Question

Violin prodigies（神童）, I learned, have come in distinct waves from distinct regions. Most of the great performers of the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries were born and brought up in Russia and Eastern Europe. I asked Isaac Stern, one of the world’s greatest violinists, the reason for this phenomenon. “ It’s very clear, “ he told me. “ They were all Jews and Jews at the time were severely oppressed and ill-treated in that part of the world. They were not allowed into the professional fields, but they were allowed to achieve excellence on a concert stage.” As a result, every Jewish parent’s dream was to have a child in the music school because it was a passport to the West.

Another element in the emergence of prodigies, I found, is a society that values excellence in a certain field and is able to nurture(培育) talent. Nowadays the most nurturing societies seem to be in the Far East. “ In Japan, a most competitive society with stronger discipline than ours,” says Isaac Stern, “ children are ready to test their limits every day in many fields, including music. When Western music came to Japan after World War II, that music not only became part of their daily lives, but it became a discipline as well.” The Koreans and Chinese, as we know, are just as highly motivated as the Japanese.

That’s a good thing, because even prodigies must work hard. Next to hard work, biological inheritance plays an important role in the making of a prodigy. J. S. Bach, for example, was the top of several generations of musicians, and four of his sons had significant careers in music.

 

59. Jewish parents in Eastern Europe longed for their children to attend music school because_____.   

   A. it would allow them access to a better life in the West

   B. Jewish children are born with excellent musical talent

   C. they wanted their children to enter into the professional fields

   D. it would enable the family to get better treatment in their own country

60. Nurturing societies as mentioned in the passage refer to societies that_____.

   A. enforce strong discipline on students who want to achieve excellence

   B. treasure talent and provide opportunities for its full development

   C. encourage people to compete with each other

   D. promise talented children high positions

61. Japan is described in the passage as a country that attaches importance to_____.

   A. all-rounded development

   B. the learning of Western music

   C. strict training of children

   D. variety in academic studies

62. Which of the following contributes to the emergence of musical prodigies according to the passage?

   A. A natural gift.                        B. Extensive knowledge of music.

   C. Very early training.                 D. A prejudice-free society.

Answer 1

本文主要記敘分析為什么猶太人會出現音樂神童的歷史原因。

59. A  

解析：考查細節理解。問在東歐為什么猶太父母希望他們的孩子能進入音樂學校。根據文章第一段的陳述: “ It’s very clear,”  “ They were all Jews and… but… to achieve excellence on a concert stage.”可知A項符合題意。因為那是他們通往西方生活的一種方式。

60. B  

解析：考查綜合理解。問對文章中所提到的 “ Nurturing societies”怎樣理解，根據文章的第二段中對 “ Nurturing societies”所下的定義“ a society that values excellence in a certain field and is able to nurture talent”。

61. C  

解析：考查分析歸納。問文中所提到的日本國是重視什么的國家。根據文中第二段 “ In Japan, a most competitive society with stronger discipline than ours”, “ children are ready to test their limits every day in many fields”可知。

62. A  

解析：考查細節理解。根據文中第三段 “Next to hard work, biological inheritance plays an important role in the working of a prodigy”可知biological inheritance對天才的出現其重要作用。