2 . Music can relax the mind, energize the body, and even help people better manage pain.     1    . Music therapy (疗法) is an intervention sometimes used to promote emotional health. help patients cope with stress, and boost psychological well-being.

Music can improve mental performance.

Research suggests that background music improves mental performance. Playing more positive music leads to improvements in processing speed.     2    , turn on a little music in the background for a boost in your mental performance.

Music can help you eat less.

    3    . To lose weight, listen to soft music and dim the lights. According to one study, people eating at low-lit restaurants where soft music was played consumed less food. Music and lighting help create a more relaxing setting where participants may consume their food more slowly and feel full sooner.

    4    .

Sleeplessness is a problem that affects people of different age groups. While there are many approaches to treating this problem, research has demonstrated that listening to relaxing classical music can be a safe, effective, and affordable therapy.

Music can help you manage pain

Research has shown that music can be very helpful in the management of pain. One study of fibromyalgia (纤维性肌痛) patients found that those who listened to music for one hour a day experienced a significant reduction in pain.     5    .

A．Music can reduce stress

B．The psychological effects of music can be powerful

C．So next time you are working on a task

D．Music can help you sleep better

E．The result of the study suggests music therapy can help treat some diseases

F．Some people enjoy listening to music before they go to sleep

G．Music can be a helpful weight-loss tool

4 . Often people receive a guitar, mandolin, or some other musical instrument as a birthday or Christmas gift. There’s joy everywhere. The giver of the gift knows how much the receiver wants to learn this instrument and the receiver is actually holding it in his hands instead of longing for it through the shop window.

Finding an instructor that fits into a busy work schedule is hard enough, but once you decide on a lesson plan, then you must consider the practice time, how to practice, what to practice — and let’s face it — not all people learn something the same way. So in order to learn a musical instrument, how much practice time is enough and what kind of practice is right for you?

There is no set amount of time that anyone should practice a musical instrument. When I was in programming classes, I could have studied nightly for 5 hours each night. It would have taken me years to learn the art of computer programming. Though I’m attracted by the systematic logic of it, my talent is towards another thing. However, on the other hand, if I spent an hour every couple days with a passionate (充满热情的) hobby like playing the violin, not only would the time fly quickly, I’d also be learning at a much greater speed since the built-in passion is the motivation for advancement.

So as much as it’s important to practice, a step back is to first find the harmonious instrument that fits you as a person as development of your personality. If you’re learning the guitar because it’s cool — obviously that’s the modern-day mindset, however, you might not be actually linking your talent for musical satisfaction with your most creative advantages you have to offer.

It’s been my experience that every person has a certain level of musical talent. My enjoyable challenge has been to assist them in this adventure and actually locate their best abilities as quickly as possible. Then and only then can we match learners with instruments and truly begin a fun and exciting walk down the road of happiness and contentment, where music, ability, personality and soul all meet. Once this piece of the mystery puzzle is in place, I’ve never had to work at motivating a learner to practice.

1. In the author’s opinion, which of the following is the most important when learning a music instrument?

A．The amount of time for practice.	B．A scientific learning method.
C．A good music instructor.	D．The strong fondness for music.

2. According to the author, a learner should choose to learn a music instrument which ________.

A．is received as a birthday or Christmas gift

B．follows a modern fashion in music training

C．is easy to learn and fits the learner very much

D．contributes to developing the learner’s character

3. What do we know about the author?

A．She writes pop music.	B．She’s a music instructor.
C．She advertises for music lesson.	D．She’s a music instrument collector.

4. Which of these questions does the passage answer?

A．Does practice make perfect?	B．Does talent make a difference?
C．Does a lesson plan really fit you?	D．Does hard work make up for lack of talent?

5 . 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.

2. What do we know about the House 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.

3. The architects designed the lighting mainly in order to ______.

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

4. What is the best title of this passage?

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.

6 . How similar are language and music?

Language is part of our daily lives, no matter where we live in the world.     1     Both language and music play a huge role in our culture and here are some of their similarities.

Both language and music have a writing system.

Both language and music have their own systems of notation. Language uses alphabets to represent sounds and create meaning.     2     By reading and writing in these systems, we can communicate and preserve ideas and compositions through time.

    3    

Listening to the language someone speaks can provide valuable clues about their geographical origin. In the same way, we know that styles of music are different around the world, giving us the opportunity to explore many different cultures through their music and providing us with music for every situation.

Both share emotion.

    4     While you may be able to perceive it through my facial expressions, you can judge it with certainty through my words. Similarly, music has the ability to convey emotions such as anger, sadness, or happiness through its sound. Music can show you exactly how the composer was or is feeling, and allows us to share that emotion. When you feel happy, you might want to sing and dance to a happy song to celebrate your happiness.     5     I think we have all used music to express or process our emotions, often combining it with language in the form of song lyrics (歌词).

A．Both are expressive.

B．Both vary with culture.

C．How do you know that I am annoyed?

D．Similarly, music is part of many people’s lives.

