A researcher at Ben-Gurion University conducted the first study of hand-clapping songs, uncovering a direct link between those activities and the development of important skills in children and young adults, including university students.
"We found that children in the first, second and third grades who sing these songs prove skills absent in children who don't take part in similar activities," explains Dr. Idit Sulkin. "We also found that children who naturally perform hand-clapping songs in the yard during break have neater handwriting, write better and make fewer spelling errors." As part of the study, Sulkin went to several elementary school classrooms and engaged the children in either a board of education conducting music appreciation program or hand-clapping songs training — each lasting a period of 10 weeks.
"Within a very short period of time, the children who until then hadn't taken part in such activities caught up in their cognitive abilities to those who did," she said. But this finding only surfaced for the group of children undergoing hand-clapping songs training. The result led Sulkin to conclude that hand-clapping songs should be made a necessary part of education for children aged 6 to 10, for the purpose of motor and cognitive training.
During the study, Dr. Sulkin interviewed school and kindergarten teachers, visited their classrooms and joined the children in singing. Her goal was to figure out why children are fascinated by singing and clapping up until the end of third grade, when these entertainments are abruptly abandoned and replaced with sports. "This fact explains a developmental process the children are going through," Dr. Sulkin observes. "The hand-clapping songs appear naturally in children's lives at the age of 7, and disappear at the age of 10."
Sulkin says that no in-depth, long-term study has been conducted on the effects that hand-clapping songs have on children's motor and cognitive skills. However, the relationship between music and intellectual development in children has been studied extensively, causing countless parents to obtain a "Baby Mozart" CD for their children.
Jay Chou is a well-known name both in Taiwan and mainland. He is now one of Asia's hottest pop stars. His catchy tunes have mainstreamed (主流) rap and R&B in the Mandopop world. In the past his teacher thought he was dumb (木讷的). Talent spotters (观察者) thought he was ugly. But his success proves that the music still matters more than looks and image. His musical talent is recognized by fans, fellowsingers and producers.
Now, a singing contest was held in Taiwan. Chou appeared at the contest with band "Nan Quan Mama", which was discovered by Chou. Their first album the Summer of Nan Quan Mama, composed and produced by Chou was a great success.
Chou started his career at a singing contest, attracting the attention of record producers. But the successful singer does not believe in luck. He says it's his passion for music and hard work that are keys to his success. He said, "I didn't know how to sing at the beginning, so I lost the first time. But I was so determined that I never stopped trying. My advice to these young singers is never to give up, and always believe in yourself."
Chou's confidence has strengthened his music. He is a great source of inspiration to youngsters who share his determination to become a superstar.
A young musician carrying a violin case in Paraguay makes her way to rehearsal(彩排)．What's inside the case, however, is no ordinary violin. It's made from a salad bowl, a CD, and large pieces of wood.
The violinist, Ada Rios, 13, is a member of the Orchestra of Instruments Recycled from Cateura, a group of teen musicians whose instruments are made from the trash near their village. Cateura, just outside Paraguay's capital, Asuncion, is a poor area built on a very large landfill (垃圾填埋地)．Cateura is home to 2, 500 families, with 20 teens in the orchestra. They play everything from the classical works of Beethoven to Beatles' songs.
Now the orchestra is attracting world－wide attention.The musicians are being filmed for a documentary, Land－fill Harmonic.The film will show how people in Cateura turn trash into instruments, and the effect that being part of an orchestra can have on kids.
In Paraguay, nearly 35 percent of the population lives in poverty (贫穷)．In Cateura, a real musical instrument costs more than a house, says Favio Chavez, the orchestra's founder. About 1, 500 tons of waste are left at the landfill each day, and the people there earn a living searching through the garbage for things they can recycle and sell.
Chavez started teaching music in Cateura five years ago as a way to keep kids out of trouble. When he needed more instruments, he asked the landfill workers if they could build some from the trash. First, the men repaired a broken drum. Next, they built a guitar . The orchestra took off from there.
The group has already performed in Brazil and Colombia.The teens will travel to Arizona this year to play at the Musical Instrument Museum in Phoenix. Ada says music has already changed her life."When I listen to the sound of a violin, I feel excited, "she says.
Bessie Mae Kelley was an animation (动画) pioneer, yet much of her story and work was lost to history and left undocumented—until now. The incredible discovery of Kelley's rich past was made by Mindy Johnson, who spent five years searching for evidence.
According to Mindy Johnson, Kelley was studying art at New York's Pratt Institute, when, as a part of the first generation of cinema, she fell in love with the medium. Kelley began working in the industry doing menial jobs, but she worked her way up and she was eventually working alongside Max Fleischer, Paul Terry and Walter Lantz, animators who were household names.
Kelley hand-drew cartoons in cooperation with Paul Terry for his famed animated adaptation of Aesop's Fables, including the mouse couple that came to be known as Milton and Mary. "Even Walt Disney publicly stated that when he began his studio in Kansas City, he wanted to make cartoons as good as Aesop's Fables," Johnson said.
And earlier this week, Johnson presented her discoveries at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles, where she also premiered (首映) two restored short films hand-drawn and directed by Kelley. The first is a five-minute film entitled Flower Fairies, completed in 1921. The second three-minute film from 1922 is called A Merry Christmas. Previously, historians had considered Tissa David to be the earliest example of a woman who directed her own hand-drawn work Bonjour Paris in 1953. The earliest surviving animated film directed and animated by a woman would be Lotte Reiniger's The Ornament of the Lovestruck Heart from 1919, which is far from the hand-drawn variety.
