1 . The music world lost a rock and roll superstar this week when guitarist Eddie Van Halen passed away. He was only 65 years old.
Eddie Van Halen was a founding member of the band Van Halen. He formed the group in 1974 with his brother Alex, who played the drums. Van Halen released (发行) its most popular single, the song Jump, in 1983. Jump rose to the top of Billboard Magazıne’s list of Hot 100 songs and stayed there for five weeks. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio lists Jump among its “500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll”. Eddie Van Halen released at least 15 record albums with his band over the years, selling more than 80 million around the world. In 2007, Van Halen entered the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
The Van Halen brothers were born in the Netherlands. Their father was a professional musician. Their mother was from Indonesia. In the 1950s, some Netherlanders did not support the mixed-race (混种族) marriage, so the family moved to the United States. They settled in southern California. Eddie and Alex Van Halen had to learn English in their new land. Both brothers studied piano for years before getting interested in rock and roll.
As a child, Eddie was considered musically gifted. Eddie told a reporter he did not learn to read music. He said he would watch his teacher play and memorize his moves. He also said that he never took a class on playing the guitar, although he studied under Eric Clapton for a time. His father was among the first to recognize Eddie’s guitar skill. “You’ve got it, kid,” Eddie’s father said to him early on.
Eddie’s guitar playing was hard and fast. He was energetic while performing, often jumping like an acrobat (杂技演员) as he played. He was known for the way he tapped on the guitar strings with both hands. It influenced many musicians that followed.
1. What’s Paragraph 2 mainly about?A.Eddie’s band. | B.Eddie’s Jump. |
C.Eddie’s life story. | D.Eddie’s achievements. |
A.To make a good living. | B.To escape racial prejudice. |
C.To receive better education. | D.To experience different cultures. |
A.Determined. | B.Energetic.. | C.Intelligent. | D.Hardworking. |
A.To remember a famous musician. |
B.To express sadness for a superstar’s death. |
C.To praise Eddie Van Halen for his contributions. |
D.To show the excellence of Eddie Van Halen. |
2 . I remember that it was a fall morning when the orchestra (管弦乐队) teachers came into Miss Newell’s third-grade classroom. “You have hands for the viola (中提琴),” Miss Ciano told me. I was excited because my hands were finally good for something. I told my parents I wanted to play, and naturally, they agreed.
Since I first touched the viola, I haven’t been able to put it down. Ignoring the difficulty, I am pulled closer to it each day.
Classical music is truly my best friend. It is the trusted friend of every man, woman and child. Various feelings are expressed in classical music. I discovered that when I was eleven and played a cello concerto (大提琴协奏曲) of Bach in a competition, the first movement was joyful, but the second movement was mysterious and full of pain. From the piece, I learned that music expresses not only feelings, but also sudden mood changes. By listening to classical music, I know that someone else shares these feelings. Since I am lucky enough to be able to play classical music, I am comforted by it when I am upset. It gives me a way to escape from my problems for a short period. Classical music can express my joy, sadness and anger.
Now look back at that fall day in the third grade and think how gullible I was for believing that anyone, even music teachers, could tell whether hands were perfect for a certain instrument I’m certain they told me I had “viola hands” not because they were fortune-tellers (算命师), but because there was a lack of violists in our district. Classical music is one of the best things that ever happened to mankind. If you get introduced to it in the right way, it will become your friend for life.
