1 . Directions: After reading the passage below, fill in the blanks to make the passage coherent and grammatically correct. For the blanks with a given word, fill in each blank with the proper form of the given word; for the other blanks, use one word that best fits each blank.

Bob Dylan wins 2016 Nobel Prize in Literature

US music legend Bob Dylan won the Nobel Literature Prize on Thursday, the first songwriter to win the prestigious award in a decision     1     surprised prize watchers.

The 75-year-old Dylan —best known for tunes like “Blowin’ in the Wind” and “Like a Rolling Stone”     2     (honor) “for having created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition”, the Swedish Academy said.

The choice was met by gasps and a long round of applause from reporters     3     (attend) the prize announcement. The folk singer has been mentioned in Nobel speculation in the past few years,     4     he was never seen as a serious competitor.

“Dylan has the status of     5     important symbol. His influence on contemporary music is profound,” the academy wrote in biographical notes about the famously private singer.

The Nobel is the latest award for the singer, who has come a long way from his humble beginnings as Robert Allen Zimmerman, born in 1941 in Duluth, Minnesota, and who taught     6     to play the harmonica, guitar and piano.

Initially     7     (encourage) by the music of folk singer Woody Guthrie, Robert Allen changed his name to Bob Dylan and began performing in local nightclubs.

    8     dropping out of college, he moved to New York in 1960. His     9     (early) album contained only two original songs, but the 1963 breakthrough The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan featured a number of his own songs,     10     (include) the classic Blowin’ in the Wind.

2 .

15 TH OCT 2023 CULTURE Gazelle Twin, a composer, producer, and musician, opens up about being a conceptual artist and establishing a unique identity ahead of the release of her new album (专辑), Black Dog. Q: Would you describe your music as conceptual? A: Conceptual is a good term. I don’t make music just for the sake of making music. My records are inspired by themes. I spend a considerable amount of time before writing the music, learning about subjects related to the theme. Then I work on the structure of the album. Ideas can change. For example, Black Dog was originally about ghosts (幽灵), but I ended up with an album about my childhood experiences, through to adulthood and parenthood, and the anxiety and fear that has been with me during that time. Q: Throughout the album, there is a sense of an observer. Is that person yourself, or another presence? A: Both. There is the voice of depression and anxiety, and also this other person you know is always there. I thought of having this ominous presence (不祥之兆) around you. There is also that sense of being out in the world, as a woman, aware of my vulnerability (脆弱). For example, just going for a walk is never simple. We have to build protective instincts around ourselves. Q: When you started out, did you have any idea of the kind of artist you wanted to be? A: I knew I didn’t want to fit a fixed style or be restricted by being female. I wanted to be flexible. I like to think in scale and of more than I can achieve as one person. I like artists with unique identities. Q: What would be your advice to anyone with ambitions to become a musician? A: Follow your instincts. Put yourself out there without pressure to be “finished”. Absorb things, experiment, and allow yourself to follow a journey where you don’t know where you will end up. Being successful commercially takes a team and time. You have to love it and be in it for the long journey. Q: Fast forward ten years, where do you want to be? A: I would love to carry on following my instincts and making albums. I would like more of a collection of TV and film scores because I enjoy writing scores and cooperative work.

1. Why is Gazelle Twin’s music conceptual?

A．Her records are usually about ghosts.	B．The album’s structure is a top priority.
C．The word “conceptual” itself is attractive.	D．Her music is highly motivated by themes.

2. In the second part of the interview, “this other person” most likely represents __________.

A．spiritual growth	B．vivid imagination
C．inner self-awareness	D．external intervention

3. Which of the following can be inferred from Gazelle Twin’s response in the interview?

A．She tends to take the bigger picture into account.

B．Her future planning is profit-driven to some extent.

C．Black Dog has already become a hit album worldwide.

D．She expresses willingness to help the potential musicians.

3 . To the music of Verdi’s Ave Maria, Bulgarian-born soprano Raina Kabaivanska opened the funeral service for her longtime friend and colleague Luciano Pavarotti in the cathedral of Modena. Archbishop Benito Cocchi read a message of condolence from Pope Benedict. In it, the pope said Pavarotti had “honored the divine gift of music through his extraordinary interpretative talent.”

