The school’s hall got very noisy with excitement as students, teachers, and parents filled the seats, eagerly awaiting the start of the annual school talent show. Backstage, the performers paced nervously, their hearts pounding with anticipation and their minds filled with a mixture of excitement and fear.
Among them was Sarah, a shy but talented singer whose passion for music burned brightly within her. Ever since she was a lonely young girl, Sarah had found comfort in music. With nothing but her voice to accompany her, she would sing for hours on end, pouring her heart and soul into each note, each lyric, each breath.
Sarah’s talent did not go unnoticed. One day, while she was singing softly to herself during a lunch break at school, Mrs Caroline, the choir director, happened to overhear her. Immediately, she saw something special in Sarah—a talent that deserved to rise and shine.
Over the following weeks and months, Mrs Caroline took Sarah under her wing, offering guidance, support, and encouragement every step of the way. She encouraged Sarah to step out of her comfort zone, to embrace her gift, and to share it with the world.
Under Mrs Caroline’s instruction, Sarah began to push herself harder than ever before. She spent hours each day practicing her singing, honing her skills, and perfecting her craft. She sought out opportunities to perform in front of others, gradually building up her confidence and overcoming her fears.
When the moment finally came, with a deep breath, Sarah stepped out onto the stage, the spotlight blazing down upon her like a thousand suns. For a moment, Sarah was frozen in place. But then, with a determined smile, she raised the microphone to her lips and began to sing.
注意：1. 所续写短文的词数应为150左右；
2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置答题。
Paragraph 1:
Then a sudden technical failure caused her background music to cut out.
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When she stepped off the stage, Sarah recognized a familiar figure among the crowd.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Heritage is our legacy from the past, what we live with today and what we pass on to future generations. Traditional art form continues to raise passion
At the beginning, dragon dances
Zhang Fanshen,
More and more people have fallen in love
3 . 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. |
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 . “Pop” stands for popular, and a pop singer has to work very hard to stay popular. He must either give the public what they want, or he must find a new way of singing that will attract their attention. Even when he has succeeded, and his records are sold everywhere, he cannot relax. Then he must work harder than ever to remain popular, because there are always younger singers trying to become famous and to steal some of the popularity.
The life of a successful pop singer isn’t easy at all. He can only relax when he is alone, because everything he does is watched and reported in the special newspaper written for the fans. The fans are the most important people in the world for the singer. They buy his records, they go to his concerts, and they make him rich and famous. But they can be very annoying, too. Sometimes their enthusiasm (热情) is so hysterical (歇斯底里的) that they do anything to get a souvenir (纪念品). They steal handkerchief, they tear off buttons, and they even cut off pieces of unfortunate singer’s hair. Many singers have been forced to hide, and some who have not been so lucky as to escape have been stripped (剥) practically naked by their fans. A pop singer has to spend a lot of money on clothes because he must always look smart, or at any rate, different. He must have a luxurious (豪华的) car. And most importantly, he must always keep smiling for the benefit of his public.
1. Pop singer works very hard ___________.| A．to get attention |
| B．to stay popular |
| C．to get more money |
| D．to sell more records |
| A．lovely | B．friendly | C．boring | D．angry |
| A．smart and the same |
| B．smart and different |
| C．healthy and young |
| D．rich and strong |
| A．The Way to Become a Pop Singer |
| B．The Fans of the Pop Singer |
| C．The Pop Singers |
| D．The Success of Pop Singers |
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. |
7 . 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. |
A concert
Ancient Chinese musical instruments
The concert, co-initiated by China Federation of Literary and Art Circles and co-organized by Chinese Musicians’ Association and Brazil China Friendship Association, invited
This event was part of 2024 “China Today” Arts Week that was first launched in 2004 by China Federation of Literary and Art Circles. During the past two decades, the art festival
1. To whom does the speaker give this talk?
| A．Singers. | B．Students. | C．Teachers. |
| A．Protect their voice from hurt. |
| B．Consider how strong their ambition is. |
| C．Take advantage of opportunities to perform. |
| A．To show a different path for singers. |
| B．To let singers value their good voices. |
| C．To encourage singers to get over anxiety. |
| A．She avoids singing in the studio. |
| B．She is extremely nervous on stage. |
| C．She prepares in her car before recording. |
10 . Depending on your view, the recorder (竖笛) is an instrument of “incredible functions” or a tool of annoyance that has bothered primary schools for too many generations. But now, it faces extinction, with one of the UK’s top music schools reporting an 80% decline in the number of young people playing it in the last 10 years.
The instrument’s future is so imperilled that the European Recorder Teachers Association is trying to bring it back to life again so it does not go the way of the lute. The ERTA argues that if the recorder was good enough for the Beatles, it has a place in modern music today. Tom Redmond, the principal of Chetham’s school of music in Manchester, said only three of its pupils practised the recorder, compared with 15 a decade ago. “More pupils were taking up the piano or other instruments,” said Redmond. “The ones that became really popular are the ones students spend more time playing alone. With the instruments being more socially or orchestral based, there has been a decline.”
Redmond also said that this problem extended “beyond the recorder itself” and was a mirror of the future of music. “Like removing any plant or animal from an ecosystem, removing the recorder has a huge ripple effect (连锁反应) beyond just the instrument. You need these instruments to create the inspiration for music, and without that, there is less excitement for it and to learn music,” he said. Chris Orton, a recorder tutor and chair of the ERTA, is leading the fight against the instrument’s extinction. He said, “The recorder is increasingly overlooked by students, and yet it has a rich history and incredible attractions. As well as making beautiful sounds, it’s an accessible instrument in that it is low-cost compared to other woodwind instruments, and it’s light and easy to carry.”
1. What does the underlined word “imperilled” in paragraph 2 probably mean?| A．Bright. | B．Distant. | C．Confusing. | D．Endangered. |
| A．The piano is easier to learn than the recorder. |
| B．Music education is necessary for all students. |
| C．The recorder plays an important role in music. |
| D．Nature is a rich source of inspiration for musicians. |
| A．It needs to be improved. | B．It is very difficult to play. |
| C．It deserves more attention. | D．It is a top choice for students. |
| A．The Recorder is Heading for Extinction | B．Music is Increasingly Influencing the Youth |
| C．Technology Brings New Life to Instruments | D．The UK Fights Against the Recorder’s Fate |
