A virtual choir was the idea of award-winning composer and
In a virtual choir you have the opportunity
2 . Rock and roll music developed in the United States in the early 1950’s. It was based on the music called rhythm and blues that was performed by African-American musicians.
Early rock and roll singers developed their own kinds of music. Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry, the Beach Boys, and Bob Dylan were the most popular rock and roll musicians in the early 1960’s. All were Americans. Then, in 1964, a new rock and roll group from Britain invaded America: the Beatles.
Some people say the Beatles’ music shook America like an earthquake. The Beatles changed rock and roll forever. Their early songs were influenced by American rock and roll musicians, including Chuck Berry. But the Beatles looked different and sounded different from any other musical groups before them.
The Beatles released their first album in the United States in 1964, when all of the top five records in America were by the Beatles. In 1967, they released an album called Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. It was one of the first “concept” albums. That is, all the songs were linked by a common story or idea.
The popularity of the Beatles led the way for more rock and roll bands from Britain to become popular in America. The Rolling Stones was the most important of these bands. The Rolling Stones is one of the few groups from the 1960’s that is still performing and recording today. In 1965, the group recorded one of its most famous songs, Satisfaction.
The musical instrument most linked to rock and roll is the guitar. Experts say Jimi Hendrix was one of the most influential guitar players in rock and roll during the late 1960’s. His Purple Haze was liked by many people.
By the 1970s, rock and roll music became known as rock music. It expanded into many new forms. For example, there were country rock, hard rock, acid rock, heavy metal rock, punk rock, jazz rock and glitter rock.
In the middle 1970s, experts said that rock music regained some of the energy of early rock and roll. Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band became popular with their album Born to Run. Springsteen’s music was like the lively rock and roll music of the early 1960’s. Many of his songs were about social issues. He sang about the effects of unemployment and the war in Vietnam.
1. The main topic of this passage is ________.| A．the history of American music | B．the development of rock and roll music |
| C．the famous rock and roll groups | D．the new forms of rock and roll music |
| A．The Beatles—Chuck Berry. | B．The Rolling Stones—Satisfaction. |
| C．Jimi Hendrix—Purple Haze. | D．Bruce Springsteen—Born to Run. |
| A．Elvis Presley’s. | B．Bob Dylan’s. |
| C．Jimi Hendrix’s. | D．Springsteen’s. |
| A．one of the Rolling Stones’ albums was called “concept” |
| B．the Beatles and the Rolling Stones became popular at the same time |
| C．rock and roll music had many different forms at the beginning |
| D．rock and roll music probably came from African-American music |
3 . Joshua Countryman, the Henry Sibley High School choir director, was invited by his school to make a video to cheer up sheltered-at-home students this spring. After asking the teachers in his school to record themselves singing Cyndi Lauper’s “True Colors,” Countryman turned the voices and videos into a virtual choir posted on YouTube.
Then he let his school choirs go virtual, too: not with just one song but with all 13 songs they had been practising for their spring performance. In the end, he created a special concert. “I don’t like to lose,” said Countryman. “To give up on a concert experience, to me, that felt like a loss. It was important that we could get a win.”
During the coronavirus pandemic (冠状病毒流行病), virtual choirs have been popping up all over Minnesota. Singers sing at home, with their voices and faces all edited together and shown in online videos. Colleges have made vitual choirchoir videos. Children’s Theatre made one of “Tomorrow” from the musical “Annie”, its postponed (推迟的) spring show.
“It was stressful at first. I overthought a lot of things,” said choir student Tamit Weldeyesus. “I probably had to record the first song 20 or 25 times, and I kept telling myself that this had to be perfect because if it was not, everyone could hear my mistake. It was a lot easier than I had expected.”
After spending half the spring conducting online classes and organizing the virtual choir concert, Countryman said, “The virtual choir creates an excellent opportunity to really make assessments (评价) for each student. Even if we go back to school every day, the virtual component (组成部分) is going to have to be important at least in my class because of that huge risk of increased virus transmission (病毒传播) in the choir.”
