1. How often does the band come to perform in the park?
| A．Three times a year. | B．Once a year. | C．Every other year. |
| A．Country music. | B．Jazz. | C．Rock and roll. |
| A．Catch a bus. | B．Listen to a lecture. | C．Go to the library. |
2 . Music is arguably the most life-enriching academic subject.
Increase language capabilities
Music and language have a far-reaching relationship. Musical training stimulates the same part of the brain that deals with understanding language. Children who have some exposure to music al education will, therefore, have a greater understanding of tones and how different phrases are arranged.
Improve hand-eye coordination (协调)
Music is a great way for your child to meet new people and create lasting friendships. If they decide to take up music as an extracurricular (课外的) activity, they’ll be bonding with like-minded children who share their passion. In a time when children are increasingly interested in communicating online and focusing on digital skills, music is a refreshing return to face-to-face contact.
Bring about a sense of achievement
When your child does achieve a musical goal, they get the incredible satisfaction that comes from working hard to obtain something.
| A．Develop social skills |
| B．Encourage teamwork |
| C．In that sense, music is a great confidence builder |
| D．Hand-eye coordination is important in many sports |
| E．Learning an instrument to a high level is no easy task |
| F．It activates emotional responses and creativity like no other |
| G．It can be incredibly useful if your child is learning a second language |
3 . Helena Blumen, a cognitive (认知的) scientist, says the complicated mental multi-tasking that dancing requires engages various parts of the brain at the same time, leading to the strengthening of neural (神经系统的) connections across different regions.
Anyone who’s ever felt the irresistible urge to dance to a favorite song knows that combining music and movement can lift your mood and melt away stress. But there’s a lot more happening in your brain when you’re trying to follow even the easiest choreography (编舞).
To learn how the mechanisms of dancing work in the brain, researchers conducted MRI scans on older adults who engaged in either dance or a traditional exercise program over six months.
The researchers assume that these brain changes contribute to more neuroplasticity, the brain’s ability to form new connections and pathways.
| A．Moreover, dancing can help prevent brain injuries |
| B．In addition to the physical and neurological benefits |
| C．The effect extends beyond dancing to the real world |
| D．While both groups improved their level of physical fitness |
| E．Dancing might even help people with brain injuries and diseases |
| F．Imagine your brain is like a city with loads of roads and pathways |
| G．Basically, dancing requires more brain power than commonly believed |
4 . Ludwig van Beethoven was a German composer. In his twenties, he had been very famous for his skills on the piano, but then he began to lose his hearing. Beethoven thought about giving up, but in the end he continued to write music. Inspired by his struggles with deafness, the composer produced some amazing pieces! He proceeded with the composition until his death in 1827.
One day in February 1824, at his little house in Vienna, Austria, Ludwig van Beethoven sat back in his chair and smiled. The famous German composer’s ninth symphony was finally completed. Before the performance, the backstage atmosphere at a very famous theatre in Vienna was tense. Beethoven was afraid that the performance would be a disaster. After all, what use is a conductor who could not hear his orchestra — even if he is a musical genius?
The audience did not hesitate to applaud loudly as the famous composer walked out onto the stage. The theatre’s musical director, Michael Umlauf, joined him and together the two men took charge of the orchestra. For more than an hour, Beethoven jumped about in front of the orchestra, waving his arms wildly in the air, and madly turning the pages of his score.
As the final, joyous note signal led the end of the symphony, the audience jumped to their feet, clapping, cheering and waving their hats. But Beethoven continued conducting, his head buried in the score. It was not until Caroline Unger, one of the singers, took his arm and turned him to face the audience that the great man realised his symphony was a success.
1. What was the theatre’s musical director Michael Umlauf’s attitude towards Beethoven?| A．Negative. | B．Supportive. | C．Unfriendly. | D．Indifferent (漠不关心的). |
| A．Michael Umlauf performed better than Beethoven. |
| B．The audience didn’t understand Beethoven’s music. |
| C．The audience liked and admired Beethoven very much. |
| D．Beethoven performed on the stage for less than an hour. |
| A．Beethoven felt a little shy. | B．Beethoven didn’t look at the audience. |
| C．Beethoven was lost in his performance. | D．Beethoven forgot his score. |
| A．Selfish and cold-hearted. | B．Talented and strong-minded. |
| C．Weak but helpful. | D．Talented but lazy. |
Beethoven was born in Germany. He is regarded
One day in February 1824, Beethoven’s ninth symphony was
The audience did not hesitate
As the final,
Shi Jing, also called the Book of Songs, is the oldest existing
Then he decided to portray the poems with musical language by inviting composer Ma Jiuyue
The 10 songs are based
“Young people gave warm feedback about traditional Chinese music
“The 10 pieces sound
7 . Guy Noble, one of Australia’s most famous conductors, who conducted the touring concert “East Meets West”, said he’d like to learn more about Chinese music. “I’m impressed by the history and the beauty Chinese music has,” he’s said in an interview recently.
