George Gershwin, born in 1898, was one of America’s greatest composers (作曲家). He published his first song when he was eighteen years old. During the next twenty years he wrote more than five hundred songs.

Many of Gershwin’s songs were first written for musical plays performed in theatres in New York City. These plays were a popular form of entertainment in the 1920s and 1930s. Many of his songs have remained popular as ever. Over the years they have been sung and played in every possible way — from jazz to country.

In the 1920s there was a debate in the United States about jazz music. Could jazz, some people asked, be considered serious music? In 1924, jazz musician and orchestra（管弦乐队）leader Paul Whiteman decided to organize a special concert to show that jazz was serious music. Gershwin agreed to compose something for the concert before he realized he had just a few weeks to do it. And in that short time, he composed a piece for piano and orchestra which he called Rhapsody in Blue. Gershwin himself played the piano at the concert. The audience were thrilled when they heard his music. It made him world-famous and showed that jazz music could be both serious and popular.

In 1928, Gershwin went to Paris. He applied to study composition with the well-known musician Nadia Boulanger, but she rejected him. She was afraid that classical study would ruin his jazz-influenced style. While there, Gershwin wrote An American in Paris. When it was first performed, critics were divided over the music. Some called it happy and full of life, to others it was silly and boring. But it quickly became popular in Europe and the United States. It still remains one of his most famous works.

George Gershwin died in 1937, just days after doctors learned he had brain cancer. He was only thirty-nine years old. Newspapers all over the world reported his death on their front pages. People mourned（哀悼）the loss of the man and all the music he might have still written.

56. Many of Gershwin’s musical works were ________ .

A. composed for Paul Whiteman                      B. performed in various ways

C. written about New Yorkers                      D. played mainly in the countryside    

57. What do we know about the concert organized by Whiteman?

A. It attracted more people to theatres             B. It caused a debate among jazz musicians.

C. It proved jazz could be serious music     D. It made Gershwin leader of the orchestra

58. What did Gershwin do during his stay in Paris?

A. He created one of his best works                 B. He studied with Nadia Boulanger

C. He changed his music style                     D. He argued with French critics

59. Which of the following best describes Gershwin?

A. friendly and honest                                     B. serious and boring

C. popular and unhappy                                   D. talented and productive 

  

Do you play a musical instrument? Would you like to share a stage with world class famous composer（作曲家）？ Do you dream of becoming the next Lang Lang? Now is your chance to make it big in the classical music world, thanks to a video-sharing we can see.

    In collaboration with（与合作）orchestras such as the London Symphony Orchestra, New York Philharmonic and several others, the video-sharing site has launched the “You Tube Symphony Orchestra Project”.

    Billed as the world’s first collaborative online orchestra．the site wants users to submit videos sharing their musical talent.

    Beijing Olympics theme music composer Tan Dun has written the audition（试听）piece．He told me BBC his latest composition was inspired by walking around the streets of New York and hearing the sounds of mechanics．

“The Internet is all invisible Silk Road，joining people across the world．Anyone can download a score of my Internet Symphony No．1’Eroica’，pick any part of it and play it with any instrument or object，in any style，”he said．

In addition to Tan Dun’s piece．users will also have to perform a famous classical piece of their choice showing their musical and technical abilities．A team of experts will then whittle（减少）the field down to a shortlist of semi—finalists who will then be voted on by You Tube viewers．

    The competition hopes to inspire musicians from all over the world．“music means so much to different people，in different countries．It’s not just about the note of music，it’s about discovery，”said the music director of the San Francisco Symphony，Michael Tilson Thomas，

    With just three months till the competition deadline in February next year，anyone hoping to perform on the world stage and be part of musical history must act quickly．

    As New York Carnegie Hall’s director Clive Gilinson puts it．“This will be a one-of-a-kind moment in classical music，bringing musicians together in a totally new, modern and unique way”．

1．What is the best tide for this passage?

    A．Online Orchestra．                          B．Collaboration with orchestras．

    C．Video-sharing．                            D．Talent show．

2．What does the underlined phrase“to make it big’’in paragraph 1 mean?

    A．To become successful．                   B．To talk big．

    C．To be positive．                          D．To show off．

3．We can know from the passage that the video-sharing site               

      A．owns many famous orchestras working together

      B．is said to be the first collaborative online orchestra

      C．has sponsored many performances around the world

      D．has discovered many talented persons in music

4．How did Tang Dun compose his latest music according to his own words?

      A．The invisible Silk Road affected him greatly．

      B．The Internet joins people across the world，which helped him a lot．

      C．The sounds of mechanics around New York streets gave him an inspiration．

      D．The video-sharing website encouraged him．

5．What is true about the competition?

