1 . 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.
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●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. |
2 . A company, called Mario Cucinella Architects, has made the House of Music, a solar-powered (太阳能的) building in Pieve di Cento that celebrates the town’s long-standing musical tradition. Designed to represent an orchestra (管弦乐队), the building is made up of nine small music rooms that connect to a central open space. The curved oak front not only helps to make sound louder like an instrument’s music box, but also ensures high levels of energy efficiency (效率).
Finished in 2017 after four years of planning and building, the House of Music of Pieve di Cento is located in the former Lamborghini (a famous Italian car company) production area that had been changed into a park. The recently completed building gets an advantage from a cycling path that connects the House of Music to the town center and beyond to an area to the south. There is also a wooden bench running around the building and creating resting places facing the park.
To prevent heat, cold, or noise from passing through the building, Mario Cucinella Architects used a special design for the House of Music. The flat roofs are topped with a series of curved and raised disks (圆盘) that help make unwanted sunlight change its direction and are engineered to bring more natural air into the building. The energy-efficient design was influenced by the architects’ (建筑师的) study of the site.
The nine music rooms open up to a central outdoor space that serves as a meeting area. The architects noted, “The House of Music’s outside lighting makes it a comforting place that encourages people to continue to do musical activities after the earthquake that shook the area in 2012.”
1. What was the purpose of building the House of Music?| A．To praise the town’s musical tradition. |
| B．To remember a famous local musician. |
| C．To attract people outside the town to visit. |
| D．To tell people about the importance of music. |
| A．It started to be built in 2017. |
| B．It is located in the town center. |
| C．It is supported by a famous car producer. |
| D．It is connected with other areas by a cycling path. |
| A．encourage people to keep up their musical activities |
| B．warn people of the danger of earthquakes |
| C．make the building noticeable and attractive |
| D．make full use of energy |
| A．A solar-powered orchestra. |
| B．The advantages of solar-powered buildings. |
| C．A solar-powered House of Music. |
| D．The future of solar-powered buildings. |
3 . Peng Jingxuan, a 26-year-old Chinese girl, is now studying in a music university in Paris. While learning abroad, she is also working at spreading traditional Chinese culture to the world. She can often be found on French streets, wearing a silk Han Dynasty-style dress and playing the guzheng to passers-by.
Born in 1995, Peng began to learn the guzheng when she was seven years old. After arriving in France in late 2017, she saw many people do street performances, but few of them knew about Chinese music. So she decided to play the guzheng on the streets.
Peng made her first performance in front of a theater in October, 2018. “I was very nervous at that time, but a lot of people said they enjoyed my performance,” Peng said. Then she started to perform during weekends and holidays. After being asked plenty of times by local people about the guzheng, Peng now carries a book that explains the instrument to foreigners. Later, she posted her first video of playing the guzheng online and it spread quickly. From then on, Peng has posted many videos of her street performances. The videos have got many likes and made her a very popular guzheng artist. She has millions of fans on the Internet now.
More and more people show great interest in the guzheng after watching Peng’s performances. “People come to me and praise me for the beauty of the instrument and the music. Every time they ask me which country the guzheng comes from, I am very happy to tell them it’s from China.” Peng feels she has more responsibility to spread traditional culture. “What is national is universal. I hope to play a bigger role in making Chinese music known by the world.” said Peng.
1. Why did Peng decide to play the guzheng on the streets in Paris?| A．Because she needed to make money for her education. |
| B．Because she wanted to become famous. |
| C．Because she found few people there knew about Chinese music. |
| D．Because she wanted to make videos to post online. |
①put her first video online
②got many fans
③went to Paris
④made her first performance
| A．③④①② | B．①②③④ | C．③①④② | D．①④②③ |
| A．Advising people to visit Pang. | B．Telling the story of a popular guzheng artist. |
| C．Asking people to learn the guzheng. | D．Encouraging readers to do street performances. |
4 . Sydney Conservatorium of Music Concerts for January 2017
A. Sydney Youth Orchestra
Conservatorium High School students play a selection (精选) of Mozart concertos (协奏曲).
Date: Sat. 7th and 14th January, 8:00 pm. $10
B. Let’s Sing Together
An afternoon for the young and the young-at-heart. Led by the Giggles Band (乐队), sing children’s songs from your childhood and from all over the world. There will be a special appearance by Willy Wallaby, from the popular children’s programme.
Date: Sun. 8th January, 3:00 pm. $5
C. One Romantic Evening
Bring someone special with you and listen to some of the greatest love songs as you look at the stars together!
Date: Sat. 28th January, 7:30 pm. $20
Note: This concert will be held in the Conservatorium Rose Garden, not in the Concert Hall.
D. Rock and Roll
Dance till late to the rock hits of the last 10 years. Bands playing include The Hippies, The Hypers, and The Heroes. If you have a special request (请求), write it down at the ticket counter when you come in.
