1 . Who made the ABC song? Some people say a man named Charles Bradlee made the song. He was the first person to say he owned it. That was in 1834. Bradlee called the song “The Schoolmaster”. A schoolmaster is an old name for a teacher. No one knows where it came from. But we do have some clues.
Sounds Like Another Song
The ABC song sounds the same as “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star”. It has the same tune, or music. It sounds like “Baa Baa Black Sheep”, too. Try singing each song. Sing them in a row. You can hear for yourself! The tune was first printed in 1761. It didn’t have any words. No one knows who wrote it. Later, a woman wrote the words for “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star”. Her name was Jane Taylor. She lived in England. She wrote the words in 1806. Mozart was a very famous composer. He wrote a piece of music in 1785. It sounds a lot like the ABC song!
We Learn Better From Songs
When the ABC song first became popular, few children went to school. Most people did not learn how to read. They did not learn how to write, either. As time went on, this changed. More people needed to know how to read and write. More children started learning the ABC song. It helped them remember the letters.
Why do we sing the ABC song? We could just read it quietly. Or we could say it without singing. Why is the song partly important? The answer is related to how we learn. Children have always leaned from grown-ups. But 200 year ago, most people couldn’t read or write. Children had to remember things. They could not write down what they learned. They could not read about it later. So it was important to remember. Songs helped people remember. People sang songs that told stories. They taught their children what they knew through songs.
So, no none really knows who made the ABC song. We do know that this song is popular today. Most children who learn to speak English will sing it. Then they will remember their letters!
1. How is the passage mainly developed?| A．By comparing. | B．By listing facts. |
| C．By telling a story. | D．By examining differences. |
| A．Charles Bradlee | B．Jane Taylor. |
| C．Mozart. | D．No one knows the answer exactly. |
| A．Songs help children remember the letters. |
| B．Songs told stories. |
| C．People can teach what they know to children through songs. |
| D．Songs help people have a happy life. |
| A．To test the readers. | B．To show the song is important. |
| C．To introduce the topic. | D．To analyze the cause and effect. |
| A．A job. | B．A concert. | C．An actor. |
| A．The violin. | B．The guitar. | C．The piano. |
4 . Background music may seem harmless, but it can have a powerful effect on those who hear it. Recorded background music first found its way into factories, shops and restaurants in the US. But it soon spread to other parts of the world. Now it is becoming increasingly difficult to go shopping or eat a meal without listening to music.
To begin with, “muzak” (音乐广播网) was intended simply to create a soothing (安慰) atmosphere. Recently, however，it has become big business—thanks in part to recent research. Dr. Ronald Milliman, an American marketing expert, has shown that music can boost sales or increase factory production by as much as a third.
However, it has to be light music. A fast one has no effect at all on sales. Slow music can increase receipts by 38%. This is probably because shoppers slow down and have more opportunity to spot items they like to buy. Yet, slow music isn't always the answer. Dr. Milliman found, for example, that in restaurants slow music meant customers took longer to eat their meals, which reduced overall sales. So restaurant owners might be well advised to play uptempo_music to keep the customers moving—unless of course, the resulting indigestion (消化不良) leads to complaints!
1. Background music means ________.| A．light music that customers enjoy most |
| B．fast music that makes people move fast |
| C．slow music that can make customers enjoy their meals |
| D．the music you are listening to while you are doing something |
| A．it results in indigestion |
| B．it increases their sales |
| C．it keeps customers moving |
| D．it decreases their sales |
| A．background music was first used in big department stores |
| B．proper music can increase the selling of goods |
| C．light music has a bad effect on production |
| D．restaurant owners had better play slow music to comfort their customers |
| A．slow music | B．fast music |
| C．light music | D．classical music |
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 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 lost musician |
| C．knew their stories from his coaches | D．talked about their influence on him |
| A．Controversial. | B．Outstanding. |
| C．Shallow. | 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．Keith’s Little Secret |
| B．Keith’s Sad Moment |
| C．Keith’s New Year s Wishes to Artists Worldwide |
| D．Keith’s Way to Say Goodbye to Late Musicians |
6 . Ludwig van Beethoven was born in Bonn, Germany on December 7, 1770. His father, Johann Beethoven, also a musician, wanted his son to be a genius and encouraged him to develop his musical talents. Johann was so determined to make his son into a successful musician that he would pull poor Ludwig out of bed in the middle of the night and force the young boy to practice piano until the early hours of the morning.