Johnson, who teaches animation history at California Institute of the Arts and Drexel University, says, "Discovering Kelley's contribution to animation isn't just about filling in the gaps of history. It also motivates a new generation of animators. I can see my female students standing a little taller and more confident, about their work when they learn about Kelley."
We all have projects that need to be finished.
Believe it or not, the location in which you plan your project plays an important role. A crowded place means distractions (分心) which certainly means that you will miss out important things which should have been included in the plan. That's why I urge you to sit down and make this plan in a location where you can focus. If you for some reason cannot, there are other locations available such as the library, your work office and so on.
Do you know well about the actual purpose of the project? It's not uncommon that people forget to outline the exact purpose of the project in explicit terms.
If the purpose isn't well explained, it could lead to some confusions in the future as well as loss of time and money. Make sure you get it right in the beginning!
You may choose one of the two ways to start your project plan, either building everything from the bottom up or starting from the top and going down. The former case is usually the more difficult way to start; it would require you to know all the details of the project before you start the plan. The latter is usually the better way to start. Once you've done this, you can look at each individual entry and try to specify the details concerning it.
A．Where do you start? B．Now let's talk about how to carry out your project plan. C．It will help you start with a general overview of the project. D．If you can find such a place in your home, that would be perfect. E．It is certainly true that not having a purpose will result in failure. F．To successfully carry out a project, we need to make a project plan. G．Make sure it's understandable by all parties involved including yourself. |
For a long time Gabriel didn't want to be involved in music at all. In his first years of high school, Gabriel would look pityingly at the music students, 1 across the campus with their heavy instrument cases, 2 at school for practice hours before anyone else had to be there. He swore to himself to 3 music, as he hated getting to school extra early.
4 , one day, in the music class that was 5 of his school's standard curriculum, he was playing idly (随意地) on the piano and found it easy to pick out tunes. With a sinking feeling, he realized that he actually 6 doing it. He tried to hide his 7 pleasure from the music teacher, who had wandered over to listen. He thought he have not done this particularly well, 8 the teacher told Gabriel that he had a good 9 and suggested that Gabriel go into the music store-room to see if any of the instruments there 10 him. There he decided to give the cello (大提琴) a 11 . When he began practicing, he took it very casually. But he quickly found that he loved playing this instrument, and was committed to practicing it so that within a couple of months he was playing reasonably well.
This 12 , of course, that he arrived at school early in the morning, 13 his heavy instrument case across the campus to the 14 looks of the non-musicians he had left 15 .
Morris dancing is a form of folk dancing that dates back to the 15th century. Men and women (wear) old-fashioned clothing dance in the streets of towns and villages across the country during the holiday periods. Women wear long, frilly skirts and men wear short trousers with bells (attach) to them. They dance to traditional folk music is often played on traditional musical instruments.
Some groups carry heavy black sticks. They use them to hit each other while they dance. Other groups wave (handkerchief) in the air while they dance. The dances are (usual) performed near a pub so that when it's over, the dancers and the audience can sing some traditional folk songs over some beer. The celebrations often continue long into the night, by which point most people are too drunk (think) about performing again.
Morris dancing is a great English tradition, but it's facing big crisis. As the years go by, fewer and fewer young people are joining morris dancing groups. The dancers are getting older and older. If nothing (do) to change this, the tradition will die out within the next few years.
However, would be a great shame to lose such a fun part of England's history and culture. It's important to look after some traditions and customs especially when it's something as (harm) and happy as morris dancing.
Brodie and his father lived in a caravan (宿营拖车) ever since his mother died and they lost their house. Now they worked for Miss Martha in the garden.
Brodie's father had been a famous violin player. Brodie loved to watch how his father made the bow dance and glide (滑动) across the strings. When he turned 12, his father taught him how to play the instrument properly. Brodie was a fast learner and soon he could play the violin almost as well as his dad.
One day, Miss Samson, Brodie's teacher, asked if anyone could play the violin. A talent scout (星探) was coming to school. He was looking for someone to play in the musical Mr Spy.
Hollie Larson's hand went up fast. "I can play the violin," she said. "I play in competitions." Brodie kept quiet, but his friend Cam said, "Brodie has a violin and he can play it too."
Brodie slid down in his seat. There was no way he would be good enough to play for an audience. He wasn't going to make a fool of himself. Hollie Larson was good at everything.
"Bring your instruments tomorrow for a trial run," the teacher said. "And oh, if you are selected, the pay is good!"
Brodie's father let him take the violin. "But do take good care of it, Brodie," he said.
Hollie Larson offered to play first. She was good, really good. Brodie suddenly felt embarrassed. There was no way he could play after her. But Miss Samson's voice was demanding. "Brodie," she said. "Your turn!"
Brodie felt his face get hot as he pulled out the violin. But the minute the bow touched the strings, Brodie was transported to a different world. He was back in Martha's garden listening to his father. The room, was silent as Brodie walked back to his seat. And then came the applause, everyone clapping, except Hollie Larson.
Since the talent scout would come the next morning, Brodie decided to put the violin case on a high shelf in the classroom that night. It was the safest place, he thought. But, he was wrong!
注意：1．续写词数应为150左右。2．请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
Paragraph 1:
The next morning when he arrived, he found the case had fallen.
Paragraph 2:
Suddenly, Hollie Larson walked toward him, holding out her violin—"Use mine," she said.
