1、译林牛津（2020）高中英语选择性必修第一册Unit 2 The Universal language课文及译文Reading A great way to learn about a new culture is through its music. The emails below are written by two exchange students who are discovering new music in their host countries. Before you read the emails, think about the following questions:
2、What information do you think the emails contain according to the subjects?Have you watched a music performance live or on TV? What was it like?Understanding culture through music透过音乐理解文化Hi Lucy,露丝：So glad to get your email. I hope everything is fine with you. Last night, I watched a performance of
3、Butterfly Lovers, a beautiful violin concerto composed by He Zhanhao and Chen Gang. Its a piece that really deserves to be heard. 你好！很高兴收到你的电邮。希望你一切都好。昨晚吗，我观看了一场梁祝的演出，这是由何占豪、陈钢创作的一部动听的小提琴协奏曲，这部作品真的值得一听。 The music took me through the twists and turns of a classic story about a young couple torn apart
4、 by their families. When the two lover, Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai,first meet, the music tis light and pleasant, as if whispering to the audience. It is followed by a fast and cheerful section which represents their three happy years of school. Then the music gets dramatic with heavier notes and t
5、hat is when the lovers are separated because Zhus father forces her to marry another man. Angry and sad, Liang falls sick and dies. Zhu weeps bitterly over the loss her love. Overcome with sorrow, she jumps into his grave. Finally, during the most exciting part, the music takes a softer turn and end
6、s on a bittersweet note, telling us how the couple transform into butterflies and fly away to be together forever. It is an amazing journey!乐曲带我进入了一个跌宕起伏的经典故事，讲述的是一对年轻情侣被他们家庭拆散的遭遇。当两个相爱的人，梁山伯与祝英台初次相见时，音乐轻柔愉悦，像是在低声耳语。随后是欢快的一节，代表两人同窗三载的快乐时光。接下来，曲调突然变得沉重，此时这对情侣被拆散，因为祝英台的父亲逼她另嫁他人。梁山伯悲愤交加，染病而亡，祝英台为失挚爱而痛哭
7、，不胜伤悲，她跳进了梁山伯的坟墓。最后，在最激昂的部分，乐曲转而柔缓，以凄美的曲调收尾，它告诉我们，这对情侣化蝶而去，永世不再分离，真是一段美妙的旅程！ Butterfly Lovers combines Chinese and Western musical elements: it is played on Western instruments such as the violin, but more significantly, much of the music has its roots in Chinese Yue Opera. This unique combination h
8、as made me realize that music is indeed a universal language. You should definitely listen to Butterfly LoversI bet youll like it.梁祝融合了中西方的音乐元素，以西方乐器，譬如小提琴等演奏，但更重要的是，其曲调大多源自中国的越剧，这种独特的融合使我认识到，音乐的确使一种世界语言。你真该听一听梁祝-我保证你一定会喜欢它！All the best,祝一切顺利！Alice 爱丽丝Dear Stephen,亲爱的斯蒂芬：Life here in Nashville is as
9、 interesting as I thought it would be. My host family are big fans of country music, so I can always rely on them to introduce me to some great songs. I love learning about country music and I keep asking them questions about it all the time!在纳什维尔的生活和我之前料想得一样有趣。我（寄宿）的主人家是乡村音乐的“铁杆粉丝”，所以我一直相信他们能给我介绍一些
10、很棒的歌曲，我喜欢了解乡村音乐，一直在请教他们关于乡村音乐的问题。 It turns out that country music became popular right here in the south of America in the 1940s and then spread across the nation. It grew out of such music types as the blues and folk music, so the musicians use many similar instruments, such as the guitar. The tune
11、s are easy to sing, and the lyrics often leave you deep in thought. Most of the songs are about hardship and heartbreak, but also about hopewith plenty of humour thrown in for good measure. You can feel an emotional connection between you and the musicians.原来，20世纪50年代乡村音乐正是在美国南部这里流行起来的。随后传遍整个美国。它源于诸
12、如布鲁斯和民谣这样的音乐，所以音乐家们使用很多类似的乐器，比如吉他，乡村音乐的调子朗朗上口，歌词常常发人深省。大部分歌曲唱的是艰难与心碎，但也有希望-其中还附加了很多幽默元素，你可以感受到自己与音乐家之间的那种情感的联系。 Country music shows the peaceful green fields and simple life of the countryside. Obviously I dont know what its truly like to grow up in rural America, but the master of country music, li
13、ke John Denver, can make you feel like youre there. The simple tunes and beautiful natural images are often very suggestive of countryside surroundings:乡村音乐展现的是乡村静谧的绿野和质朴的生活。我显然不知道在美国乡村长大究竟是什么样子，但是乡村音乐的大师们，比如约翰 丹佛，能让你觉得身临其境，简单的曲调和唯美的大自然很容易使人联想到乡村的环境。 Almost heaven, West Virginia Blue Ridge Mountains
14、, Shenandoah River Life is old there, older than the trees Younger than the mountains, growing like a breeze(From “Take Me Home, Country Roads” by John Denver)Why dont you try to listen to some great country music? I guarantee youll enjoy it!西弗吉尼亚，简直就是天堂蓝岭山脉，谢南多厄河流那里生命古老，比数更年长又比群山年轻，像风一样生长(摘自约翰 丹佛乡村
