1 . Who says only adults can influence the world? Teenagers can too. A good
Medes was once on Time magazine’s list of the most influential teens of the year. He is
Indeed, unlike others, Mendes
From there, he became a
Mendes
He does so in life as well. During his first
“I’m not the
| A．news | B．choice | C．example | D．boy |
| A．seen | B．cared | C．prepared | D．caught |
| A．best | B．strange | C．traditional | D．positive |
| A．introduces | B．uses | C．makes | D．buys |
| A．myself | B．herself | C．himself | D．themselves |
| A．used | B．succeeded | C．paid | D．managed |
| A．singer | B．dancer | C．actor | D．writer |
| A．until | B．since | C．before | D．beside |
| A．never | B．seldom | C．always | D．hardly |
| A．what | B．which | C．who | D．whom |
| A．worked | B．used | C．acted | D．played |
| A．visit | B．concert | C．year | D．speech |
| A．turned off | B．turned on | C．turned up | D．turned down |
| A．name | B．stage | C．room | D．crowd |
| A．last | B．least | C．latest | D．best |
2 . This free night of music is a must-attend for jazz fans and music lovers alike! It is presented in association with the American Jazz Museum.
For the first time on stage in an ongoing cooperation, theoretical physicist Stephen Alexander and NEA Jazz Master Donald Harrison, a New Orleans-based saxophonist, explore their theory of quantum improvisation (量子即兴创作). They will also be joined by composer and bassist Santi Debriano along with other famous musicians for a night of jazz and its poetic link to the universe.
Time
7:00 pm—8:30 pm, December 22,2023
Event
6:00 p. m.—Doors open
7:00 p. m.—Lively conversation on jazz and quantum improvisation with Library President Lisa Browar, Stephen Alexander, and Donald Harrison
7:30 p. m.—Jazz concert—seven to eight songs, including two original pieces—starts!
8:30 p. m.—Jazz concert concludes
Venue
Please note that this event will be held at the Folly Theater, 300 W 12th St, Kansas City, MO 64105. The program will be free and open to the public, but advanced registration will be required. Attendees can also purchase the souvenirs such as T-shirts and caps linked to the event as well as the magazine signed by these famous musicians.
Parking
Parking is available in the garage next to the Folly Theater for $10-$15. The garage only accepts credit cards.
1. What does the concert mainly focus on?| A．The modern science. | B．The popular music. |
| C．The musical instruments. | D．The jazz of physics. |
| A．Half an hour. | B．An hour. | C．One and half an hour. | D．Two hours. |
| A．Parking in the garage. | B．A T-shirt worn by a musician. |
| C．Admission to the event. | D．The magazine signed by musicians. |
In the town of Pinecrest, a young girl named Emily had a dream of becoming a professional dancer. She was attracted by the grace and beauty of ballet and contemporary dance, often practicing her moves while watching online performances. Emily’s family owned a small restaurant, where they hosted travelers from all around the world. Regrettably, her family could not afford to send her to an expensive dance academy, and the town did not have any professional dancers who could train her.
Despite the challenges, Emily stuck to her determination to succeed. She spent hours every day practicing in her poor studio at home, learning from online courses, dance videos, and attending occasional workshops in neighboring towns. She would try to perfect the dance moves she observed in the videos and developed her own unique dance style, drawing inspiration from the beautiful natural surroundings. Emily’s passion and dedication caught the attention of the local community, and she was invited to perform at various town events and celebrations.
One day, news spread that a well-known dance company would be visiting Pinecrest to hold a talent show. The show aimed to discover ambitious dancers from remote areas, providing them with an opportunity to learn from professionals and share their passion with others. Emily, filled with excitement, decided to participate in the show, viewing it as a chance to learn from the experts and gain recognition for her talent.
During the show, Emily performed a dance that fascinated the audience and the judges with her graceful movements and emotive expressions. The artistic director of the dance company, who was also one of the judges, was impressed by Emily’s natural talent and dedication to her craft. Recognizing her potential, the artistic director offered Emily a scholarship to train at their dance academy in the city.
