1 . The recent story on Tik Tok showed how two neighbors found companionship during the lock-down because of the pandemic, thanks to a share the love of the piano.

The story started when Giorgio Lo Porto heard his neighbor playing the piano through their dividing wall. Lo Porto, an Italian living in London, decided to reach out to his neighbor and left a note asking him or her to play My Heart Will Go On. The mystery never agreed, leading Lo Porto to send another note suggesting they play a duet (二重奏) together from the comfort of their own homes. The mystery neighbor started playing the piano at 2: 00 pm, and when he stopped after finishing a part of the song, Lo Porto continued. Over time, the duets between the two complete strangers became a regular weekend appointment.

Weeks later, the pair finally met and it was better than expected. The mystery pianist happened to be a 78-year-old Polish man named Emil, who was living in temporary accommodation until his house was sold. He lost his wife in December due to COVID- 19 and all he had left was the piano. And the reason why he played at 2: 00 pm every weekend was that he and his wife used to do that.

The pair finished a final duet together—Beethoven’ s Moonlight Sonata—before Emil moved out at the end of February.

While this is heartwarming in itself, the story has a heartbreaking ending: On March 14, Lo Porto shared that his old neighbor had passed away in his sleep. He said, “Now he is reunited with his wife.”

While saying goodbye to Emil, Lo Porto wrote, “Dear Emil, I knew very little about you, but you changed my life. You give me back my passion, and we shared that with the world. You will be in my heart. I’ ll keep playing, thinking of how powerful music can be. You said I was your light, but you’ ve been mine, too. Bye, Emil.”

1. What happened after Lo Porto left the second note for Emil?

A．They shared their playing skill with each other.

B．They composed a new song based on a classic.

C．They perform the music together through the wall.

D．They reached out to neighbors to cheer them up.

2. Why did Emil play the piano at a special time?

A．To advertise his house.	B．To comfort strangers.
C．To upload his updates.	D．To remember his wife.

3. What is the sad part of the story in the author’ s opinion?

A．Emil’ s passing away.

B．Lo Porto’ s departure.

C．Their final performance.

D．The unfamiliarity between them.

4. What does Lo Porto mainly convey at last?

A．It is easy to say goodbye.

B．He admired Emil’ s ambition.

C．Music is a universal language.

D．Emil positively influenced him.

2 . 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. He carried on with the composition until his death in 1827. He composed more than 130 musical works, including his Ninth Symphony (交响曲) .

One day in February 1824, his Ninth Symphony was finally completed. Writing the piece had taken several years. A she proudly signed his name at the bottom of the page, Beethoven tried to imagine how people would respond when they heard it for the first time. Before the performance, the backstage atmosphere at a very famous theatre in Austria was anxious. Beethoven was afraid that the performance would be a disaster. After all, what use is a conductor who could not hear his orchestra (管弦乐) — even if he has a talent for music?

The audience didn’t hesitate to applaud (鼓掌) loudly as the famous composer walked out on to 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 (乐谱).

As the symphony came to an end, 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 realized his symphony was a victory.

Later, Caroline remembered that Beethoven was not the only one who got a surprise. “The audience was shocked as well,” she said with abroad smile. “Most of them had no idea that he lost his hearing. The one person in the room who didn’t hear the symphony — and never would — was the very man who composed it.”

1. What challenge did Beethoven face in his twenties?

A．His skills were poorly recognized.

B．He gradually became deaf.

C．He used up the inspiration for music.

D．He lost some musical works.

2. What can we know about the performance?

A．It was held in an Australian theatre.

B．It turned out to be a disaster.

C．It was in the charge of Caroline Unger.

D．It was well received by the audience.

3. What was the audience shocked at?

A．Beethoven’s mad behavior.	B．Beethoven’s hearing problem.
C．Beethoven’s great symphony.	D．Caroline’s broad smile.

4. Which word can best describe Beethoven?

A．Persistent.

B．Confident.

C．Generous.