      A．The online competition deadline is in January 2009．

      B．The final winners will be chosen by some experts．

      C．The competition hopes to pick out the top composers from the whole world．

      D．Users are encouraged to submit videos of themselves playing music instruments．

Most people want to know how things are made．They honestly admit，however，that they hardly know a thing when it comes to understanding how a piece of music is made．Where a composer（作曲家）begins，how he manages to keep going--in fact，how and when he learns his trade--are all covered in complete darkness．The composer，in short，is a mall of mystery．

One of the first things the common man wants to know about is the part inspiration plays in a composer's work．He finds it difficult to believe that composers are not much interested in that question Writing music is as natural for a composer as eating or sleeping for all．Music is something that the composer happens to have been born for．

The composer，therefore，does not say to himself：“Do I feel inspired?” he says to himself：“Do I feel like working today?” And if he feels like working，he does．It is more or less like saying to himself：“Do I feel sleepy?” If you feel sleepy，you go to sleep．If you don't feel sleep，you stay up．If the composer doesn't feel like working，he doesn't work It is as simple as that．

1．What would he the best title for the text?

A．Composer：a man of mystery                            B．Practice makes good music

C．Relation between sleeping and music             D．Music：product of nature

2．The words “covered in complete darkness” underlined in paragraph 1 most probably mean ________．

A．difficult to be made                                     B．without any light

C．black in color                                             D．not known

3．Most people seem to think that a composer ________．

A．finds it difficult to write music．

B．considers it important to have a good rest．

C．should like to talk about inspiration．

D．never asks himself very simple questions．

4．The author will most probably agree that compose _________．

A．are born with a gin for music                       B．are people full of mystery

C．work late at night for their music                  D．know a lot about eating and sleeping

Conard was eighteen months old when he crawled(爬) up on a piano bench and began playing some tunes he had heard on the radio. At three he wrote his first piano piece, which he named "Congratulations" because, like Mozart, he could compose music before he could spell.

  At ten , Conrad studied at Juilliard School in New City, one of the best music schools in the world. He spent five hours a day playing the violin and the piano. "I'm like and unlike other children," he said ."I'm interested in the same things as other children, such as books and films. And I'm not such a big fan of practising, but I have to do it."

  Early this year Conrad won a big competition for young composers(作曲家). He was the youngest of more than 450 youths who entered.

  Conrad loves to compose classical music. He has written thousands of pieces of all kinds. When he has time, he reads Harry Potter. He also goes to see Spiderman.

76.What’s the best title of the passage? (Within 10 words.)

__________________________________________________________ 77.When did Conrad compose his first piano piece?

_____________________________________________________________.

 78.Translate the underlined sentence in Chinese.

_____________________________________________________________.

 79..What did he practise playing at school when he was ten?

__________________________________________________________.

80.When does he go to see Spiderman?

_____________________________________________________________

Shane Thomas is a 10-year-old pianist from England. He’s being called the next Mozart because of his amazing abilities.
He has only been having piano lessons for four months, and practices four hours a week, but he has already played difficult classical pieces. He was just seven when he sat down at the piano, and could play at once. He also says he never gets nervous.
When Shane was three years old, he said that he could play the piano, but nobody took him seriously. At school, he could listen to the teacher and do his work while composing (作曲) in his head. Shame remembers all the melodies（旋律）,and when he gets home he plays them on the piano, while his father records them. Shane loves playing the piano, and when he grows up he wants to be a composer.
His tutor, Richard Goffin-Lecar, says he is like Amadeus Mozart, who lived during the 18^th century in Salzburg, Austria, and was one of the most famous composers ever. Mr. Goffin-lecar says, “I don’t teach Shane very much. I just give him directions, then sit back and watch.”
His father, a single parent with two other children, says that although he has little money, he wants to send Shane to a good music school. “I’m a single father, but I have this gifted child. I don’t have much money, but I want to give him the best teachers, and also take him into a studio to record.”
【小题1】When did Shane tell others that he could play the piano?

A．At age three.

B．At age ten.

C．At age seven.

D．At age four.

【小题2】Which of the following is TRUE about Shane?

A．He feels nervous while playing the piano

B．He can compose in his head while doing his work.

C．He wants to be a piano tutor when he grows up.

D．He doesn’t like to listen to the teacher at school.

【小题3】What do we learn about Shane’s father?

A．He also plays the piano well.

B．He’s a single father with two children.

C．He believes in Shane’s talent for music and will support him.

D．Not having enough money, he will ask the teachers for help