1. According to the passage, in what way does classical music help the author?A.By developing social skills. | B.By improving mental health. |
C.By broadening life experience. | D.By building close relationship. |
A.Easily tricked. | B.Firmly loved. |
C.Greatly challenged. | D.Secretly hidden. |
A.Special event, sweet memory. | B.Classical music, endless friendship |
C.Lifetime dream, great effort. | D.Happy childhood, unforgotten experience. |
1. When was Now and Then recorded by Lennon?
A.In 1970. | B.In 1977. | C.In 1979. |
A.The use of advanced technology. | B.The living will of Lennon. | C.The request of fans. |
A.It consists of classics. |
B.It was finished in 1967. |
C.It doesn’t include Now and Then. |
A.It would make their album a hit. |
B.It allowed the members to get together. |
C.It offered a chance to remember Lennon. |
要点如下:
1. 每个人都喜欢听音乐。
2. 音乐的益处(增强幸福感,使人放松,……)。
3. 你喜爱音乐的原因。
注意:1. 词数80左右。
2. 可适当增加细节,以使行文连贯。
The Power of Music
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________The virtual choir was the idea of award-winning composer and conductor Eric Whitacre. In 1988, he began studying music at the University of Nevada and
6 . Nick Rose-Stamey is a lot like Jack Black’s character in School of Rock- a guitarist who discovers a passion for making music accessible to children. Working in the nonprofit arts education sector over the last 10 years raised his awareness of the lack of music programs in public schools, and later inspired his nonprofit, Band in a Bus. “The original idea was to take an old school bus and turn it into the best band class on wheels,” he says.
In fact, activities of Band in a Bus don’t actually happen on a bus. It provides instruments, courses, and staffing to students. Kids 18 and under can also participate in enriching summer programs through Band in a Bus, such as Bucket Brigade, five weekly classes where grades K-4 learn rhythm (节奏) and STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, mathematics) principles through contemporary music. There are also teen bands for grades 7-12 where kids learn to play pop music and develop social and team work skills.
When schools went virtual during the COVID-19 period, Rose-Stamey thought it was a shame that instruments were left sitting on shelves instead of in the hands of kids. So he created and distributed more than 1,000 “Band in a Box” DIY kits. Each kit contains small noise makers like kazoos, drumsticks, and shakers, with the intention of introducing a modernized music class experience that meets kids where they are.
“It is reported that if a kid has 30 minutes of a performing arts or creative elective every singleday, then that’ll help them develop their social, emotional and leadership skills, because there’s a lot of team work when it comes to making music. You have to learn how to work well with others,” Rose-Stamey says.
In the last year, Band in a Bus has worked directly with more than 500 students. “Music is a win-win for everybody,” Rose-Stamey says. “I just hope that someday we can stop making it the first kid out in the dodge ball (躲避球) game.”
1. What motivated Rose-Stamey to establish Band in a Bus?A.The movie School of Rock. | B.The band classes in public schools. |
C.His music learning experiences. | D.Insufficient music education. |
A.They mainly focus on pop music. | B.They are usually organized on a bus. |
C.They encourage team-building activities. | D.They combine music with other subjects. |
A.To promote noise making instrumental kits. |
B.To help students gain access to music at home. |
C.To lift students’ mood during the COVID-19 period. |
D.To enable students to take creative electives every day. |
A.We should treat every student equally. |
B.We should give music enough importance. |
C.We should reconsider the rules of the dodge ball game. |
D.We should encourage fair competition in various activities. |
What comes to your mind when you think of music in Austria? You might think of Mozart or the film The Sound of Music, but Austrian music started off quite
In the 18th century the Austrian royal family drew many famous musicians to Vienna, making
Opera has also been popular in Austria. Not only rich Austrians
Austria has a long and rich musical history, from folk songs and dances
1. What is the man anxious about?
A.Sitting his final exams. |
B.Going to his high school dance. |
C.Signing up for dance lessons. |
A.Cousins. | B.Schoolmates. | C.Dance teacher and dancer. |
A.She got injured. |
B.She was offered a better job. |
C.She wanted to spend more time with her family. |
9 . MUSICAL HERITAGES FROM ANCIENT CHINA
Since remote antiquity, Chinese people have used music to record their lives and describe the ideals in their hearts. Catchy tunes are not only played on precious instruments, but also visualized in carvings, paintings, and buildings. Feel free to explore here!
