A
In 1957, Max Vernon Mathews wrote the first computer program called Music, which enabled a computer to create sound and play it back. He was then working as an engineer at Bell Laboratories in New Jersey. It enabled a large IBM computer to play a seventeensecond piece of music he had written.
The computer was so slow that it took an hour to play the seventeensecond piece of music. So Mathews moved the work to a tape player to play the music at a normal speed. He later said that the sound quality of the musical notes was not great, but the technical importance of the music was huge.
The sciencefiction writer Arthur C. Clarke visited Bell Laboratories in the 1960s. He heard a computer “sing” the song Daisy Bell on devices (设备) and learned about the programs developed by Mathews and other engineers. Clarke noted this technology in his book 2001: A Space Odyssey, which was later made into a movie.
Mathews continued creating other versions of the Music program. He became interested in how computers could help musicians outside recording studios. The Groove program he developed was the first computer program made for live performances.
He also developed an electronic device he called the Radio Baton, which looks like two drum sticks. It enables the user to control the speed and sound levels of orchestral music (管弦乐) played on a computer by moving the two sticks on a special electronic surface.
Mathews said he believed modern musicians were not making full use of the power of computer music. He said a violin always sounds like a violin. But with his Music, the way a violin sounds is unlimited. He did not want computer sounds to replace live music, but he hoped computers would one day be considered serious instruments.
语篇解读：本文是记叙文。Max Vernon Mathews把音乐与计算机结合起来，创造了魅力无穷的计算机音乐。
1．Why did Clarke visit Bell Laboratories?
A．To make his book into a movie.
B．To help Mathews develop Music.
C．To satisfy his own curiosity about music.
D．To gather materials for his literary creation.
解析：选D 推理判断题。根据第三段可知，Clarke在他的一本书里涉及了Mathews的电子音乐技术。由此可推知，Clarke主要是为文学创作获取素材才去参观Bell Laboratories的。
2．What electronic music tools did Mathews create?
A．Something used to record live music.
B．Something used to create special sound.
C．Something used to improve computer music.
D．Something used to create computer music.
解析：选C 细节理解题。根据第五段可知，制作计算机音乐时，Radio Baton可以用来控制管弦乐的速度、声级等，能改进音乐。
3．What does Mathews think of his Music?
A．It is more pleasant to the ear.
B．It can help make more sounds.
C．It will finally replace the violin.
D．It is more popular than live music.
解析：选B 细节理解题。根据最后一段可知，一般小提琴发出的声音就是那一种，用Mathews的Music可以让它的声音有无数种，即他的Music能帮助发出更多声音。
4．What can we learn about Mathews?
A．He is the father of computer music.
B．His creation succeeded on the first try.
C．He wrote Music to replace instruments.
D．He changed the functions of computers.
解析：选A 推理判断题。根据全文可知，是Mathews首先创造了计算机音乐，并进而发展出一系列与音乐相关的电子产品，在音乐界掀起了一场革命，故他是计算机音乐之父。
