nature. Though he adopts a realistic style, he tries to enrich his works with spiritual beauty through his brush. Yu says, “That feeling turns into the images of singing birds and elegant flowers in my paintings.” Thanks to his careful observation of nature and artistic sensitivity, Yu is able to combine realistic description with artistic expression in his brushwork.
Now as deputy director of the Academy of Chinese Gongbi Painting of Flowers and Birds and a national top-level artist, Yu maintains a simple and easy-going style. In addition to artistic creation, Yu has devoted himself to promoting his painting style as the cultural heritage of China. “Art is part of my life,” Yu says. “I am proud to be a flower-bird painter. I hope to create a bright future for it through my efforts.”
1. Where did Yu discover his love for gongbi?| A．In Beijing. | B．In New York. |
| C．At Nanjing Normal University. | D．At the Chinese Painting Institute of Jiangsu. |
| A．His school life. | B．His painting techniques. |
| C．His contributions to the art school. | D．His artistic achievements in painting. |
| A．Adopting abstract objects. |
| B．Excluding plants and animals. |
| C．Combining traditional rules with a realistic style. |
| D．Representing the imbalance between nature and humans. |
| A．It will change a lot. | B．It will be passed on. |
| C．It will look more complicated. | D．It will reach the top international level. |
An American musician, singer and songwriter Bruce Springsteen is one of the world’s most popular artists, with a career that covers 40 years. He is known for his poetic songs that deal with social and political issues, as well as personal subjects. His energetic live performances are also famous.
Springsteen’s childhood in a New Jersey working class family was a major influence on his music. He has never been shy about writing about the social and political issues. These issues were included in his album called Darkness on the Edge of Town. His music grew even darker in the 1982 album Nebraska. Those songs showed people pushed to the edge of poverty and criminal activity. Thirteen years later Springsteen released The Ghost of Tom Joad. The album was a direct discussion of issues like immigration, hunger and poverty. Then in 2012, in the album Wrecking Ball, Springsteen found people to blame for some of those social problems.
Springsteen also wrote about personal relationships. Brilliant Disguise is from the 1987 album Tunnel of Love. It’s basically a couple who are putting on disguises for each other because they don’t reveal their true selves.
Springsteen’s album company was thinking of terminating business with him after poor sales of his first two albums. But then Born to Run hit the stores and airwaves in 1975. It saved Springsteen’s career. The lyrics leave us the idea that maybe we never can actually get free from our pasts, from our home towns, and the like, but we have to give it a shot, and take our chance. It cost a lot of money to produce. Had it failed, we might not be talking about Bruce Springsteen today.
But we are talking about him, and listening to him. The musician’s ability to stay true to himself and to express the concerns of ordinary people is what has made him a living legend(传奇人物).
1. What is Bruce Springsteen famous for? (no more than 8 words)2. Which of Springsteen’s album is about immigration? (no more than 6 words)
3. What does the underlined word “terminating” in Paragraph 4 mean?(one word)
4. What made Springsteen a living legend?(no more than 12 words)
5. In your opinion, what qualities should be possessed to be a successful person? (no more than 15 words)
6 . There was once a man who penned comics(漫画) under the name Stan Lee. This man originally wished to leave comics behind and write serious literature. But he never made that career change.
Born Stanley Martin Lieber in 1922 in New York City, he has contributed more to the world than just a few fun stories. At 17, Lee began working as an assistant for the Timely comics group (today’s well-known Marvel Comics). Two years later he was given a chance to write for his first comic, “Captain America”. His skills in the business led him to become the comic-book division’s editor-in-chief until 1972.
After working with comics for many years, Lee became tired of the material he was told to write. For a long time, comic books were considered silly stories. The characters weren’t complex, and the dialogue was short and simple. Lee wanted more from his work.
The Fantastic Four was born after his wife asked, “Why don’t you write one book the way you would like to do it?” With that comic, Lee helped change comics from simple action stories to the complex narratives (叙述文) they are today. However, he still hasn’t done changing the industry.
In the early 1960s, Stan Lee and another writer created the Spider-Man character. In one edition of Spider-Man, Lee wrote a story in which the superhero’s friend almost dies from drug abuse. From the 1950s until 2011, comic publishers followed the rules given by the Comics Code Authority (CCA), who disapproved of drug use in comics.
But Lee published the comic without CCA’s agreement. The story sold, and there was a positive response to the story’s focus on a serious problem in society. The CCA ended up changing its rules to allow more inspirational stories like this.
From this victory, Lee went on to create more interesting and realistic characters that dealt with both super and real life problems.
