Section Ⅱ　Reading and Thinking(1)

1.Discussing—How can computers and the Internet help us experience music differently?

We__can__enjoy__our__favorite__music__without__going__to__the__concert__hall.

We__can__form__our__virtual__band__at__home...

2.Predicting—Look at the picture on Page 52 and tell its difference from the traditional concert.

The virtual concert：

There__is__no__real__singer__on__the__stage.People__can__enjoy__it__online.

The traditional concert：

Singers__shall__appear__on__the__stage.People__shall__enjoy__it__at__a__fixed__time__and__place.

1.First reading—Read the text and finish the following exercises.

(1)How does a virtual choir work according to the first paragraph?

①record__themselves__alone__on__video

②uploaded__onto__the__Internet

③put__together__into__one__video

(2)Fill in the blanks about a virtual choir.

(3)Fill in the blanks about the introduction of Eric Whitacre.

(4) What is his first virtual choir and how many singers took part in it?

His__first__virtual__choir__is__“Lux__Aurumque”，__and__185__singers__from__12__different__countries__took__part__in__it.

(5)What is the main purpose of his virtual choir?

It__is__a__wonderful__way__for__people__around__the__world__to__sing__with__one__voice__and__thus__make__the__world__a__better__place.

2.Second reading—Fill in the blanks according to the text.

3.Third reading

(1)Read the text again and summarize the main idea in one sentence.

The__text__is__about__how__the__virtual__choir__came__into__being.

(2)What are the advantages and disadvantages of being a member of a virtual choir?

The advantages：

①It__enables__them__to__add__their__voices__to__those__of__other__individuals__and__become__part__of__the__global__community.

②It__has__a__positive__influence__on__the__lives__of__many__people.

The disadvantages：(The__answer__is__open.)

1.Group work：You, as a journalist of school English newspaper, is interviewing Li Hua，who is a member of a virtual choir.You may start like this：

A：Hello，I’m a journalist of our school English newspaper.When did you begin to fall in love with the virtual choir?

B：...

A：Would you please tell us how the virtual choir work?

B：...

A：As we know, you have taken part in the Virtual Youth Choir for UNICEF.Which song did you choose in it?

B：Well, we chose Whitacre’s song “What If”.It was really wonderful.

A：In your opinion, what is the advantage of the virtual choir?

B：...

2.Does a virtual choir really bring people together? Why or why not?

The__answer__is__open.

虚拟合唱团

在Web 2.0的数字时代，人们可以在世界范围内轻松地沟通，为什么不通过网络一起歌唱呢？虚拟合唱团就可以使这件事情变成可能。

不同国家的人们可以一起上线，通过共同歌唱把他们对音乐的热爱结合在一起。虚拟合唱团的特点是互相不认识的歌手和指挥不在一个地方，但是通过网络他们能够一起演唱。通过国际网络，成千上万的人们可以一起加入这个活动。美国作曲家和指挥Eric Whitacre给许多虚拟合唱团以生命。

阅读技巧点拨

寻读(scanning)

寻读(scanning) 是指以问题为线索带着问题去寻找某一特定信息的阅读。

以什么词为定位词(或线索词)到原文中去查找是很关键的。

寻读(scanning)常用的定位词有：

(1)数字、年代

(2)第一次出现的人名、地名等专有名词

(3)事物的性质特征或比较关系

(4)题干中不同于其他题的新信息。这些定位词在原文中的形式与在题干中的形式可能会有所变化，同学们要注意。

语言现象感知

Ⅰ.单词理解

体会句中加黑单词的词性和含义

1.You do not even need a studio.n.工作室

2.Many people do not have close friends or contacts who have the same interest in music.n.联系人

3.Over the next 10 years, Whitacre’s original compositions began to become quite popular among choirs and singers.adj.原创的

Ⅱ.词块积累

写出下列词块的含义

1.have the opportunity to do...有机会做某事

2.be uploaded onto the Internet上传到互联网上

3.an Internet connection一个互联网连接

4.the global community全球社区

5.a positive influence on...对……有积极的影响

6.an award­winning composer一位获奖作曲家

7.receive a master’s degree in...获得……硕士学位

8.since then从那时起

9.a worldwide phenomenon一种世界性的现象

10.sing with one voice同一个声音唱歌

Ⅲ.句式欣赏

1.时间状语从句

①Virtual choir members record themselves while they perform alone on video.

②He fell in love with Mozart’s classical music when he sang for the university choir.

2.定语从句

①As one virtual choir member said, “Music helps me to...forget my problems.With music, I become someone else.”

②In 2009，Whitacre received a video of a girl who was singing one of his works.

3.过去分词短语作状语

①Born in the USA on 2 January 1970, Whitacre began studying music at the University of Nevada in 1988.

②Moved by this music, he said, “It was like seeing color for the first time.”

4.名词短语作同位语

His first virtual choir, “Lux Aurumque”， had 185 singers from 12 different countries.