D．Reliable.

3 . Sirine Jahangir has been singing, writing and performing music since she was a little girl. She lost all her vision in one eye by the time she turned 5, so now the teen uses her gift “as away to—not escape, but to help me through.” Not only did her passion get her through some difficult times, but when she was 14 it also brought her to the “Britain’s Got Talent” stage, where she impressed everyone with her performance.

Sirine has a rare condition that left her completely blind by the times she was 10 years old. While her parents and doctors have tried to find treatments for her, there isn’t much they can do. So her parents focused on helping her adjust to her new life, which was when her dad said she was first introduced to music “I remember one day, we were driving in the car. This is about when she was getting to the stage where she couldn’t look out the window anymore to see things, and I didn’t know what to do. I just put the music on really loud. She started singing in the car, and she was so happy. And then she just found happiness every time I put it on,” her father said.

It didn’t take long for them to realize Sirine has tremendous talent. When she appeared on “Britain’s Got Talent”, she told everyone just how much her passion means to her. “I guess music i s my vision,” she said. “That’s just what I live by, and music is my thing.” Then she headed over to the piano, where she played the piano and sang beautifully enough to bring the audience to tears! Unsurprisingly to everyone but Sirine, all four judges voted her into the next round of the competition!

Afterward, she said, “I can’t even say it’s a dream come true, because I didn’t even dream of it at any point... I never thought that would be realistic in my life.”

1. What did the “Britain’s Got Talent” stage mean to Sirine?

A．This stage had earned her both fame and fortune.

B．This stage was away for her to escape reality.

C．She had a stage accident, resulting in blindness.

D．She demonstrated her excellent musical talent on the stage.

2. How did her parents discover Sirine’s musical talent?

A．By talking to her about music topics.

B．By playing music to her while driving.

C．By asking famous singers for identification.

D．By discovering the lyrics and songs she wrote.

3. What can be inferred from the passage?

A．Everyone was moved by Sirine’s live performance.

B．Sirine won the championship of the British Got Talent Show.

C．Sirine advanced onstage by selling her tragic experiences.

D．Sirine’s performance received votes from everyone present.

4. What message does the author want to convey to us according to the passage?

A．Every road leads to Rome.

B．Never give up until you succeed.

C．Music inspires a new life for a person.

D．There will always be a rainbow after storms.

4 . 听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1. What prize did the youngest group get?

A．The second prize.

B．The fourth prize.

C．The third prize.

2. What was Eastside good at?

A．The dance.

B．The violin.

C．The song.

3. Why did the Storm win first prize?

A．They danced wonderfully.

B．The guitarist played very well.

C．The singer performed perfectly.

4. What kind of person is the speaker?

A．Serious.

B．Humorous.

C．Boring.

5 . Folk music includes many musical variations over the centuries. This form of music is     1     (energy) in English-speaking countries.

In the 1960s, folk music     2     (become) very popular thanks to artists like US song-writer Bob Dylan and Canadian singer Leonard Cohen. At that time, folk music used traditional instruments and had lyrics（歌词）that focused on social issues such as poverty and war. The power of folk music was     3     big as to inspire political and artistic movements. One of Dedylan’s famous songs, Blowin’in the Wind     4     (honor) as an “all-purpose progressive anthem (圣歌）” and it suggested     5    some things would change. The song served     6     the center of several protest movenments.

Contemporary folk musicians still use traditional instruments and strong story-telling techniques     7     (set) their tunes apart, but their lyrics are much less serious. And they have involved elements of other kinds of music.

The British band Mumford& Sons is one of the most recent examples. When Mumford& Sons burst on the scene back in 2011 with their     8     (one) performance in America, they were met with great enthusiasm. The media began to talk about “ a new folk rock”.

Their songs are rich in reference to the Bible and poets as well. Their music removes all politics and becomes an exercise in romantic     9     (explain) for nice men with mandolins (曼陀铃）. And most     10    (important), their songs are nice to listen to and sing along with.