1 . Music is a proof to human creativity and expression in a language that goes beyond barriers (障碍). Let’s explore the world of music.
Classical music is a large type that includes music from the Middle Ages to the present day. Known for its rich harmonies, classical music requires a high level of skill and understanding to perform. It’s often seen as the start of many other music types.
Rock music started from rock and roll, and quickly became a force of its own. It’s known for strong and driving rhythms (节奏). Rock music has always been connected with a fight and social comments, and it’s often praised for its raw sound.
Country music is from rural American folk and Western music. Known for its storytelling, country music often features themes of love, heartbreak and everyday life. It’s characterized by its unique style, making use of instruments like the guitar, piano, banjo and fiddle.
Indie music, short for “independent (独立)”, is characterized by its being away from mainstream music rules. It often features nontraditional song structures. The indie spirits of valuing personal creativity over business success and supporting the DIY approach to recording and publishing give this type a unique and different sound.
1. Which music covers from the Middle Ages to the present day?| A．Rock music. | B．Country music. | C．Classical music. | D．Indie music. |
| A．It is the start of music. | B．It is themed with love. |
| C．It focuses on business success. | D．It stresses personal creativity. |
| A．Its development. | B．Its types. | C．Its instruments. | D．Its birthplace. |
| A．She learned singing by herself. |
| B．She used to be a music teacher. |
| C．She got some training as a student. |
| A．Successful. | B．Challenging. | C．Unsatisfactory. |
4 . What’s On?
Electric Underground
7.30pm－1.00am Free at the Cyclops Theatre
Do you know who’s playing in your area? We’re bringing you an evening of live rock and pop music from the best local bands. Are you interested in becoming a musician and getting a recording contract? If so, come early to the talk at 7.30 pm by Jules Skye, a successful record producer. He’s going to talk about how you can find the right person to produce your music.
Gee Whizz
8.30pm-10.30pm Comedy (喜剧)at Kaleidoscope
Come and see Gee Whizz perform. He’s the funniest stand-up comedian on the comedy scene. This joyful show will please everyone, from the youngest to the oldest. Gee Whizz really knows how to make you laugh! Our bar is open from 7.00pm for drinks and snacks(快餐).
Simon’s Workshop
5.00pm-7.30pm Wednesdays at Victoria Stage
This is a good chance for anyone who wants to learn how to do comedy. The workshop looks at every kind of comedy, and practices many different ways of making people laugh. Simon is a comedian and actor who has 10 years’ experience of teaching comedy. His workshops are exciting and fun. An evening with Simon will give you the confidence to be funny.
Charlotte Stone
8.00pm-11.00pm Pizza World
Fine food with beautiful jazz music; this is a great evening out. Charlotte Stone will perform songs from her new best-selling CD, with James Pickering on the piano. The menu is Italian, with excellent meat and fresh fish, pizzas and pasta(面食). Book early to get a table. Our bar is open all day, and serves cocktails, coffee, beer, and white wine.
1. Who can help you if you want to have your music produced?| A．Jules Skye. | B．Gee Whizz. | C．Charlotte Stone. | D．James Pickering. |
| A．The Cyclops Theatre | B．Kaleidoscope | C．Victoria Stage | D．Pizza World |
| A．It requires membership card. | B．It lasts three hours each time. |
| C．It is run by a comedy club. | D．It is held every Wednesday. |
| A．5.00pm-7.30pm. | B．7.30pm－1.00am. | C．8.00pm-11.00pm. | D．8.30pm-10.30pm. |
1. 中国音乐的种类；
2. 音乐给人带来的益处；
3. 你喜欢的音乐类型及原因。
注意：
1. 词数80左右；
2. 可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
Dear John,
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Yours sincerely,
Li Hua
1. What do we know about Henry?
| A．He can’t play the guitar. |
| B．He had no musical training. |
| C．He plays the piano very well. |
| A．When he was in primary school. |
| B．When he was in high school. |
| C．When he was in college. |
| A．It was costly. |
| B．It was dull. |
| C．It was time consuming. |
| A．Jazz music. | B．Classical music. | C．Rock music. |
8 . At Englands University of Plymouth, Professor Eduardo Miranda has been programming pairs of robots to compose music. Miranda's robots have simple “ vocal cords”(声带)and are programmed to sing and to listen to each other. The robots' unique warbling sounds (颤音) do not perfectly match the human voice, but each machine is exactly sharing music with the other in a new and unique way.
Each robot is equipped with speakers, software that mimics the human voice, a mouth that opens as it “sings,” a microphone for ears, and a camera for eyes. The robots also move. Miranda hopes that by studying his robot vocalists, he can discover something about how and why humans create, perform, and listen to music.
