Until the sixteenthcentury, almost all music was written for the voice rather than formusicalinstruments. Evenduring theRenaissance(from the fourteenth to the sixteenthcentury),instrumentalmusic was, for the most part, the result of substituting aninstrumentfor a voice in music written for singing or dancing. The seventeenthcenturymarkedthe rise of music that lacked extramusical meaning. Like a mathematicalequationor geometric formula, theinstrumentalmusic of the early moderneracarried noexplicitnarrativecontent—it was neither avehicleofreligiousexpression nor a means of supporting asecular(nonreligious) vocalized text. Such music was written withoutconsiderationfor the associationalcontenttraditionally provided by a set of sung lyrics. The idea of music as anaestheticexercise, composed for its ownsakerather than to serve areligiousorcommunalpurpose, was anotablefeature of the seventeenthcenturyand one that hasdistinguishedmodern Western European music from themusicaltraditions of Asia and Africa.

Not surprisingly, the rise ofinstrumentalmusic was accompanied by improvements in instruments and refinements in tuning. Indeed,instrumentalmusic came todominatemusicalcompositionat the very moment that Western musicians were perfecting such stringed instruments as the violin, viola, and cello and suchkeyboardinstruments as the organ andharpsichord. By the early eighteenthcentury, musicians were adopting the system of tuning known asequaltemperament,wherebythe octave was divided into twelve half-steps ofequalsize. Johann Sebastian Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier (1722) was anattemptto popularize this system to askepticalmusicalpublic. The newattentionpaid to improving instruments and systematizing tuning mirrored the efforts of scientists and philosophers to bring precision anduniformityto the tools and methods forscientificinquiry.

In the seventeenthcentury, northern Italy was the world center for themanufactureof violins. The Amati, Guarneri, and Stradivari families of Cremona, Italy, established the techniques of making high-quality violins that were sought in all of the great courts of Europe. Transmitted from father to son, theconstructiontechniques used to produce these instruments were guarded so secretly that modern violinmakers have never successfully imitated them. Elsewhere, around 1650, earlier instruments were standardized andrefined. Also during this periodamateurmusic making waswidespread, andprofessionalperformance also took a greatleapforward, as a newbreedof virtuosi inspired the writing of treatises on performance techniques.

Three main types ofcomposition—the sonata, the suite, and the concerto—dominated seventeenth-centuryinstrumentalmusic. All threereflectthe baroque style of Europeanarchitecture, art, and music of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuriestastefordramaticcontrasts in tempo andtexture. The sonata (from the Italian word for “sounded”, that is, music played and not sung) is a piece written for a few instruments—often no more than one or two. It usually consisted of three movementsmajorsections in longinstrumentalcompositions of contrasting tempo—fast/slow/fast—each based on a song or dance form of the time. The suite, written for anycombinationof instruments, is asequenceorseriesof movements derived from various Europeancourtor folk dances—for example, the sarabande, the pavane, the minuet, and gigue, or jig. Henry Purcell (1659–1695) in England, Francois Couperin (1668–1733) in France, and Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750) in Germany all contributed to thedevelopmentof the suite as amusicalgenre. Finally, the concerto (from the samerootas concertato, which describes opposing or contrasting bodies ofsound) is acompositionconsisting of two groups of instruments, one small and the other large, playing in dialogue. Thetypicalbaroque concerto, the concerto grosso (“large concerto”) featured several movements whose number and kindvariedconsiderably.

TheleadingItalianinstrumentalcomposerof the baroqueerawas Antonio Vivaldi (1678–1741). Vivaldi wrote some 450 concertos. He systematized the concerto grosso into a three-movement form (fast/slow/fast) and increased the distinctions betweensoloand ensemble groups in each movement. Of the manyexcitingcompositions Vivaldi wrote forsoloviolin and ensemble, the most glorious is The Four Seasons, a group of four violin concertos, each of which musically describes a singleseason.

Questions:
question_stem: According to paragraph 1, what is a notable feature of seventeenth-century music?
choices: tag: A
text: Secular ideas replaced religion as the central resource for new musical ideas.

tag: B
text: Instrumental music was composed as an independent means of artistic expression.

tag: C
text: Music combined the musical traditions of Asia, Africa, and Europe.

tag: D
text: Instrumental music was written to serve the needs of the community.
answer_key: B
explanation: 用17世纪及 notable feature 定位在1段如下2句；
首段 The seventeenth century marked the rise of music that lacked extramusical meaning. 十七世纪标志着缺乏超音乐意义的音乐的兴起。The idea of music as an aesthetic exercise, composed for its own sake rather than to serve a religious or communal purpose, was a notable feature of the seventeenth century and one that has distinguished modern Western European music from the musical traditions of Asia and Africa. 音乐是一种审美活动，它是为了自身的目的而创作的，而不是为了宗教或公共目的而创作的，这是十七世纪的一个显著特点，它将现代西欧音乐与亚洲和非洲的音乐传统区分开来。independent means= lacked extramusical meaning= The idea of music as an aesthetic exercise, composed for its own sake。

