Module 4 Music

跟蹤導練（一）

閱讀理解

Miles was born in Alton， a city on the Mississippi River in Illinois on May 26， 1926. Miles’ father was a dentist， while his mother was a music teacher. Miles had a good childhood， catching fish and riding horses with his older sister and younger brother. He was known as a naughty boy in school.

He recalls his story， “By the age of 12， music had become the most important thing in my life.” His mother， a violinist herself， dearly wanted her son to play the violin. But brass （銅管樂器） was Miles’ calling， and he remembers arguments between their parents as his dad overruled her to fight his son’s corner. He received his first trumpet （小號） in 1935 and began weekly music lessons with his father’s friend Mr Elwood， his life-long teacher.

Talking about his school days， Miles said that Mr Buchanan was the biggest influence on his life. Mr Buchanan was the person who took Miles all the way into music at that time. He wanted to be a musician that he had dreamed.

When he was 16， Miles met his girlfriend， Irene Birth. Although she was a beautiful young woman in many ways， it was her easy-going character that attracted Miles. At the weekends， Miles and Irene would take the bus over the Mississippi River to St Louis to watch movies and go dancing. Although Miles was too shy to really enjoy dancing， he always felt confident when he danced with Irene.

When he turned 17， she persuaded him to ask for a job in the band—Eddie Handle’s Blue Devils. It worked. Joining the band was a breakthrough for Miles， and marked the time when he first began to write and arrange music.

1. What can we learn about Miles from Paragraph 1？

A. He lived by fishing. B. He had a comfortable family.

C. He had strict parents. D. He had no schooling in his childhood.

2. What does the underlined phrase “fight his son’s corner” in Paragraph 2 mean？

A. Defend Miles’ choice. B. Hit Miles in the corner.

C. Help his wife to beat Miles. D. Prevent Miles from choosing music.

3. Who influenced Miles most in music according to the text？

A. His father. B. His mother. C. Mr Elwood. D. Mr Buchanan.

4. What is the correct order of Miles’ life experience？

a. He fell in love with Irene.

b. He began to write and arrange music.

c. He had music lessons with Mr Elwood.

d. He dreamed to be a musician.

A. d→a→c→b B. c→a→b→d C. c→d→a→b D. d→c→b→a

閱讀七選五

You listen to music every day. Some music hits your hearts. Some music makes you full of joy. 1 In order to analyze functions of music， let’s see the benefits it brings.

Music makes you express your emotion.

2 This way your brain convey the thoughts without speaking a word. When we try to express some sad emotion， you well use soft and deep music.

3

Music is an extremely unique way to develop the capability of memorizing. The best example to prove this sentence is that you can easily learn something in the form of songs.

Music makes you creative.

Music is key to creativity， it helps you in improving you mind by making it more artistic. No matter what the great invention is， it requires art. Creativity and imagination are fulfilled by music. 4

Music improves your fine reasoning skills.

During a study of children， it was shown that if children are exposed to three or more years of musical training， these same kids performed better. 5 They had better listening and speaking skills than those who had none. The children even tested better for vocabulary and reasoning skills.

A. This was the result.

B. That’s because music is an art of beauty.

C. Music makes you live a better life.

D. Music makes learning more pleasant.

E. Some music makes you burst into tears.

F. You should choose some kind of music with powerful beats.

G. You usually play the music that reflects your thoughts or your emotions.

1. ____________2. ____________3. ____________4. ____________5. ____________

跟蹤導練（二）

完形填空

Lena Horne was born in Brooklyn， New York in 1917. Her mother was away for much of her 1 . So her grandmother helped raise her.

At the age of sixteen， Lena 2 a job as a dancer at the famous Cotton Club in New York City. After 3 voice lessons， she soon began performing there as a singer too. At the age of nineteen， Lena moved to Pittsburgh and 4 Louis Jones， who was an actor. 5 ， their life together did not last long. But they had two 6 ， Gail and Edwin.

In 1940， Lena Horne became the first African-American to travel and 7 with an all-white jazz band. She also made 8 and performed at New York City’s Café Society jazz club. This was the first nightclub in the United States 9 racial barriers. Many jazz clubs during this period had black performers， but few 10 them to watch the performance as part of the 11 .

Lena Horne became very 12 . After performing at a club in Hollywood， California， she caught the attention of 13 . So with the help of some filmmakers， she soon 14 making movies. Lena Horne said that she was able to make movies because she was the kind of black person that white people could 15 . But she said this was the 16 kind of acceptance. It was for the way she 17 ， not for how good she was or how hard she worked.

