A
The moment he saw an organ, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart knew what to do with it, Aged six, already skilled at the clavier（键盘乐器）, he came across pedals （踏板） and stops for the first time in an Austrian church. Within moments he was playing an accompaniment and composing on the spot freely. In the following year, 1763, an official in Heidelberg was so astonished by his organ-playing that he had a plate carved for his church to mark the boy's visit. Mozart composed his first symphony at eight.
Youthful promise often declines. With Mozart the opposite was true. Through him classical music may have found its most ideal expression. As Jan Swafford writes in his outstanding biography, Mozart's compositions displayed “a kind of effortless perfection so easily worn that they seem almost to have written themselves”. He drafted quickly, often without needing to revise. He “could express delight by the yard”. A man of his time, Mozart was equally at home composing for the concert salon or the opera stage.
He is the subject of many biographies, but the leading one, by Hermann Aber, is 100 years old and 1, 600 pages long. Safford, himself a composer and a programme-writer, offers an updated and authoritative life, easy to understand, beautifully written, and full of critical judgments and sharp notes on the works.
Mozart' s way with melody （旋律） and keen view of human nature-his letters reveal an almost Dickensian ability to paint characters-combined to promote opera from desserts to a serious medium the author argues. “His wisdom, his ability to observe people and their weaknesses, his fascination with the craze for love - al this made him the perfect composer" of the form, Mr Swafford thinks.
He was admired in his time. Most of his music stuck to conventional structures yet went over the heads of the average listener. Legend has it that his most important fan, Emperor Joseph II, reacted to one performance with an impressive comment: “Too beautiful for our ears, my dear Mozart!”
1. What does paragraph 1 mainly discuss?
A. The true origin of the symphony.
B. Musical instruments in Mozart's time.
C. Mozart's remarkable talent for music.
D. A friendship between Mozart and an official.
2. What does Swafford think of Mozart's compositions?
A. They sounded perfect. B. They expressed his criticism.
C. They were created hurriedly. D. They should be performed outdoors.
3. How does Mozart's biography by Swafford stand out?
A. By comparing contemporary musicians' works.
B. By giving professional and accessible comments.
C. By including the remarks of Emperor Joseph II.
D. By referring to other writers' constructive advice.
4. What did Mozart contribute to?
A. Creating music for folk stories.
B. Inspirations for Dickens' works.
C. Reforms of conventional structures.
D. Transforming opera to a serious art form.
【答案】1. C 2. A 3. B 4. D
【解析】
【分析】这是一篇记叙文。主要讲述了奥地利作曲家莫扎特从小就表现出极高的音乐天赋，他的音乐成就和贡献。
【1题详解】
主旨大意题。根据第一段“The moment he saw an organ, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart knew what to do with it, Aged six, already skilled at the clavier（键盘乐器）, Mozart composed his first symphony at eight.(一看到乐器，莫扎特就知道怎样用。6岁时，就已经擅长键盘乐器。8岁就创作了他的第一首乐曲)”可知，莫扎特从小就表现出极高的音乐天赋。故选C。
【2题详解】
细节理解题。根据第二段“As Jan Swafford writes in his outstanding biography, Mozart's compositions displayed “a kind of effortless perfection so easily worn that they seem almost to have written themselves. (正如Jan Swafford在他著名的传记中写到，莫扎特的作品表现出一种毫不费力的完美，听起来好像是浑然天成的) ”可知，Swafford认为莫扎特的作品是完美的。故选A。
【3题详解】
细节理解题。根据第三段最后一句“Safford, himself a composer and a programme-writer, offers an updated and authoritative life, easy to understand, beautifully written, and full of critical judgments and sharp notes on the works. (Safford本人就是作曲家兼编程作家，提供了一种更新的，权威的生活，容易理解，写得很美，在作品中充满了尖锐的判断和锋利音符)”可知，Safford从专业的角度对莫扎特的作品进行了评论。故选B。
【4题详解】
细节理解题。根据第四段“Mozart' s way with melody（旋律）and keen view of human nature-his letters reveal an almost Dickensian ability to paint characters-combined to promote opera from desserts to a serious medium, (莫扎特具有旋律的方式和对人性的看法通过音符揭示了一种狄更斯式的描绘字符的能力，促进了歌剧从饭后甜点到一门严肃的艺术)”可知，是莫扎特促进了将歌剧从饭后甜点到一门严肃的艺术。故选D。
