He is talent and charm(魅力) have made him the No.1 Chinese classical artist in the world. He played in the grand Beijing Olympic opening ceremony last summer, watched by a TV audience of 5 billion.

Lang Lang, 26, is the first Chinese pianist to play with the world’s top orchestras, making his debut at the Carnegie Hall in New York at 18, while still a student.

Lang Lang’s charm and fondness for sharp clothes make him a natural fit to represent(代表)China’s new international image. According to the British newspaper the Times, “The Lang Lang effect” is responsible for driving 36 million Chinese children to learn the piano.

Now in China children are learning Chopin(肖邦) and Western orchestras are touring Chinese cities, but can China ever export(出口)its own music to the west? Lang is trying. His cooperation with the London Symphony Orchestras this month includes a performance of Dragon Songs, an album of traditional Chinese classics.

  Behind the international recognition, however, is a fascinating story of a gifted child. Lang grew up with his father’s own musical ambition and high expectations. It is not hard to imagine how boring it must be to practice the piano every day. Lang said that he once hated his hands and the piano. He injured his right hand six years ago and had to rest. “That was the best month,” he says, without hesitation. “I had a date. I saw a Broadway show and saw Britney Spears in concert.”

1.Which of the following is NOT the reason why Lang Lang is the No.1 Chinese classical artist in the world?

A. He played in the Beijing Olympic opening ceremony last summer.

B. He has as many as 5 billions fans in China.

C. He is the first Chinese pianist to play with the world’s top orchestras.

D. He plays the piano so well and has a good international image.

2.The underlined word “debut” in the second paragraph probably means____.

A. first class       B. first performance      C. first plan         D. first choice

3.Which of the following statements about Lang is true?

A. He has 36 million Chinese students in China.

B. He is touring China giving concerts.

C. He is trying to export Chinese music to western countries.

D. He only played traditional Chinese classics in his cooperation with the London Symphony Orchestra.

4.From the last paragraph we can infer _____.

A. Lang didn’t like his father when he was little

B. he was happy to practice the piano everyday 

C. his father’s desire and expectations played an important role in his childhood

D. he injured his right hand on purpose six years ago

 

In a generous display of maturity and sympathy, one Jewish boy made his first deed as a man in his faith a great act of charity.

Joshua Neidorf, a 13-year-old boy from Los Angeles, donated most of his birthday money to Operation Mend, a program that reconstructs the faces of severely burned U. S. veterans(退伍老兵).

The young man decided to donate his money after getting to know Army Sgt. Louis Dahlman, who was undergoing a series of reconstruction surgeries(手术)at UCLA (University of California at Los Angeles) thanks to Operation Mend. The Neidorfs had signed up to be Dahlman’s “buddy family”, spending time with him whenever he visited Los Angeles for a surgery.

“I just love knowing that it’s going somewhere...to help the people who save our lives and keep us safe every day,” said Neidorf. His mother added, “It makes me feel like our world is going in a good direction with this next generation.”

In all, Neidorf gave $13,000 to Operation Mend. He also encouraged his friends to donate to the cause. He is the organization’s youngest donor so far.

Operation Mend is a privately funded program that works in partnership with the UCLA Medical Center. Ron Katz, a board member at the hospital, started the program in 2006 after seeing a TV programme about Aaron Mankin, a veteran who had gone through dozens of surgeries after a fight in Iraq which completely burned off his face.

Mankin ended up being Operation Mend’s first patient, starting the first of 20 reconstructive facial surgeries at UCLA in Sept. 2007. In a 2011 interview, Katz shared how his experience of helping Mankin made him realize the need to establish a more permanent program.

“My wife and I soon realized that there were dozens of Aarons out there,” Katz said. “They deserve the best that we offer them.”

1.Neidorf decided to help veterans because ________.

A.he benefited from Operation Mend         B.he was afraid of burned faces

C.he thought they deserved help             D.he didn’t know how to spend money

2.Operation Mend was founded after ________.

A.Neidorf donated part of his birthday money

B.the Neidorfs signed up to be Dahlman’s “buddy family”

C.Ron Katz saw a TV programme about a veteran

D.Mankin was successfully operated on at UCLA

3.What can we learn from the passage?

A. Neidorf’s mother was opposed to his decision to donate money.

B. Mankin’s face was burned in a fire in America.

C. Mankin went through more than 30 facial surgeries at UCLA.

D. Many facial surgeries are needed to reconstruct a seriously burned face.

4.The last two paragraphs mainly tell us ________.

A.the process of Mankin’s surgery           B.how Operation Mend was set up

C.how Katz became famous                 D.veterans are respected by people

 

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