When Dee Dee Bridgewater learned that she would become a 2017 NEA Jazz Master, a series of thoughts and feelings flooded her mind. “It was so far out of my orbit and just my whole sphere of thinking,” she said in a conversation at NPR this spring, hours before she formally received her award.
She’s 66-far from retirement age in jazz, and on the extreme forward edge of the NEA Jazz Masters people. So she was aware of her relative youth in the field She also recognized that there haven’t been many women in the ranks of NEA Jazz Masters: fewer than 20, out of 145. That idea led her to reflect on her predecessors (前任): legendary singers like Betty Carter* who was seated back in 1992, and Abbey Lincoln, who received the nod in 2003.
Bridgewater sought inspiration and advice from both Carter and Lincoln, as she recalls in this period of Jazz Night, which features music recorded during the season opener for Jazz at Lincoln Center. On a program called “Songs of Freedom”, organized by drummer Ulysses Owens, Jr., Bridgewater sang material associated with Lincoln as well as Nina Simone: an extremely angry song of the civil rights movement, like “Mississippi Goddam”.
A separate concert, “Songs We Love”, found Bridgewater singing less politically charged (but still exciting) fare like “St. James Infirmary”, which appears on her most recent album. In words as well as music, this period reveals how seriously Bridgewater takes that responsibility, seeing as how it connects to her own experience in the jazz lineage. But maybe “seriously” isn’t the right word when it comes to Dee Dee, whose effervescence (欢腾) shines through even in a reflective mood. Join her here for a while; she’s excellent company, no more or less so now that mastery is officially a part of her resume.
1.What did Bridgewater think of her winning the award?
A.It confused her.
B.It was beyond her expectation.
C.It won great popular support for her.
D.It gave her much confidence about her career.
2.What can we learn about the musicians winning NEA Jazz Masters?
A.Women ranked higher than men.
B.Men accounted for a bigger part of them.
C.Most of them were unwilling to retire at first.
D.Many of them received the award at an early age.
3.Who is more likely to have a great influence on Bridgewater?
A.Carter and Lincoln. B.Ulysses and Lincoln.
C.Nina Simone and Carter. D.Nina Simone and Ulysses.
4.What does the last paragraph mainly talk about?
A.Bridgewater’s music theme.
B.Bridgewater’s music experience.
C.Bridgewater’s personal characters.
D.Bridgewater’s great achievements.
I have learned something about myself since I moved from Long Island to Florida three years ago. Even though I own a home in Port St, Lucie just minutes from the ocean, an un- controllable urge wells up to return to Long Island even as others make their way south. I guess I am a snowbird stuck in reverse. Instead of enjoying Florida’s mild winters, I willingly endure the severe weather on Long Island, the place I called home for 65 years.
I’m like a migratory bird (候鸟) that has lost its sense of timing and direction, my wings flapping against season.
So what makes me fly against the tide of snowbirds? The answer has a lot to do with my reluctance to give up the things that define who I am. Once I hear that the temperature on Long Island has dipped into the range of 40 to 50 degrees, I begin to long for the sight and crackling sound of a wood fire. I also long for the bright display of colors-first in the fall trees, and then in the lights around homes and at Rockefeller Center. Floridians decorate too, but can’t create the special feel of a New England winter.
I suppose the biggest reason why I return is to celebrate the holidays with people I haven’t seen in months. What could be better than sitting with family and friends for a Thanksgiving turkey dinner, or watching neighbors children excitedly open gifts on Christmas? Even the first snowfall seems special. I especially enjoy seeing a bright red bird settling on a snow-covered branch. (My wife and I spend winters at a retirement community in Ridge, and I’m grateful that I don’t have to shovel.)
While these simple pleasures are not unique to Long Island, they are some of the reasons why I come back. Who says you can’t go home?
1.What’s the difference between Florida and Long Island?
A.Winters in Florida are milder.
B.The snowbirds in Florida are rarer.
C.Weather in Florida is severer.
D.Florida is nearer to the ocean.
2.What does the underlined word “reluctance” in Paragraph 3 mean?
A.Unwillingness.
B.Expectation.
C.Coincidence.
D.Motivation.
3.Which of the following words can best describe the author?
A.Imaginative and outspoken.
B.Hard-working and serious.
C.Homesick and easy-going
D.Anxious and painful.
4.What’s the author’s purpose in writing the text?
A.To describe his dream to be a free bird.
B.To express his feeling of missing his hometown.