E．Equally, music uses notes to represent pitches and rhythms.

F．We use language to express our thoughts.

G．In contrast, you probably also listen to sad music when you are feeling down.

7 . Inside а tiny shop in Manchester, Adam Birce carefully carves at а woodblock. He looks carefully at each piece to ensure they fit and match before gently setting them together. Adam Birce, the owner of Four Strings, restores stringed instruments like violins, and his passion is restoring and appreciating what has already been crafted and loved.

Birce started playing the violin in grade school and grew to truly appreciate it. He played semiprofessionally out of high school and later got his degree in music at Virginia Commonwealth University as a violinist. After graduating, he landed a job selling violins. “As fate would have it, I was asked by my employer to learn to fix violins 15 years ago,” he says. “I soon moved off on my own to do restoration.” Since 2014, he has been on a mission with Four Strings to offer excellent fine-instrument restoration services to the community.

Violin restoration isn’t a self-taught skill. Each summer for the past decade, Birce has traveled to the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts for up to two weeks to study under famous violin restoration expert Hans J. Nebel. Here, students learn everything from delicate edging repair to violin identification. “A lot of the work itself is learning as you go,” Birce says. “It’s a lot of problem-solving and critical thinking, like coming up with a woodworking plan.

“How long а job takes varies. Most are about 3-6 months for major work, unless a full top-to-bottom restoration is needed, which can take even longer,” Birce explains. “I leave that up to the client if they want to commit to that.” One of his longest jobs was working on a Scottish violin from the early 1800s that had been water-damaged. “I had to use every skill in my toolbox to fix it,” Birce laughingly recalls. “It was a very onerous job.”

If there’s one thing to be learned from Birce’s passion, it’s that each violin is unique in its own right. He compares the fine instruments market to the fine arts market. “A lot of these instruments are fine art,” he says. “I kind of say this is a Picasso I’m playing or a Degas. I’ve worked on a few, which is always a joy.”

1. What does paragraph 2 mainly talk about?

A．The special features of Four Strings.	B．The procedures of violin restoration.
C．Birce’s life experience with the violin.	D．Birce’s influence in the music industry.

2. What does the author think of violin restoration?

A．It’s effortless.

B．It’s self-taught.

C．It’s extremely dull.

D．It’s highly professional.

3. What does the underlined word “onerous” probably mean in paragraph 4?

A．Creative.

B．Well-paid.

C．Dangerous.

D．Demanding.

4. What can we infer from the last paragraph?

A．Birce prefers art to music.	B．Birce has a deep love for his job.
C．Birce wants to be as famous as Picasso.	D．Birce has become a master of violin restoration.

10 . Do you like Chinese traditional painting and dance? They are two important parts of the traditional Chinese art. But what about when they meet each other?

This year, a dance drama titled Poetic Dance: The Journey of a Legendary Landscape Painting (《只此青绿》) was staged on CCTV’s Spring Festival Gala and became popular.

According to CCTV, this poetic dance program was inspired by the 900-year-old Chinese painting A Panorama of Rivers and Mountains (《千里江山图》). Created by Song Dynasty painter Wang Ximeng at about 18, the painting is amazing in its sweeping size, rich coloration and the expressive details, reported CCTV. It shows a Chinese blue-green landscape: “mountains and groupings of infinite (无限的) rise and fall between cloudless sky and rippling (涟漪的) water”.

When the dancers moved elegantly, audiences seemed to be looking at the moving mountains and rivers. “It brings me a pure experience of beauty. It is not only a drama but also an exhibition. Vast mountains and rivers are coming to life!” Internet user Mo Weisha wrote in a review. “More than a thousand years later, green mountains and rivers still impress people as they did long ago.” Some people even decided to watch the dance again when it was staged in the theaters later. In fact, in recent years, more and more modern shows feature Chinese traditional culture and have received warm welcome. As for the reason, it is due to people’s great love for traditional culture.

“The younger generations have grown up with a more open mind. They accept Chinese culture and are proud of it.” Yao Wei, director of Henan TV Station’s Innovation Center, told China Daily.

1. What’s the writing purpose of Paragraph 1?

A．To show a doubtful attitude.	B．To introduce the topic.
C．To describe the art world.	D．To raise a question.

2. What inspired the poetic dance?

A．CCTV’s Spring Festival Gala.

B．Song Dynasty painter Wang Ximeng.

C．A Chinese blue-green landscape.

D．An ancient Chinese traditional painting.

3. Why did this poetic dance enjoy welcome?

A．Traditional culture is accepted and loved by people.

B．Green mountains and rivers greatly impress people.

C．The poetic dance can be staged in the theaters later.

D．Increasing modern shows feature Chinese traditional culture.

4. What’s the main idea of the whole passage?

A．It explains why Chinese art enjoys popularity.

B．It shows us art can come to life through dance.

C．It highlights the beauty of Chinese traditional art.

D．It tells us the passion for Chinese traditional painting.