4 . A new study, published in Music Education Research, examined whether an extended music education had an impact on pupils’ experienced satisfaction with school. Nearly 1,000 pupils at ten Finnish schools with extended music classes and comparison classes participated in a survey that measured the quality of school life at Year 3 and Year 6.

According to the results, the differences between the extended music classes and the comparison classes were significant at Year 6. But there were no differences between the groups at Year 3. The most likely explanation is the amount of music lessons which was four hours per week for the extended music classes and one lesson per week for the normal classes.

Merely attending an extended education class at Year 3 did not cause differences in school satisfaction. To explore whether belonging to any extended education class would have the same benefits, some extended education classes that focus on visual arts and sports were recently included in the analysis. However, school satisfaction in these classes did not differ from that in the normal ones at Year 6.

"Singing in a choir and group performance are popular activities at extended music classes. Other studies have established that people find it very satisfying to synchronize (合拍)with one another. That increases connection within the group and may even make people like each other. Other objects in the school do not have as much training in synchrony and cooperation as music lessons, which could explain part of the phenomenon,” says doctoral student Pävi-Sisko Eerola, at the University of Jyväskylä, Finland.

A particular answer may be that girls usually tend to give more positive scores on satisfaction with school and they also make up the majority of pupils at extended music classes. However, the gender differences do not fully explain the observed results. In fact, it seems that extended music classes improve the quality of school life more for boys than girls.

Maybe it’s impossible to adopt the Finnish music education system, but the benefits of having a few extra hours of art and self-expression via music every week are dramatic and necessary.

1. What did the new study find?

A．Elder kids are content with school when receiving more music lessons.

B．Extended music education is getting popular in many Finnish schools.

C．Primary pupils have different preference for the class arrangements.

D．Music education may have different functions in different grades.

2. What is the characteristic of those newly included education classes?

A．They pay more attention to kids’ feelings and emotions.

B．They stress visual appreciation and physical activity.

C．They are extended to the same length and frequency.

D．They are attended by both younger and elder kids.

3. What’s the benefit of extended music classes according to Eerola?

A．They can promote teamwork between students.

B．They can build good teacher-student relationship.

C．They effectively practice studenls’ singing skill.

D．They will develop students’ interest in music.

4. Who will probably be most interested in the finding of the new study?

A．The researchers.	B．Music teachers.
C．Finnish students.	D．School administrators.

5 . Grammar

One day Gene and Hannah Bortnick heard piano music     1    (come) from their living room. They thought their 3-year-old son Ethan     2    (listen) to a CD. Then they walked into the room. To their amazement, they found him playing music on his toy piano!

Having discovered his remarkable talent, Ethan’s parents changed their minds and agreed to his previous begging for piano lessons. They turned to a family member who taught piano, and she began working with Ethan. It wasn’t long, however,     3     the teacher knew that he was no ordinary student. Ethan was a piano prodigy(神童) and needed someone who understood his special talents and abilities. The family found Dr. Irena Kofman,     4     immediately recognized his talent and intelligence.

With Dr. Kofman’s help, Ethan learned about piano technique and different types of music. Before long, he was being asked to perform for many events. Later he was receiving invitations from the likes of Jay Leno and Oprah. Ethan was 6 and in kindergarten     5     he first appeared on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. At that time, he already had over 200 songs     6    (memorize) and was developing a CD.

Today, at the age of 13, it seems there is     7     Ethan cannot do. He plays piano, sings, composes songs and acts. He has entertained audiences around the world with music ranging from Beethoven to Bieber.

In 2010, Ethan became     8    (young) musician to create and host his own TV concert special.

Then in 2013, the performer starred in and wrote music for the movie Anything is Possible.

6 . Summer vacation is coming soon. To enjoy a relaxing holiday，here we’d like to share with you some of the best rock and jazz festivals. Although many Ukrainian(乌克兰的) music festivals were cancelled because of the bad financial condition，plenty remain for music lovers.

KrayinaMriy

When and where: June 20－21，Kyiv，Pyrohovo folk museum

Lineup (阵容): TNMK，Boombox，VopliVidoplyasova，Onuka

KrayinaMriy is an annual(每年的) rock music festival that promotes modern music. Besides music，the festival will offer dances as well as literary and theatrical performances and also playing of a traditional music instrument.

