A selfless pianist—Harriet Stubbs无私的钢琴家

在疫情期间，钢琴家哈莉特·斯塔布斯带来了250场免费的音乐会，这给人们带来了极大的慰藉。

主题语境：音乐 篇幅：294词 建议用时：5分钟

1 The Queen’s Birthday Honors mark the extraordinarycontributions and service of people acrossthe UK. Every year， a list of honorees are publishedon the Queen’s official birthday in June. HarrietStubbs， a concert pianist from the UK， was recognizedfor services to the community in West London duringCOVID19，as she performed 250 daily free concertsin London’s W8 during 2020 and 2021.

2 When the coronavirus began to spread，Stubbs returned to London from New York City，intending to stay a week—which turned into a yearand a half. She was planning to record an album thatmixed David Bowie’s songs with classical pieces. While locked down in London， shepracticed and people would stop outside her window to listen.

3“I thought， what about if I just do it at the same time every day and leave my windowopen intentionally， because we’ve all lost routine？ And what if it is just something thathappens at the same time every day？”she told ABC News.

4 So， she began playing every day at 5 pm with her window open. She advertised theinformal concerts locally. As restrictions were lifted， the crowd grew larger and larger， with her occasionally coming out to serve drinks and meet her fans. Stubbs ended up performing100 concerts in 100 days before taking a break. Then she returned and did another 100concerts in 100 days. According to her website， she performed 250 total shows.

5“People stood outside in the middle of December， with masks on， in the rain， to listento music through a window， which was distorted （失真的） with a busy intersection oftraffic—if that doesn’t tell us how much we need music as human beings， I don’t know whatdoes，”Stubbs said.

Reading Check

Detail

1. Why was Stubbs recognized on the Queen’s Birthday Honors List？

A. She donated many items.

B. She had great piano skills.

C. She gave free performances.

D. She published amazing books.

Detail

2. What inspired Stubbs to play the piano with her window open？

A. Being locked down.

B. Losing all her routine.

C. Seeing people stop to listen.

D. Planning to record an album.

Gist

3. What is paragraph 4 mainly about？

A. The experiences Stubbs had.

B. The contributions Stubbs made.

C. Stubbs’ process of being famous.

D. Stubbs’commitment to piano career.

Inference

4. Which of the following can best describe Stubbs？

A. Talented and energetic.

B. Adaptable and modest.

C. Ambitious and elegant.

D. Devoted and responsible.

Language Study

Difficult sentences

1. When the coronavirus began to spread， Stubbs returned to London from New YorkCity， intending to stay a week—which turned into a year and a half. 当新型冠状病毒开始传播时，斯塔布斯从纽约回到伦敦，打算待一周，结果却待了一年半。

【点石成金】该句的主干为Stubbs returned to London from New York City；Whencoronavirus began to spread为时间状语从句；intending to stay a week为现在分词结构作状语；which turned into a year and a half为定语从句，修饰a week。

2. While locked down in London， she practiced and people would stop outside her windowto listen. 在伦敦被封锁时，她练习，人们会在她的窗外驻足聆听。

【点石成金】该句的主干为she practiced and people would stop outside her window，是由and 连接的两个并列句；to listen 为不定式作目的状语；While locked down inLondon为时间状语从句的省略，省略了she was。