question_stem: The word “skeptical” in the passage is closest in meaning to
choices: tag: A
text: doubting

tag: B
text: ignorant

tag: C
text: growing

tag: D
text: serious
answer_key: A
explanation: 试图将这一系统推广给持怀疑态度的音乐大众；推广的对象是原本不了解，没接受，但可能有意愿接受的人；A 怀疑、B 无知、C 成长、D 严肃的，只有 A 合适。

question_stem: Why does the author mention the activities of “scientists and philosophers” in the passage?
choices: tag: A
text: To indicate that the new emphasis on accuracy and systematization that was taking place in music was also taking place in other fields

tag: B
text: To suggest that the study of music was no longer limited to musicians only

tag: C
text: To argue that some of the changes in instrumental music originated outside of musical circles

tag: D
text: To provide an example of professions that supported the new approaches in seventeenth-century instrumental music
answer_key: A
explanation: 用 activities of “scientists and philosophers”定位到2段尾句 尾句 mirror 反映了、折射了、给出了目的，to bring precision and uniformity to the tools and methods for scientific inquiry 为科学探究工具和方法的精确性和一致性所作的努力 accuracy and systematization= precision and uniformity；the tools and methods for scientific inquiry= also taking place in other fields B 谈音乐的学习者是哪些人、C 谈乐器音乐起源于音乐圈外、D 用例子支持17世纪乐器音乐新方法。BCD 原文都没有提到。目的题找观点，不能推理。

question_stem: According to paragraph 3, which of the following is true about the production of violins in the seventeenth century?
choices: tag: A
text: Violins were made at large manufacturing centers in northern Italy.

tag: B
text: Standards of violin design were created and enforced by the great courts of Europe.

tag: C
text: Several families shared design techniques to improve instrument quality.

tag: D
text: Violins were carefully crafted according to specific family traditions.
answer_key: D
explanation: 定位词 production of violins in the seventeenth century 在段首，所以全段解题。可以拿选项到文中验证 A、在大型制造中心制造  首句意大利北部是世界小提琴制造中心，是世界中心但不意味着工厂就大，实际后面提到父传子，不太可能大；B、The Amati, Guarneri, and Stradivari families of Cremona, Italy, established the techniques of making high-quality violins that were sought in all of the great courts of Europe. 两家族建立了制作高质量小提琴的技术，这一技术在欧洲所有的大法院都得到了追求。标准不是由欧洲的大法院制定和执行的；C、几个家族共享设计技术来提高仪器质量 原文没说；D、carefully crafted= established the techniques of making high-quality violins  specific family traditions=The Amati, Guarneri, and Stradivari families of Cremona, Italy 所以 D。

question_stem: The word “refined” in the passage is closest in meaning to
choices: tag: A
text: improved

tag: B
text: tested

tag: C
text: regulated

tag: D
text: restored
answer_key: A
explanation: 早期的乐器被标准化和改进  与“被标准化”并列，所以 refine 也是变好。A、提高、改善；B 测试；C、调节控制；D、恢复，所以选 A。

question_stem: According to paragraph 3, all of the following characterized the developments of seventeenth-century European instrumental music EXCEPT:
choices: tag: A
text: Instruments of superior quality were produced.

tag: B
text: Manuals on performance techniques were written.

tag: C
text: Individuals accomplished in playing certain instruments gained recognition.

tag: D
text: Amateur musical performances replaced professional performances.
answer_key: D
explanation: A、生产出了质量上乘的乐器 =established the techniques of making high-quality violins that were sought in all of the great courts of Europe；B、编写了关于表演技巧的册子= inspired the writing of treatises on performance techniques.；C 演奏某些乐器的人获得了认可= professional performance also took a great leap forward, as a new breed of virtuosi；D 业余音乐表演取代了专业表演。文中无取代，所以 D 错。

question_stem: According to paragraph 4, what did sonatas and suites have in common?
choices: tag: A
text: They developed as musical genres before the concerto did.

tag: B
text: Their movements did not allow for many combinations of instruments.

tag: C
text: Their movements were based on dances.

tag: D
text: They were more popular in Italy than in any other European country.
answer_key: C
explanation: 用 sonatas 和 suites 定位。The sonata (from … based on a song or dance form of the time.
The suite, written …derived from various European court or folk dances。二者都基于舞蹈，所以选 C。

question_stem: According to paragraph 4, which of the following is a characteristic of a concerto?
choices: tag: A
text: It was generally performed by only one or two instruments.

tag: B
text: It required more violins than any other type of composition.

tag: C
text: It was invented by three famous composers Purcell, Couperin, and Bach.

tag: D
text: It consisted of movements that varied in number and kind.
answer_key: D
explanation: 用 concerto 定位。Finally, the concerto ...The typical baroque concerto, the concerto grosso (“large concerto”) featured several movements whose number and kind varied considerably= movements that varied in number and kind.其他没提，所以选 D。