1 . Ludwig van Beethoven was a German composer. In his twenties, he had been very famous for his skills on the piano, but then he began to lose his hearing. Beethoven thought about giving up, but in the end he continued to write music. Inspired by his struggles with deafness, the composer produced some amazing pieces! He proceeded with the composition until his death in 1827.
One day in February 1824, at his little house in Vienna, Austria, Ludwig van Beethoven sat back in his chair and smiled. The famous German composer’s ninth symphony was finally completed. Before the performance, the backstage atmosphere at a very famous theatre in Vienna was tense. Beethoven was afraid that the performance would be a disaster. After all, what use is a conductor who could not hear his orchestra — even if he is a musical genius?
The audience did not hesitate to applaud loudly as the famous composer walked out onto the stage. The theatre’s musical director, Michael Umlauf, joined him and together the two men took charge of the orchestra. For more than an hour, Beethoven jumped about in front of the orchestra, waving his arms wildly in the air, and madly turning the pages of his score.
As the final, joyous note signal led the end of the symphony, the audience jumped to their feet, clapping, cheering and waving their hats. But Beethoven continued conducting, his head buried in the score. It was not until Caroline Unger, one of the singers, took his arm and turned him to face the audience that the great man realised his symphony was a success.
1. What was the theatre’s musical director Michael Umlauf’s attitude towards Beethoven?| A．Negative. | B．Supportive. | C．Unfriendly. | D．Indifferent (漠不关心的). |
| A．Michael Umlauf performed better than Beethoven. |
| B．The audience didn’t understand Beethoven’s music. |
| C．The audience liked and admired Beethoven very much. |
| D．Beethoven performed on the stage for less than an hour. |
| A．Beethoven felt a little shy. | B．Beethoven didn’t look at the audience. |
| C．Beethoven was lost in his performance. | D．Beethoven forgot his score. |
| A．Selfish and cold-hearted. | B．Talented and strong-minded. |
| C．Weak but helpful. | D．Talented but lazy. |
Beethoven was born in Germany. He is regarded
One day in February 1824, Beethoven’s ninth symphony was
The audience did not hesitate
As the final,
Shi Jing, also called the Book of Songs, is the oldest existing
Then he decided to portray the poems with musical language by inviting composer Ma Jiuyue
The 10 songs are based
“Young people gave warm feedback about traditional Chinese music
“The 10 pieces sound
Nowadays, one of the common
5 . Many people love to listen to music while driving. Thanks to the world’s musical roads, drivers now don’t need to turn the radio on.
A musical road can create music when a car tires go over grooves (凹槽) on the road. To produce beautiful music, drivers must pass over the grooves at a certain speed. Signs often tell drivers the right speed.
In Hungary, there is a musical road in honor of one of the country’s most popular musical performers — Laszlo Bodi. Bodi was the lead singer for the band Republic.
| A．Musical roads are also keeping drivers safe. |
| B．There is not any music road in Eastern countries. |
| C．Musical roads help improve the road safety greatly. |
| D．But they can also enjoy music while taking road trips. |
| E．Formed in 1990, the group is one of Hungary’s biggest acts and is still active today. |
| F．The first musical road was created in Gylling, Denmark, in 1995. |
| G．For example, in Japan, there are many musical roads throughout the country. |
If you are at home alone and you also want to sing together
The virtual choir was the idea of award-winning composer and
The virtual choir is a
7 . Pullman is a superb writer and Seagull is a brilliant communicator. They had a debate after Seagull posted a question on his social media platform: “When you were trying to create an environment for learning, what were your best pieces of classical music to listen to?” He received hundreds of suggestions — and one negative reply, from Pullman: “That’s not what classical music is for. Treat it with respect.”
That did it! Everyone — professional musicians, students, teachers — weighed into the argument, and the majority supported Seagull and were criticizing Pullman.
It’s easy to see why people are annoyed. We all want classical music to be as accessible as possible, especially to the young. If some of them are using Bach or Schubert as a tool to help them study, what’s the problem? They may also develop an attachment to classical music.
So is Pullman ridiculous and supercilious by objecting to classical music being used as background music? At first sight, his idea seems stuffy and extreme. By suggesting that classical music should be “treated with respect” and not used as background music, Pullman seems to be closing classical music of to millions of people.
It’s worth pointing out, however, that he isn’t the first to express concerns about classical music being devalued by becoming too commonplace in today’s technologically shaped world. In Benjamin Britten’s 1964 speech, the composer expressed exactly the same worries as Pullman. Britten suggested, “The true musical experience demands some preparation, some effort, a journey to a special place, saving up for a ticket, some homework perhaps”. In short, it demands as much effort from listeners as from composers and performers.
I don’t agree with such an extreme viewpoint, but I do think it touches on a reality. You will never fully grasp the beauty of classical music if you half-hear it only in the background. That doesn’t necessarily matter. Music can be enjoyed on many levels. What Pullman and Britten are really saying is that, in a drive for “accessibility”, we shouldn’t deny the emotional and intellectual complexity underpinning (构成) much classical music.
1. What did Seagull’s posting result in?| A．Great admiration for Seagull. |
| B．Public criticism of classical music. |
| C．A discussion about learning environments. |
| D．An argument over the role of classical music. |
| A．Self-important. | B．Open-minded. | C．Impatient. | D．Considerate. |
| A．To show his affection for classical music. |
| B．To introduce young people to classical music. |
| C．To demonstrate classical music is demanding. |
| D．To support Pullman’s idea over classical music. |
| A．Favorable. | B．Doubtful. | C．Objective. | D．Uninterested. |
8 . Getting older means greater maturity and wisdom.
