Books can't stop a global pandemic.But，for a short while，they can let us forget the world around us and transport us to different places，allowing us to travel in spirit.Here are some picks for this month.
Rohinton Mistry：A Fine Balance
Mistry's novel focuses on the lives of four central characters whose lives are on a downward spiral，from poverty to outright destitution and，ultimately，death.
Mistry does not whitewash the reality of urban poverty in India.But as readers，we become absorbed in his characters' lives we hope with them，we fear for them and，at the end，we cry for them.
Elena Ferrante：My Brilliant Friend
Elena Ferrante's novels take us straight to the Italian city of Napoli.Starting with My Brilliant Friend，the four novels chart the intensive relationship between two girls，Elena Greco（Lenù）and Raffaella Cerullo （Lila），who grow up in a poor neighbourhood in the 1950s.
Reading Ferrante's description calls forth images of Napoli and makes us feel like we are standing in the Piazza del Plebiscito.We can feel，hear and smell Napoli around us.
Patrick Modiano：The Search Warrant
The Search Warrant pieces together the real-life story of Dora Bruder，a young Jewish girl who went missing in Paris in December 1941.Modiano attempts to retrace Dora's movements across Paris and his book is full of evocative descriptions of quiet squares and streets.
By tracing Dora's possible steps，Modiano evocatively recreates the twilight atmosphere of Paris under occupation.
Kazuo Ishiguro：The Remains of the Day
The Remains of the Day tells the story of Stevens，the aged butler of Darlington Hall，and his ill-judged life choices that saw him being involved with British fascism in the interwar years.
This allusion to British fascism in particular is something that makes this novel stand out；it is a subject matter not often discussed or even taught.
（1）Which book is set in India？AA
A．A Fine Balance.
B．My Brilliant Friend.
C．The Search Warrant.
D．The Remains of the Day.
（2）What do My Brilliant Friend and The Search Warrant have in common？DD
A．Both novels tell real-life stories.
B．Both novels take place in Italy.
C．Both are related to interpersonal relationship.
D．Both give a vivid description of the surroundings.
（3）What is special about The Remains of the Day？CC
A．Its moving story.
B．Its miserable character.
C．Its rarely mentioned subject.
D．Its skillful techniques of description.
【考點】文學(xué)與藝術(shù)；記敘文．
【答案】A；D；C
【解答】
【點評】
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發(fā)布：2024/4/20 14:35:0組卷：1引用：1難度：0.5
相似題
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1．The Mozart in the Machine Sometime in the coming decades，an external system that collects and analyzes biometric data （生物特征數(shù)據(jù)） will probably be able to understand what's going on in my body and in my brain much better than me.What will it do to art？Will art remain humanity's last line of defense against the rise of the all-knowing algorithms （算法）？
In the modern world art is usually associated with human emotions.We tend to think that artists are controlling internal psychological forces，and that the whole purpose of art is to connect us with our emotions or to inspire in us some new feeling.Consequently，when we come to evaluate art，we tend to judge it by its emotional impact and to believe that beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
In 1952，the composer John Cage composed a musical piece 4'33" This piece consists of 4 minutes and 33 seconds during which no instrument plays anything.The piece encourages the audience to observe their inner experiences in order to examine what music is and what we expect of it.The message is that it is our own expectations and emotions that define music.
If art is defined by human emotions，what might happen once external algorithms are able to understand and manipulate human emotions better than Shakespeare，Picasso or Lennon？After all，emotions are not some mysterious forces —they are a biochemical process.Therefore，given enough biometric data and enough computing power，it might be possible to hack （入侵） love，hate，boredom and joy.
Of all forms of art，music is probably the most sensitive to Big Data analysis，because the inputs are the mathematical patterns of soundwaves，and the outputs are the electrochemical signals.Allow a learning machine to go over millions of musical experiences，and it will learn how particular inputs result in particular outputs.
Therefore，in the long run，algorithms may learn how to compose entire tunes，playing on human emotions as if they were a piano keyboard.Using your personal biometric data，the algorithms could even produce personalized melodies，which you alone in the entire world would appreciate.
Will this result in great art？That depends on the definition of art.If beauty is indeed in the ears of their listener，then biometric algorithms stand a chance of producing the best art in history.If art is about something deeper than human emotions，biometric algorithms might not make very good artists.But nor would most humans.In order to enter the art market，algorithms won't have to begin by straight away beating Beethoven.It is enough if they outperform Justin Bieber.
（1）The author mentions the musical piece 4'33" to.
