1 . On the bustling streets of Sydney, Australia, Dong Min, a young Chinese woman, dressed in elegant Chinese traditional clothing — hanfu, gracefully holds a dizi, the bamboo flute of China, fascinating passersby with the melodies of traditional Chinese music.
Dong Min, a talented musician was born in 1990. Seeing a female performer playing the bamboo flute on TV fired her interest in this Chinese traditional instrument at the age of 8. Soon her interest blossomed into talent. At the age of 10, winning a provincial-level Chinese musical instrument competition earned her one of only four spots for further studies in Beijing. After graduating from Minzu University of China with a major in Chinese bamboo flute in 2015, she enrolled at the University of New South Wales in Australia to study cultural leadership where she initiated street performances, featuring Chinese traditional instruments. One year later, she formed a band and founded the Sydney Meya Institute of Chinese Music to teach various Chinese traditional instruments to more people.
Apart from street performances and her institution, Dong also offers online dizi lessons to a global audience and organizes online exchange concerts for her students worldwide. “Our students range from 4-year-olds to 80-year-olds, reflecting the timeless appeal of Chinese music across generations,” Dong said.
Her effort paid off eventually. Her performances grew in popularity. Many audiences traveled all the way from cities like Melbourne and Brisbane to Sydney just to attend her performances.” Many music schools now offer courses on Chinese instruments. I hope to create a platform for music enthusiasts to connect and cultivate friendships through their shared love for music. Thus, we can not only raise awareness of Chinese traditional music in Australia but also share the richness of Chinese culture through music with the international audience.” Dong Min said.
1. Which of the following is true?| A．Dong Min founded the institution at 26. |
| B．Dong Min taught dizi through street performances. |
| C．Dong Min majored in Chinese bamboo flute in Australia. |
| D．Dong Min wished to gain popularity through her performances. |
| A．By analyzing reasons. | B．By providing examples. |
| C．By making comparisons. | D．By following time order. |
| A．Brave and humorous. | B．Gifted and passionate. |
| C．Creative and stubborn. | D．Patient and experienced. |
| A．Chinese Traditional Music: From China to Australia. |
| B．Bamboo Flute: Chinese Instrument Shared in Australia. |
| C．Dong Min: A Culture Messenger Bridging Cultures through Music. |
| D．Dong Min: A Talented Chinese Girl Spreading Chinese Instruments. |
Wearing Hanfu and sitting in front of a Chinese zither (筝), Peng Jingxuan, a young Chinese student, moves her fingers gently along the strings on a street in Paris, France.
Peng has shared more than 200
Chinese zither (筝), or guzheng, is an ancient musical instrument with 21-26 strings and a length of 1.63 meters. Peng
Considering her audience’s
3 . 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.
1. 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. |
| A．It is difficult to operate. | B．It needs to be more intelligent. |
| C．It might reveal users’ privacy. | D．It is beneficial for students’ learning. |
| A．The music world is full of uncertainties. |
| B．Technology cannot replace human pianists. |
| C．There won’t be fiercer competition among pianists. |
| D．Pianists should be updated with the latest technology. |
| A．Making Full Use of MIT’s Program |
| B．The Evolution of Musical Instruments |
| C．Exploring Music with the Steinway Spirio|r |
| D．The Challenges of Learning a New Instrument |
4 . The Martin County High School boys’ basketball team was in the final quarter of a nail-biter of a game at a regional tournament in Pikeville, Ky., when live music
They knew it wasn’t their school’s
Jason Johnson, Pike Central Band director, said some audience members and cheerleaders started encouraging his band to
The band members, though, seemed
As they started their first song, the Cardinals’
| A．suddenly | B．again | C．still | D．secretly |
| A．top | B．strange | C．small | D．original |
| A．attend | B．play | C．organize | D．win |
| A．made | B．tied | C．recorded | D．improved |
| A．lead | B．enter | C．level | D．clean |
| A．conducting | B．asking | C．thinking | D．performing |
| A．grateful | B．eager | C．hesitant | D．curious |
| A．cried out | B．walked away | C．got along | D．banded together |
| A．ignored | B．voiced | C．refused | D．felt |
| A．pressure | B．imagination | C．energy | D．control |
| A．suggest | B．teach | C．replace | D．uplift |
| A．For the worse | B．In the end | C．By the way | D．On the contrary |
| A．favor | B．victory | C．balance | D．bonus |
| A．honor | B．technique | C．duty | D．spirit |
| A．heading | B．cheering | C．traveling | D．looking |
5 . Chinese singer Gong Linna released her new song, titled Return Home, which describes the overseas Chinese people’s longing for their homeland.