Music has a great power to cause strong emotions and intense pleasure.
Finally, music contributes to keeping our thinking skills sharp. It makes our brains work hard in unique ways to understand the rhythm and melody.
In conclusion, music is a powerful tool to fight against aging-related emotional and cognitive problems. It is an enjoyable and social activity, available to anyone regardless of their background or previous musical experience.
| A．Music can also open forgotten doors to our memories. |
| B．Recalling happy memories can lift our mood on a bad day. |
| C．Even passive music listening can help elderly adults think better. |
| D．This helps people feel better when they are depressed or anxious. |
| E．However, it often involves a series of physical and mental challenges. |
| F．The ability to form new memories is essential for processing information. |
| G．Thus, this accessible intervention should become a major policy priority for healthy aging. |
9 . Keeping a language alive can strengthen people’s sense of identity and most importantly lead to the preservation of a whole culture. This is probably why a group of Cherokee music artists decided to create a music album (唱片) exclusively in the Cherokee language, a highly endangered Native American language. Currently, there are fewer than 2,000 fluent speakers of the language remaining in the world, and the number is declining every year.
The album, tilted DOAP oaV and pronounced ‘Ah’ ‘Nuh’ ‘Duh’ ‘Nah’ ‘Lees’ ‘Gi’, means “Performers” in English. It is comprised of a range of contemporary styles, including Pop, Reggae, Country, Heavy Metal, Hip Hop, and Folk. With a planned release date of Labor Day weekend, the record company is using the platform of the National Cherokee Holiday to give this album as much exposure as possible.
Jeremy Charles, a key figure in getting this album off the ground, has said that the “music will shine a spotlight on Cherokee artists and speakers, and increase exposure to our culture and language worldwide”. He aims for the album to be an inspiration to the next generation of Cherokee language learners. Featuring 12 Cherokee artists ranging from ages 14 to 50, you can see how this album is going to do a lot for the promotion of Cherokee music and can inspire people of any age to make music that connects with their heritage (遗产).
The youngest contributor on the album, Lillian Charles, is only in 8th grade but had a major contribution to the Goth-pop song “Circus”—a song she wrote at the age of 12. It originally written in English, she worked with translators Bobbie Smith and Kathy Sierra to be able to fully express herself in Cherokee.
Projects like the DOOAP oaV album bring a modern approach to revitalizing language and culture and encourage a younger audience, to get involved and start learning the Cherokee language. On average, a native language is lost forever every two weeks, and these people want to make sure that the Cherokee language isn’t one of them.
1. What can we learn about the album from paragraph 2?| A．It has various musical styles. |
| B．It is titled Performers in English. |
| C．It sings high praise of Labor Day. |
| D．It was exposed to the public by chance. |
| A．It will make a huge profit for the record company. |
| B．It can help the 12 artists rise to fame overnight. |
| C．It will satisfy the fans’ demand for pop music. |
| D．It can fuel the youth’s interest in Cherokee language. |
| A．Translating. | B．Reviewing. | C．Restoring. | D．Creating. |
| A．Alarming! The Cherokee Language is Dying |
| B．Amazing! An 8th Grader is Releasing an Album |
| C．Bringing Music to Life with Modern Technology |
| D．Preserving a Language Through the Power of Music |
10 . Last week, three days of cold rain had everyone in our house feeling a bit bad-tempered, especially my kid, who couldn’t go out to play. Then the music app on my phone recommended a station called “Rainy Day Jazz.” As the soft piano played, my daughter and I hugged closely, feeling comfortable and relaxed. Suddenly, our day was enjoyable. It turned out that Rainy Day Jazz was just the thing we needed.
Life — especially life with young children — can often feel very busy and rushed. One of the great benefits of music is that it offers a safe and dependable place to feel our feelings. When we are afraid, sad, or happy, we can invite music in. Kids can be great at expressing their emotions, but they don’t always have the ability to regulate them and move through them. When kids engage with music, a sense of emotional security is increased, allowing them to feel safer to fully experience their feelings.
Music has been a community practice throughout human history. Studies show that in early childhood, playing music in groups can increase cooperation skills and a sense of social belonging. In Pinkalicious and Peterrific, an educational children’s TV series, Peter is eager to share his musical experiences with others. Together, Pinkalicious and Peter make up their own happy song to sing and play, which cheers up the whole town.
Music is for everyone. Lots of parents feel like they don’t have enough talent for music. Actually, they should let go of their insecurities about what they think music should be. Kids will love singing, dancing, and playing music with you no matter how it sounds. What’s the most important is to get them emotionally engaged.
Ready to rock and roll? Here are some ways your family can interact with music. Make music accessible. You can empower your child to use music as an emotional support by giving them access to the tools they need. Talk about music. You can help your child explore the relationship between music and emotions by talking openly about your own relationship with music. Get your bodies moving. Children experience music in their bodies — not just in their minds! Music and movement are partners.
1. What is paragraph 2 mainly about?| A．Kids are able to adjust their emotions. | B．Kids do well in showing their feelings. |
| C．Music benefits children in many aspects. | D．Music is a safe way to experience emotions. |
| A．Music creates connection. | B．Playing music brings fun. |
| C．Cooperation skills are vital. | D．Children are eager for music. |
| A．Get rid of unnecessary worry. | B．Become more skilled in music. |
| C．Purchase expensive instruments. | D．Get to know their own limitations. |
| A．One. | B．Two. | C．Three. | D．Four. |
