Producing one of the most beautiful and haunting(萦绕)sounds in Chinese music, the erhu is one of the most popular Chinese bowed-string instruments．
The two-stringed, vertical fiddle(提琴类乐器)－China’s answer to the western violin－has a history of more than 1000 years．It became popular in southern China during the Song Dynasty(960-1279)when it was called nanhu．Capable of producing music with a flexibility approaching that of the human voice, the erhu is extremely popular in China today as a medium for both traditional and contemporary music and plays an important role in both solo and orchestral performances．
Hailed as a Chinese violin, the erhu is quite different from a western fiddle．There is a vertical post with a fingerboard(指板)crossing the sides of a resonator(共鸣器)at its base．This resonator is covered with a piece of stretched python(蟒)skin that produces a unique “whining” tone．The erhu bow is placed between its two strings called the inner and outer strings．Traditionally the two strings are made of silk, but metallic strings are also used．An erhu player usually sits with the instrument on his or her left upper thigh in front of the left hip．The erhu is played by moving the bow horizontally(水平地)over the two vertical strings．
The erhu’s range spans over three octaves(八度音阶)and the tune produced shares some qualities with the violin, although it produces a more nasal(鼻音)tone which is gentle but firm．The erhu resembles a human voice and can imitate many natural sounds, such as birds and horses．It is a very expressive instrument, most known for playing melancholy(忧郁)tunes, but also for its joyful melodies．
The erhu is featured regularly in “silk and bamboo” ensembles(丝竹合奏曲)－an elaborate but quite accessible form of Chinese folk music, alongside various bamboo wind instruments and plucked strings such as the pipa(lute)and yangqin(dulcimer)．Such music is played at village ceremonies and informal “jam sessions(即席演奏会)” in teahouses．It is also an accompanying instrument in Chinese Opera—an ancient form of highly stylized musical dramas, and classical music．There are around a dozen close relatives of the erhu within China and in other parts of the East．The banhu, for example, has a wooden top rather than a snakeskin membrane(薄膜), and the sihu, from Mongolia, has two pairs of strings with a remarkable double bow with two tiers(排)of hair．The morin khur, also from Mongolia, is a rectangular(长方形)fiddle with a carved horse head and strings made of thick strands(股)of silk; it produces a deep, guttural(喉音的)sound．
The erhu is almost always a must in national orchestras．In smaller orchestras, there are usually 2 to 6 erhu; in larger ones there are 10 to 12．In fact, the erhu plays the same role as the violin in Western orchestras．
(1)
Erhu is similar to the ________ of the west in playing ways and musical effects．
[ ]
A．
violin
B．
lute
C．
Morin Khur
D．
Piano
(2)
erhu, banhu and sihu share the same feature that they ________．
[ ]
A．
are all rectangular
B．
all have strings
C．
all use snakeskin membrane
D．
all produce nasal sounds
(3)
Which of the following is WRONG?
[ ]
A．
Erhu is sure to be used in almost all Chinese folk music orchestras．
B．
Erhu is one of the most popular musical instruments in China．
Many Americans find silence uncomfortable during a buffet(自助餐)or a formal dinner．So in the States there is a widespread practice of making “small talk” in certain social situations．Small talk deals with various topics superficially(表面地), simply for the sake of keeping a conversation going．he topics might include the weather, sports, college courses, clothing, food, etc．Small talk is especially useful at social gatherings when you meet someone for the first time, or when polite conversation is expected but no serious discussion is desired．
It is common but not necessarily expected that one knows someone in a group before engaging in a conversation．At a party actually, a simple “May I join you? ” and a self-introduction is normally sufficient to gain acceptance into a group and to join in a conversation．In some places, such as the lobby of a concert hall or theater, a waiting room or a classroom, it is common for strangers to start a conversation even without an introduction．
Despite the informality that pervades(遍布)U．S．society, people in the States expect those whom they speak with to put aside whatever they are doing and listen to．
As a rule, the conversation distance between two people is at least two or three feet．Standing at a closer range will make many Americans feel uneasy．
(1)
Why Americans enjoy small talks at some social gatherings?