At the age of eleven, Ludwig van Beethoven received professional piano and composition training in Bonn, and within ten years he became well known in Vienna for his imagination when creating music on the piano. He continued to live there and became very interested in the construction of pianos, which developed into the modern grand concert piano.
Things changed for Beethoven in 1798 when his hearing was becoming impaired. He composed the First Symphony and Septet Op 20 and performed them on April 2, 1800, and it won great success. However, his hearing continued to worsen, and he began to separate himself from his family and friends in order to avoid conversation.
After the performance of his Ninth Symphony, he turned around to see the warm applause of the audience and broke down in tears when he realized that he couldn’t hear them. Fighting against depression (抑郁) and a disorder, Beethoven continued to produce music by using special equipment that helped him to hear his symphonies. This equipment was a thin stick connected with the soundboard of his piano. Biting it, he was able to feel vibrations (震动) of sound. The music that he created during this period was filled with heroism and struggle, and went on to become his most famous compositions.
1. Why did little Beethoven play piano at the midnight?| A．He showed musical talents for music. |
| B．He was interested in playing the piano. |
| C．His father pushed him to practice his musical skills. |
| D．He was determined to realize his music dream. |
| A．Recovered. | B．Constructed. |
| C．Damaged. | D．Developed. |
| A．He didn’t want to talk with them because of his worsening hearing. |
| B．He had to receive treatment because of his depression. |
| C．He was busy in composing the First Symphony and Septet Op 20. |
| D．He had to fix his attention on practicing piano. |
| A．They were played by special equipment. |
| B．They reduced depression and the disorder of Beethoven. |
| C．They were composed before Beethoven went deaf. |
| D．They were filled with heroism and struggle. |
Summer is the best time of a year for music lovers, especially if you love the outdoor concert scene. Festival season is just kicking off, and there is a lot to look forward to in the upcoming months.
Primavera Sound
To kick off the summer, there's no better place than Barcelona. On the concert lineup, you'll find bands like The Zombies, Arcade Fire, and Bon Iver. Then take some time to taste the local food and wine.
May 31-June 4; Barcelona, Spain
Music Type: Rock, hip-hop
Price: $86—$323
Governors Ball
One of the great summer concerts in New York City is Governor's Ball, which takes place in early June at Randall’s Island Park. Some of the playing artists include Tool, Phoenix, Lorde, Flume, and the Wu-Tang Clan.
June 2-4; New York City, New York, USA
Music Type: Rock, hip-hop, pop
Price: $105—$405
Bonnaroo
Bonnaroo is another summer event that draws in crowds of around 60,000 each year. Some of the most well-known musicians will be playing this year, including U2, Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Weeknd, and Chance the Rapper.
June 8-11; Manchester, Tennessee, USA
Music Type: Rock, hip-hop
Price: $210-$554
Firefly Music Festival
Many people haven't thought of going to Delaware for a summer vacation, hut mid-June is a great time to plan this trip if you love music. Headliners for this year’s slow are The Weeknd, Muse, Twenty One Pilots, Chance the Rapper, and Bob Dylan.
June 15-18; Dover, Delaware, USA
Music Type: Blues, rock
Price: $179-$499
1. Which concert has the cheapest ticket?| A．Bonnaroo. | B．Governors Ball. |
| C．Primavera Sound. | D．Firefly Music Festival. |
| A．It performs Blues. | B．It is popular with travelers. |
| C．It is held in summer. | D．It has many famous musicians. |
| A．On May 31. | B．On June 3. |
| C．On June 9. | D．On June 15. |
8 . Composer David Cope is the inventor of a computer program that writes original works of classical music. It took Cope 30 years to develop the software. Now most people can't tell the difference between music by the famous German composer J.S.Bach（1685-1750）and the Bach-like compositions from Cope's computer.
