Subject Butterfly Lovers
Hi Lucy,
So glad to get your email. I hope everything is fine with you. Last night,I watched a（表演） of Butterfly Lovers, a beautiful violin concerto （作曲） by He Zhanhao and Chen Gang. It's a piece that really （值得） to be heard.
The music took me through the twists and turns of a （经典的） story about a young couple （分开） by their families. When the two lovers, Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai, first meet, the music is （轻柔的） and （愉快的）,as if （耳语） to the （听众）. It is followed by a fast and （令人愉快的） section which （展示） their three happy years of school.Then the music gets （急剧的） with （更沉重的） notes and that is when the lovers are （分离） because Zhu's father （强迫） her （嫁给） another man. Angry and sad, Liang （生病） and dies. Zhu （痛苦地哭泣） over the loss of her love. （不胜悲哀）, she jumps into his （坟墓）. Finally, during the most （激动人心的） part, the music takes a softer turn and ends on a （苦乐参半的） note, telling us how the （夫妻，情侣） （转化） into butterflies and fly away to be together （永远）. It is an （令人惊异的） journey!
Butterfly Lovers （融合） Chinese and Western musical （音乐元素）: it is played on Western instruments such as the violin, but more （有重大意义地；明显地；显著地）, much of the music has its （根） in Chinese Yue Opera. This （独特的融合） has made me （意识到） that music is indeed a （全世界的） language. You should （一定地） listen to Butterfly Lovers—I （打赌） you'll like it!
All the best,
Alice
答案：
performance
composed
deserves
classic
torn apart（tear，tore）
light
pleasant
whispering
audience
cheerful
represents
dramatic
heavier
separated
forces
marry
falls sick
weeps bitterly
Overcome with sorrow
grave
exciting
bittersweet
couple
transform
forever
amazing
combines
elements
significantly
roots
unique combination
realize
universal
definitely
bet
To Stephen Lin
From Harry Yu
Subject Country music
Dear Stephen,
Life here in Nashville is as interesting as I thought it would be.My （寄宿家庭，接待留学生的家庭） are big fans of （乡村音乐）, so I can always （依赖） them to （介绍） me t some great songs. I love learning about country music and I keep asking them （问题） about it （一直）!
It （原来是，证明是，结果是） country music became （流行） right here in the south of America in the 1940s and then （传播） across the （国家）.It grew out of such music （风格） as the blues and folk music, so the （音乐家） use many （相似的） instruments, such as the guitar. The tunes are easy to sing, and the lyrics often leave you （深思）. Most of the songs are about （困难，艰难） and （心碎，伤心事）, but also about hope—with （大量的，充裕的）humour thrown in （作为额外增添，外加的项目）. You can feel an （情感的连接） between you and the musicians.
Country music shows the （平和的，平静的） green （田地） and simple life of the countryside. （显然地，明显地） I don't know what it's truly like to （成长，长大） in （乡村的） America, but the （大师） of country music, like John Denver, can make you feel like you're there. The simple tunes and beautiful （自然的） images are often very （使人想起…的） countryside （环境）:
Almost heaven, West Virginia
Blue Ridge Mountains, 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 don't you try to listen to some great country music? I （保证） you’ll enjoy it!
Best wishes,
Harry
host family
country music
rely on
introduce
questions
all the time
turns out that
popular
spread
nation
types
musicians
similar
deep in thought
hardship
heartbreak
plenty of
for good measure
emotional connection
peaceful
fields
Obviously
grow up
rural
masters
natural
suggestive of
surroundings
guarantee
I remember getting ready for school one morning when the radio presenter announced（宣布） that he was going to play the latest single by the Beatles. I rushed（冲） down the stairs as fast as I could to get nearer to the radio. This was 1965 and the whole country was in a state of“Beatlemania”... and I was their biggest fan! I turned up the volume（音量） and stood staring at （盯着）the radio, holding my breath（屏住呼吸） and waiting for the first notes of the song.
It was definitely the Beatles. Paul McCartney's voice was unmistakable （确定无疑的，清楚明白的）but the sound was different. When the song had finished, I stood not knowing whether I liked it or not. However, this was not unusual Different beats, tunes and a combination of different instruments meant that it took time for me to uncover（发现，揭露） the beauty of the song. Once that happened, I knew I would love the song forever. Yes, I was their biggest fan and I couldn't wait to hear this song again and again（一遍又一遍） until it became my favourite（最喜欢的） song from my favourite band.
During the 1960s, the Beatles were not just a band; they were a force for change. They exploded（爆炸，突然活跃起来） onto the music scene in 1962 as four young men with unique haircuts. They immediately（立即，即可） grabbed the attention（抓住注意力） of young people and soon the youth of the country were being swept（席卷，横扫） along on waves（浪潮） of joyous rock and roll music and the hope for a better future.
Today, I have in my collection every disc ever made by the Beatles.I truly love their music and enjoy looking at their musical journey from basic rock and roll, through their experimentation with more complicated（复杂的） and progressive（进步的，先进的） sounds, and then back to the less complicated music of their final records. Whenever I listen to “She Loves You”, I am instantly（立即，马上） taken back to my teenage years. I can picture my bedroom decorated（装饰） with posters（海报） of the Fab Four smiling down at me and I can see myself riding my bicycle through country lanes（乡间小路） singing“yeah,yeah,yeah" at the top of my voice. Yes, the Beatles's music has accompanied（伴随，陪伴） me throughout my life. It has helped me look to the future with expectation（期望） and now it helps me reflect on（认真思考，沉思） my life with quiet satisfaction（满足）.