C.To praise the beauty and warmth of his hometown.
D.To explain the reasons for moving from his hometown.
From The 12 Days of Christmas to See You in the Cosmos, these children’s books are ideal for holiday giving.
The 12 Days of Christmas
by Greg Pizzoli
It’s a classic Christmas reading material! It’s a counting lesson! It’s a crazy tale of elephant love. Have you ever wondered how all those calling birds, turtle doves and French hens fit in one room? Pizzoli, a Theodor Seuss Geisel Award winner has your answer. ($ 15.99, ages 3—5) Amazon. com
Here We Are
by Oliver Jeffers
Yes, this book by the illustrator (插画家) of the great hit “The Day the Crayons Quit” is for kids ages 3—7, but don’t let that fool you. Inspired by the birth of Jeffers1 first child, this is a father’s “welcome to the earth” letter to his baby, filled with the heady wonder of parenthood A great gift for new parents. ($ 19.99. ages 3—7) Amazon. com
Wishtree
by Katherine Applegate, illustrated by Charles Santoso.
When a towering oak tree learns that she may be cut down, she starts getting extraordinarily involved in the lives of the humans below her, particularly a girl who is being escaped due to her ethnicity (种族). A lovely tale about common ground and the power of community. ($ 16.99, ages 8 —12) Amazon. com
See You in the Cosmos
by Jack Cheng
Eleven-year-old Alex is too busy trying to communicate with space aliens to worry about his troubled family life. When Alex runs away from home to launch his homemade rocket, he finds himself sidetracked by new friends and hints of a family secret. ($ 16.99, ages 10 and up) Amazon. com
1.Which of the following books is about acting as new parents?
A.Wishtree. B.The Days of Christmas.
C.Here We Are. D.See You in the Cosmos.
2.How much will you pay for two different books at least?
A.$ 30.98. B.$ 31.98. C.$ 32.98. D.$ 33.98.
3.What can we learn from the book Wishtree?
A.Friendship is more important than anything else in our life.
B.It mainly talks about environmental protection.
C.The girl has difficulty with her school life.
D.Both the tree and the girl are facing crisis.
假定你是李华，你校将举办主题为“我们的地球我们的家”（Our Earth, Our Home）的环保创意活动。请用英语写一封邮件，邀请你的英国朋友Peter参加，内容包括：
1. 活动时间和地点；
2. 活动内容（照片展，旧物利用，环保海报等）；
3. 期待Peter参加。
注意：1. 词数100左右；
2. 可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
Dear Peter,
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Yours,
Li Hua
假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌写的以下作文。文中共有10处语言错误，每句中最多有2处。涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。
增加：此行缺一个词在缺词处加一个漏字符号（/\），在其下面写出该加的词。
删除：把多余的词用斜线（\）划掉。
修改：在错的词下划一横线, 在该词下面写出改正后的词。
注意： 1. 每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；
2. 只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。
There are six people in my family. Each of us has different hobbies. My father likes collecting stamp. He has many special stamps in other countries. My mother likes baking. She always prepares deliciously cakes for us in the afternoon. I like drawing. When I feel boring in class, I will draw on my books. While my teachers see me draw on the book, they are always angry and ask me erase drawings. My brother, Johnny, likes to read the comic books. My grandpa is interested in garden. In our yard were many beautiful flowers, most of whom are roses. My grandma likes to listen to music.
During last year's two sessions （两会）, Shan Jixiang, director of the Palace Museum, 1. （push） for major renovations （修复） inside the palace museum. And during this year's two sessions, he proposed adopting 2. new set of regulations on how to best protect and preserve the historic complex.
"The Regulation of the Preservation of the Great Wall 3. （adopt） over the past years, and it has proved very effective, so this year we've drafted an outline for new regulations and we hope to pass the cultural relics of the Palace Museum on to many generations 4. （come）. " Shan said.
The Palace Museum faces serious pressures. An increasing number of 5. （tour） want to see the palace's treasures, but overcrowding could harm preservation efforts. And 6. urbanization （城市化） progressing in Beijing, construction around the Palace Museum may end up damaging 7. （it） ancient buildings.
The Forbidden City's image as a museum has grown 8. Shan's last measures were approved in 2012. To make more room for more visitors, Shan has proposed moving 750 employees, 9. （rough） half the museum's staff, to offices outside the complex. He has also called for transforming an archaeological site which 10. （be） unearthed in 2016 into a new public archaeological museum for the public to enjoy.