However， through her hard work， she helped 18 racial barriers. During her sixty-year career as a performer， Lena Horne earned people’s 19 and respect. She used her fame to 20 social injustices toward African-Americans.

1. A. dream B. education C. life D. childhood

2. A. disliked B. found C. lost D. wanted

3. A. taking B. giving C. designing D. making

4. A. saw B. disappointed C. married D. surprised

5. A. Excitingly B. Amazingly C. Happily D. Unfortunately

6. A. relatives B. parents C. friends D. children

7. A. perform B. play C. stay D. communicate

8. A. promises B. decisions C. excuses D. records

9. A. without B. on C. for D. about

10. A. encouraged B. allowed C. advised D. forced

11. A. participants B. learners C. audience D. people

12. A. popular B. hard-working C. anxious D. tired

13. A. bosses B. guests C. managers D. filmmakers

14. A. stopped B. preferred C. enjoyed D. began

15. A. expect B. accept C. contact D. consider

16. A. worst B. slowest C. highest D. biggest

17. A. talked B. sang C. looked D. acted

18. A. protect B. break C. exchange D. show

19. A. sorrow B. money C. pity D. love

20. A. disagree B. violate C. fight D. present

跟蹤導練（三）

閱讀理解

A

Benjamin West， the father of American painting， showed his talent for art when he was only six. But he did not know about brushes before a visitor told him he needed one. In those days， a brush was made from camels’ hair. There were no camels nearby. Benjamin decided that cat hair would work instead. He cut some fur from the family cat to make a brush.

The brush did not last long. Soon Benjamin needed more fur. Before long， the cat began to look ragged. His father said that the cat must be sick. Benjamin was forced to admit what he had been doing.

The cat’s lot was about to improve. That year， one of Benjamin’s cousins， Mr Pennington， came to visit. He was impressed with Benjamin’s drawings. When he went home， he sent Benjamin a box of paints and some brushes. He also sent six engravings （版畫） by an artist. These were the first pictures and first real paints and brushes Benjamin had ever seen.

In 1747， when Benjamin was nine years old， Mr Pennington returned for another visit. He was amazed at what Benjamin had done with his gift. He asked Benjamin’s parents if he might take the boy back to Philadelphia for a visit.

In the city， Mr Pennington gave Benjamin materials for creating oil paintings. The boy began a landscape painting. William Williams， a well-known painter， came to see him work. Williams was impressed with Benjamin and gave him two classic books on painting to take home. The books were long and dull. Benjamin could read only a little. But he later said， “Those two books were my companions by day， and under my pillow at night.” While it is likely that he understood very little of the books， they were his introduction to classical paintings. The nine-year-old boy decided then that he would be an artist.

1. How did Benjamin get the brushes at first？

A. He cut a camel’s hair. B. He cut some fur from a cat.

C. An artist offered a hand to him. D. His father bought them for him.

2. What does the first sentence in Paragraph 3 suggest？

A. The cat would be closely watched. B. The cat would get some medical care.

C. Benjamin would leave his home shortly. D. Benjamin would have real brushes soon.

3. What did Pennington do to help Benjamin develop his talent？

A. He sent him to a school. B. He took him to see painting exhibitions.

C. He taught him how to make engravings. D. He provided him with painting materials.

4. Williams’ two books helped Benjamin to .

A. make up his mind to be a painter B. appreciate landscape paintings

C. get to know other painters D. master the use of paints

B

Music has a great effect on everyone. But does music affect plants， too？ People have been experimenting with music for almost three decades. From school-level projects to higher-level scientific experiments， the effect of music on plants has been a confusing and debatable topic.

We know music is sound and sound is nothing more than a wave. Plant growth is a result of the cell division that takes place within the cells. But why is music associated with plant growth？ In humans， music has a strong effect on our health and mood， and over the years， people have claimed that the same effect has been observed on plants， too. Plants are sensitive by nature， and many people claim that they have feelings just as humans do. There are stories about plants shedding tears. Although scientists do not support these as facts， these myths have led them to take up various experiments on plants.

Various studies have proved that plants respond to acoustic （音響的） energy. It increases their rate of growth and their size， and influences their overall health. Dan Carlson， after a thorough study over a span of many years， has reached a conclusion that music helps plants absorb nutrients （養分） more efficiently.

It took Dan about fifteen years to develop a foliage spray （葉面噴劑） that is used beneficially with the sound frequencies. Carlson calls this spray “Sonic Bloom”. His findings have proved to be beneficial for countless farmers and have resulted in—according to Guinness Book of World Records—the largest indoor plant on record.

