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(2017·全国Ⅰ卷,C)
Some of the world’s most famous musicians recently gathered in Paris and New Orleans to celebrate the first annual International Jazz Day.UNESCO(United Nations Educational,Scientific and Cultural Organization) recently set April 30 as a day to raise awareness of jazz music,its significance,and its potential as a unifying(联合) voice across cultures.
Despite the celebrations,though,in the U.S.the jazz audience continues to shrink and grow older,and the music has failed to connect with younger generations.
It’s Jason Moran’s job to help change that.As the Kennedy Center’s artistic adviser for jazz,Moran hopes to widen the audience for jazz,make the music more accessible,and preserve its history and culture.
“Jazz seems like it’s not really a part of the American appetite,” Moran tells National Public Radio’s reporter Neal Conan.“What I’m hoping to accomplish is that my generation and younger start to reconsider and understand that jazz is not black and white anymore.It’s actually color,and it’s actually digital.”
Moran says one of the problems with jazz today is that the entertainment aspect of the music has been lost.“The music can’t be presented today the way it was in 1908 or 1958.It has to continue to move,because the way the world works is not the same,” says Moran.
Last year,Moran worked on a project that arranged Fats Waller’s music for a dance party,“just to kind of put it back in the mind that Waller is dance music as much as it is concert music,” says Moran.“For me,it’s the recontextualization.In music,where does the emotion(情感) lie?Are we,as humans,gaining any insight(感悟) on how to talk about ourselves and how something as abstract as a Charlie Parker record gets us into a dialogue about our emotions and our thoughts?Sometimes we lose sight that the music has a wider context,” says Moran,“so I want to continue those dialogues.Those are the things I want to foster.”
【语篇导读】本文是一篇时事新闻。近来,联合国教科文组织把4月30日定为国际爵士乐日。一些世界上最著名的音乐家聚集在巴黎和新奥尔良以庆祝第一届国际爵士乐日。
1.WhydidUNESCOsetApril30asInternationalJazzDay?
A.Torememberthebirthofjazz.
B.Toprotectculturaldiversity.
C.Toencouragepeopletostudymusic.
D.Torecognizethevalueofjazz.
答案:D
解析:细节理解题。从文章第一段的“UNESCO(UnitedNationsEducational,ScientificandCulturalOrganization)recentlysetApril30asadaytoraiseawarenessofjazzmusic,itssignificance,anditspotentialasaunifyingvoiceacrosscultures.”可知,联合国教科文组织把4月30日定为国际爵士乐日,其目的是提高人们对爵士乐价值和意义的认可。
2.What does the underlined word “that” in paragraph 3 refer to?
A.Jazz becoming more accessible.
B.The production of jazz growing faster.
C.Jazz being less popular with the young.
D.The jazz audience becoming larger.
答案:C
解析:词义猜测题。从文章第二段的“...thejazzaudiencecontinuestoshrinkandgrowolder,andthemusichasfailedtoconnectwithyoungergenerations.”可知,在美国,爵士乐未能获得年轻一代的青睐。这正是JasonMoran试图改变的地方。
3.What can we infer about Moran’s opinion on jazz?
A.It will disappear gradually.
B.It remains black and white.
C.It should keep up with the times.
D.It changes every 50 years.
答案:C
解析:推理判断题。从文章倒数第二段的“Themusiccan’tbepresentedtodaythewayitwasin1908or1958.Ithastocontinuetomove,becausethewaytheworldworksisnotthesame...”可知,JasonMoran指出,今天的爵士乐不能再以1908年或1958年那种方式呈现了。它必须进行改变,以跟上时代的步伐。
4.Which of the following can be the best title for the text?
A.Exploring the Future of Jazz
B.The Rise and Fall of Jazz
C.The Story of a Jazz Musician
D.Celebrating the Jazz Day
答案:A
解析:标题归纳题。本文以第一届国际爵士乐日的设立引入话题,探讨了爵士乐的现状以及未来。希望更多人尤其是年轻人关注爵士乐。
