Beyond Baby Mozart, Students Who Rock
Music education hasn’t changed much since the 1970s. Students are still taught to read notation(乐谱) so they can recite compositions that they would never listen to on their MP3 players or play with friends. Playing music enriches life. The question is: Why do schools teach music in a way that turns off so many young people rather than catch their imagination? Can we do a better job of using the power of music to get kids excited about school?
The experience of an organization called Little Kids Rock suggests the answer is yes — if we change the way music is taught. Little Kids Rock has helped music programs in over a thousand public schools and served 150,000 children. The organization has given 30,000 free instruments out, mainly guitars, and trained 1,500 teachers to run music classes in which students quickly experience the joys of playing their favorite songs, performing in bands(乐队), and writing their own music.

The key to Little Kids Rock is that it teaches children to play music the way many musicians learn to play it — not by notation, but by listening, imitation(模仿) and meaningful experimentation. “The knowledge you need to get started playing rock music is very limited,” explains Dave Wish, the founder of Little Kids Rock. “In high school, my friend Paul taught me a couple of chords(和弦) and my life was changed forever. On the first day of class, Little Kids Rock teachers place guitars in the hands of their students and get them practicing chords that will enable them to play thousands of songs. The kids decide what songs they want to learn and the class is off and running. Their progress is surprising. Within a year, eight and nine-year-olds are playing musical instruments, and giving concerts, even performing their own songs.
One of the biggest advantages that music offers is the ability to encourage students who are otherwise bored by school. “I’ve had students start coming back to school because of this program,” said Adkison Thomas, who heads up music for the Dallas Independent School District. He added, “One of the best things is that the teachers discover a new side of their students. They see kids become successful who weren’t before.”
【小题1】The expression “turn off” in Paragraph 1 means “______”.

Everyone may feel it difficult to fit in with a new culture. However, you needn’t change everything about yourself, because all of your experiences are part of you and make you special. The following tips may help you live in a new culture more easily.

    Teach people your culture. You’re the one who meets the new culture, but it doesn’t mean you should be the one doing all the learning. Take the opportunity to teach new friends your culture. They may know little about it. Invite them for traditional dishes from your culture, or show them how you celebrate your holidays.

    Find a support group. Find people in your neighborhood who recently moved here. You can share experiences, cheer each other up when things get difficult, and introduce each other to the new friends you’ve made.

    Keep in touch with home. You probably left behind your good friends and family when you move. If it’s a long time, keep in touch with them. Write letters, send emails, and make phone calls so that you can learn about the things happening there, and talk about your new experiences. Keep pictures around to remind you of home.

  Remember: the key to getting over your culture shock(文化冲击)is to understand the new culture and find a way to live comfortably within it  52   keeping your culture in your heart.

  It’s important to be yourself. Do not change too fast or too many things at once. You should have your own style. So, maintain(保持)what’s important to you and find a good combination between old and new cultures, and you’ll be fine.

1.The underlined phrase “fit in with”means “            ” in Chinese.

A.改变   B. 研究  C.适应   D.产生

2.The underlined sentence in the second paragraph means           .

A. you should meet a new culture

B. you should keep the new culture far away

C. you should teach your culture to others

D. you should learn and follow the new culture

3.Which of the following words can fill in the blank of paragraph 5?

A.what    B.why     C.while     D.whether

4.According to the passage, which of the following is NOT true?     

A. People should teach their new friends their culture.             

B. People should try to make some friends in a new place.

C. people should keep in touch with home after they leave.                        

D. People should give up their old culture in a new place.

 Everyone has their own dreams. They give us courage(勇气) and confidence to keep us going through difficulties. Here     some advice on how to realize our beautiful dreams.      giving up is the key to making our dreams come true. We may fail from time to time,     we can learn from failure(失败)， correct our mistakes and try again until we achieve our goals . For that reason, no matter     difficult problems we meet, we don’t fail unless we give up our hopes. Our life is like a long journey which is not all roses. It sometimes has wind and rain. We believe rainbows(彩虹) will appear after storms.  We will realize our dreams      last if we do our best. Cooperation (合作) is also necessary. Everyone likes a person who is good at cooperating with others . Besides, in our society , most problems can’t be     by one person alone.       is like a small part of a medicine. If one part isn’t     , the medicine can not work well. It’s hard for a person who is away from the society to have a deep understanding of the world . Cooperation is becoming one of     ways for people living in the developing society. As a saying goes, “ one tree doesn’t make a     ” . At the same time , we should learn to examine our abilities because it helps us know about our advantages and disadvantages as well as get a full control of ourselves. Then we may be confident enough to face challenges . Follow the suggestions above, and our dreams are sure to come true.

1.A. is              B. are           C. am              D. be

2.A．Always         B. Often         C. Never           D. Sometimes

3.A．if              B. but           C. than            D. so

4.A．how            B. what          C. where           D. why

5.A．from           B. on            C. at               D. in

6.A．solve           B. solved         C. solving           D. to solve

7.A．We            B. We each        C. Each of us         D. Us

8.A．in time         B. in order         C. in need           D. in agreement

9.A．important       B. more important   C. the most important  D. the more important

10.A．forest         B. grass            C. field             D. tree

Everyone has their own dreams. They give us courage(勇气) and confidence to keep us going through difficulties. Here     some advice on how to realize our beautiful dreams.     giving up is the key to making our dreams come true. We may fail from time to time,     we can learn from failure(失败)， correct our mistakes and try again until we achieve our goals . For that reason, no matter     difficult problems we meet, we don’t fail unless we give up our hopes. Our life is like a long journey which is not all roses. It sometimes has wind and rain. We believe rainbows(彩虹) will appear after storms.  We will realize our dreams      last if we do our best. Cooperation (合作) is also necessary. Everyone likes a person who is good at cooperating with others . Besides, in our society , most problems can’t be    by one person alone.       is like a small part of a medicine. If one part isn’t     , the medicine can not work well. It’s hard for a person who is away from the society to have a deep understanding of the world . Cooperation is becoming one of     ways for people living in the developing society. As a saying goes, “ one tree doesn’t make a     ” . At the same time , we should learn to examine our abilities because it helps us know about our advantages and disadvantages as well as get a full control of ourselves. Then we may be confident enough to face challenges . Follow the suggestions above, and our dreams are sure to come true.