Question

【题目】Some of the world’s most famous musicians recently gathered in Paris and New Orleans to celebrate the first annual International Jazz Day. UNESCO( United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) recently set April 30 as a day to raise awareness of jazz music, its significance, and its potential as a unifying(联合) voice across cultures.

Despite the celebrations, though, in the U.S. the jazz audience continues to shrink and grow older, and the music has failed to connect with younger generations.

It’s Jason Moran’s job to help change that. As the Kennedy Center’s artistic adviser for jazz, Moran hopes to widen the audience for jazz, make the music more accessible, and preserve its history and culture.

“Jazz seems like it’s not really a part of the American appetite,” Moran tells National Public Radio’s reporter Neal Conan. “What I’m hoping to accomplish is that my generation and younger start to reconsider and understand that jazz is not black and write anymore. It’s actually color, and it’s actually digital.”

Moran says one of the problems with jazz today is that the entertainment aspect of the music has been lost. “The music can’t be presented today the way it was in 1908 or 1958. It has to continue to move, because the way the world works is not the same,” says Moran.

Last year, Moran worked on a project that arranged Fats Waller’s music for a dance party, “Just to kind of put it back in the mind that Waller is dance music as much as it is concert music,” says Moran. “For me, it’s the recontextualization. In music, where does the emotion(情感) lie? Are we, as humans, gaining any insight(感悟) on how to talk about ourselves and how something as abstract as a Charlie Parker record gets us into a dialogue about our emotions and our thoughts? Sometimes we lose sight that the music has a wider context,” says Moran, “so I want to continue those dialogues. Those are the things I want to foster.”

【1】Why did UNESCO set April 30 as International Jazz Day?

A. To remember the birth of jazz.

B. To protect cultural diversity.

C. To encourage people to study music.

D. To recognize the value of jazz.

【2】What does the underlined word “that” in paragraph 3 refer to?

A. Jazz becoming more accessible.

B. The production of jazz growing faster.

C. Jazz being less popular with the young.

D. The jazz audience becoming larger.

【3】What can we infer about Moran’s opinion on jazz?

A. It will disappear gradually.

B. It remains black and white.

C. It should keep up with the times.

D. It changes every 50 years.

【4】Which of the following can be the best title for the text?

A. Exploring the Future of Jazz.

B. The Rise and Fall of Jazz.

C. The Story of a Jazz Musician.

D. Celebrating the Jazz Day.

Answer 1

【答案】

【1】D

【2】C

【3】C

【4】A

【解析】本文是一篇说明文。文章讲述了为提高人们对于爵士乐的重视程度，UNESCO把四月30号定为了国际爵士日。然而这一行为还是没能挽救爵士乐。Jason Moran认为时代在进步，为了将老一代人和年轻一代人联接起来，爵士乐应该也随之进步。

【1】D 细节理解题。根据文章第一段中的UNESCO( United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) recently set April 30 as a day to raise awareness of jazz music, its significance, and its potential as a unifying(联合) voice across cultures.可知，UNESCO把四月30号定为国际爵士日是为了让人们重视爵士乐，意识到它的重要性以及它作为联接各文化的纽带之声的潜在功能。也就是为了让人们意识到爵士乐的价值。故选D。

【2】C 猜测词义题。根据前文Despite the celebrations, though, in the U.S. the jazz audience continues to shrink and grow older, and the music has failed to connect with younger generations可知，尽管UNESCO为爵士乐设了纪念日，但美国的爵士乐听众依然在减少，并且年龄在老化。爵士乐没能将年轻一代人联接起来。再结合It’s Jason Moran’s job to help change that“是Jason Moran所做的事情帮助改变了那个情况”，所以可推测that指代的是前文中爵士乐在年轻一代人中失去吸引力的现象。故选C。

【3】C 推理判断题。根据文章第五段中的The music can’t be presented today the way it was in 1908 or 1958. It has to continue to move, because the way the world works is not the same可知，Moran认为爵士乐不能以1908或1958年的方式来呈现了，因为世界运转的方式不同，所以爵士乐必须继续前进才行。说明随着时代的发展，爵士乐也要跟上时代才不会被年轻一代所抛弃。故选C。

【4】A 主旨要义题。通读全文可知本文主要讲UNESCO为提高人们对爵士乐的重视设立爵士日，但实际收效甚微。有人认为爵士乐应随着时代的进步而进步，否则将失去吸引力。本文主要探索爵士乐的未来，故选A。