The Purple Passion was treated with the Sonic Bloom process. It grew to be 1，300 feet tall and was alive even after 25 years. Its normal lifespan （壽命）， however， is 18 months and it grows not more than 18 feet tall. The book， Secret of the Soil， writes about Sonic Bloom and its results. Sonic Bloom is also sold in the market.

5. What inspired scientists to experiment with plants？

A. The effects of music on human beings. B. The fact that plants grew better with music.

C. People’s unscientific descriptions of plants. D. The cell division taking place within the cells.

6. What does Paragraph 3 mainly about？

A. Types of music that contribute to plants’growth.

B. Music can have some good effects on plants.

C. The way to improve plants’ growth rate.

D. Nutrients are important to plants.

7. What is “Sonic Bloom”？

A. A method to grow larger plants.

B. A special plant that grows very fast.

C. A foliage spray that is beneficial to plants.

D. Acoustic energy that helps plants absorb nutrients.

8. Why is the Purple Passion included in Guinness Book of World Records？

A. It is the oldest indoor plant. B. It is the largest indoor plant.

C. It gives off the most pleasant smell. D. It can grow in the toughest conditions.

跟蹤導練（四）

完形填空

While volunteering in Tanzania， my wife and I got the idea of what we call a “street library”. It is because children in our neighborhood were able to read but had no 1 at all.

We had an idea to make books 2 to local children who wanted to read. We 3 a famous international charity for collecting money. We 4 books in three bookstores of the capital city. My wife Sue 5 all 180 books with sticky-backed paper to keep them clean. A local man made some boxes to 6 the books. I made some “library cards” and 7 to a tailor called Saddiqi， who agreed to keep the boxes in his shop and to 8 the library. The library was 9 to open！

Anyone could sign up with their 10 and their parent’s mobile phone number. Saddiqi gave them a 11 with a number， with which they could read the books only in his shop. I decided it was better to do that than let readers 12 the books away. There is no 13 to join the library. Within five days we had over 100 14 and more were joining each day！ Even though the books are 15 for children， in different grades of difficulty， 16 were using the library for free， too.

This project was， I think， one of the most 17 things we did in Tanzania. It was in some way a thank-you gift to our 18 for welcoming us so warmly into their lives. The whole 19 worked together on the street library and that’s surely part of the reason it is still 20 after we left.

1. A. interest B. chance C. plan D. sense

2. A. available B. attractive C. cheap D. useful

3. A. invited B. contacted C. noticed D. remembered

4. A. donated B. read C. found D. ordered

5. A. copied B. translated C. printed D. covered

6. A. sell B. exchange C. store D. exhibit

7. A. reported B. listened C. talked D. wrote

8. A. run B. introduce C. accept D. share

9. A. necessary B. unlikely C. illegal D. ready

10. A. name B. address C. wish D. number

11. A. book B. card C. photo D. ticket

12. A. give B. clear C. take D. send

13. A. way B. charge C. data D. need

14. A. librarians B. workers C. members D. teachers

15. A. recently B. frequently C. wisely D. mainly

16. A. babies B. adults C. youths D. foreigners

17. A. helpful B. difficult C. interesting D. surprising

18. A. relatives B. patients C. neighbors D. students

19. A. school B. company C. country D. community

20. A. open B. clean C. new D. famous

跟蹤導練（五）

閱讀理解

Music is not just a set of sounds and rhythms. Its influence on the brain is much deeper than any other human experience. Keep on reading to know all those amazing powers of music.

A recent study suggests that preterm （早產的） babies appear to experience less pain and feed more when listening to music. Experts led by Dr Manoj Kumar of the University of Alberta， Canada， found that music had a beneficial effect on reducing pain for preterm babies experiencing painful medical tests. It also appeared to benefit full-term babies during operations.

Many people experiencing brain damage have speech and movement-related problems. Music can help recover （恢復健康） from brain injuries. As a different and effective treatment， doctors often advise such patients to listen to good music to improve the parts of the brain responsible for these two functions. When people with neurological （神經系統的） disorders hear a musical beat， it helps them to regain a balanced walk.

Though music cannot make deafness disappear， it really can stave off the loss of hearing. There was an experiment involving 163 people where 74 were musicians. Participants were asked to pass some listening tests. Musicians heard the sounds better than non-musicians， and this difference gets clearer with age. This means that a 70-year-old musician hears better than a 50-year-old non-musician， even in a noisy environment.

Besides， music mends a broken heart. It is not about a thrown-away love， but about a heart attack. The matter is that music can help people recover from a heart attack or heart operation by reducing blood pressure， slowing down the heartbeat rate， and reducing anxiety. Listening to the quality music produces positive emotions， improves the movement of blood， and expands blood vessels， thus， promoting quick recovery of the whole cardiovascular （心血管的） system.