1. What did Countryman do for the high school where he works?| A．He composed a new song. | B．He made a video for the teachers. |
| C．He created a virtual choir concert. | D．He helped his students win a competition. |
| A．Musicians and colleges worked together to cheer up people. |
| B．Children’s Theatre put on the musical “Annie” online. |
| C．A new type of virtual music came into being. |
| D．Virtual choirs became statewide popular. |
| A．She is very humorous. | B．She tried to achieve perfection. |
| C．She knows herself very well. | D．She paid little attention to her mistakes. |
| A．It was a valuable teaching tool. | B．It sometimes wasted a lot of time. |
| C．It required great organizational abilities. | D．It was useful mainly during the pandemic. |
4 . Beethoven is one of the greatest musicians. He completed 722 musical works including 9 symphonies. Unfortunately, the musician died while still working on his 10th Symphony. Now, a team of musicians and scientists have used artificial intelligence (AI) to complete the artist’s final masterpiece.
Dr. Matthias Roder first came up with the idea to complete the composition. The director of the Karajan Institute in Austria thought it was an appropriate way to celebrate Beethoven’s 250th birthday. He began by enlisting an international team of experts in music, including music composer Walter Werzowa and Dr Ahmed Elgammal, the creator of an innovative AI technology for the art market.
Elgammal and his colleagues started the process by familiarizing the AI software with a broad range of classical music and then narrowing it down to just Beethoven’s work. Meanwhile, Werzowa and his group tried to decipher the rough sketches and the handful of notes that detailed Beethoven’s plans for the10th Symphony.
The team then fed the AI software musical notes from the unfinished composition. Since music is very structured and mathematical, AI can predict the next note accurately. However, it starts to deviate from the central theme after a few notes. To stay true to Beethoven’s original composition, Elgammal’s team sent Werzowa hundreds of AI-generated musical note variations every evening. Werzowa would listen to them and then select the one that he thought was closest to what the artist would have written. The AI team would add the music and rerun the software to generate the next suggestions. And piece by piece, the team was able to complete the 10th Symphony!
The composition delayed by a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic debuted in Beethoven’s birthplace of Bonn, Germany, on October 9, 2021. Not surprisingly, the AI-generated masterpiece is causing some controversy. Critics believe technology shouldn’t be used to replicate the human creative process. Elgammal and his team agree with their stance and say their AI software isn’t out to replace humans — it’s just a tool to help artists express themselves in new ways.
1. Why did Matthias Roder decide to complete Beethoven’s final composition?| A．To make Beethoven more famous. |
| B．To help realize Beethoven’s dream. |
| C．To get a better understanding of Beethoven’s work. |
| D．To mark the 250th anniversary of Beethoven’s birth. |
| A．They listened to hundreds of AI-generated musical notes. |
| B．They familiarized the AI software with Beethoven’s work. |
| C．They introduced the AI software to various kinds of classical music. |
| D．They fed the Al software musical notes from the unfinished symphony. |
| A．Perfect. | B．Copy. | C．Study | D．Destroy. |
| A．AI put extra notes to Beethoven’s 10th Symphony |
| B．AI technology was created for the art market |
| C．AI helped complete Beethoven’s unfinished symphony |
| D．AI enabled artists to express themselves in new ways |
5 . In the year 2017, the world lost many great musicians. Their deaths were felt over the world and country music star Keith Lionel Urban honored these musicians in a very special way. During a New Year’s Eve concert, Keith talked about all the greats that passed away and how some of them were music and life coaches or examples to him.That was when Keith decided to put together a mixture of songs from all of these artists.
At the concert, pictures of some of the most eminent people in the music industry appeared across the screen. As their pictures appeared, Keith sang the songs that the artists were best-known for. Each performance was truly moving, and the audience loved it. Instead of thinking it was a sad moment, everyone was able to think about how much joy these artists brought to the music industry.
Keith sang a few lines from songs by Chris Cornell, Gregg Allman, Chuck Berry, Don Williams, Glen Campbell and Troy Gentry. The audience cheered aloud whenever he changed from one song to another. It was amazing how smoothly he played through the different styles of music. It was a perfect interpretation (演绎) of his gift.
When he got to the final song, he invited his wife to join him on stage to dance and close out the night. Then his two daughters joined their parents. It was really an unforgettable performance.
Music truly has the ability to touch a special place in our hearts and even if we do not know these artists personally, their songs have meant a lot to many of us. I am sure those artists would have been so proud to hear him sing their music. It is a way to honor those late artists and celebrate the joy they brought to our lives!
