千年古琴，世界非遗

浙江 江 丽

主题语境：人与社会

篇幅：345词

建议用时：7分钟

1Guqin,a seven⁃stringed plucked (弹拨) instrument,is China's ancient and most representative musical instrument.Accord⁃ing to early archaeological (考古学的) dis⁃coveries,guqinoriginated from the prehis⁃toric period and fully developed during the Han Dynasty.

2Guqinwas viewed as a symbol of high culture in China.In ancient China,guqin,the game of go,calligraphy and painting were the four arts scholars should master,withguqincoming in first.Guqinwas always an art form not intended for public performance as the point of playing the instrument was to enjoy music,develop one's taste and bond with friends.There is a well⁃known story about the friendship between famousguqinplayer Yu Boya and his biggest fan Zhong Ziqi,both of whom grew to understand each other through music.Although the pair lived more than 2,000 years ago,even today Chinese people still refer to their story to describe friendship.

3Guqinhas seven strings and 13 marked pitch (音高) positions.By attaching the strings in 10 different ways,players can produce a range of four octaves (八度音阶).The three basic playing techniques are known assan(open string),fan(harmonics) andan(stopped string).According to tradition,it takes 20 years of training to become proficient in the instrument.The sound ofguqinis deep,remote and light.More than 100 harmonics have been preserved using a unique notation system,and most of the tunes have been passed down orally from teachers to students.

4Guqintechniques are divided into various schools around the country,including Yushan,Guangling,Zhejiang,Zhucheng and Lingnan schools among others.The most fa⁃mous musical works includeWhite Snow in Sunny Spring,Three Stanzas of Plum Blossoms,High Mountain and Flowing Watersand so on.

5Due to the influence of Western music and modern media,guqinmusic was in dan⁃ger of becoming lost.In order to protect it,the instrument was listed as a national intangible cultural heritage in China in 2006 and was listed on theRepresentative List of the Intangible

Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO in 2008.

Reading Check

1.Why did people in ancient China learnguqin?

A.To perform in public.

B.To produce famous musical works.

C.To enjoy music,develop one's taste and make friends.

D.To kill their boring time.

2.What's the purpose of mentioning Yu Boya and Zhong Ziqi?

A.To show their talents.

B.To show the influences ofguqin.

C.To show their popularity in history.

D.To show the true friendship between them.

3.How were most ofguqintunes passed down from teachers to students?

A.By spoken words.

B.By writing them down.

C.By digital records.

D.By singing special songs.

4.What does the last paragraph talk about?

A.Famousguqinworks.

B.Guqintechniques.

C.Influences of Western music.

D.Measures to protectguqin.

Language Study

Useful expressions

originate from 起源于

be viewed as a symbol of 被看作是……的象征

intend for 为……而准备

bond with 与……交往

understand each other through music 通过音乐了解彼此

refer to 提及

become proficient in 变得精通……

Cultural Background

古琴的三种音

古琴的音色分三种——散音、泛音、按音。散音松沉而旷远，让人起远古之思；泛音则如天籁，有一种清冷之感；按音则非常丰富，细微悠长，时如人语，似在对话，时如人心之绪，缥缈多变。泛音像天，按音如人，散音则同大地，称为天地人三籁。因此，古琴一器具三籁。