Han Dynasty (202 BC-AD 220)
This period marked the significant development of the manufacturing of gugin and its music. The example unearthed from the Mawangdui Han Dynasty Tomb in Changsha, Hunan province, proves that gugin had developed into the form known today during that period. It shows 7 strings and 13 markers indicating the pressing positions of overtone series.
Northern Wei Dynasty (386-534)
Buddhism and its musical culture spread extensively during this period. Buddhist temples provided places for musical activities, which were recorded in many of the existing stone carvings. Located in Gongyi, Henan province, the Grotlo Temple is famous for its reliefs representing musical events. They are precious historical materials reflecting the music characteristics of the dynasty.
Song Dynasty (960-1279)
With economic development, a variety of musical cultures emerged to meet the entertainment needs of different social classes. Part of the painting Life along the Bian River al the Pure Brightness Festival vividly reveals a storytelling performance. The painter adopted delicate techniques to truly record a street performer, whose superb skills are reflected by each listener’s show of appreciation.
Ming Dynasty (1368-1644)
At this time, traditional Chinese operas developed rapidly, promoting the formation of many singing styles. People began to enjoy operas and drama stages were built. Covering a construction area of more than 160 square meters, the Fancun village drama stage in Shanxi province provides rich materials for the study of the local folk culture.
1. Which heritage would a fan of classical instruments explore?A.The Ming Dynasty drama stage. | B.The Song Dynasty painting. |
C.The Northern Wei Dynasty temple. | D.The Han Dynasty tomb. |
A.Economy. | B.Politics. | C.Religion. | D.Technology. |
A.Han Dynasty. | B.Northern Wei Dynasty. |
C.Song Dynasty. | D.Ming Dynasty. |
10 . As the clocks strike midnight one by one on New Year’s Eve, one song will ring out more than any other from the world’s crowds — “Auld Lang Syne”, the Scots-language ode (颂歌) to friendship and good times past, which was first set to paper by the Scottish poet Robert Burns, though he claimed he was not its original author, only a documentarian of one part of an old oral folk tradition. According to historian Dr. Morag Grant, the concept of “auld lang syne” was once a Jacobite tradition.
Burns’ version quickly became popular in Scotland after it was published in 1799, and thanks to that Scottish diaspora—which carried its folk traditions to places like the States, Canada and New Zealand — snatches (音乐片段) of “Auld Lang Syne” are productive throughout history.
It was in 19th-century England that the New Year’s Eve tradition emerged. At St Paul’s in London, Scotts who went abroad would gather together and belt out the words to “Auld Lang Syne”. “To miss it in the eyes of some Scots would amount to little less than a crime,” the Edinburgh Evening Courant wrote at the time.
An increasingly connected world helped to promote the song’s spread. The inventor of the telephone, Alexander Graham Bell, sang it down the mouthpiece to demonstrate the new telecommunications equipment. Later, another scientist called Emile Berliner chose it as one of the first songs to be recorded on the gramophone. In 1929, the bandleader Guy Lombardo began the tradition of playing “Auld Lang Syne” from Times Square, first on radio and then on television.
From its folkloric beginnings, “Auld Lang Syne” has travelled far, shapeshifting and acquiring new meaning as it passes between people and cultures. Today, it symbolises friendship and fond memory for communities across the globe, and it becomes the second most sung song in the English language, beaten only by “Happy Birthday”. It’s quite a success for a poem written in a Scottish minority language.
1. What might be the origin of the song?A.A Jacobite concept. | B.Oral Scott folk music. |
C.A poem by Robert Burns. | D.Works of Dr. Morag Grant. |
A.Folk tradition. | B.Famous poets. | C.Settling abroad. | D.Singing fever. |
A.The Scotts’ living style. | B.The excellent performance of a band. |
C.World connection via new inventions. | D.New Year’s Eve tradition in England. |
A.The charm of friendship and memory. | B.The importance of Scottish culture. |
C.The beauty of Scottish language. | D.The impact of folk tradition. |