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When British musician Paul Barton performs in central Thailand lately, the listeners react wildly.Some pull his hair or jump on his piano.Others steal his music.The behaviour is normal, however, because these crowds are truly wild — wild monkeys to be exact.
Barton plays often to the animals in Lopburi, an area known for its populations of wild monkeys.The pianist hopes the music shows bring calm to the animals during the corona virus (COVID-19) crisis.
The disease has caused problems for the monkeys, too.They are hungry.The restrictions on tourism mean fewer people come to see the monkeys and feed them.
The monkeys quickly surround Barton when he plays Greensleeves, Beethoven's Fur Elise and Michael Nyman's Diary of Love.Some of the creatures sit on his chair, while others climb up his body and touch his head.But, Barton keeps his attention on his performance, even as a small monkey runs over his hands on the instrument.Other monkeys take control of his music papers.“I was glad and surprised to find that they were actually eating_the_music as I was playing it.”
The monkeys are Barton's latest animal fans.Past wildlife audience included elephants living in special protected areas.Barton hopes to raise people's awareness of the monkeys' hunger.At the same time, he hopes to study their behaviour as they react to classical music.
“Come together and don't let the pandemic stop the wild monkeys getting good nutritious food.We need to make an effort to make sure that they eat properly.And when they eat properly they will be calmer，” said 59-year-old Barton.
语篇解读：本文是一篇新闻报道。英国音乐家Paul Barton最近在泰国中部演出，希望能缓解新冠病毒危机带给动物的压力。
1．Why does the musician play to the wild monkeys?
A．To see the wild animals just being themselves.
B．To study their behaviour as they react to pop music.
C．To raise money for the wild monkeys' hunger.
D．To help calm them during COVID-19 crisis.
解析：选D 细节理解题。根据第二段可知，音乐家对着野生猴子演奏是为了帮助它们在新冠肺炎疫情期间保持镇定。
2．What kind of music does the musician play?
A．Contemporary music.
B．Classical music.
C．Country music.
D．Popular music.
解析：选B 细节理解题。根据第四段第一句可知，音乐家演奏的是古典音乐。
3．What does the underlined phrase “eating the music” in Paragraph 4 refer to?
A．Stealing his music papers.
B．Eating his music papers.
C．Disturbing his performance.
D．Enjoying his playing.
解析：选D 词义猜测题。根据第四段画线词所在句可知，让Barton高兴和惊讶的是，在他演奏音乐的时候，猴子真的在欣赏他的演奏。画线词指的是“欣赏他的演奏”。
4．What can we infer from the text?
A．Wild monkeys like to play with the musician.
B．People will start to protect the wild monkeys.
C．The COVID-19 has damaged much to the world.
D．Music can make the wild animals more active.
解析：选C 推理判断题。根据第二段“Barton plays often to the animals in Lopburi ...”以及第三段“The disease has caused problems ...”可推知，新冠肺炎疫情给世界造成严重损害。
