阅读理解。
On a cold January morning in a Washington, DC Metro Station, a man with a violin played for about an
hour. During that time approximately 2,000 people went through the station, most of them on their way to
work.
After 3 minutes a middle-aged man noticed there was a musician playing. He stopped for a few seconds
and then hurried on. Four minutes later the violinist received his first dollar: a woman threw the money in
the hat without stopping and continued to walk. After 6 minutes, a young man leaned against the wall to
listen to him, then looked at his watch and walked away. After 10 minutes, a 3-year-old boy stopped but his
mother dragged him along hurriedly. This action was repeated by several other children. Every parent,
without exception, forced their children to move on quickly.
Finally only 6 people stopped and listened for a short while. About 20 gave money, but continued to walk
at their normal pace. The man collected a total of $ 32. When he finished playing, no one applauded.
The violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the greatest musicians in the world. He played one of the most
intricate(复杂的) pieces ever written, with a violin worth $ 3.5 million dollars. Two days before, Joshua Bell
sold out a theatre in Boston where the seats averaged $ 100 each.
The program was organized by the Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perception, taste,
and people's priorities. In a common place environment, at an inappropriate hour, do we perceive beauty? Do
we stop to appreciate it? Do we recognize talent in an unexpected context?
If we do not take a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world, playing some of
the finest music ever written, how many other things are we missing?
1. The first paragraph intends to tell us _____.
A. the man chose a bad place for playing
B. few people showed interest in music
C. how busy people were that morning
D. what background the story was set in
2. Compared to their parents, the children seemed to _____.
A. have more spare time
B. be more easily touched by music
C. be better at playing the violin
D. have more music knowledge
3. We call infer from the passage that _____.
A. none of the passers-by were fond of music
B. beauty can only be enjoyed in particular places
C. Joshua Bell first played the violin in the station
D. in a way, the violinist was mistaken as a beggar
4. According to the writer, people should _____.
A. listen to as many great musicians as possible
B. try to create beautiful things for others to enjoy
C. show kindness to anyone whether they're rich or not
D. notice and appreciate what's going on in their daily life
