Question

A fourteen­year­old violinist was performing at the Tanglewood Music Festival with Leonard Bernstein, the famous conductor. In the middle of a complex violin  concert, a string on the girl’s violin broke. Her violin   was unusable, and Bernstein stopped the orchestra. The young violinist kept her cool, turned to the first violinist, and borrowed his violin. Unfortunately, a string quickly broke on that violin as well, and she had to use yet another instrument. Such a disaster might unnerve even an experienced violinist, but the fourteen­year­old kept her cool and finished the concert. The audience applauded enthusiastically.  Today, people still talk about the extraordinary performance of the youngster. She is Midori.

As a little girl in Osaka, Japan, Midori lived in a  musical home. Her mother was a concert violinist.  When Midori was just two years old, her mother was amazed to hear her child humming (哼曲子) a complex piece of music by Bach.

Midori soon began practicing on a childsized violin. Her mother gave her music lessons and arranged private performances for family and friends. When Midori was nine years old, her mother recognized that her daughter possessed great musical talent. She took Midori to the United States to play at the Aspen Music Festival. After Midori performed perfectly there, a famous music teacher named Dorothy DeLay accepted her as her student. This meant that Midori and her mother would have to move to New York City.

In New York, Midori had a busy schedule of music lessons and school. She performed only a few times a year in her early teens. After her first public appearance at the Tanglewood Music Festival, music fans eagerly waited for each of her concerts.

When she turned sixteen, Midori decided to leave school and become a full­time performer. When she appeared onstage, audiences were amazed at Midori’s wonderful music, as well as her graceful (优美的), shy beauty.

The adult Midori is perhaps the most famous female musician in the world. She has received countless awards. But Midori is not just concentrating on her career. She recently created the Midori Foundation, which provides lectures to teach children about music. Midori remembers how much she loved learning to make music as a child. Now, she is   devoted to making the same beautiful experience  possible for other young children.

1.The author mentions Midori’s performance at the Tanglewood Music Festival at 14 to show she was ________.

A. highly skilled

B. extraordinarily calm

C. particularly fortunate

D. extremely experienced

2.After moving to New York, Midori ________.

A. gave up school immediately

B. performed a lot in her early teens

C. won a lot of awards soon after her move

D. impressed the audience with her performance

3.Midori set up the Midori Foundation in order to ________.

A. encourage little children to play the violin

B. help children realize their music dreams

C. show her gratefulness to her fans

D. raise money for music lovers

4.What would be the best title for the passage?

A. From Japan to New York

B. A famous music festival

C. Music for children

D. Musical genius

Answer

1.B

2.D

3.B

4.D

【解析】

本文为记叙文。主要介绍了著名的女音乐家Midori。

1.推理判断题。根据第一段中描述音乐演出时出现两次琴弦断了的事故， Midori都临危不乱，继续完成演出的事实可知，她遇事沉着冷静。分析选项可知B项符合题意。

2.推理判断题。根据第二段中的“when was just two years old…humming a complex piece of music by Bach” 当米多只有两岁的时候，她妈妈听到孩子哼着巴赫的一首复杂的曲子感到很惊讶。及第三段内容When Midori was nine years old, her mother recognized that her daughter possessed great musical talent.她母亲认识到她的女儿具有很强的音乐天赋。由这两处可知，Midori从小就有音乐天赋。故选D项。

3.细节理解题。根据最后一段的“teach children about music”ey… Now, she is devoted to making the same beautiful experience possible for other young children.”可知，设立Midori Foundation就是为了帮助更多喜欢音乐的孩子圆梦。分析选项可知B项符合题意。

4.主旨大意题。本文主要介绍了从小就喜欢音乐也有音乐天赋的女音乐家Midori，分析选项可知选D项。