Pavarotti’s white maple casket was covered in sunflowers-his favorite-and laid before the altar. Since his death on Thursday, some 100,000 people of all ages have filed past his coffin in the cathedral, paying last respects to the maestro. Music resounded throughout the service. Tenor Andrea Bocelli sang Mozart’s “Ave Verum Corpus.” Family members, close friends as well as dignitaries and celebrities attended the invitation-only service. Among those attending were Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi, former U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan, U2 lead singer Bono, and film director Franco Zeffirelli.

Across Italy, admirers watched the service live on television, and thousands of ordinary citizens gathered in the square outside the cathedral and followed the service on a giant screen. One admirer outside the church said Pavarotti would never die. He’s said he is convinced that Pavarotti is not dead because he will continue to live with his voice, with his songs, and he will always remain in our hearts.

Applause broke out as the casket was carried outside the church as loudspeakers amplified a recording of Pavarotti singing arias by Verdi.

As a special honor for a man of humble origins who became Italy’s greatest cultural ambassador, an air force team flew over the cathedral, streaking the sky in the white, red and green colors of the Italian flag.

1. The music played throughout the service was sung by         .

A．Raina Kabaivanska	B．Tenor Andrea Bocelli
C．Bono	D．Verdi

2. All attended Pavarotti’s funeral service except         .

A．People of all ages filing past his coffin in the cathedral.

B．family members and close friends of Pavarotti.

C．Italian Prime Minister and former U.N Secretary General.

D．dignitaries and celebrities invited.

3. Which of the following sentences is Not True?

A．Pavarotti is Italy’s greatest cultural ambassador with extraordinary talent.

B．Pavarotti will always remain in the heart of his admirers across the country.

C．Tenor Andrea Bocelli attended Pavarotti’s funeral solemnly and respectfully.

D．To show people’s respect, the funeral was completed with an air force gun salute.

4 . Directions: After reading the passage below, fill in the blanks to make the passage coherent and grammatically correct. For the blanks with a given word, fill in each blank with the proper form of the given word; for the other blanks, use one word that best fits each blank.

The Great Voice Actor

Since the creation of animated (动画的) motion pictures, the use of actors supplying voices     1    (be) invaluable. Behind every famous cartoon character’s personality is the actor standing in the recording booth and     2     (stretch) their manner of speaking in unrecognizable ways. For some of these performers, the voices they’ve provided have far surpassed them as people in both recognizability and adoration.

Mel Blanc, known as “The Man of Thousand Voices”,     3     (regard) as the most prolific actor to ever work in Hollywood with over a thousand screen credits. He developed and performed nearly 400 distinct character voices. Whether in legendary shorts or lesser-known commercials, Mel Blanc walked so the voice actors of today     4     run.

Mel Blanc lent his voice to many classic characters, but the one he is best known for is Bugs Bunny. There is little that can be said about Bugs’ impact     5     hasn’t already been said for decades. The character is     6     helped launch Warner Bros. animation into the mainstream. Bugs was even the face of Warner Bros. Family Entertainment, appearing at the beginning of many films.     7     a character may not talk, that doesn’t mean a fair bit of voice acting isn’t involved. Mel provided the various noises of the beloved pet dinosaur, Dino, in The Flintstones. While obviously not as quotable as his caveman companions, every fan knows the excited bark of Dino when he sees his master, Fred, arrive home. In January 1961, at the age of 52, Blanc was severely injured in a car accident and had to tape his part at home with a microphone     8     (suspend) over his bed.

Mel Blanc paved the way for voice acting as a true art, though it’s a skill that often goes unrecognized when praise is focused on movies and TV. The characters we all love wouldn’t be where they are in the public eye without     9     who put a voice to them. Many recognizable or popular voice actors of our modern era have Blanc     10     (thank) for their start, and hope to reach his level of unmatched expertise at bringing countless characters to life the way no one else can.

5 . 选词填空

A. exactly       B. requires       C. forced       D. perfectly       E. comfort F. rush       G. released       H. as       I. relates       J. asked             K.including

When Michael Wong was young, he was sensitive and shy. It was a huge task for him to talk to a stranger or go downstairs to the shops. But he found     1     through playing the piano.

Recently, the Malaysian piano star    2     his latest album “Never Apart”. It’s made up of ten catchysongs    3     the title song with the same name. Never Apart tells the story of a couple who are    4     to separate for a while, but they still cherish the beautiful memories they had.

“Music sounds better when it    5    to true feelings” he says

Now, Michael has grown, up to be one of the most popular singers in Taiwan. His slow love songs including First Time and Fairytale are hits with heartbroken young people.