注意：
1. 续写词数应为150左右;
2. 请按如下格式在相应位置作答。
Emily was overjoyed upon hearing the artistic director’s offer.
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Years later, Emily stood on the stage, taking a bow as the audience applauded.
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Music is all around us. Music plays
Music
Why do so many people like music? Music can be a part of our identity — the set of qualities and
| A．Her feet hurt. | B．She is bad at dancing. | C．She dislikes dancing in public. |
6 . High schools used to teach shop classes, in which students learned skills like woodworking. Nowadays, most schools have traded in shop class in favor of academic subjects. However, the National Science Foundation STEM Guitar Project thinks that academic subjects and carpentry (木匠活) can be combined. This organization aims to get students excited about science, math, and arts all at once, by teaching students how to make a guitar.
Experis forecast that technical skills like this one could be in great demand in the future. Unfortunately, many high schools don’t offer students access to mechanical design skills, due to the fact that they are not on the list of standardized subjects and the schools can’t scientifically assess students’ performance. But, is STEM really needed in order to build a guitar? Actually, it’s impossible to make a guitar without knowing science and math.
Joshua Cruz, a design teacher, said that building a guitar also teaches troubleshooting and problemsolving skills. He thinks the STEM Guitar Project provides opportunities to challenge students to apply their own creativity to STEM problems. “I’m still figuring out how we can apply it,” Cruz explained. “I think we’re going to use a lot of the same theories behind how strings and stringed instruments work and try and get them to make stringed instruments of their own, and thus improve their academic performance.”
Because of its effectiveness and creativity, the guitar initiative was offered the Gerhard Salinger award, which recognizes outstanding STEM school programs. “Through this project, we have become part of this community of businessmen, engineers and artisans,” said Mark French, one of the six people who received the award for his work with STEM guitar. “It’s a great group and I’m pleased to be part of it. I get to combine something I love doing with an activity that really makes the world a little bit better place. It really does help people.”
Thanks to people like Mark French, and to the STEM Guitar Project, the world is a little bit of a better, more educated, and more musical place.
1. Why are mechanical design skills unavailable to high school students?| A．Students are not excited about these skills. |
| B．Students’ performance can’t be properly evaluated. |
| C．They are not necessary for the students’ growth. |
| D．They are of no help to students’ academic performance. |
| A．The ability to find faults with others. |
| B．The skills of making a guitar independently. |
| C．The opportunity to challenge scientific theories. |
| D．The improvement of creativity and learning ability |
| A．It is offered to businessmen and engineers. |
| B．It is a part of the community of businessmen. |
| C．It recognizes outstanding STEM school programs. |
| D．It encourages people to make their own instruments. |
| A．The Combination of Skills |
| B．The Award for the STEM Guitar Project. |
| C．The STEM Guitar Project Benefits Students |
| D．The STEM Guitar Project Promotes Music Education. |
7 . A broken heart. A sad ending to a love affair. That’s something most of us have experienced, or probably will. After all, it’s part of human life. But no question, the experience can be hard to get over.
But research shows there are pathways through the heartache. Listening to sad music is a major one. It can help you begin to feel joy and hopefulness about your life again. It can arouse (激发，唤醒) the desire (渴望) to connect with others.
Sad music can help heal and uplift you from your broken heart. A recent study from Germany found the emotional influence of listening to sad music is an arousal of feelings of empathy (共情), and a desire for positive connection with others. That, itself, is psychologically healing. It draws you away from concentration on yourself, and possibly towards helping others in need of comfort.
Another experiment, from the University of Kent, found that when people were experiencing sadness, listening to music that was “beautiful but sad” improved their mood. In fact, it did so when the person first consciously accept the situation causing their sadness, and then began listening to the sad music. That is, when they intended that the sad music might help, they found that it did.
These findings link with other studies that show accepting your sad situation emotionally leads to healing and growth beyond it. It seems unbelievable but it does make sense. For example, research from Cornell University, published in Psychological Science, found that accepting discomfort about a life experience or new situation, and viewing it as a step towards growth and change, encourages people to find a pathway through it, beyond it. As Churchill famously said, “If you’re going through hell, keep going.” That discomfort points you towards creating a plan, a new action. It fuels hope.