[ ]
A．
Because Americans are humorous．
B．
Because Americans like informality in social life．
C．
Because small talks make the conversation pleasant．
D．
Because social gatherings cannot go on without small talks．
(2)
Which of the following does not belong to the category of small talks?
[ ]
A．
Sports．
B．
School courses．
C．
Clothing．
D．
Politics．
(3)
Which of the following is WRONG?
[ ]
A．
A person doesn’t have to know another one before the conversation begins．
B．
A self-introduction is needed before you join in a conversation．
C．
Americans like informal life．
D．
oo close distance when talking will make some Americans uneasy．
引入型阅读
Have you ever seen the film The Lord of the Rings? If you haven’t, I advise you to go and see it．It’s a wonderful movie．The story was written by Tolkien．He wrote it fifty years ago．And the movie won 11 prizes at the 76th Oscar Golden Prize．What an incredible movie!
Now let me talk about the movie．Throughout The Lord of the Rings, the question of leaders becomes more serious．Aragon was the heir to the throne of Gondor．But he shunned the crown because of knowing his ancestor had been corrupted by the power of the ring．But at last the mankind won．Aragon became the king of Gondor．I like him very much．He was very brave．He didn’t fear death．
From the movie, I see that ordinary men can be heroes too．I think the best ones are Sam and Frodo．Sam was assigned to take care of Frodo．Sam was great I think．Frodo couldn’t destroy the ring without Sam．Sam was very important．
And the wisest man in the movie was Gandalf．He had a wise saying that suits every moment．He was like a magician．He died once．But at last he came back to life again．I’m very happy he could resuscitate．Although he was very old, he was brave．If you want to know more about The Lord of the Rings, please go and see the movie!
(1)
The writer writes this passage in order to ________．
[ ]
A．
tell us something about The Lord of the Rings
B．
encourage us to see the film The Lord of the Rings
C．
speak highly of Sam in The Lord of the Rings
D．
speak highly of Aragon in The Lord of the Rings
(2)
Which of the words can best describe the writer’s attitude over The Lord of the Rings?
[ ]
A．
Imaginary．
B．
Fascinated．
C．
Astonished．
D．
Frightened．
引入型阅读
Friendship is the relationship between persons who can help each other in need and who have much in common．Friendship can make people happy and successful．In my opinion, friendship is one of the most precious things we have for several reasons．First, we can lead a happy life if we have some friends to share feelings, for joy that is shared will be doubled and sorrow shared will be reduced．For instance, I felt a little lonely during my first days after I came to college because it was my first time to be away from my family and away from my old friends．I often felt worried about my study and life．Later, I made friends with some of my fellow students．We talked about our ambitions, the way how to improve ourselves and how to contribute to society．Through our heart-to-heart talks, we got to know each other well and became eager to help each other．And from then on, whenever I am in trouble, I always have someone to turn to．Now I don’t feel lonely any longer but feel that life is really meaningful and enjoyable．Second, the company of friends can help us win success．It is well known that the friendship between Karl Marx and Engels largely contributed to their great success．Besides great figures, common people can also benefit a great deal from their friendship．For example, in the second year of my college, we were required to take the yearly test for English Majors．It is a difficult national examination．While I was preparing for it, I felt very worried．But my friends and I helped and encouraged each other．As a result, we all passed the test with good scores．
Moreover, friendship has a influence on our personalities．To win friendship we should have a pleasant manner．And to keep the friendship that we have obtained we ought to be self-disciplined(自律)and learn to be considerate(体谅)．If everybody has friends and knows how to keep friendship, personalities of people will be improved and society will be in harmony(和谐)．
So we can say that friendship can do good not only for individuals but also for society, and a society that is full of friendship will be full of love and hope．
(1)
According to the writer, friendship is ________．
[ ]
A．
what makes people happy
B．
what people turn to when in trouble
C．
precious relationship between people
D．
what makes people successful
(2)
Which is the main idea of the first paragraph?
[ ]
A．
Friends should help each other．
B．
College students should have friendship．
C．
Friends should share joy as well as sorrow．
D．
Friendship brings us happiness and success．
(3)
Which of the following belongs to the personalities that keep up friendship?
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