Fu Cong, a Chinese-born pianist, died on Monday at a hospital in London, where he had lived for many years.
A lover of classical music from a young age, Mr. Fu began taking piano lessons when he was 7. He made his first stage appearance in 1952. The concert caught the attention of officials in Beijing, who selected him to compete and tour in Eastern Europe. Mr. Fu soon moved to Poland, where he studied at the Warsaw Conservatory (音乐学校) on a scholarship. To prepare for the fifth Chopin Competition in Warsaw in 1955, he practiced so hard that he hurt his fingers and was nearly cut from the first round of the competition.
Mr. Fu was one of the first Chinese pianists to achieve global fame when he took third place in the International Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw in 1955. He also won a special prize for his performance of Chopin's mazurkas. Almost overnight, he became a national hero. To China, Mr. Fu's recognition in a well-known international competition was evidence that the country could stand on its own artistically in the West. Chinese reporters came to interview Mr. Fu, while many others went to his father, Fu Lei, for advice on child-raising.
In 1981, a volume of letters written by his father, was published in China. Full of advice, encouragement, life teachings and strict paternal love, the book Fu Lei's Family Letters became a best-seller in China. Besides influencing a generation of Chinese, Mr. Fu's words resonated (引起共鸣) long after his death with the person for whom they were intended.
“My father had a saying that 'First you must be a person, then an artist, and then a musician, and only then can you be a pianist,'" Mr. Fu Cong once recalled in an interview. "Even now, I believe in this order-that it should be this way and that I am this way.”
8. What is paragraph 2 mainly about?
A.Fu Cong's achievements in music. | B.Fu Cong's stage performances. |
C.Fu Cong's experiences of learning music. | D.Fu Cong’s efforts for competitions. |
9. Why does Fu Cong's global recognition mean a lot to China?
A.It earns Chinese arts a place in the West. |
B.It promotes the spread of Chinese culture. |
C.It proves Chinese people's love for music. |
D.It enables Chinese art education to be recognized. |
10. What does the underlined word "they" in paragraph 4 refer to?
A.Fu Lei's Family Letters. | B.Young people of China. |
C.Fu Cong and his family. | D.Readers of Fu Lei's Family Letters. |
11. Which of the following agrees with Fu Lei's ideas in the last paragraph?
A.It's easy to be an artist. |
B.It requires various qualities to be a pianist. |
C.Everyone should develop an interest in art. |
D.Talent is of greatest importance for a pianist. |