A musical phenomenon音乐的奇迹

江丽

凯文·戴通过音乐从口吃的困境中找到了自己的表达方式，并成为一位杰出的年轻作曲家。

主题语境：音乐 篇幅：340词 建议用时：6分钟

1 When Kevin Day was a child， he could hardly speak due to a speech impediment.Yet he was extraordinarily fluent in the language of music. Kevin says，“ Music was sort ofmy way of self?expression when I couldnt communicate what I felt with words.”

2 Now in his mid?20s， Mr Day is breakingage barriers in classical music. His work hasalready been performed at Tanglewood MusicCenter in Lenox， Massachusetts， RachmaninovHall in Moscow， and Carnegie Hall in NewYork. To reach these peaks， the young composerhas had to overcome tough challenges.

3“ He is driven， but he is so uplifted and comforted by music that I dont think its achoice for him，” says Cynthia Johnston Turner， dean of the Music Faculty at WilfridLaurier University in Waterloo， Ontario. During her previous post at the University ofGeorgia， she selected Mr Day for a masters program.“ He has a lot of resilience， but letsnot ignore the fact that the systems are piled up against him，” she says.

4 Mr Days work is influenced by life experiences as much as by musical notes. Whenhe was around 10 years old， his familys struggles deepened. Both his parents were unableto find a job. Sometimes there was no electricity or water in the house. In the end， thefamily lost their house and car.“ I dont make a big deal out of this stuff，” Mr Day notes.“Im always looking forward and try not to look back， not even for reflection.”

5 To date， Mr Days 200?plus pieces of music include works for concert bands and symphonyorchestras. Hes eager to branch out into contemporary music， including hip?hop andjazz. He is also earning his doctorate. “I have this sort of spirit of resilience that Ivekind of inherited from my parents，” says Mr Day. Its given him a sense of urgency to createmusic that bolsters listeners going through difficult times.“ My goal is to try to help othersas well.”

Reading Check

1. What does paragraph 2 mainly talk about？

A. Kevin Day＇s career challenges.

B. Kevin Day＇s career goals.

C. Kevin Day＇s music styles.

D. Kevin Day＇s music achievements.

2. What does Cynthia Johnston Turner think about Kevin Day？

A. He should choose a different career.

B. Music is a comforting and driving force for him.

C. He shows no passion for classical music.

D. He is not suitable for the masters program.

3. How does Kevin Day feel about his childhood experiences？

A. They are his source of inspiration.

B. They are already in the past.

C. They aren＇t unique to him.

D. They aren＇t easy to forget.

4. What does the underlined word“ bolsters” mean in paragraph 5？

A. Defeats. B. Entertains.

C. Reminds. D. Supports

Language Study

Ⅰ. 日積月累

impediment n. 障碍

extraordinarily adv. 特别地

fluent adj. 流利的

self?expression n. 自我表达

barrier n. 障碍

resilience n. 复原力；弹性

inherit v. 继承

branch out 拓展；涉足

look back 回头看；回顾

Ⅱ. 语法填空

As a boy， Kevin Day had trouble speaking because 1._________a speech problem.But he had a special talent for music that let him express 2._________（he）. Now3._________his mid?20s， Kevin is becoming well?known in classical music. Hes had hismusic 4._________（play） in famous places like Tanglewood Music Center， RachmaninovHall 5._________Carnegie Hall. However， Kevin faced many 6._________（challenge） toget to this point. Cynthia Johnston Turner， a music faculty dean， thinks music 7._________（be） essential to Kevin. She admires his strength despite difficult circumstances. As a child，Kevin and his family went through hard times， 8._________（lose） their home and livingwithout jobs， electricity， or water. But Kevin prefers to focus on the future rather9._________the past. Kevin has created over 200 music pieces for bands and orchestrasand is looking to make modern music styles like hip?hop and jazz. Hes also working ongetting his doctorate. He wants to make music that can help others 10._________are facingtough times.