Date: Sat. 21st January, 8:00 pm. $10
E. Flamenco
World-famous classical guitarist Rodrigo Paras will play a selection of traditional Spanish Flamenco pieces.
Date: Sun. 22nd and 29th January, 7:30 pm. $12
1. How much will you pay if you want to listen to children’s songs?
| A．$5. | B．$10. | C．$12. | D．$20. |
| A．7th January, 8:00 pm. | B．21st January, 8:00 pm. |
| C．22nd January, 7:30 pm. | D．28th January, 7:30 pm. |
| A．It will be played by students. |
| B．There will be a special guest. |
| C．It will be held in a different place. |
| D．You can leave a note when you come in. |
| A．Flamenco. | B．Let’s Sing Together. |
| C．One Romantic Evening. | D．Sydney Youth Orchestra. |
5 . Popular music in America is what every student likes. Students carry small radios with earphones and listen to music before class, after class, and at lunch. Students with cars buy large speakers and play the music loudly as they drive on the street.
Adult drivers listen to music on the car radio as they drive to work. They also listen to the news about sports, the weather, and the life of American people. Most of the radio programmes are music.
Pop or popular music singers make much money. They make a CD or tape which radio stations use in many places. Once the popular singer is heard all over the country, young people will buy his or her tapes. Some of the money from these tapes comes to the singer. Wherever the singer goes, all the young people want to meet him or her. Now the singer has become a national star.
There are other kinds of music that are important to Americans. One is called folk music. It tells stories about the common life of Americans. Another is called western or country music. This was started by cowboys who would sing at night to the cows they were watching. Today any music about country life and the love between a country boy and his girl is called western or country music.
1. This passage mainly talks about ________ .| A．American music | B．American popular music |
| C．three sorts of music | D．popular music singers |
| A．that Americans like popular music |
| B．that popular music is an important kind of music in America |
| C．how to become a national star as a pop singer in America |
| D．popular music in America is what every student likes |
| A．earn a lot of money |
| B．make radio stations use your CDs or tapes |
| C．make many CDs or tapes |
| D．make all the young people love you and what you sing |
| A．American music | B．folk music |
| C．western or country music | D．the common life of Americans |
6 . Millions of people enjoy watching Strictly Come Dancing on television every weekend. If you swing, and dance at home as the stars perform a jive or rumba, then why not give Latin dancing a go?
You dance with a partner and perform stops and routines that you both learn, set to a series of energetic music.
If you really enjoy it, you and your partner can have private lessons together with a teacher, and even enter local and national competitions once you’ve practised enough.
| A．Cha-cha is a true Latin dance. |
| B．Latin dancing includes five main dances. |
| C．It is a British television dance competition. |
| D．Go with someone who would like to be your partner. |
| E．Over a number of classes you can build up to a complete dance. |
| F．The class will probably have lots of first-time dancers sharing the floor with you. |
| G．Unlike in a ballroom dancing, Latin gives you more freedom to dance out of “hold”. |
7 . A recent story on TikTok showed how two neighbors found companionship (陪伴) and a new spirit in life during COVID-19, thanks to a shared love of the piano.
The heartbreaking story started when Giorgio Lo Porto heard his neighbor playing the piano through their dividing wall. Lo Porto is an Italian living in London. He reached out to his neighbor and left a note, saying if he or she could play My Heart Will Go On. The mystery neighbor agreed, suggesting they play together. Over time the music between two complete strangers became a regular weekend engagement(约会).
A week later, the pair finally met and “it was better than expected,” shared Lo Porto. The mystery pianist happened to be a78-year-old Polish man named Emil. “He lost his wife in December due to COVID-19 and all he has been left is the piano. And he plays at 2 p.m. every weekend because his wife loved it,” shared Lo Porto.
While Emil didn’t want to appear on any of the videos, he did share his thankfulness to Lo Porto for keeping him motivated during a most emotional and lonely time.When the pair offered each other company, Emil also inspired Lo Porto to continue writing his own song. And Emil reported being happier after playing music with Lo Porto and was thankful to those who watched their performance.
The bittersweet story shows the unbelievable influence two complete strangers can have on each other. Emil moved out at the end of February. Lo Porto wrote, “Dear Emil, you changed my life. You gave me back my passion (激情)，and we shared that with the world. You’ll 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 a note for Emil?| A．Emil helped with Lo Porto’s studies. |
| B．Emil started to share his music online. |
| C．They worked together to create new mu sic. |
| D．They performed music together through the wall. |
| A．To remember his wife. |
| B．To improve his piano skills. |
| C．To express his thanks to Lo Porto. |
| D．To cheer people up during COVID-19. |
| A．They missed their ordinary life in the past. |
| B．They encouraged each other through music. |
| C．They wished to spend more time with their families. |
| D．They wanted to become famous by posting their music online. |
| A．We should be independent in difficult times. |
| B．Young people should do their part to help the old. |
| C．We all can be the light of somebody if reaching out. |
| D．People should take some time to enjoy their hobbies. |
8 . Pandemic (流行病) lock-downs (封锁) might be common, but not all our movements are limited. This has led to a rise in dance, as people search for connection. Live classes online have increased rapidly, headed by the likes of dance legend Debbie Allen. Living rooms are becoming party scenes thanks to live-streaming (视频直播) dance parties by celebrity dancers Diplo and D-Nice.