Performed in Chaoshan dialect, the song is part of Gong’s music project, which has the singer perform songs in different Chinese dialects. “It is very challenging to sing in Chaoshan dialect, which is a new language to me, and thanks to the songwriter Danny Sim and the song’s producer Wesley Tan, who speak the dialect, I received intensive training and practised very hard,” says Gong. “The beauty of dialects lies in telling stories of different places. It’s like a music al map, allowing me to explore different places through dialects.”
The idea of the song came from Qiaopi, a unique form of mail that served as both a letter and a remittance (汇款) sent by overseas Chinese people to their families in provinces of Guangdong and Fujian in the 19th and 20th centuries. At that time, many of those emigrants, particularly from Guangdong and Fujian, sent money back home to support their families, as well as communicating with their beloved ones and expressing their longing to be reunited.
“Dialects are a source of knowledge, traditions and the country’s cultural heritage. When I listen to a song performed in a dialect, I feel the local culture instantly even though I never go there and know nothing about the place,” says Sim, who wrote lyrics for the song, adding that there are a growing number of musicians in China performing in dialects, which allow listeners to get an emotional touch.
“Chaoshan dialect links people from the region. However, like many languages, it’s dying. Many young people, especially children, rarely speak the dialect, which is a sad thing.” Sim says, explaining why he is keen on writing songs by using the dialect, “I love my hometown and by writing songs in the dialect, I feel close to my home. Maybe that is, culture identity.”
1. What difficulty did Gong face when performing the song?| A．She had the language barrier. | B．The culture was unfamiliar to her. |
| C．The song had to fit in with the whole project. | D．There were many unknown stories in the song. |
| A．Its history. | B．Its influence. | C．Its inspiration. | D．Its significance. |
| A．They are dropping in numbers. | B．They are seldom sung by young singers. |
| C．They can stimulate affective bond. | D．They help us know many unknown places. |
| A．A sense of duty as a song writer. | B．A sense of belonging to his hometown. |
| C．His eagerness to revive Chaoshan culture. | D．His addiction to the charm of the dialect. |
6 . 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. |
Have you ever imagined singing together with hundreds of people while at home alone? It can be realized
Award-winning
The virtual choir is a wonderful way for people to sing with one voice,
8 . Here are some ways to introduce classical music to your children.
●When you read a story to your children, pick out a classical music piece that matches the emotion of the book.
●If your kids are always moving around, try introducing classical music to them by dancing. Instruct your children to listen to the music and dance however the music makes them feel. Parents dance with them!
●Before your kids begin playtime, make a list of classical music pieces with the name of the person who wrote it.
●
●You can pick out three pieces of music to play during the week.
| A．Have your children pick one. |
| B．Practice reading the story out loud with the music. |
| C．Mix up the music and see how your children react. |
| D．Classical music can be fun, and not boring to listen to. |
| E．Tell your children the name of the piece every time you play it. |
| F．Make sure you tell your children what the piece is and who wrote it. |
| G．While you and your children paint, play different classical music pieces. |
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. |
10 . It is universally believed that playing an instrument or singing in a choir may boost your brain. Generations of parents have told their children to practice their musical instruments. Parents have good reason to keep on top of their children’s musical education, since learning an instrument is not only associated with better educational achievement but also cognition (认知) and even intelligence scores in children. But does this musicality contribute to better cognition later in life?
A new study in the International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry investigated this question by asking middle-aged and older people to complete a questionnaire on their lifetime musical experience before completing cognitive tests. The results showed that musical people had better memory and ability to stay focused on tasks and plans than those with less or no musicality.
But how about being musical without playing an instrument? According to the study findings, singing can result in better executive (决策的) function but not memory, suggesting that playing an instrument has additional brain health benefits. Why singing would help us with our executive function is not clear and requires further investigation. However, singing has a strong social benefit when done in choirs, and there is good evidence that being involved in social activity is good for our brain health.
Playing an instrument or singing seems to have benefits to our brain health in ageing, according to the study. What is yet to be established is whether this would also help prevent future cognitive decline (下降) or dementia. The study provides no evidence for this yet and it is also not clear how the findings apply to the general population, since most people in the study were female, well-educated and well-off.
1. What does the new study center on?| A．The cognition improvement by singing in a choir. |
| B．Musical people’s ability of keeping focused on tasks. |
| C．Academic progress of children playing an instrument. |
| D．Musicality’s effect upon better cognition later in life. |
| A．Catherine who sings in a choir. | B．Sam who was born in a music family. |
| C．Mary who played the piano for years. | D．Jack who is eager to get music education. |
| A．Proved. | B．Started. | C．Announced. | D．Admitted. |
| A．Objective. | B．Opposed. | C．Unclear. | D．Supportive. |
