The top-selling album （唱片） Songs of the Humpback Whale was released in 1970.This collection of nature recordings changed the way many people thought about whales and eventually helped save thousands of whales' lives.
The album might never have been made if it hadn't been for a sound engineer named Frank Watljye.aigton.In the 1960s，Watlington was making underwater recordings when he noticed some strange，deep sounds，which he realized were coming from whales.
Watlington played the recordings for a pair of biologists named Roger and Katy Payne.When they listened，they were instantly hooked on the beauty of the whales' voices.
Katy Payne studied music as well as biology，and she was amazed by how the whales communicate like an opera singer.She also noticed another interesting detail：they had recognizable patterns.In biology terms，an animal call with a repeating pattern is called a song.The songs of whales are so complex that some scientists have even compared them to composers and poets.
The Paynes thought that other people needed to hear the beauty of the whales' songs，so Roger organized the recordings into an album.At the time when the album came out，whales were often hunted and traded for money and some whale species were dying out.Most people had never thought of whales as creatures that could communicate through songs.But after hearing the album，many people began to think differently.
The album led people to start the Save the Whales movement.Musicians began using whale songs in their music，and whales were included in movies and television shows.In 1982，the deep- sea whaling was banned.Before the ban，more than 50，000 whales per year were killed.After it，the number went down below 2，000.
It might seem incredible that just one album could help save the lives of so many whales.But this one-of-a-kind album revealed secrets long hidden beneath the waves and allowed these amazing creatures to finally share their songs with the human world.
（1）What is the purpose of the passage？ DD
A．To call on people to save whales.
B．To prove that whales are born singers.
C．To explain how a good album was made.
D．To introduce a popular album and its stories.
（2）Who first found the special voices of the whales？ CC
A．A song recorder.
B．An opera singer.
C．A sound engineer.
D．A pair of biologists.
（3）What surprised Katy Payne about the whales？ DD
A．They could talk with scientists.
B．They could sing like an opera singer.
C．They could repeat interesting sounds.
D．They could communicate through songs.
（4）Which is one of the values of the album？ BB
A．It successfully stopped deep-sea whaling.
B．It helped people understand whales better.
C．It made some music and movie stars popular.
D．It encouraged musicians to work with scientists.
【考點(diǎn)】文學(xué)與藝術(shù)；說明文．
【答案】D；C；D；B
【解答】
【點(diǎn)評(píng)】
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發(fā)布：2024/5/27 14:0:0組卷：8引用：1難度：0.4
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．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 -
3．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
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