Chinese musical instruments中国乐器

蒋海云

对于中国的乐器，你了解多少呢？

主题语境：乐器 篇幅：365词 建议用时：7分钟

1 Chinese musical instruments can trace its history to sev?eral thousand years ago. Each of the instruments produces aunique sound and effect. These Chinese musical instrumentsnot only entertain people but also play an important part intraditional Chinese culture. Now let us have a look at some fa?mous Chinese musical instruments.

2 Erhu is a kind of two?stringed bowed musical instru?ment. Its history can date back to the Tang Dynasty over 1，000years ago. Erhu can be used in a solo performance as well as insmall musical groups and large orchestras. It is one of the most popular bowed string instru?ments used by many ethnic groups in China. This instrument is very popular in the Asianculture circle. The classical erhu melodies include The Moon over a Fountain 《（ 二泉映月》）， Horse Racing《（ 赛马》） and Jackdaw Playing in the Water《（ 寒鸦戏水》）.

3 Guzheng is a Chinese plucked （弹） zither. It is made of 18?23 or more strings andmovable bridges. People believe that it was inventedduring the Warring States Period. The performerplucks the strings at the right portion with his righthand， and his left hand presses the string on the leftside of the bridge to produce pitch （音高） ornamen?tation and vibrato （颤音）. The skilled player can create sounds that can evoke the senseof waterfall， thunder， and even the scenic countryside. The classical guzheng melodies in?clude High Mountain and Running Water《（ 高山流水》）， Fishing Boat Sings the Evening《（ 渔舟唱晚》） and The Moon over the Han Palace《（ 汉宫秋月》）.

4 Dizi is a Chinese style flute. Dizi is made of bam?boo， and the body has six finger?holes， one blow?hole，and an extra hole between them covered by a thin mem?brane （薄膜） of reed. Dizi is a classical Chinese musicalinstrument widely used. It is also very popular with thecommon Chinese people as it is easier to make and playthan other musical instruments. The classical dizi melodies include Guangling Verse《（ 广陵散》）， Moon on Guan Mountain《（ 关山月》）， Wild Geese on the Sandbank《（ 平沙落雁》）and Plum?blossom in Three Movements《（ 梅花三弄》）.

5 Other traditional Chinese musical instruments include suona， the big drum， chimes（編钟）， xiao， hulusi， pipa， guqin and so on.

Reading Check

1. How many Chinese musical instruments are introduced in detail？

A. Two.  B. Three.  C. Six.  D. Ten.

2. Which melody is created by using erhu？

A. Jackdaw Playing in the Water.

B. High Mountain and Running Water.

C. The Moon over the Han Palace.

D. Moon on Guan Mountain.

3. What does the underlined word“evoke”in paragraph 3 probably mean？

A. Imitate.  B. Use. C.  Bring. D. Outline.

Difficult sentences

1. These Chinese musical instruments not only entertain people but also play an im?portant part in traditional Chinese culture. 这些中国乐器不仅给人们带来娱乐，而且在中国传统文化中起着重要的作用。

【点石成金】该句中，not only...but also...意为“不但……而且……”，在句中连接两个并列的成分。

2. The performer plucks the strings at the right portion with his right hand， and his left hand presses the string on the left side of the bridge to produce pitch ornamentation and vi?brato. 表演者用右手弹右边的弦，左手按琴马左边的弦，以产生音高和颤音。

【点石成金】该句中，and连接两个并列句，to produce pitch ornamentation and vi?brato为动词不定式作目的状语。

Cultural Background

琵琶——传统弹拨乐器

琵琶，弹拨乐器首座，拨弦类弦鸣乐器，是中国传统弹拨乐器，已有两千多年的历史。琵琶是由木制或竹等制成，音箱呈半梨形，上裝四弦，原先是用丝线，现多用钢丝、钢绳、尼龙制成。琵琶颈与面板上设有以确定音位的“相”和“品”，演奏时竖抱，左手按弦，右手五指弹奏，是可独奏、伴奏、重奏、合奏的重要民族乐器。

最早被称为“琵琶”的乐器大约在中国秦朝出现。其名“琵”“琶”是根据演奏这些乐器的右手技法而来的，也就是说，琵和琶原是两种弹奏手法的名称，琵是右手向前弹，琶是右手向后挑。