15、路带我回家你为什么不试试听几首很棒的乡村音乐？我保证你会喜欢的！ Best wishes,致最美好的祝福，Harry 哈里Extended readingRead the magazine article about the great classical musician Ludwig van Beethoven.Beethoven:贝多芬 a remarkable life非凡的一生On 7 May 1824, a crowd of music lovers streamed into a theatre in Vienna to hear the first-ever performan
16、ce of the great Ludwig Van Beethovens Symphony No.9. The crowd immediately recognized that they were listening to something truly special, and they broke into enthusiastic cheers at the end of the symphony. Beethoven,who was almost completely deaf at this point in his life, was unaware of the audien
17、ces response until one of the singers turned him around to face the crowd. Before him, he saw a sea of people all standing, clapping , and waving their hats and handkerchiefs to express their appreciation of his masterwork.1824年5月7日，一群音乐爱好者涌入维也纳的一座剧院，聆听大作曲家路德维希凡贝多芬第九交响曲的首演。听众很快意识到他们所听绝非凡品，演出结束的那一刻，全
18、场爆发出热情的欢呼。当时贝多芬已近全聋，直到一位领唱扶他转过身来，面向观众，他才发觉反响之热烈。他看见眼前的人山人海全部起立，有的鼓掌，有的挥舞帽子和手帕，表达着对这部杰作的赞赏。Symphony No 9 was Beethovens last major piece of music in a vast body of works written throughout his remarkable life. As a gifted child, Beethoven was pushed by his father to study music day and night. Not lon
19、g after, he began to be appreciated for his piano performances. By the time he was a teenager, he had already enjoyed a reputation as a wonderful young musician. Many important figures in the music world, including the brilliant musician Mozart, started making predictions about Beethovens extraordin
20、ary future. However, life took a sharp turn. In his late twenties, Beethoven suffered one of the worst possible twists for a musician: he started to lose his hearing.贝多芬非凡的一生留下了极为丰厚的作品，第九交响曲是他最后一部大型作品。贝多芬幼年即展露才华，在父亲管教下夜以继日地学习音乐。没过多久，他的钢琴演奏已受人赏识。十多岁的时候，他已经是有名的杰出少年音乐家了。不少音乐领域的重要人物，包括才华卓越的莫扎特，都纷纷对他不可限量
21、的前程给出预言。然而，厄运突至，不到三十岁，贝多芬就开始经受音乐家来说至为残酷的挫折：他的听觉开始衰退了。The loss of his hearing deeply depressed Beethoven. He was so upset that, at first, he wanted to keep it a secret. In a letter to his brothers, he wrote, “.how could I possibly admit a weakness in the one sense which should be more perfect in me t
22、han in others, a sense which I once possessed in the greatest perfection.” Even in his darkest moments, however, Beethoven never abandoned hope. Despite his hearing loss, he was determined to find a way to continue living a life full of music. He used a variety of hearing aids to try to increase the
23、 amount of sound he could take in. When composing music at the piano, he would put one end of a pencil in his mouth and place the other end against the instrument so that he could feel the notes. Although Beethoven was able to continue composing music, it became increasingly difficult for him to per
24、form in public. When Beethoven presented Symphony No.9 Vienna in 1824, it was his first time on stage in over ten years.听觉下降令贝多芬深受打击。他痛苦不堪，起初只想尽量隐瞒。他在给弟弟的信中说：“这样一种在我身上本应比别人更加完美的感官，这样一种我曾经有绝顶禀赋的感官，如今怎能让我 承认它有了缺陷”然而，即使在那些最晦暗的时刻，贝多芬都不曾放弃希望。虽然听不清了，但他决心想办法让生活继续充满音乐。他尝试各种各样的助听设备，让自己听到更多的声音。在钢琴上作曲时，他将铅笔的一端
25、含在嘴里，另一端顶住钢琴，这样就能感受到音符。作曲还可以继续，但公开演出对于他而言越来越艰难了。1824年在维也纳指挥这场第九交响曲，是他十多年来第一次登台。 Since that day, Beethovens Symphony No.9 has become one of the most famous and treasured pieces in the history of classical music. The first movement starts quietly, but all of a sudden the whole orchestra breaks into an
26、 energetic theme. You can soon feel the determination- a quality Beethoven understood well because of his hearing difficulties- coursing through the music. The next two movements are full of desperate lows and uplifting highs which perhaps reflect both his suffering and his strong will to fight it.
27、The music moves through technically difficult sections with ease, showing his genius as a composer. Finally, in the fourth movement, he connects all of the different variations into a joyful chorus.从此，贝多芬第九交响曲成为古典音乐史上最著名和最受珍视的作品之一。交响曲第一章先是在平静中开始，随后，乐队全体猛然奏出一个强烈的主题。你顿时会感到贯穿整部作品的那种刚毅-那种深受听障之苦的贝多芬所熟知的品
28、质。接下来的两个乐章，充满了绝望的低声部和激越的高声部，或许分别反映了作曲家的痛苦和与之抗争的坚强意志。即使技术难度很高的段落，音乐也都从容流过，展现了他作为作曲家的才华。最后，在第四乐章中，他将一系列形态各异的变奏合为一阙欢乐的合唱。 As Beethovens last great work, his Symphony No.9 was also a grand finale to his life- he died less than three years after the concert in Vienna, aged 56. For his amazing achievements and for his determination even in his darkest days, Beethoven is regarded as one of the most remarkable musicians who ever lived.第九交响曲是贝多芬最后一部伟大的作品，也是他的人生绝唱-距这场维也纳音乐会举办未满三年，他就去世了，终年56岁。他惊人的艺术成就，以及在至暗岁月里都不曾动摇的顽强毅力，使他被公认为有史以来最卓越的音乐家之一。