Over the years, he has become bolder and learnt to voice opinions in his music. Once, he was    6     to sing a song someone else wrote. But he didn’t like the song lyrics, so he argued they should be changed. “If I broke up with someone, I don’t think I would have reacted in the same way    7     the story in the song,” he said. “I want to tell people     8     how I will behave. And it works.” He says the song sounds better when he can sing it his own way.

Michael is often called the piano prince. He’s elegant when he plays and sings along. “When I play, inspirations    9     to me like continuous streams. It     10    no effort.” But he still works hard to make his songs appealing. “I’ll go over every tiny detail to make the song worth listening to.”

6 . 听下面一段独白，回答以下对话。1.

A．He like music and travelling when he was little.

B．He became famous and rich very soon.

C．He played music a lot even at his early childhood.

D．He learned music from other classical musicians.

2.

A．He was engaged as a court musician in Salzburg.

B．He composed a lot and earned a lot of money.

C．He predicted his own death by composing Requiem.

D．He reached the peak of his career.

3.

A．A brief biography of Mozart.

B．How did Mozart compose music.

C．Mozart and classical music.

D．The influence of western music on Mozart.

7 . Zhang Daqian was born in 1899 in Sichuan province. Brought up in an artistic family, Zhang was first taught to paint by his mother and older siblings. He went on to copy as many masterpieces as he could set his eyes on, and was especially influenced by the individualistic masters Shitao (石涛) and Bada Shanren (八大山人). In the early 1940s, Zhang spent two years studying the Buddhist mural paintings at Dunhuang, which proved to be a crucial experience in his artistic development.

In particular, Zhang’s works are noteworthy for the many painting styles that he mastered, from highly meticulous (注意细节的) and detailed portraits to bold and expressive splashed-ink landscapes (泼墨风景画). While he was highly innovative as he developed his own unique style, he always ensured that his art was firmly rooted in Chinese tradition. As is usually the case with ink artists, his later works, especially his vibrant splashed-ink landscapes, are the most sought after.

Zhang mastered the art of painting “from heart to hand” late in his life. In 1971, he selected this particular phrase to carve into a seal (印章). The phrase probably conveyed a twofold message. First, it was Zhang’s proud claim that he had developed a stylistic versatility (多才多艺) for depicting the endless variations of the natural world. He acquired this ability by imitating the works of previous masters, which led to a grand combination of historical styles in his art. He also enriched his personal experience with his extensive travel and enhanced his artistic vocabulary in order to capture the beauty of the world. Second, the phrase communicates Zhang’s belief that an artist should follow his heart to convey their “spirit resonance (气韵生动),” a historical principle in judging the beauty of Chinese painting. Before applying his brush to paper, Zhang had already conceived (构思) the forms he wanted to depict and the inspiration he wished to convey through the painting. He would be fully aware of the most effective means by which to inspire awe and wonder in his audience.

Blessed with a long life—he was 83 when he died in 1983—and filled with an enormous amount of passion and energy for life, the artist produced a huge number of paintings over his lifetime. He is estimated to have completed an average of about 500 per year.

In 2011, Zhang became not only the most popular Chinese artist at auction but the best-selling artist in the world as well, surpassing Pablo Picasso. And demand for his works has remained high since then.

1. What does Paragraph 2 mainly talk about?

A．The characteristics of Zhang Daqian’s art.

B．The most sought-after works by Zhang Daqian.

C．Where Zhang Daqian got inspiration for his paintings.

D．The reason why Zhang Daqian’s artworks are so popular.

2. Based on information from Paragraph 3, what does the phrase “from heart to hand” refer to?
①How Zhang Daqian became aware of the most effective means to inspire his audience.
②How Zhang Daqian was able to put what he wanted on the canvas without thinking about it.
③How Zhang Daqian learned to freely convey the principle of “spirit resonance” through his approach to painting.
④How Zhang Daqian was able to depict the endless variations of the natural world using a combination of different styles.

A．①②

B．①③

C．②③

D．③④

3. According to the article, Zhang Daqian’s artistic style was mainly influenced by ____________.
①the beauty of the natural world
②the Buddhist mural paintings at Dunhuang
③masters in the likes of Shitao and Bada Shanren
④the rich nature of his travels and personal experiences

A．①②③

B．①②④

C．②③④

D．①②③④

8 . 听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。1.

A．Always happy and easy.

B．Always rich and relaxed.

C．Always hard and relaxed.

D．Always hard and tired.

2.

A．A pop singer is somewhat afraid of meeting his fans.

B．A pop singer is free to see his fans.