1. What can we learn from paragraph 3 and paragraph 4?| A．Sad music can make people help others. |
| B．Sad music can make sad people feel better. |
| C．Sad music can make people believe in themselves. |
| D．Sad music can make people concentrate on themselves. |
| A．Listen to a sad song. | B．Avoid unwise actions. |
| C．Find support from others. | D．Face the discomfort directly. |
| A．By listing figures. |
| B．By giving directions. |
| C．By comparing examples. |
| D．By presenting research findings. |
| A．How to Find Pathways through Heartaches |
| B．How We React to A Broken Heart Matters a Lot |
| C．What We Can Do to Overcome Discomfort in Life |
| D．Why Listening to Sad Music Heals Your Broken Heart |
8 . Top Music Festivals
Summer festival season is just kicking off, and there is a lot to look forward to in the upcoming months.
Pitchfork Music Festival
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
Location: Chicago, Illinois, USA
Music Type: Indie rock
Price: $126—$2,700
Essence Music Festival
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
Location: New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
Music Type: R&B, soul, rock
Price: $75—$365
Sziget Festival
Budapest know show 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
Location: Budapest, Hungary
Music Type: Indie rock
Price: $70—$296
Flow Festival
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
Location: Helsinki, Finland
Music Type: Rock, soul, jazz
Price: $106—$199
1. Which music festival has the longest duration?| A．Pitchfork Music Festival | B．Essence Music Festival |
| C．Sziget Festival | D．Flow Festival |
| A．Chicago, Illinois, USA. | B．New Orleans, Louisiana, USA. |
| C．Helsinki, Finland. | D．Budapest, Hungary. |
| A．They include rock music. | B．They are held in the USA |
| C．They are given in the openair. | D．They take place from July to August. |
| A．Hobbies. | B．Music theories. | C．Community classes. |
10 . At the age of seven I started taking violin lessons. I practiced half an hour every day, went to lessons once a week, and played in a group concert from time to time. Like most kids, I’m not a big fan of practising. If my parents hadn’t been there to make me practice, I probably would have put down my violin and never have picked it up again.
I met Moira when I was 11 at an Irish music party. Moira hosted the party that night, playing the violin, singing and dancing. She made sure that everyone in the room got involved and had a great time. I immediately fell in love with the music she played and the energy that she brought to it. Just a few days after that party, I took my first lesson with Moira, and I continued taking lessons with Moira throughout middle school.
When I started playing the violin with Moira, playing music became something that I loved. She introduced me to so many types of music, from Irish to Old Time, to Cajun music. Moira also taught me to play the guitar. Soon we started performing together and were shocked to discover that people actually wanted to hear us! When I began to play the violin, practicing was something that I did at home in my living room, but under Moira’s influence it quickly became something that I did everywhere. I played on street corners, at festivals, at the beach, at parties, at weddings, and late at night in my friends’ kitchens.
Moira took the music out of the classroom and brought it to life. Her passion was not only for playing music, but also for sharing it. My time with Moira allowed me to grow both musically and personally. I have met so many special people and had so many memorable experiences. Moira has proven to be the most important influence in my musical development, and also my invaluable friend.
1. How did the author feel about violin practice at the beginning?| A．Interesting. | B．Challenging. | C．Inspiring. | D．Unexciting. |
| A．The writer was proud of Moira’s achievements in music. |
| B．The writer became a popular local violinist. |
| C．The writer spent all her spare time playing the violin. |
| D．The writer had more self-confidence in terms of performing. |
| A．Classroom was not a suitable place for Moira to practice any more. |
| B．Moira helped the writer a lot with her personal life experience. |
| C．Moira played a significant role in the writer’s musical progress. |
| D．Moira was very thankful for the writer’s musical support. |
| A．My Way to Success | B．My Invaluable Friend |
| C．Middle School Musical | D．How I Learned the Violin |