1. The underlined part “that career” in Paragraph 1 refers to the job as _____.| A．a superhero | B．a comic actor |
| C．a comic book creator | D．a serious literature writer |
| A．In 1939. | B．In 1941. | C．In 1960. | D．In 1972. |
| A．Spider-Man was published. |
| B．Stan Lee left the comic industry. |
| C．Stan Lee’s wife began to work on comics. |
| D．The comics began to tell complex stories. |
| A．Spider-Man was created by Stan Lee himself. |
| B．Stan Lee likes to discuss social issues in his comics. |
| C．The story of Spider-Man came from Stan Lee’s friend. |
| D．The CCA has been carrying out rules without changing them. |
7 . Mozart was one of the greatest composers who ever lived. He was born in Salzburg, Austria, in 1756. Even when he was very young, Mozart loved music. His father, who was the leader of an orchestra, was very happy that his son was so interested in music. When Mozart was three years old, he learned to play the harpsichord, which is a kind of piano. Mozart began to compose music at the age of five, and his father took him to play in front of the kings and queens of Europe.
At one concert, one of the violinists was missing from the orchestra. Mozart picked up a violin and played the music without a mistake. Mozart’s father and the other players in the orchestra were surprised. Mozart had never been taught to play the violin! Mozart continued traveling around Europe with his father, who was his teacher in everything. He composed many pieces for the piano, the violin, and later for full orchestra.
Mozart could write down a piece of music even if he had heard it only once. One day, he went to hear a group of people singing in a big church in Rome. The song was very special. The church leader said that people could sing the song only once a year, and only in his church. No one else was allowed to have the music. Mozart listened to the song. Although it was very difficult and long, Mozart went back home and wrote down the whole piece from memory. The head of the church heard about this, and instead of being angry with Mozart, he gave him a prize. When Mozart grew up, people were not so interested in him. He worked as a teacher and pianist, but he did not make much money. In 1791, at the age of 35, he died. He was so poor that there was not enough money for him to have a proper grave. No one knows where he is buried.
1. The story is mainly about ________．| A．Mozart and his music |
| B．a leader of an orchestra |
| C．the life of a great composer |
| D．the head of a church in Rome |
| A．teaching him about music |
| B．giving him a violin to play with |
| C．sending him to a music school |
| D．giving him a lot of money |
| A．went to Rome | B．began to sing |
| C．began to compose music | D．played the harpsichord |
| A．he died poorly |
| B．he did not teach anyone |
| C．he did not know many famous people |
| D．he couldn’t play the piano or violin |
8 . After written art had to fight a tough battle for attraction during the first decade of social media, owing to a certain group of writers, it is now on a significant rise. How Instagram and Twitter have offered jumpstarts to careers of authors like Dean Cocozza sets a blueprint for thousands of ambitious writers.
Cocozza started writing lyrics for his music as a teenager. He immediately had to experience that translating art to social media is not as simple as posting whatever his pen put down.
“Anyone who uses the platform with an intent will quickly learn that you only have the glimpse of a moment to catch the viewer’s attention. So the work I shared shifted to be more to the point, often one-liners. Then stuff started to go viral.”
The success and demand for more poems resulted in his first book Zero Dark Thirty, which sold out quickly. Despite the book containing mostly short writings, even said one-liners, Cocozza emphasizes that he doesn’t write for social media. “It was a very personal project resulting from a certain period of time” in his life. There are much bigger things that he works on and plans to get involved in.
Dean Cocozza has brought back emotional depth. In-between monetized (货币化的) content, blatant (明目张胆的) advertising and “perfect lives”, social media holds a spot for a new generation of artists, including literature. Critical thinkers and authentic writers remind the app’s consumers of their emotional human nature. Art galleries and bookstores might have lost a big part of their audience to digital media — but the art itself will always find ways to survive.
1. What does the underlined word “it” in paragraph 1 refer to?| A．Written art. | B．A tough battle. | C．Social media. | D．A group of writers. |
| A．To earn a living. | B．To draw readers’ attention. |
| C．To protect his personal life. | D．To show emotional depth. |
| A．Works with emotional depth are widely accepted on social media. |
| B．People with perfect lives like social media better. |
| C．Art galleries and bookstores will soon disappear. |
| D．Arts of emotion depth still hold value on social media. |
| A．Positive. | B．Carefree. | C．Doubtful. | D．Disapproving. |
9 . Last summer, a video from Cardiff showed opera coach Mary King wet-eyed during the finals of BBC Cardiff Singer of the World.Who had moved her to tears? Mongolian baritone (男中音) Ariunbaatar Ganbaatar, towering, broad-shouldered, with a huge smile and a mighty voice, the 29-year-old sang Rossini,Verdi and Tchaikovsky and charmed everyone, including the judges, who declared him joint winner of the Song prize. “There was something so imposing about the sound,” King said. “Contained and glorious. It’s very unusual to find this combination of presence, power and effortlessness.”