C．The pop singers become famous easily.

D．The pop singers can’t save any money.

3.

A．To show off his wealth to his fans.

B．To keep himself smart and different.

C．To advertise the clothes in business.

D．To make his fame bigger.

9 . Directions: Fill in each blank with a proper word chosen from the box. Each word can be used only once. Note that there is one word more than you need.

A. lonely       B. convey       C. touches       D. inconvenience       E. widely       F. accompanying G. composition       H. captures       I. abandon       J. sensory       K. wearing

An Innovative Painter

Alan is a pioneering painter, working with oil paint on canvas in a traditional way. It is only in his use of paint that he differs from the usual practice of using brushes.

Although he does use a brush to draw the main lines of his     1    , he uses painting knives to apply the paint. Early on he found that paint laid on with painting knives gave him the particular body and texture (质地) he wanted to     2     his subjects. The knife is capable of an enormous variety of marks, from delicate     3     to fierce sweeping and slices of paint. The knife’s sharp edged marks create their own dynamic of light and shade. Alan possesses many painting knives of different sizes, but tends to favour three or four, which are now     4    thin with constant use. He is still discovering new possibilities with the knife, driven by the demands of a new subject. Although Alan’s paintings are made in the studio, they are all composed from drawings made outdoors. These drawings are the seed corn on which all his paintings are based. The marks that go down on paper make sure he     5    not just the actual scene but also the changing light, the direction of the wind and the     6     sounds and smells. For the painter, the whole     7     experience remains fixed within the drawing long after he has left the scene.

Throughout his life Alan has travelled     8    for particular places that fuel his creative imagination. He is an adventurous seeker, regardless of the     9     or difficulty of some of the locations. Long ago he decided to     10    the idea of working on large oil paintings out of doors because it involved canvases, oil paints and many other tools around. He now travels light, taking only sketchbooks, pens and a few watercolours with him. This gives him the freedom to draw anywhere and to catch the fleeting moment — the “here-and-now-ness” of the place.

10 . “The arrow shot is so straight that it hits the bull’s eye, the young people will have good luck…” Dargye sang as he worked on his handmade bag.

Dargye, 56, an artist who excels at traditional craftsmanship and Tibetan folk music in Drinba village in Dragyib district, Nyingchi, Tibet autonomous region, remembers many folk songs he learned from his father and uncle. Now, it’s his turn to pass them on.

“I have liked traditional songs and dances since I was a child,” said Dargye, who has four apprentices (学徒).“The songs tell the histories of our ancestors and carry our unique culture, and-it’s always a lot of fun to perform these traditional songs and dances at various gatherings.” The song topics vary from archery, love, to labor and praise for the land. In addition to teaching these songs to/his family members and apprentices, he also uses social media platforms such as WeChat to teach songs.

His daughter, Chok Butri, also admires the folk culture. After posting a video of her daughter, Tsering Kyi, dancing on Douyin, she gained a lot of new fans on the popular short-video platform. “We are modern people living in a modern era, so it’s important and our responsibility that we use modern tools to pass on our traditional culture to make it last forever.” said Chok Butri, adding that she often posts songs and dances on WeChat and Douyin.

Dargye and his fellow villagers also recreate songs, adding modern elements such as aircraft and trains to the lyrics. Besides singing and dancing, Dargye makes handicrafts decorated with Tibetan cultural elements, including various hide and hair ropes, bags made of leather and cloth, and knife sheaths.

The local government encourages villagers to inherit (继承) and develop folk songs and other forms of traditional culture. Dargye’s efforts to preserve folk culture have been acknowledged by the government. In 2014, he was chosen as a county-level intangible (无形的) cultural inheritor and receives funds every year.

1. Why does Dargye want to pass the culture on?

A．He wants to satisfy his interest.	B．He wants to learn from the seniors.
C．He wants to bring people fun.	D．He wants to inherit and develop it.

2. What is the author’s purpose in mentioning Dargye’s daughter?

A．To show folk music’s effect on her.	B．To stress Dargye’s influence on her.
C．To emphasize her love for folk culture.	D．To reveal the popularity of folk culture online.

3. Which of the following best describes Dargye?

A．Ambitious and honest.	B．Talented and curious.
C．Devoted and creative.	D．Generous and determined.

4. What can be a suitable title for the text?

A．All efforts to preserve culture pay off

B．Craftsman carries tunes to preserve culture

C．An artist prefers traditional songs and dances

D．Tibetan culture is being protected and passed on