兒童之聲促社會變革

江蘇徐州七中 彭向梅

音樂，相伴著我們的生活，可以給我們帶來悲傷或者歡快，但你是否知道音樂還可以促進社會變革呢？閱讀下面的短文，讓我們一起來感受下合唱團的孩子賦予音樂的無窮力量吧！

題材文章詞數唱詩班與社會變革3 2 8 難度 ★★★體裁建議用時記敘文6′

海詞積累

1.choirn.唱詩班；合唱團

2.apartheidn.種族隔離

3.multiracialadj.多種族的

4.riotn.暴動

Music is shown to improve a child's problemsolving skills.It's shown to improve a child's educational experience.It's shown to improve a child's overall mental health.That's what recent research will tell you.But if you ask Josephine Lee，president and artistic director of the Chicago Children'sChoir，she has found that music can do even more.“Music canbring aboutsocial changes，” Lee toldThe Huffington Post.“From the Civil Rights Movement in the

United States to the Anti-ApartheidMovement in South Africa，music has played a vital role in uniting people throughout history in the struggle for social justice.”

For that reason，the Chicago Children's Choir unites thousands of students of diverse backgrounds，aging eight to eighteen，to travel the world and bridge（彌合）cultural divides simply by lift-ing their voices in song.

This strong social mission has actually been a part of the choir since its founding in 1956.The late Rev.Christopher Moore created themultiracialchildren's choir at Hyde Park's First Unitarian Churchin response toraceriots.But the once 12-member choir is now the largest youth choral（合唱的）music education organization in the US， serving more than 3，500 children each year.

“By training singers to connect deeply to music， especially when they sing as a choir—as one voicecomposed ofmany—that's how we teach them to connect to the world around them in a meaningful way，” she said.Lee added that she has witnessed the power music has to inspire young people，especially when choir students see first-hand that their music surpasses culturaland socialboundaries.During the choir's Bridging America tours，singers in the neighborhood choir program travel throughout the country to connect with other young musicians through workshops and performances.

“Weareacivic（城市的）treasure，”Lee said.“When the Voice of Chicago travels the world，they are representing our nation，and the music reflects the diversity of our nation—country，jazz， gospel（信仰）， many of which tell stories of struggle.”

Reading Check

1.What's the meaning of music，according to Josephine Lee?

A.Serving society.

B.Improving children's health.

C.Promoting children's education.

D.Helping children to solve the problem.

2.What does the sentence underlined in the last

paragraph suggest?

A.Music has played a key place in the struggle.

B.Chicago Children's Choir has its business value.

C.12-member choir becomes the largest education organization in the US.

D.The diversity，the struggle and the unity is spread through children's voice.

Language Study

Ⅰ.Important vocabulary in the text

1.bring about引起

2.in response to回應

3.compose of由……組成

Ⅱ.Complete the following sentences.

1.歷史上，音樂在團結人民爭取社會正義的斗爭中發揮了至關重要的作用。

Music ________uniting people throughout history _______social justice.

2.這個強大的社會使命自1956年合唱團成立以來就一直是合唱團的一部分。

This strong social mission has actually been a part of the choir _______in 1956.

3.但是這個曾經由12人組成的唱詩班現在是美國最大的青年合唱音樂教育組織，每年為3，500多名兒童提供服務。

But the once 12-member choir is now the largest youth choral music education organization in the US， ________more than 3，500 children each year.