1 . Pianist Jean-Francois Maljean has released a piano piece to commemorate (纪念) the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, which kicked off with a grand opening ceremony held at the National Stadium on Feb 4. Titled for Beijing Olympics, the piano piece, which is about 3 minutes, was asked by the Chinese embassy in Belgium, with the aim of celebrating Chinese New Year and to welcome the Winter Olympics. He also wrote a song to support Wuhan in its fight against COVID (新冠)-19 in 2020 and another song for Xi’an in December.

Born in Verviers, Belgium, Maljean started to learn the piano at age 6. At about 12, the classically trained pianist became interested in a diverse range of musical genres (体裁，类型), especially pop music like that of The Beatles.

He had planned to compose a song and English author Robert Murray, the pianist’s friend, even started to write the lyrics about the Olympic Games. However, due to the short time, Maljean ended up just composing a piano piece, which was later released in the form of a music video featuring images of winter sports. “I think that a piano piece works even better than a song. Since winter sports mainly give an impression of speed, I composed a mostly very fast piece, though there are some slower moments. And it works very well,” says Maljean, 68, who recorded the piece at his own studio in Belgium. Maljean recalls that he visited the capital and spent some time in China, where he was featured in a documentary for Belgian television. He traveled to many places in China, including Changchun in Jilin province, Guizhou province and Shanghai, and landed in Beijing to visit Olympic sites.

4 . Most students in America like popular music. Students carry small radios with earphones and listen to the 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 the music on the car radio as they drive to work. They also listen to the news about the sports, the weather and the life of American people. Most of the radio programmes are music.

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 CDs or tapes. Some of the money from them goes to the singer. Wherever the singer goes, most of 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 which tells stories about the common life of Americans. Another is called western or country music. It was started by cowboys who would sing at night to the cows which 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.

7 . Ludwig van Beethoven wrote many famous pieces of music in his life, but he’s probably best known for his nine symphonies (交响曲).

When Beethoven died in 1827, he had some ideas for a 10th Symphony. But all that he left behind were some notes about the piece and a few sketches. In 2019, a special team of musicians, and computer. They wanted to complete Beethoven’s 10th Symphony to celebrate his 250th birthday. The team didn’t just want to complete the symphony. They wanted to come as close as possible to producing the symphony that Beethoven meant to write. That was where deep learning came in.

To train an AI to help with the symphony, the team turned every piece of music that Beethoven ever wrote into a form the computer could understand. By feeding the program all of Beethoven’s music, the AI could look for patterns in the way Beethoven wrote.

Other members of the team studied Beethoven’s notes and sketches, and worked to figure out what Beethoven was planning to do. Where in the symphony did he plan to use each little bit of music that he left?

One early test told the team they were on the right track. They took a few minutes of music created by the AI based on the short bits of music left by Beethoven, and played it for Beethoven experts, musicians, and reporters. No one could tell which parts had been written by Beethoven and which parts the AI made up.

Finally, the AI had the challenge of trying to connect the little musical bits into a symphony.

It took over two years, but the team was able to complete Beethoven’s 10th Symphony. So Beethoven now has a 10th Symphony. And though Beethoven didn’t write it all, the team feels sure that the music is very much like what he might have written, if he had had the chance.

8 . Music can make us feel happy, peaceful or sad. As an orchestra conductor, Amy Anderson brings music to life, allowing people to experience many _______ that music can give.

Anderson fell in love with _______ when she was a child. She began playing the piano at seven and started composing at nine. She bought many videos _______ by the world’s great orchestras and conductors and listened to them for hours on end.

During a concert, the audience see the _______ of a conductor and the arm movements he or she makes. What audiences do not see is all the work the conductor has done before the _______．

Months before a concert, Anderson studies the music by _______ it on the piano. Her goal is to recreate the music as the composer _______．

While conducting, Anderson uses her whole body to express how the music should sound and feel. Her movements are dramatic when the music is _______ and gentle when the music is peaceful. As she _______, Anderson listens for problems with balance, sound and style.

To help young musicians better __________ how to play the music, Anderson might tell them to imagine a __________ and leisurely walk or a ship being tossed (颠簸) by waves.

“It is music’s ability to __________ people that I value most,” said Anderson. She

Anderson is happy, knowing that she and the musicians have changed lives for the better,__________spirits and brought joy to people.

9 . Top Music Festivals

Summer festival season is just kicking off, and there is a lot to look forward to in the upcoming months.

Anyone who likes indie(独立的) music and up-and-coming artists will have an amazing time at the Pitchfork Music Festival in Chicago’s Union Park. This is an indie rock haven that explores more underground and lesser-known bands than the other big Chicago summer festival, Lollapalooza.

Date: July 14—16, 2018

Location: Chicago, Illinois, USA

Music Type :Indie rock

Price: $126- $2, 700

No matter what time of the year it is, New Orleans is an incredible place if you love live music. The Essence Music Festival is a celebration of legendary (大名鼎鼎的) artists like Diana Ross, Chaka Khan and Mary J. Blige.

Date: June 29—July 2, 2018

Location: New Orleans, Louisiana, USA

Music Type : R&B, soul, rock

Price :$75- $365

Budapest knows how to hold a party, and Sziget is one of the biggest celebrations of music and culture in all of Europe. You can expect to find favorite artists like Bad Religion and Mac DeMarco taking the stages here during this three-day festival.

Date :August 9-11，2018

Location:Budapest, Hungary

Music Type: Indie rock

Price: $70- $296

The Flow Festival is a great excuse to explore the city of Helsinki. Artists including Lana Del Rey and The XX will be playing, among many others. Come to this festival to enjoy a relaxing atmosphere with an earth-friendly belief.

Date: August 11-13, 2018

Location :I Helsinki, Finland

Music Type :Rock, soul, jazz

Price: $106- $199

Have you ever dreamed of being famous     1     a musician? At first many singers may form a band to practice their music. And then they may get the chance to give     2    (perform) in pubs or clubs. Later they may gradually become popular. However, the Monkees started in     3     different way. They began as a TV show. The TV organizers had put an advertisement in a newspaper,     4     (look) for rock musicians who could act as well as sing.     5     (honest) speaking, only one of them was good enough and the other three members pretended     6     (sing). So it couldn’t     7     (call) a real band in the beginning. Anyhow,     8    they showed to the audience was really creative and they became popular. After a year or so, they worked harder, produced     9     (they) own records and started touring. In about 1970, the Monkees broke up but they reunited in the mid-1980s and in 1996 produced a new record, with     10     they became more successful.