One of the most famous buildings in the United States is Carnegie Hall, the home of classical and popular music concerts in New York. Carnegie Hall is known not just for its beauty and history, but also for its amazing sound. Carnegie Hall is named after Andrew Carnegie, who paid for its construction. Construction of Carnegie Hall began in 1890 and the official opening night was on May 5,1891.

The hall was owned by the Carnegie family until 1924 when it was sold to Robert E Simon. The building became very old and in 1960, the new owner made plans to destroy it and build an office block. Isaac Stem led a group of people who fought to save Carnegie Hall and finally, the city of New York bought it for $5 million. It was then fixed up between 1983 and 1995.

Advertisements and stories in newspapers about how Carnegie Hall needed help to recover its history led people to send in old concert programmes and information from all over the world. Over 12,000 concert programmes were received and with these it was possible to make a proper record of Carnegie Hall's concert history.

Carnegie Hall is actually made up of several different halls, but the Main Hall, now called the Isaac Stem Auditorium,is the most famous. The hall itself can hold an audience of 2,804 in five levels of seating.

Because the best and most famous musicians of all time have played at Carnegie Hall, it is the dream of most musicians who want to be great to play there. This has led to a very old joke which is now part of Carnegie Hall's history. Question: “How do I get to Carnegie Hall?” Answer: “Practice, practice, practice.”

1.It can be inferred that people wanted to save Carnegie Hall mainly because________.

A. it made a lot of money

B. it was worth visiting

C. many important concerts were held in it

D. it made some players become famous

2.How did Carnegie Hall recover its concert history?

A. Through newspaper reports.

B. Through old concert programmes.

C. Through old photographs.

D. Through old jokes.

3.Why is the Carnegie Hall joke funny?

A. Because you expect the answer to be directions but not advice.

B. Because Carnegie Hall is a place where musicians practice a lot.

C. Because it is difficult to find your way to Carnegie Hall.

D. Because you don't expect the answer to repeat the same word three times.

4.Which of the following would be the best title for the text?

A. The history of Carnegie Hall

B. The best musician having played in Carnegie Hall

C. A joke about Carnegie Hall

D. The dream of most musicians

The benefits of listening to music

Whether you like Beethoven or Mozart,there is one thing I think we can all agree on:music makes life better.

1.

Listening to music can reduce stress(压力)

A lot of us may turn to relaxing music when we are feeling stressed or tired.A recent research shows that slow,quiet classical music is suggested to have the most exciting effect.2. Or listening to a relaxing,classical-style movie soundtrack can also help you reduce stress.

Listening to music can improve your memory(记忆力)

The interesting part about the research is that it shows music helps your brain develop in many areas,one of the most important being your memory.3.

4.

Do you work out?Have you always felt like you perform better when you listen to music?Strange as it might seem,there has actually been a lot of research done on this subject.And sure enough,one study shows that music can increase endurance(耐力)by 15%.5.However,another study suggests that it's not the type of music,but rather the speed of the music—the beats per minute—that matter.

A.Listening to music can make you healthier.

B.Listening to music can improve endurance.

C.The followings are some benefits of listening to music for us humans.

D.So if you have a hard time dealing with stress,listening to some classical songs could be a good idea.

E.So if you're troubled by a bad memory,learning to play an instrument is something you should consider.

F.One of my biggest regrets these days is that I never actually tried to learn to play the piano properly.

G.One theory is that listening to a classical piece helps you focus,which in turn allows you to persevere longer.

There was a man playing the piano in a bar.He was a good piano player.People __________out just to hear him play.But one __________,a customer told him he didn't want to hear him just play any more.He wanted him to sing a song.

The man said,“I don't sing.”

But the customer was __________.He told the bartender(酒吧男招待),“I'm __________ listening to the piano.I want that guy to sing!”

The bartender __________across the room,“Hey!If you want to get __________,sing a song.The customers are __________ you to sing!”

So he did.He sang a song.A piano player who had __________sung in public did so for the __________first time.And __________had ever heard the song Mona Lisa sung the way it was sung by Nat King Cole!

He had talent he was sitting on!He may have lived the rest of his life as a no name__________player in a no name bar,but __________ he had to sing,he went on to__________one of the best known __________ in America.

You,too,have skills and abilities.You may not feel as if your “talent” is __________ great,but it may be __________ than you think!And with persistence(坚持),most skills can be __________.You may as well have no ability at all,__________,if you sit on whatever talent you possess!The better question is not “What ability do I have that is __________?”It is rather “How will I__________whatever ability I have?”

1.A. came B. ran C. walked D. looked

2.A. day B. night C. morning D. afternoon

3.A. happy B. surprised C. sad D. insistent

4.A. fond of B. good at C. tired of D. looking forward to

5.A. shouted B. suggested C. encouraged D. comforted

6.A. fired B. hired C. paid D. lost

7.A. telling B. ordering C. asking D. persuading

8.A. seldom B. never C. always D. sometimes

9.A. very B. so C. yet D. therefore

10.A. somebody B. anybody C. everybody D. nobody

11.A. song B. piano C. violin D. music

12.A. because B. when C. as soon as D. after

13.A. grow B. train C. become D. teach

14.A. pianists B. singers C. musicians D. millionaires

15.A. especially B. particularly C. specially D. highly

16.A. worse B. less C. more D. better

17.A. learned B. mastered C. improved D. found

18.A. besides B. however C. in other words D. after all

19.A. real B. special C. useful D. best

20.A. use B. accept C. believe D. get

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