The 65-year-old Steve Goodwin was found suffering from early Alzheimer’s. He was losing his memory.
A software engineer by profession, Steve was a keen lover of the piano, and the only musician in his family. Music was his true passion, though he had never performed outside the family.
Melissa, his daughter, felt it more than worthwhile to save his music, to which she fell asleep each night when she was young. She thought about hiring a professional pianist to work with her father.
Naomi, Melissa’s best friend and a talented pianist, got to know about this and showed willingness to help.
“Why do this?” Steve wondered.
“Because she cares.” Melissa said.
Steve nodded, with tears in his eyes.
Naomi drove to the Goodwin home. She told Steve she’d love to hear him play. Steve moved to the piano and sat at the bench, hands trembling as he gently placed his fingers on the keys.
Naomi put a small recorder near the piano. Starts and stops and mistakes. Long pauses, heart sinking. But Steve pressed on, playing for the first time in his life for a stranger.
“It was beautiful.” Naomi said after listening to the recording. “The music was worth saving.”
Her responsibility, her privilege, would be to rescue it. The music was still in Steve Goodwin. It was hidden in rooms with doors about to be locked.
Naomi and Steve met every other week and spent hours together. He’d move his fingers clumsily on the piano, and then she’d take his place. He struggled to explain what he heard in his head. He stood by the piano, eyes closed, listening for the first time to his own work being played by someone else.
Steve and Naomi spoke in musical code lines, beats, intervals, moving from the root to end a song in a new key. Steve heard it. All of it. He just couldn’t play it.
Working with Naomi did wonders for Steve. It had excited within him the belief that he could write one last song. One day, Naomi received an email. Attached was a recording, a recording of loss and love, of the fight. Steve called it “Melancholy Flower”.
Naomi heard multiple stops and starts, Steve struggling, searching while his wife Joni called him “honey” and encouraged him. The task was so hard, and Steve, angry and upset, said he was quitting. Joni praised him, telling her husband this could be his signature piece.
Naomi managed to figure out 16 of Steve’s favorite, and most personal, songs. With Naomi’s help, the Goodwin family found a sound engineer to record Naomi playing Steve’s songs. Joni thought that would be the end. But it wasn’t.
In the months leading up to the 2016 Oregon Repertory Singers Christmas concert, Naomi told the director she had a special one in mind: “Melancholy Flower.”
She told the director about her project with Steve. The director agreed to add it to the playing list. But Naomi would have to ask Steve’s permission. He considered it an honor.
After the concert, Naomi told the family that Steve’s music was beautiful and professional. It needed to be shared in public.
The family rented a former church in downtown Portland and scheduled a concert. By the day of the show, more than 300 people had said they would attend.
By then, Steve was having a hard time remembering the names of some of his friends. He knew the path his life was now taking. He told his family he was at peace.
Steve arrived and sat in the front row, surrounded by his family. The house lights faded. Naomi took the stage. Her fingers. His heart.
1 ． Why did Melissa want to save her father’s music?
A ． His music deserved to be preserved in the family. B ． She wanted to please her dying old father.
C ． His music could stop his disease from worsening. D ． She wanted to make her father a professional.
2 ． After hearing Steve’s playing, Naomi_________.
A ． refused to make a comment on it B ． was deeply impressed by his music
C ． decided to free Steve from suffering D ． regretted offering help to her friend
3 ． How did Steve feel at the concert held in downtown Portland?
A ． He felt concerned about his illness. B ． He sensed a responsibility for music.
C ． He got into a peaceful state. D ． He regained his faith in music.