Ariunbaatar doesn’t have a typical background for a contestant in one of the world’s most celebrated opera contests. He grew up in the traditional Mongolian way, living in circular tents with his nomadic (游牧的) family. As a child, he rode some 60 miles a day, and he was always singing. He won a place at university in Ulaanbaatar but dropped out after two years when he couldn’t pay the fees, became a taxi driver and one night got chatting to a customer who happened to be the chief of police. Long story short: he joined Ulaanbaatar’s police orchestra, worked his way back to university, then onwards to the grand opera houses of Russia and Europe.
That backstory aroused my curiosity — so much so that three months later I was on a flight to Ulaanbaatar with a radio producer and suitcase of audio equipment. I had the same basic knowledge many westerners share about Mongolia: Genghis Khan, Gobi desert, furry camels, wild horses, wonderful throat singers. My guidebook described a proud nation. “It is rude to turn down an offer of horse’s milk,” I read, “for it is considered a gesture of friendship.”
International wins have made Ariunbaatar famous at home. Politicians hope his career will secure Mongolia’s position on the opera map-portraying it as a modern nation. He says he has no intention to leave Mongolia. His family still travel on the plain, still ride on horseback, still packup their tents to follow new grasslands. “Being with them on the land is what gives me inspiration to sing.” he says. “Wherever I am, that is what I imagine when I sing.”
1. Ariunbaatar won the Song prize mainly because of| A．his command of different songs. |
| B．his charming appearance. |
| C．his unusual background. |
| D．his impressive sound. |
| A．He was admitted to a university for the first time. |
| B．He became a member of the police orchestra. |
| C．He moved Mary King and got the big prize. |
| D．He was raised in the traditional Mongolian way. |
| A．He cares little about fame. |
| B．He hopes to become better known. |
| C．He wants to give his family a better life. |
| D．He draws inspiration from the horses. |
| A．How Ariunbaatar became a famous star. |
| B．An introduction to an opera singer. |
| C．Why the author travelled to Mongolian. |
| D．A video about a celebrated opera contest. |
10 . Quick Talk
In the exciting thriller Baby Driver, the actor and DJ, Ansel Elgort, 23, plays a music-obsessed (对音乐着迷的) getaway driver trying to escape from a life of crime.
Your character gets turned on to new music from iPods he finds in stolen cars. Who has influenced your taste?
Eve Beglarian, a composer (作曲家) and friend of my mother’s, made me my first iPod (playlist). One of the songs was Easy by the Commodores. The auditions (试演) for Baby Driver weren’t going well, and director Edgar Wright said, “Do you know any songs that you know every word to?” I remembered Easy. He said, “When you’re ready, I want you to sing it.” He told me that that was what got me the role. I guess I have to thank Eve.
At times the movie plays like a very complex music video.
They filmed very rhythmically. If I wasn’t wearing earphones, I was wearing an earwig — like a radio, but it’s tiny and you can hear things in your ear. Whatever the audience hears, we heard while filming.
How much did you get to drive?
They only let me drive when no one else was in the car, so that wasn’t often. They didn’t want me to kill Jamie Foxx.
You’re known for your brave and confident fashion choices. When did you start caring about style?
I must have been in the sixth grade. I wore the same red Adidas sweatpants every day, a white T-shirt and blue shoes. I was like a cartoon character.
After young-adult films like The Fault in Our Stars and Divergent, were you eager to be in a more adult film?
I don’t look at The Fault in Our Stars as a teenage movie. I looked at it like, this is a great script (剧本) and a good character, and I was excited to do it. But of course I was looking forward to being part of a “real” movie. If it meant working with Kevin Spacey, Jamie Foxx and Jon Hamm, sign me up.
1. What helped Ansel get the role in Baby Driver?| A．Edgar’s suggestion. | B．Eve’s recommendation. |
| C．His excellence in driving. | D．His performance of a song. |
| A．He is pretty stylish. | B．He likes cartoon films. |
| C．He is a driving enthusiast. | D．He has starred in two films. |
| A．It’s encouraging. | B．It’s worth seeing. |
| C．There’s no film worse than it. | D．There’s room for improvement. |