When the robots sing, first one robot makes six random sounds. Its partner responds with more sounds. The first robot analyzes the sounds to see if their sequences (序列)) are similar. If they are, it nods its head and commits the sounds to memory, and the second robot notices and “memorizes” the musical sequence, too. If the first robot thinks the sounds are too different, it shakes its head and both robots ignore the sounds. Then the process continues.
Miranda set up an experiment in which he left the two robots alone in his study for two weeks. When he returned, his little warblers had, by imitating each other, not only shared notes but combined them. The product of their cooperation was far from symphonic, but the robots had begun to combine the notes into their own self-developed “songs”.
With the help of his warbling robots, one of Miranda's goals is to create music that no human would ever compose. Miranda believes the robots are ideal for this purpose because they would not be influenced by any existing musical styles or rules.
1. Which is closest in meaning to the underlined word “mimics” in Paragraph 2?| A．Substitutes. | B．Interrupts. |
| C．Controls. | D．Copies. |
| A．They interacted with each other. |
| B．They ignored the unique sound. |
| C．They learned to sing better than humans. |
| D．They committed random sounds to memory. |
| A．Sing as well as humans do. | B．Create new styles of music. |
| C．Memorize a variety of music. | D．Promote traditional musical forms. |
| A．Future robots. | B．Special songs. |
| C．Music by robots. | D．Experiments by Miranda. |
9 . If you ever visit an English village, make sure to look out for morris dancing. Undoubtedly one of the strangest traditions of English culture, morris dancing is a form of folk dancing that dates back to the 15th century. If you ever get the opportunity, you really have to see it.
Men and women wearing old-fashioned, shabby（破烂的）clothing dance in the streets of towns and villages across the country during the holiday periods. Women wear long skirts and men wear short trousers with bells attached to them. They dance to traditional folk music which is often played on traditional musical instruments.
Some groups carry heavy black sticks with which they beat against each other while they dance. Other groups wave handkerchiefs in the air while they perform. The dances are usually performed near a pub so that when they’re over, the dancers and audience can sing some traditional folk songs over beer. The celebrations will often continue long into the night.
Morris dancing is a great English tradition but it’s facing a big crisis. As the years go by, fewer and fewer young people are joining morris dancing groups. The dancers are getting older and older and eventually, if not protected, the tradition will die out within the next few decades.
If you’ve ever had the fortune to see morris dancing, you may understand why teenagers aren’t rushing to sign up. Frankly, it’s not exactly the coolest thing for an 18-year-old to do. Why dress up in bells and funny costumes when you could be going camping, playing sports or doing anything else?
However, it would be a great shame to lose such a fun and lively part of England’s history and culture. So here’s a toast to the next generation of would-be morris dancers! Let’s hope they don’t leave it too late.
1. What is the passage mainly about?| A．The origins of moris dancing. |
| B．The popularity of morris dancing. |
| C．The protection of morris dancing. |
| D．The introduction of morris dancing. |
| A．They dance in pubs late into the night. |
| B．They perform with sticks or handkerchiefs. |
| C．They wear long dresses with bells attached. |
| D．They sing folk music while they dance. |
| A．It is losing appeal among young people. |
| B．It is keeping pace with people's demand. |
| C．It is witnessing great changes in history. |
| D．It is being criticized by modern people. |
| A．It helps stay healthy. |
| B．It is fun for teenagers. |
| C．It deserves more attention. |
| D．It is too old-fashioned. |
10 . Amazing Benefits of Listening to Music
If you love listening to music, you’re good company.
★Music makes you happier.
When you listen to music, your brain produces a special matter. It biologically (生物学上) causes listeners to feel emotions like happiness, excitement, and joy. So next time you need an emotional increase, listen to your favorite tunes for 15 minutes.
★
Listening to music you enjoy reduces levels of the stress in your body. This is an important finding since stress causes many illnesses. To stay calm and healthy during a stressful day, turn on the radio.
★Music helps you sleep better.
A study showed that students listening to classical music for 45 minutes slept better than students who did nothing. If you’re having trouble sleeping, try listening to a little Bach or Mozart before bedtime.
★Music helps you eat less.
★Music strengthens learning and memory.
Researchers discovered that music can help you learn and recall information better.
★Music raises IQ and school performance.
Research shows that taking music lessons predicts higher school performance and IQ in young children.
| A．Music lowers stress and improves health. |
| B．Participants who were musicians learned better with light music. |
| C．Musical training can help raise our IQs and even keep us sharp in old age. |
| D．Here are amazing scientifically proven benefits of being attracted by music. |
| E．Recent research shows that listening to music improves our happiness. |
| F．Softening the lighting and music can lead people to eat fewer calories and enjoy their meals better. |
| G．To help your children achieve excellence in their studies, encourage them to sing or learn to play an instrument. |
