1 . Music is universal. Take a moment to think about what music you like as you read our beginner’s guide to the history of music.
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages, which ranges from the 6th century to the 16th century, featured medieval (中世纪的) music. During this time, there were two general types of music styles-the monophonic and the polyphonic. The main forms of music included Gregorian chanting and plainchant.
Classical Period
The music forms and styles of the Classical period, which ranges from 1750 to 1820, are characterized by simpler melodies (旋律) and forms like the sonatas. During this time, the middle class had more access to music. So composers began to create music that was easier to understand. Most especially, Mozart wrote his first symphony and Beethoven was born during this period.
Romantic Period
Historiographers define the Romantic music period to be from 1800 to 1900. Music forms of the Romantic period used music to tell a story or express an idea. Various instruments including wind instruments were used. Instruments that were invented or improved during this time included the flute and the saxophone.
The 20th Century
Music during the 20th century brought about many innovations on how music was performed and appreciated. Artists were more willing to experiment with new music forms and used technology to improve their compositions. The 20th century music has various styles.
1. In which period can Mozart’s composition be found?| A．Middle Ages. | B．Classical period. |
| C．Romantic period. | D．The 20th century. |
| A．It had a history of 70 years. |
| B．Musicians only used wind instruments. |
| C．Music was related to a story or an idea. |
| D．It was harder to understand the music forms during this period. |
| A．By inventing new instruments. | B．By practicing new music styles. |
| C．By writing complex compositions. | D．By studying advanced technology. |
2 . Skiing has been around since early civilization, evidenced by a 5,000-year-old rock carving representing men on skis hunting deer in Norway, and the discovery of a ski dating back to 6000 B.C. found in Vis, Russia. Historians debate where skiing first got its start, though; some argue that it was in Altay, China, in 8000 B.C.
Modern skiing, however, can date back to the Scandinavians, who mainly used skis as a means of travel or for other practical purposes, particularly the Indigenous Sámi people in Norway, Finland, and Sweden, writes Raymond Flower in The History of Skiing and Other Winter Sports. Norse myths (挪威神话) even described Ull, a winter god, on skis with curved tips and included other stories of heroes and goddesses skiing down mountains.
Some of the first official competitions began around 1850 in Norway, with the first recorded race in Sweden held outside Stockholm in 1879. Skiing became a household word with the publication of the popular book offering a thrilling account of Norwegian explorer Fridtjof Nansen’s difficult and historic journey on skis across Greenland in 1888.
The sport spread to the Swiss Alps, where it was enjoyed largely by British vacationers, before clubs popped up around the world in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Variations of the sport developed over the years, such as the slalom race (障碍滑雪), downhill jumping, and mountaineering. The British are largely credited with transforming skiing from its Scandinavian roots into the highly competitive sport it is now. In 1921, they developed rules that became widely accepted and adjusted the slalom race to include flag gates to test the skill of skiers’ turns.
Skiing then exploded in popularity after World War II, when ski resorts (胜地) gradually developed to receive single-day skiers as well as those taking longer vacations.
1. What can we learn about Raymond Flower?| A．He wrote about skiing. | B．He invented skiing. |
| C．He recorded Norse myths. | D．He was good at rock carving. |
| A．Some official competitions were held. | B．The British spread it all over the world. |
| C．It was written in the textbook on history. | D．An adventure book about skiing came out. |
| A．The Swiss. | B．The British. | C．The Norse. | D．The Finn. |
| A．How Did Skiing Develop in Norway? | B．Why Did People Kill Time by Skiing? |
| C．What Are Skiing Adventures All About? | D．What Are the Ancient Origins of Skiing? |
3 . The Silk Road is a name given to the many trade routes that connected Europe and the Mediterranean（地中海）with the Asian world. The route is over 6,500 km long and got its name because the early Chinese traded silk along it. Although silk was the main trading item, there were many other goods that travelled along the Silk Road between Eastern Asia and Europe. In the course of time, medicine, perfumes, spices and livestock（家畜）found their way between continents.
The Chinese learned to make silk thousands of years ago. For a long time they were the only ones who knew how to make this precious material. Only the emperor, his family and his highest advisers were allowed to wear clothes made of silk. For a long time the Chinese guarded this secret very carefully. The ancient Romans were the first Europeans who became aware of this wonderful material. Trading started, often with Indians as middlemen（中间人）who traded silk with the Chinese in exchange for gold and silver which they got from the Romans.
Travelling along the route was dangerous. The hot desert, high mountains and sandstorms made traveling a rough business. Most of the goods along the Silk Road were carried by caravans（商队）. Traders sometimes brought goods from one destination on the silk Road to another, from where the goods would be transported by someone else. Over the centuries people settled along the ancient route and many cities emerged. Later on there were fewer hardships to overcome, but by no means was it easy.
Religion, languages and diseases also spread along the Silk Road. Buddhism, which originated in India, spread to China along this route. European traders probably brought the plague from Asia to Europe along the ancient road.
In the early Middle Ages, traffic along the route decreased because of the decline of the Roman Empire. Trading along the Silk Road became stronger again between the 13th and 14th centuries, when the Mongols controlled central Asia. During the Age of Exploration the Silk Road lost its importance because new sea routes to Asia were discovered.
1. What do we know about the Silk Road?| A．It refers to many trade routes. |
| B．It was named because the ancient Arabians traded silk along it. |
| C．Silk was the only trading item on it. |
| D．Travelling along the Silk Road was easy and safe. |
| A．Summarize the previous paragraph. |
| B．Add some background information. |
| C．Introduce a new topic for discussion. |
| D．Summarize the following paragraphs. |
① new cities ② religions ③ languages ④ diseases ⑤ science and technology
| A．①②③⑤ | B．②③④⑤ |
| C．①③④⑤ | D．①②③④ |
| A．The Silk Road | B．Decline of the Silk Road |
| C．Dangerous Trade Travelling | D．Renaissance（复兴）of the Silk Road |
4 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当单词或括号内单词的正确形式。
Chinese architecture is a style that has taken shape in East Asia over many centuries. The structural principles of Chinese architecture have remained largely
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