A

Listening to music is considered a good thing for adults.Indeed it is.Scientific studies have proven it.Music has so many good effects on our body, mind and mood that this world will certainly not be a good place without music.Then, is music good for children? Some parents think so and let their children learn or listen to music.But some parents don’t know the importance of music to children.Here are some reasons why music is important to children.

First, music is good for children’s intelligence.Studies have proved that children who learn music are likely to have higher intelligence than those who have no interest in or dislike music.This is because the brain gets stimulated (刺激) by the rhythm and tone of music.

Music also has soothing (抚慰的) effect on children and helps remove their stress.Today’s children are under a lot of stress from schoolwork.Being under too much stress impairs children’s health.Luckily, listening to music can help them feel better.

Music can improve children’s moods.Some children are sad by nature.They seem to be lost in their own thoughts and don’t take interest in their surroundings.In such cases, a method known as “music therapy” comes to their rescue.It changes their moods and places a new kind of spirit in them.

Music is also a universal language that children ought to learn.Our world has become a global village.People are getting more and more interested in other cultures and countries.Music can help them in understanding foreign cultures.

Now we can say that music is very important not only to adults but also to children.So children should be encouraged to learn music or listen to music.

【语篇解读】　小孩接触音乐对他们很有好处，父母应该多让小孩接触音乐。

1.By mentioning scientific studies in Paragraph 1, the author wants to show ________.

A.why adults should listen to music

B.children should listen to music

C.listening to music is only good for adults

D.why scientists are interested in music

答案　A　[推理判断题。根据第一段的“Listening to music...have proven it.”可知，作者是为了表明听音乐对成人有益处，也就是为什么成人应该听音乐。]

2.What does the underlined word “impairs” in Paragraph 3 mean?

A.Harms.  B.Changes.

C.Improves.  D.Shows.

答案　A　[词义猜测题。根据“Luckily, listening to music can help them feel better.”可知，画线词所在的句子是指“太多压力会’伤害’孩子的健康”。]

3.The last but one paragraph shows that listening to music means ________.

A.learning languages better

B.understanding foreign cultures better

C.accepting the fast developing world easily

D.showing greater interest in other cultures

答案　B　[细节理解题。根据倒数第二段的“Music can help them in understanding foreign cultures.”可知，听音乐可以帮助更好地理解外国文化。]

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

A.Why do Children Love Music?

B.How to Choose Music for Children?

C.How to Teach Children Music Easily?

D.Why is Music Important to Children?

答案　D　[标题归纳题。根据文章内容可知，本文主要是讲为什么音乐对小孩很重要。]

B

On a dark winter day in Russia in 1896, Sergei Prokofiev sat by a piano next to his mother.She was helping him compose (作曲) his first piece of music.Sergei was only five years old.

He had overheard his parents discussing a terrible famine (饥荒) in India.The picture Sergei had of those hungry people in his mind caused him to write a story, in the form of musical notes.Sergei could not read music, so he picked out a tune on the piano keys, and his mother recorded the notes.Sergei titled it “Indian Gallop”.

Sergei’s mother began giving him piano lessons for 20 minutes a day, and his ability grew quickly.She had a great love for music, too, and Sergei often lay awake in bed at night and listened to her play the piano.

Sergei’s parents found a famous music teacher for him.The teacher shouted at Sergei when he didn’t practice reading and playing music.Sergei later wrote, “I wanted to compose great musical plays, and instead I was given all sorts of boring tasks.” Yet he persisted with his studies and grew up to be a great composer.

In 1936 a children’s theater asked Sergei to write music that would teach children about different instruments.He was happy and wrote the piece in a week, calling it Peter and the Wolf.

Sergei’s Peter and the Wolf was enjoyed by children as well as adults.The first time Sergei played the piece on the piano, the children listening to it loved it so much that they made him play the ending three extra times.He was excited.

Today Sergei Prokofiev is remembered not only for his contributions (贡献) to classical music, but also for his sense of fun.

【语篇解读】　本文是记叙文。文章主要介绍了前苏联著名作曲家谢尔盖·普罗科菲耶夫。

5.When he was five, Sergei ________.

A.could read music

B.experienced a famine

C.created his first composition

D.wrote a story about his parents

答案　C　[细节理解题。根据第一段中的“She was helping him...only five years old.”以及第二段介绍Sergei完成他的作曲并将其命名为“Indian Gallop”可知，Sergei在五岁时就创作出他人生的第一支乐曲。]

6.The piece of music Peter and the Wolf ________.

A.was a great success

B.was one of Sergei’s early works

C.was written to teach children about the piano

D.was played three extra times when first played

答案　A　[推理判断题。根据倒数第二段中的“Sergei’s Peter and the Wolf was enjoyed by children as well as adults.”和“the children listening to...the ending three extra times”可推测，《彼得和狼》这支乐曲大获成功。]

7.What’s the text mainly about?

A.The greatest 20th­century composer.

B.Sergei’s contributions to music.

C.Musical plays in Russia.

D.Sergei’s musical stories.

答案　D　[主旨大意题。通读全文可知，文章主要讲述了与Sergei的音乐有关的故事。]