1. Keith got the idea of honoring the great musicians when he ________.| A．saw their pictures at a concert | B．heard a song of a dead musician |
| C．knew their stories from his coaches | D．talked about their influence on him |
| A．Talented. | B．Outstanding. | C．Proud. | D．Modest. |
| A．It showed his musical talent. |
| B．It did not show his real style. |
| C．It made the audience feel sad about the musicians’ deaths. |
| D．It set a good example to other artists and musicians. |
| A．Chris Cornell | B．Elvis Presley | C．Troy Gentry | D．Chuck Berry |
6 . Since the age of three, Chelsie Hill had dreamed of becoming a dancer. “The only thing that I
Being normal for her meant dancing, so Hill did it in her wheelchair, which
Dancing on
Every year Hill holds a dance camp for wheelchair users of all generations and abilities, and last year, 173
| A．learnt | B．loved | C．made | D．received |
| A．impression | B．confusion | C．emotion | D．ambition |
| A．uneasy | B．unlikely | C．unable | D．unwilling |
| A．destroyed | B．changed | C．chosen | D．removed |
| A．Therefore | B．Besides | C．However | D．Moreover |
| A．Far from | B．But for | C．Far away | D．Except for |
| A．healthy | B．formal | C．normal | D．friendly |
| A．averagely | B．occasionally | C．eventually | D．definitely |
| A．Although | B．Because | C．Once | D．If |
| A．formed | B．led | C．found | D．represented |
| A．dreams | B．injuries | C．accidents | D．disabilities |
| A．break out | B．break down | C．turn out | D．turn down |
| A．running | B．dancing | C．rolling | D．jumping |
| A．wheels | B．ground | C．stages | D．feet |
| A．changed | B．controlled | C．knocked | D．folded |
| A．required | B．shown | C．designed | D．analyzed |
| A．movements | B．discussions | C．comments | D．reactions |
| A．infectious | B．glorious | C．precious | D．harmonious |
| A．students | B．participants | C．women | D．reporters |
| A．shared | B．accepted | C．desired | D．achieved |
7 . 4 Music Festivals in the UK 2022
All Points East
Festival lineup (阵容) (2021): Bombay Bicycle Club, London Grammar, Jorja Smith
After a successful debut (首次亮相) in 2018,the two-weekend festival has become a symbol of East London’s Victoria Park as it continues to take things to an even higher level.
When & where: August 2022; London
Glastonbury
Festival lineup(2022): Billie Eilish + more TBA (待宣布)
Since 1970, Glastonbury Festival has been one of the world’s most famous music and performing arts festivals. From rock, pop to techno, music-lovers find their spiritual fields down in Somerset.
When & where: 22nd-26th June 2022; Pilton
Southbound
Festival lineup(2021): The Manor, DJ Luck & MC Neat, Amine Edge DANCE, Problem Central, Artful Dodger
Welcome to Southbound! Beginning as a single-day music festival on 5th September 2021, Southbound is a new festival born for South London. Bringing together all the very best in UK dance music, from live acts on an excellent outdoor stage to DJs and MCs in huge big-top stages, this is going to be one of the highlights (最精彩的部分) of the summer.
When & where: 2022 Dates TBA; London
Field Day
Festival lineup (2021): Bicep, Floorplan, DJ Seinfeld, George FitzGerald
Now one of the capital’s most loved one-day music festivals in the summer, Field Day is organized by a collection of clubs and promoters from the London music scene with live performances and DJ sets that showcase house, techno, hip-hop and more 2022 will see Field Day its 15th anniversary (周年纪念日).
When & where: TBA 2022; London
1. Of the following music festivals, which has the shortest history?| A．Southbound. | B．Glastonbury. |
| C．All points East. | D．Field Day. |
| A．22nd August 2022 | B．5th September 2022 |
| C．24th June 2022 | D．15th July 2022 |
| A．Both had London Grammar in the lineup in 2021. |
| B．Both made their debut three years ago. |
| C．Both last just one day. |
| D．Both are held in London. |
1. Where did Suzie just come back from?
| A．Japan. | B．Holland. | C．Australia. |
| A．Ace. | B．Genesis. | C．UB40. |
| A．Keyboard. | B．Guitar. | C．Drums. |
| A．A painter | B．A waiter. | C．A musician. |
1. What kind of music does the woman like?
| A．Jazz. | B．Country music. | C．Rock-and-roll. |
| A．Carleton Carpenter. | B．John Denver. | C．Michael Jackson. |
注意：开头已给出，不计入总词数。
Music is playing an important part in our life
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