Question

    As the saying goes, “Without music, life would be a mistake.” Music is very important in our lives and here are four of the greatest musicians in history.

Ludwig van Beethoven(1770-1827)

Born in Bonn, Germany, Beethoven never held an official position in Vienna. He supported himself by giving concerts, teaching piano, and the sale of his compositions(作曲). The last 30 years of Beethoven’s life were filled with a lot of hard times, the first of which was his deafness. Beethoven’s music greatly influenced the next generation of musicians.

Johann Sebastian Bach(1685-1750)

Bach, “the father of modern music”, was born in Eisenach, Germany. His parents died when he was nine years old, and in 1695 he went to live with his brother Johann Christoph, who was an organist(风琴手) in Ohrdruf. He stayed there until 1700. Seven years later, he moved back to Weimar, where he served as court(宫廷) organist for nine years. His music greatly influenced classical music.

Frederic Chopin (1810-1849)

Chopin was born in Zelazowa Wola, Poland. He showed a talent for the piano at a very young age. Chopin began composing when he was still a child, but some of his early works have been lost. He gave his first public concert in 1818. Chopin was considered as the leading musician of his time.

Franz Schubert(1797-1828)

Schubert was born and died in Vienna. Unlike most of his predecessors(前辈),Schubert was not a great performer. He never had much money but he was very productive. He wrote his first masterpiece when he was only sixteen. However, he died young, before his talents had even been known.

1.Beethoven did Not make a living by ___.

A.teaching students B.doing business

C.selling his works D.giving concerts

2.Bach worked as an organist in Weimar until _____.

A.1765 B.1707 C.1750 D.1716

3.What do we know about the four musicians ?

A.They all lived a hard life at their old age.

B.They were all good at playing the piano.

C.They became famous at a young age.

D.They were all talented musicians.

Answer

1.B

2.D

3.D

【解析】

本文是一篇说明文。文章介绍了四位历史上非常伟大的音乐家。

1.

细节理解题。根据Ludwig van Beethoven(1770-1827)部分的介绍中“He supported himself by giving concerts, teaching piano, and the sale of his compositions(作曲).”可知，贝多芬通过举办音乐会、教钢琴、出售他作的曲子来养活自己。文章没有提到做生意。故选B项。

2.

细节理解题。根据Johann Sebastian Bach(1685-1750)部分的介绍中“He stayed there until 1700. Seven years later, he moved back to Weimar, where he served as court(宫廷) organist for nine years.”可知，巴赫在他的兄弟那里一直待到1700年。7年后，也就是1707年，他回到了Weimar担任宫廷风琴手九年。因此可知，巴赫在Weimar担任宫廷风琴手是一直到1716年。故选D项。

3.

推理判断题。在Ludwig van Beethoven的介绍中提到“Beethoven’s music greatly influenced the next generation of musicians.”（贝多芬的音乐对下一代音乐家影响很大）；在Johann Sebastian Bach的介绍中提到“his music greatly influenced classical music.”（他的音乐对古典音乐影响很大）；在Frederic Chopin的介绍中提到“He showed a talent for the piano at a very young age.”（他很小的时候就显示出了钢琴的天赋）；在Franz Schubert的介绍中提到“he died young, before his talents had even been known.”（他英年早逝，他的才能还不为人们所知。）因此可以推断，这四位都是极有天赋的音乐家。故选D项。