六級雙語閱讀材料：自由激情爵士樂

　　Jazz is an advanced art form with a rich lustory . It has been called America's classical music. Why? Well, for one, it's been around for a long time-over 100 years. Also, its reputation for complicated improvisationmeans it's often approved of by academics in a way that pop is not,

　　爵士樂是一種高尚的、歷史悠久的藝術形式。它曾被稱做美國的古典音樂。為什么呢?原因之一是它的歷史源遠流長——有100多年之久。同時，它以復雜莫測的即興創作著稱，這意味著在某種方式上它總是能夠得到學者們的認可，而流行音樂則不行。

　　New Orleans is the birthplace of jazz. It started among the big brass bands of the city's black ghettos at the end of the 19th century. The new music took inspiration from two very different musical traditions. It combined the rhythm of West African dance music with the harmony and melody of European classical.

　　新奧爾良是爵士樂的發源地。爵士樂于19世紀晚期興起于城市黑人區的大銅管樂隊。這種新音樂的靈感來源于兩種極其不同的音樂傳統。它將非洲西部舞蹈音樂中的節奏和歐洲古典音樂中的和聲和旋律結合在了一起。

　　Common jazz instruments are trombones, tubas, saxophones and, of course, tmmpel Indeed, one ofjazz's most infuential musicians was a trumpet player LouisArmstrong. He was the first importan tjazz soloist to emerge and is stillloved by fans, who fondly refer to him by his nickname "Satchmo".

　　常見的爵士樂器有長號、大號、薩克斯管，當然還有小號。其實，最知名的爵士樂手之一就是一名小號手：路易斯·阿姆斯特朗。他是迄今涌現出的第一位重量級的爵士樂獨奏家，現在仍然受到樂迷的推崇，他們親切地稱他為“書包嘴”

　　Jazz's brass instruments are often played alongside drums and stringed instruments. However, the two key elements of jazz are swing and improvisation.

　　爵士樂中的銅管樂器通常會和鼓以及弦樂器一起演奏。但是，爵士樂的兩大基本要素是搖擺樂和即興創作。

　　Swing refers to the part of jazz that makes people want to dance. It is more a feeling than a specific sound. Jazz developed as music to dance to. The evolution of US "swing" bands like those led by Duke Ellington really amved during the 1930s.

　　搖擺樂是爵士樂的一部分，讓人聽了后想跳舞，它的旋律固然奇特，但其實它帶給人們更多的是一種感覺。后來爵士樂逐漸發展成為跳舞的配樂。在20世紀30年代，艾靈頓公爵等人率領的美國“搖擺樂竹樂隊發生了真正的變革。

　　The other key aspect of jazz is improvisation. This means that you don't have to play what is written. Jazz performers will start out playing an agreed song but aren't expected strictly to follow the anticipated notes.Instead, they use their talent, creativity , and feeling to add new notes and sounds to the music as they are playing. That's what jazz is all about: getting inspired, being inventive, and living for the moment.

　　爵士樂的另外一個重要因素就是即興創作。(這就意味著你不必按照事先寫好的樂譜進行演奏。爵士樂演奏者會從一首熟悉的曲子開始演奏，但他們并不嚴格遵守預先的曲調。相反，他們在演奏中發揮他們的天分、創造力以及靈感，為音樂注入新的音韻和旋律。這就是爵樂：靈感迸發、充滿創造力、為現時而奏。

　　六級雙語閱讀材料：飄香的老咖啡

　　In 1895, a man named Luigi Lavazza purchased a little grocery store in northern Italy for about $20. Today, over one hundred years later, Luigi Lavazza S.P.A is the irrefutable leader of the espresso market in Italy, boasting nearly 45 percent of the total coffee market share. The company owes its success to its dynanuc approach to business and careful attention to its customers' needs.

　　1895年，一位名叫路吉·拉法札的男子花20美元買下意大利北部一家小雜貨店0 100年后的今天，路吉·拉法札連鎖事業無疑已是意大利濃縮咖啡市場的領導品牌，占有約45%的市場。公司將其成就歸功于機動靈活的營銷策略及其對顧客需求的關照。

　　In Lavazza's store, coffee was sold raw and then roasted according to each customer's personal preference. Luigi Lavazza was considerably skilled at carefully selecting the amount of each ingredient required for one particular blend as well as expertly determining the degree of roasting.Over the next sixty years, the company experienced rapid commercial growth with its foray into the wholesale market and its decision to narrow down its range of products. By the mid forties, the company, now Luigi Lavazza S.P.A, began specializing in the production of coffee.

　　拉法札店里銷售的是生咖啡，它根據顧客的個人喜好而作相應的烘培。 拉法札在此方面的技巧十分嫻熟，對任意一種特殊配制，其原料的質與量均是經過精挑細選，烘培的程度亦是經過審慎的專業判斷。隨后的60年中，該公司以突襲批發市場決定縮減產品經營范圍的辦法，取得了商業的迅速發展。在40年代中期，現名拉法札連鎖事業的公司開始專門生產咖啡。

　　The firm continued expanding by leaps and bounds, and introduced the first vacuum-packed coffee with a long shelf life in the sixties. Distribution soon covered all ofltaly, and the next two decades saw the conquering of both European and world markets. With its devotion to developing clever new tecl:uuques and products, Luigi Lavazza S.p.A shows no signs of slowing down, and will likely be giving other coffee companies a run for their money for a while yet.

　　自此，該公司一直在持續飛速地發展并在60年代首創真空包裝，延長了咖啡保質期。銷售隨即遍及整個意大利，之后的20年，它陸續征服了歐洲及全球市場 拉法札連鎖事業不斷致力于發展巧妙先進的技術及商品，從未表示過要放慢速度，它足以和任何其他的咖啡公司作一番短暫的較量。