In the middle of a hot July afternoon,when the wet air came with slight waves of heat,I became a thief of some sort—a thief of music.
For the first time,I had created an original piano arrangement of one of my favorite songs.Not once had I looked for the help of premade sheet music or video courses on YouTube.Using only my ears and iPod,I had changed a mix of different sounds and complex melodies into the tones of a single instrument; I had created complex harmonies and voices into something I could perform with only two hands.No help,no guide: I had done it on my own.
I’ve been a pianist since before my hands were big enough to reach an octave(八度音节): with a musician and composer for a father,I was all but born on the piano bench.For many years,my musical identity was defined by the notes that others had written in centuries past.
This was why,when I added the finishing touches to my piano version(版本) of a modern rock song,I was proud of myself: this arrangement was mine.What I’d done seemed magical: an ability to take what had already existed—to “steal” a song from my favorite band—and to change it into something different and all my own.I was a thief,but I was also an artist.
In music,as in other aspects of life,I believe that true originality rarely exists.Almost everything has,in one form or another,been done before.The most
romance novel may very well be a slightly changed version of a play by
Shakespeare,which is likely to be borrowed from the works of Ancient Greece: same themes,different characters,different circumstances.But,the novel is no less
deserving of praise just because its uniqueness is compromised.Adaptation is not a synonym for failure.
The gift of creativity is the ability to do what I did on the piano: to find something beautiful,to analyze and twist it and lose yourself in the mystery of its composition,and then to make it new.Such an act is not copying; it is finding inspiration and having the strength and the innovation(创新) to use it as fuel for your own masterpiece.The world is nothing more than collections of preexisting parts—scattered and often lost in the chaos of everyday life.I believe it is my job,as an artist,to rearrange this world into what I envision it to be.
I refuse to live as if I were trapped within the walls of a museum: looking but never touching,afraid to ruin the so-called perfection of the artifacts inside.
Therefore,I will embrace my ability to be a thief,because if I don’t steal what the world has to offer,I’ll never have the tools to share with others a creation of my own.
My life is my own arrangement,and because of that,anything is possible.
1.Which word has the closest meaning with the underlined word “embrace”?
A.adopt B.describe C.accept D.quit
2.The reason why the author felt proud of himself was that .
A.he became a real artist without other’s help
B.he could play the piano before he was shorter than the piano bench
C.he has a father who was a musician and composer
D.he changed one of his favorite songs into a piano arrangement on his own
3.Which of the following can be the best title?
A.A music thief B.Changes from a thief to an artist
C.The passion to create music D.My piano arrangement
语篇解读:本文是一篇夹叙夹议文。本文的小主人公是一位钢琴家。一个炎热的下午,他将一首现代摇滚乐改编成钢琴曲,因而获得了极大的满足。同时,他从这件事上获得了一个启迪:每个人都是自己人生的改编者,你要善于和勇于利用前人留给你的东西,去谱写属于自己的人生乐章!
答案及剖析:
1.C 猜测词义题。根据该句子中because if I don’t steal what the world has to offer,
I’ll never have the tools to share with others a creation of my own.可判断,作者对自己的创作感到庆幸,欣然接受自己的能力。故选C项。
2.D 细节理解题。根据第四段可知,作者之所以感到自豪是因为作者凭借一己之力生平第一次将自己最喜欢的一首歌改编成了原创钢琴曲。故D项正确。
3.A 主旨大意题。由文章第四段可知,作者从他最喜爱的乐队中“偷”一首歌,将其改造成另一种完全不同的、只属于他自己的作品。结合第一段中I became a thief of some sort—a thief of music可判断标题A music thief最为适合。
