儿童之声促社会变革

江苏徐州七中 彭向梅

音乐，相伴着我们的生活，可以给我们带来悲伤或者欢快，但你是否知道音乐还可以促进社会变革呢？阅读下面的短文，让我们一起来感受下合唱团的孩子赋予音乐的无穷力量吧！

题材文章词数唱诗班与社会变革3 2 8 难度 ★★★体裁建议用时记叙文6′

海词积累

1.choirn.唱诗班；合唱团

2.apartheidn.种族隔离

3.multiracialadj.多种族的

4.riotn.暴动

Music is shown to improve a child's problemsolving skills.It's shown to improve a child's educational experience.It's shown to improve a child's overall mental health.That's what recent research will tell you.But if you ask Josephine Lee，president and artistic director of the Chicago Children'sChoir，she has found that music can do even more.“Music canbring aboutsocial changes，” Lee toldThe Huffington Post.“From the Civil Rights Movement in the

United States to the Anti-ApartheidMovement in South Africa，music has played a vital role in uniting people throughout history in the struggle for social justice.”

For that reason，the Chicago Children's Choir unites thousands of students of diverse backgrounds，aging eight to eighteen，to travel the world and bridge（弥合）cultural divides simply by lift-ing their voices in song.

This strong social mission has actually been a part of the choir since its founding in 1956.The late Rev.Christopher Moore created themultiracialchildren's choir at Hyde Park's First Unitarian Churchin response toraceriots.But the once 12-member choir is now the largest youth choral（合唱的）music education organization in the US， serving more than 3，500 children each year.

“By training singers to connect deeply to music， especially when they sing as a choir—as one voicecomposed ofmany—that's how we teach them to connect to the world around them in a meaningful way，” she said.Lee added that she has witnessed the power music has to inspire young people，especially when choir students see first-hand that their music surpasses culturaland socialboundaries.During the choir's Bridging America tours，singers in the neighborhood choir program travel throughout the country to connect with other young musicians through workshops and performances.

“Weareacivic（城市的）treasure，”Lee said.“When the Voice of Chicago travels the world，they are representing our nation，and the music reflects the diversity of our nation—country，jazz， gospel（信仰）， many of which tell stories of struggle.”

Reading Check

1.What's the meaning of music，according to Josephine Lee?

A.Serving society.

B.Improving children's health.

C.Promoting children's education.

D.Helping children to solve the problem.

2.What does the sentence underlined in the last

paragraph suggest?

A.Music has played a key place in the struggle.

B.Chicago Children's Choir has its business value.

C.12-member choir becomes the largest education organization in the US.

D.The diversity，the struggle and the unity is spread through children's voice.

Language Study

Ⅰ.Important vocabulary in the text

1.bring about引起

2.in response to回应

3.compose of由……组成

Ⅱ.Complete the following sentences.

1.历史上，音乐在团结人民争取社会正义的斗争中发挥了至关重要的作用。

Music ________uniting people throughout history _______social justice.

2.这个强大的社会使命自1956年合唱团成立以来就一直是合唱团的一部分。

This strong social mission has actually been a part of the choir _______in 1956.

3.但是这个曾经由12人组成的唱诗班现在是美国最大的青年合唱音乐教育组织，每年为3，500多名儿童提供服务。

But the once 12-member choir is now the largest youth choral music education organization in the US， ________more than 3，500 children each year.