1. How does music affect preterm babies？

A. By reducing their pain. B. By developing their intelligence.

C. By improving their hearing systems. D. By repairing their neurological systems.

2. The underlined phrase “stave off” in Paragraph 4 means “__________”.

A. lead to B. increase C. prevent D. break into

3. Why does the author say “music mends a broken heart”？

A. It has a good effect on human body.

B. It helps patients recover in a slow way.

C. It makes a person feel optimistic about life.

D. It helps people prevent diseases caused by anxiety.

4. What can be the best title for the text？

A. Who Can Benefit from Music B. The Best Time to Listen to Music

C. The Way to Choose Quality Music D. How Music Affects Our Mind and Body

選詞填空

用方框里單詞的正確形式填空，使其句意完整。有兩個詞是多余的。

ambition combine compose contact depress collection

express ? interpret regarding relative same signify

and he lives in Beijing.__________1. My cousin is my nearest

certain records.__________2. Historians find difficulty in

with practice.__________3. We think it important that theory should

me.?__________4. The rainy weather in this city always

with others？?__________5. Are outgoing people more enthusiastic and less anxious about making

in California in 1941.?__________6. String Quartet No.1 is an early musical work，

is to become a film star， but it’s probably just a flight of fancy.?__________7. My

the tour， please feel free to ask me.__________8. If you have any questions

of rock records.__________9. His greatest treasure is his

myself; I often get misunderstood.__________10. I am not good at

語法填空

Music is one of the most powerful things in my life. Listening to music can help to motivate me in hard times. When younger， I 1 （have） no great love for music as I do now. I mainly listened to 2 my parents were listening to. Whether I was in the car， the house， 3 anywhere else， there was sure to be some Beatles， or Buddy Holly constantly playing in the background. Now as I’m older， I enjoy it for the reason that it allows me 4 （remember） my childhood.

I believe music has the power to convey all sorts of 5 （feel）. The song A Little Bit Longer by Nick Jonas is such 6 emotional and inspiring song. When I hear it， I always come close to

7 （drop） down tears， especially when I watch it 8 （play） live. The effect that music can have on our emotions is very great， as it can bring people to floods of tears or bursts of 9 （laugh）.

I believe music affects people in many ways. To me， music is 10 （extreme） important in my life. I think it brings me closer to my friends and family.

1. ________________2. ________________3. ________________4. ________________5. ________________

6. ________________7. ________________8. ________________9. ________________10.________________

跟蹤導練（六）

短文改錯

I had been collecting the songs of the Beatles for an long time. The first time when I saw them on the television， I was immediately attracted by them. Actual， my favorite song is Yesterday， that is very sad. However， not all their songs is like that. Some are funny and cheerful， and some express original idea and have lovely tunes. It seem to have an ability to describe the hopes and fears of young people and communicate them. I’m sure their music will be remembering forever.

書面表達

假定你是李華，你校將舉辦音樂周活動。請用英語寫封郵件邀請外教Mr Smith參加音樂周的開幕式，內容包括：

1.寫郵件的目的;

2.開幕式的時間和地點;

3.活動安排;

4.表達期望。

注意：

1.詞數100左右;

2.可以適當增加細節，以使行文連貫。

Dear Mr Smith，

Yours sincerely，

Li Hua

背景大鏈接

Moon River

月亮河

By Johnny Mercer

——強尼·莫瑟

Moon river， wider than a mile

I’m crossin’ you in style some day

Oh， dream maker， you heart breaker

Wherever you’re goin’， I’m goin’ your way

Two drifters， off to see the world

There’s such a lot of world to see

We’re after the same rainbow’s end， waitin’ round the bend

My huckleberry friend， Moon River， and me

（Moon river， wider than a mile）

（I’m crossin’ you in style some day）

Oh， dream maker， you heart breaker

Wherever you’re goin’， I’m goin’ your way

Two drifters， off to see the world

There’s such a lot of world to see

We’re after that same rainbow’s end， waitin’ round the bend

My huckleberry friend， Moon River， and me.

月亮河，河流寬又闊，

我終有一天要渡過。

舊夢織成，心兒殘破，

你無論去何處，我追隨不舍。

你和我一同去漂泊，

看滄海桑田有幾多。

你我彎向彩虹盡頭，一路去探索，

我親愛的好伙伴，月亮河和我。

（月亮河，河流寬又闊）

（我終有一天要渡過）

舊夢織成，心兒殘破，

你無論去何處，我追隨不舍。

你和我一同去漂泊，

看滄海桑田有幾多。

你我彎向彩虹盡頭，一路去探索，

我親愛的好伙伴，月亮河和我。