It all started in 1980 in the United States, when Cope was trying to write an opera. He was having trouble thinking of new melodies, so he wrote a computer program to create the melodies. At first this music was not easy to listen to. What did Cope do? He began to rethink how human beings compose music. He realized that composers' brains work like big databases. First, they take in all the music that they have ever heard. Then they take out the music that they dislike. Finally, they make new music from what is left. According to Cope, only the great composers are able to create the database accurately, remember it, and form new musical patterns from it.
Cope built a huge database of existing music. He began with hundreds of works by Bach. The software analyzed the data: it broke it down into smaller pieces and looked for patterns. It then combined the pieces into new patterns; Before long, the program could compose short Bach-like works. They weren't good, but it was a start.
Cope knew he had more work to do---he had a whole opera to write. He continued to improve the software. Soon it could analyze more.complex music. He also added many other composers, including his own work, to the database. A few years later, Cope's computer program, called “Emmy”, was ready to help him with his opera. The process required a lot of collaboration(合作) between the composer and Emmy. Cope listened to the computer's musical ideas and used the ones that he liked. With Emmy, the opera took only two weeks to finish. It was called Cradle Falling, and it was a great success! Cope received some of the best reviews of his career, but no one knew exactly how he had composed the work.
Since that first opera, Emmy has written thousands of compositions. Cope still gives Emmy feedback（反馈) on what he likes and doesn't like of her music, but she is doing most of the hard work of composing these days！
1. What led David Cope to invent software?| A．He had difficulties in writing an opera. |
| B．He dreamed of developing software. |
| C．He wanted to help composers. |
| D．He was fond of classical music. |
| A．His Cradle Falling wasn’t popular. |
| B．He had kept on improving his software. |
| C．He composed Bach-like works well at the beginning. |
| D．He has shifted his attention to invent different software. |
| A．Cope’s database includes Bach’s works only. |
| B．Bach’s music helped Cope a lot. |
| C．Cope is a computer programmer. |
| D．Emmy did much more work than Cope in composing. |
| A．The Invention of a Software for Creating Music |
| B．Ways to Create a Music Database |
| C．David Cope--a Music Genius |
| D．How to Start Creating Music |
9 . The glass armonica (玻璃琴), also known as a glass harmonica or simply armonica, is a musical instrument that produces sound by rubbing glass with wet fingers. It was invented by Benjamin Franklin in 1761.
The instrument consists of a series of glass bowls of varying sizes, fixed straight on a spindle (轴). The glass bowls are arranged in order of size, with the largest bowl on one end and the smallest on the other.
Franklin came up with the idea after attending a concert in Cambridge. The performer was rubbing wine glasses to produce musical notes. Franklin thought that was not efficient. He decided to invent a set of musical instruments made of glass.
So, he hired a London glassmaker to construct 36 bowls to specific thicknesses and sizes. He fixed the bowls horizontally on a spindle with the largest bowl on one end and the smallest on the other. In this way the musician can play the glass bowls like a keyboard.
The glass armonica became prevalent during the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Mozart and Beethoven both composed chamber pieces for it.
But by the 1820s, it was nearly a forgotten instrument in fears that it had the power to drive the listener mad. Some armonica players became ill and had to stop playing the instrument. They complained of muscle spasms (痉挛), nervousness, cramps, and dizziness. A few listeners were also affected. The instrument was actually banned in a few towns. “The armonica too inspires the nerves, drives the player into a troublesome depression and later into a dark and sad mood that is a method for slow self-destroying.”
However, no explanation or proof was ever really given to any of these claims. Franklin himself ignored all of the argument and continued to play the instrument until the end of his life.
1. How are the glass bowls arranged to form this instrument?| A．By their thickness. | B．By their shapes. | C．By their weight. | D．By their sizes. |
| A．A failed performance. | B．An unsuccessful concert. |
| C．An unusual performer. | D．A couple glasses of wine. |
| A．Fearful. | B．Popular. | C．Strange. | D．Tiresome. |
| A．Bad remarks about the instrument. | B．Terrible sounds made by the instrument. |
| C．Bans on this instrument everywhere. | D．This instrument’s great appeal to people. |
1. What does the woman think of drums?
| A．They are loud. | B．They are exciting. | C．They are boring. |
| A．When he is famous. |
| B．Once he gets good at drums. |
| C．After he has enough money. |