Alfa Fest

When and where: June 26－28，Lviv

So far all tickets have been booked，but a waiting list is available at www.alfajazzfest.com/buyticket. This yearly festival held in Lviv will be interesting for both experienced jazz lovers and jazz learners. The performers on the lineup come from Ukraine，Japan，Cuba and the U．S.

Koktebel

When and where: Aug.22－Sept.6，Zatoka village，Odesa Oblast

Koktebel Jazz is the biggest outdoor jazz festival.The Cinematic Orchestra，ParovStelar，Nino Katamadze，Bonobo，Submotion Orchestra，Billy’s Band were the GALA’S superstars in previous years. This year the list of festival’s participants and tickets prices still remain unknown but the organizers revealed(透露) that apart from good jazz，the guests will be offered music lectures and movie screenings.

Respublica

When and where: Sept.4－7，KamyanetsPodilsky，Khmelnytska Oblast

Folk music and street art festival Respublica will take place in Kamyanets，Podilsky，one of the most beautiful cities in the west. Kyiv Post staff writer NataliyaTrach can be reached at trach@kyivpost.com.Booking in advance can get a good discount.

1. Who are the text mainly intended for?

A．People enthusiastic about music.

B．People fond of travelling around.

C．Merchants able to make a fortune.

D．Musicians able to play various instruments.

2. What do KrayinaMriy and Alfa Fest have in common?

A．Their performers are all from Ukraine.

B．Their aim is to spread modern music.

C．They both offer other performances.

D．They are both yearly held festivals.

3. Which festival lasts the longest?

A．KrayinaMriy.	B．Alfa Fest.
C．Koktebel.	D．Respublica.

7 . Dear Tony,

How are you doing? I’m glad to receive your e-mail. I am writing to tell you something about my favourite type of music.

（1）    1    （我最喜欢流行音乐，把它视为生活的好伙伴）. There are several reasons for it. First of all, pop music is lively and it has a natural sense of rhythm. So it suits young people at my age. Secondly, it helps me ease my stressed feelings. When I feel tired after I have been studying hard for some time, （2）    2    （我常常听音乐，这总使我感到放松）. It is also a cure for my sadness （3）    3    （因为它能把那些不愉快的时刻变成高兴时刻）. Lastly, pop music does not have complex lyrics. As a result, it is simple to understand.

What’s your favourite type of music? Looking forward to your reply.

Best wishes!

Yours,

Li Hua

8 . Why read, and sometimes even write poetry? That question is not difficult to answer if we change the word poetry to songs.

I sing when I feel good. When I sing my favorite songs, I feel even better. Sometimes when I am listening to music and to the song words, I feel that it was written for me. A good song always makes me feel something. There are songs that I sing in my head between classes and songs that I want to sing when the school bell rings by the end of the day. They help me get through the day.

They are like bright and warm colors in the middle of grays and shades. I like songs about love and friendship. The extraordinary thing is that my feelings are more special when I sing my favorite songs in English.

I also like reading. I used to avoid poetry until an e-friend told me I should recite poems and not look up the meaning of the words. Poetry uses many difficult words and idioms, but the best thing is to just forget about them. In the beginning I felt quite strange. Now I always lock the door. Reading aloud gives you a strange feeling, but when you have some practice and fall into the rhythm, and the sounds of the words, it is really a special experience.

I started with small poems, but now I think I most like long poems. I have different feelings with different poems. When I have had a bad day at school, I read Keats and forget everything. When I am sad I read Wordsworth by the light of a candle. When the poem is finished, I close the book and my sadness is gone.

1. Which of the following statements is closest in meaning to the underlined sentence?

A．Songs are like different colors in different times.

B．Songs can help people better understand colors.

C．Songs can describe a mixture of different colors.

D．Songs can bring people warmth and comfort.

2. What we can infer from the passage is that______.

A．the writer likes singing songs aloud at any time

B．songs and poems can help get over bad emotions

C．the writer’s native language is English

D．the writer like songs better than poems

3. What can we know about the poems of Keats and Wordsworth through the passage?

A．Keats’ poems are full of bad feelings.

B．Wordsworth’s poems contain much sad description.

C．Both of their poetry can create positive feelings.

D．The themes of their poems are not different at all.