Because of the recent increase in virtual events, geographically separated groups of strangers are moving in the same direction to the same rhythm without speaking a word. Recent research has shown that even our earliest ancestors (祖先) recognized the social benefits of dance.
According to a recent study published in the Public Library of Science’s Genetics Journal, creative dancers share two similar genes with good social communicators. These researchers believe our prehistoric ancestors who were good dancers used those skills for a close relationship and social interaction. We dance to celebrate harvests, ask for much-needed rain and bring healing.
In the Guadeloupe Islands, dance was once one of the only means of communication for an entire population. West Africans were brought over to the French Caribbean as slave (奴隶) labor. Members from various places speaking different languages began to find common ground in rhythms and dances. This art form became Gwoka. Each Gwoka rhythm shows a specific human experience, such as love, sadness and the celebration of Carnival (狂欢节).
I learned to speak a bit of this language at a Guadeloupean folk dance school. Gwoka shared similarities to the Bomba dance that I had tried in Puerto Rico. Bomba, in turn, had reminded me of the tambu in Aruba. As I continue to dance with more people, I build more links in a global chain of movement and rhythm.
So, in this new times of COVID -19, I’m not surprised how dance has been the solution for hundreds of thousands of people around the world.
1. What mainly leads to the popularity of dance during pandemic lock-downs?| A．People’s thirst for connection. |
| B．Worldwide geographical limitation. |
| C．Online classes given by famous dancers. |
| D．Live-streaming parties thrown by celebrities. |
| A．To show an experience. | B．To build relationships. |
| C．To share genetic qualities. | D．To celebrate important events. |
| A．The origin of Gwoka. | B．The celebration of Carnival. |
| C．Slave trades in the French Caribbean. | D．Means of communication of West Africans. |
| A．Doubtful. | B．Astonished. | C．Carefree. | D．Understandable. |
9 . My name is Sara. When I was little, I played the drums. I also had a guitar. In fourth grade, I started playing the trombone (长号). I practiced about four hours a week. All of this might not seem like a big deal for a lot of kids, but there’s something about me that makes me a bit different from others. I was born without hands. Since I was about one year old, I’ve worn prosthetics (假手).
This year, I got an invitation to join the high school marching band (行进管乐队). I told my mom I wanted to do it. But I had an instructor who thought I would not be able to march in the band—not because it was a high school band and I’m only in seventh grade, but probably because my body is different. All I wanted was to show that I could do it, so I joined the band. And it paid off!
Music gives me energy. That happens sometimes. One time I was so down, I didn’t even want to get out of bed. Then I hit my mp3 player by accident. A song came on, and I got up and started dancing. It helped me say to myself, “OK, I can get through today.”
Around my musician friends, we all share the same problems, like working out how many beats there are to a measure. I have a hard time counting the beats, but so do a lot of the other kids. It’s a normal problem that we musicians share. When I’m with the band, I don’t feel as different as I do in other situations. It’s just another way that music makes me want to go on, and not to just sit down by myself and not care about life.
1. In what way is Sara different from other kids?| A．There’s something wrong with her body. |
| B．She knows how to play many instruments. |
| C．She learned to play the drums at a very early age. |
| D．She kept playing the trombone for the longest hours. |
| A．said no at first | B．had no idea what to do |
| C．followed the instructor’s advice | D．believed that she would make it |
| A．Bored. | B．Relaxed. | C．Successful. | D．Afraid. |
| A．A high school band | B．A young drummer |
| C．The music of me | D．My magic hands |
10 . It’s hard to say why, but it’s just true: music is good for you. It can calm your spirit and help you vent (发泄) your anger.
The 74 participants were divided into three groups.
The results? The ones who received a little extra learning every week outperformed those who just continued on with their normal studies.
“That’s a big thing for kids in learning language: being able to hear the differences between words,” Desimone said in a statement. “They really benefited from that.” To the researchers, the results point to one clear conclusion:
| A．It can even be used to improve your memory. |
| B．It can bring people together and give us hope. |
| C．So students should have music lessons more often. |
| D．The control group simply carried on with their normal school classes. |
| E．Many studies have shown a close link between musical training and language skills. |
| F．If you’re a school administrator who wants kids to succeed, you’d better not cut those music programs. |
| G．Even the ones who only took music lessons turned out to perform better on language puzzles than those who didn’t have extra lessons. |