1 ． A
2 ． B
3 ． C
【分析】
这是一篇记叙文。讲述了 65 岁的 Steve Goodwin 被发现患有早期阿尔茨海默氏症，正在失去记忆。但是他热爱音乐，他女儿最好的朋友 Naomi 在听了他演奏后印象深刻， Naomi 在家人的帮助下，为 Steve 安排了一场音乐会。
1 ．
细节理解题。根据第三段中 “Melissa, his daughter, felt it more than worthwhile to save his music, to which she fell asleep each night when she was young.( 他的女儿 Melissa 觉得保存他的音乐是非常值得的，她小时候每天晚上都听着他的音乐入睡 )” 可知， Melissa 想保存她父亲的音乐因为它值得在家里保存。故选 A 。
2 ．
细节理解题。根据倒数第四段 “After the concert, Naomi told the family that Steve’s music was beautiful and professional. It needed to be shared in public.( 音乐会结束后， Naomi 告诉 Steve 一家， Steve 的音乐既优美又专业。它需要公开分享 )” 可知，听了 Steve 的演奏后， Naomi 对他的音乐印象深刻。故选 B 。
3 ．
细节理解题。根据倒数第二段中 “He told his family he was at peace.( 他告诉家人他已经平静了 )” 可知， Steve 认为在波特兰市中心举行的音乐会让他进入了一个平和的状态。故选 C 。
缩写与简写的概念：
用单词首尾字母组成一个新词的英语构词法叫做首尾字母缩略法。这种形式的英语构词生成的新词，读音主要有两种形式，即各字母分别读音；作为一个单词读音。
如：Foreign Language Teaching Agency→FLTA上海外教网
Testing of English as a Foreign Language→TOEFL托福
Teach English as a Foreign Language→TEFL
Teach English as a Second Language→TESL
Graduate Record Examination→GRE美国研究生入学考试
缩写的几种类型：
1、单词缩写应省略在辅音之后，元音之前：
英文单词缩写一般以辅音结尾，而不以元音结尾。如American省略为Am，而不省略为Ame或Amer，Medicine或Medical缩写为Med，European缩写为Eur等。但Science例外，缩写为Sci，可能是因为元音I之后又是元音E的缘故。缩写刊名每个词首字母必须大写，而不可全部都用大写或小写。
2、压缩字母法：
仅个别单词采用压缩字母方式缩写。
如：Japanese缩写为Jpn而不是Jan
National应缩写为Natl而不是Nat
经常有读者将Japanese写成Jan是参考文献著录中常见的错误。
如：Japanese Journal of Ophthalmology，应缩写为JpnJOphthalmol，National Cancer Institute Research Report缩写为NatlCancerInstResRep。而Nat是Nature和Natural的缩写，如：NatureMedicine, Naturebiotechnology分别缩写为NatMed, NatBiotechnol。
另外CN是中国的国别代码，期刊缩写刊名中，ChinaChinese不得缩写为CN，而应缩写为Chin.采用压缩写法是为了避免与其他常用缩写混淆。
如：Japanese不能缩写为Jan,可能是Jan是January的固定缩写形式，National缩写为Natl而不缩写为Nat,可能是Nat是Nature和Natural的缩写。
3、学科名称缩写：
刊名中学科名称缩写很常见，因而了解学科名缩写规则非常必要。凡以-ogy结尾的单词，一律将词尾-ogy去掉，如Cardiology缩写为Cariol，Biology缩写为Biol,以-ics结尾的学科名词，缩写时将-ics或连同其前面若干字母略去。如：Physics缩写为Phys。以-try结尾的词，缩写时将-try连同前面若干字母略去。如：chemistry缩写为Chem。其中也包括其他形容词的缩写。
4、刊名中常用词和特殊单词的缩写：
期刊名中有些常用单词可以缩写为一个字母。
如：Journal缩写为J
Quarterly缩写为Q
Royal缩写为R
New缩写为N
South缩写为S
5、刊名首字母组合：
有些杂志名称缩写采用首字母组合，而且已被固定下来，一般都是国际上有较大影响的期刊，并得到国际上众多索引性检索工具的认同。
如：The Journal of American Medical Association缩写为JAMA， British Medical Journal缩写为BMJ等。
6、国家名称的缩写：
刊名中国家名称的缩写分为两种情况。如国家名称为单个词汇，缩写时常略去词尾或词的后部分若干字母。
如：American缩写为Am
British缩写为Br
Chinese缩写为Chin
而国家名称由多个词组组成时，常取每个词的首字母，如United States of America 缩写为USA或US。
7、虚词一律省略：
有许多虚词，如the, of, for, and, on, from, to等，在缩写时均省去。
如：Journal of chemistry缩写为J chem
Archives of Medical Research缩写为Arch Med Res
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