“East Meets West” concert tour in Australia was resumed this year after being postponed twice due to the pandemic. It was hosted in Canberra last Saturday, bringing audiences some well-known Chinese and Western pieces such as Jasmine Flower, Carmen, Romeo and Juliet, and The Yellow River.
While it was called “East Meets West”, music from China and the West with the same themes was brought together. Chinese singer Ya Fen and Australian singer Victoria Lambourn performed a duet (二重唱) Hope Betrayed, which was inspired by the Chinese classic novel A Dream of Red Mansions. Noble said he loved the duet as it showed completely different singing styles: traditional Chinese opera style and Western opera style. “They’re not exactly the same, but they came together,” he said.
Having been a professional conductor for more than 20 years, Noble called music an international language. He noted that most music at the concert was about love, which was also an international language. He also spoke highly of some Chinese musicians, such as pianist Lang Lang who he thought has inspired many kids in China to learn music.
Noble admitted his knowledge of Chinese culture was limited. He said that conducting the Canberra concert was “an experience that I’ve enjoyed”, which made him more interested in discovering the background and history of the music, as well as the stories behind it. Noble is ready to create more things that can involve dance or calligraphy or some of the other aspects of Chinese culture, and put them together with music.
1. Why did Noble enjoy Hope Betrayed?| A．Because it impressed him with its history. |
| B．Because it was inspired by a classic novel. |
| C．Because it showed two performing styles. |
| D．Because it was performed by an Australian. |
| A．He is an amateur conductor. |
| B．He speaks highly of all Chinese musicians. |
| C．He has a wide knowledge of Chinese culture. |
| D．He intends to integrate more Chinese elements into music. |
8 . Guy Noble, one of Australia’s most famous conductors, who conducted the touring concert “East Meets West”, said he’d like to learn more about Chinese music. “I’m impressed by the history and the beauty Chinese music has,” he’s said in an interview recently.
“East Meets West” concert tour in Australia was resumed this year after being postponed twice due to the pandemic. It was hosted in Canberra last Saturday, bringing audiences some well-known Chinese and Western pieces such as Jasmine Flower, Carmen, Romeo and Juliet, and The Yellow River.
While it was called “East Meets West”, music from China and the West with the same themes was brought together. Chinese singer Ya Fen and Australian singer Victoria Lambourn performed a duet (二重唱) Hope Betrayed, which was inspired by the Chinese classic novel A Dream of Red Mansions. Noble said he loved the duet as it showed completely different singing styles: traditional Chinese opera style and Western opera style. “They’re not exactly the same, but they came together,” he said.
Having been a professional conductor for more than 20 years, Noble called music an international language. He noted that most music at the concert was about love, which was also an international language. He also spoke highly of some Chinese musicians, such as pianist Lang Lang who he thought has inspired many kids in China to learn music.
Noble admitted his knowledge of Chinese culture was limited. He said that conducting the Canberra concert was “an experience that I’ve enjoyed”, which made him more interested in discovering the background and history of the music, as well as the stories behind it. Noble is ready to create more things that can involve dance or calligraphy or some of the other aspects of Chinese culture, and put them together with music.
What does the underlined word “resumed” in paragraph 2 mean?| A．Restarted. |
| B．Expanded. |
| C．Paused. |
| D．Concluded. |
Nowadays, one of the common
10 . Seated at the grand piano in MIT’s Killian Hall last fall, first-year student Jacqueline Wang played one piece of Mozart’s music. When she’d finished, Mi-Eun Kim, a pianist and lecturer at MIT, asked her to move to the back of the hall. Kim tapped at an iPad. Suddenly, the music Wang had just played poured forth again from the piano - its keys sinking and rising just as they had with Wang’s fingers on them. Wang stood with a confused expression, taking in a repeat of her own performance.
This unusual lesson took place during a three-week residency (驻留期) of the Steinway Spirio|r, a piano that obtains the data of live performances and offers students new possibilities for studying and experimenting with music.
Wang was one of several participants to have the experience of hearing herself play while watching the data of her performance move up and down across a screen: color-coded rectangles (矩形) indicating the speed and duration of each note, and a moving line charting her use of the damper pedal (阻尼踏板). Wang could even edit her own performance when Kim suggested her rhythmic use of the pedal might be unnecessary. Using the iPad interface to erase the pedaling entirely, they listened to the playback again, the notes gaining new clarity,
For Wang, the session introduced an element she’d never experienced since beginning her piano studies. The visual display of how long each key was played and with what speed gave her a more precise demonstration of the ideas of voicing and evenness.
Playing the piano is one of the most complex activities that humans do with their hands. Some people might think the new technology will replace the pianist. In Kim’s view, that human complexity is complemented by this kind of technical possibility. But it doesn’t mean all of the things that go into learning music will be abandoned. It’s going to be an invaluable third partner: the student, the teacher, and the Spirio | r. It’s going to play a necessary role in lots of musical efforts.
What happened after Jacqueline Wang finished her performance?| A．Her teacher played a piece of music to compete against her. |
| B．She got her performance reviewed on the Spirio|r. |
| C．She was asked to comment on her performance. |
| D．Her teacher instructed her to improve her skills. |