A．discuss the effect of silence in a musical piece
B．emphasize its emotional impact on the audience
C．show the significance of emotions in defining music
D．encourage the audience to observe their inner experiences
（2）What does the underlined word "manipulate" in Paragraph 4 mean？
A．Influence.
B．Cover.
C．Present.
D．Appreciate.
（3）What can we learn from this passage？
A．Computers will take the place of artists one day.
B．Human emotions are much more than biochemical signals.
C．Art is the final wall of humanity against the all-knowing algorithms.
D．Personalized music may be available for people to enjoy in the future.
（4）What is the author's attitude towards the future of algorithms music？
A．Uncertain.
B．Pessimistic.
C．Confused.
D．Positive.發(fā)布：2025/1/1 17:0:1組卷：17引用：3難度：0.6 -
2．About 20 years ago，Daniel Hoffman，a classically trained violinist met a young musician playing in the town square in Marrakech，an ancient city in Morocco.They communicated in the little French they both knew，but their main common language was music.On the back of a motorbike of the fellow violinist，Hoffman weaved through the back streets of the city and then learned his first lessons in Andalusian music，the classical music of North Africa.
That experience gave birth to an idea：What would it be like to try to learn how to play different violin styles around the world in just one week？Oh，yes，and at the end of that week，play a concert.He even got a name for the concept "musical extreme sports".
It took him almost two decades to launch that dream with a friend，who introduced him to the wonders of Kickstarter，a funding platform for creative projects.Up to now，the dream has taken the form of a new documentary currently airing on American public television stations called "Otherwise，It's Just Firewood."
In the documentary，Hoffman travels to County Clare，Ireland，where he takes lessons with James Kelly，a master Irish violin player，for less than a week and then performs together with him in front of an audience，many of whom are star Irish musicians.
The film is what Hoffman hopes will be the first of an eventual series of short documentaries，showing him learning to play the violin in a variety of styles，including the folk music of south India，Sweden，Greece，Romania，and West Virginia.
That would add to his extensive repertoire（全部曲目），which already includes Balkan，Middle Eastern，and Turkish styles."The big joke is what's the difference between the fiddle and the violin？It's the person who plays it，" says Niall Keegan，a traditional flute player."It's the music you make on it that makes it Irish or English or French or classical or jazz or whatever else.It's how we imagine it and how we create through it that make it and give it character."
"Otherwise，it's just firewood，" he says，words that became the film's title.
（1）Where does Hoffman's idea of musical extreme sports come from？
A．His exploration of the local music.
B．His cooperation with the young violinist.
C．His sightseeing tour on a motorbike seat.
D．His constantly changing taste in violin styles.
（2）According to the passage，the series of documentaries.
A．help Hoffman to become a master violin player
B．a(chǎn)re funded by American public television stations
C．introduce different styles of musicians around the world
D．record Hoffman's experience in learning various violin styles
（3）The title of the documentary "Otherwise，It's Just Firewood" is used to emphasize.
A．the power of diversified artistic expression
B．the pleasure in learning traditional music
C．the technique of instrument playing
D．the importance of famous artists發(fā)布：2025/1/1 15:0:2組卷：28引用：4難度：0.5 -
3．How similar are language and music？ Language is part of our daily lives，no matter where we live in the world. （1）
Both language and music play a huge role in our culture and here are some of their similarities.
Both language and music have a writing system.
In English we record language using the alphabet，which is a collection of letters.Similarly，we use notes （音符） to keep a record of music.Musicians read notes and create meaning in the form of music. （2）By writing pieces of text or music，we are able to share experiences through time.We can read the ideas or hear the composition （作品） of someone who lived hundreds of years ago.
（3）
You can make a good guess at where someone is from by listening to the language he uses.In the same way，we know that styles of music are different around the world，giving us the opportunity to explore many different cultures through their music and providing us with music for every situation.
Both share emotion.
（4）Of course you may be able to see it in my face，but you will know for sure through my words.Similarly，music can sound angry，sad or happy.Music can show you exactly how the composer was or is feeling，and allows us to share that emotion.When you feel happy，you might want to sing and dance to a happy song to celebrate your happiness. （5）I think we have all used music to express or process our emotions，often combining it with language in the form of song lyrics （歌詞）.
A.Both are expressive.
B.Both vary with culture.
C.How do you know that I am angry？
D.We use language to express our thoughts.
E.Similarly，music is part of many people's lives.
F.So just as you read English，you can read music.
G.In contrast，you probably also listen to sad music when you are feeling down.發(fā)布：2025/1/1 16:30:1組卷：5引用：3難度：0.7
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