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Fou Ts’ong,a Chinese-born pianist known for his sensitive interpretations of Chopin,Debussy and Mozart died on Monday at a hospital in London,where he had lived for many years.He was 86.
A lover of classical music from a young age,Mr.Fou began taking piano lessons when he was 7.Mr.Fou made his first stage appearance in 1952.The concert caught the attention of officials in Beijing,who selected him to compete and tour in Eastern Europe.Mr.Fou soon moved to Poland,where he studied at Warsaw Conservatory(音乐学校) on a scholarship.To prepare for the fifth Chopin Competition in Warsaw in 1955,he practiced so diligently that he hurt his fingers and was nearly cut from the first round of the competition.
Mr.Fou was one of the first Chinese pianists to achieve global prominence when he took the third place in the International Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw in 1955.He also won a special prize for his performance of Chopin’s Mazurkas(《玛祖卡舞曲》).Almost overnight,he became a national hero.To China,Mr.Fou’s recognition in a well-known international competition was proof that the country could stand on its own artistically in the West.Chinese reporters flocked to interview Mr.Fou,while many others sought out his father,Fu Lei,for advice on child-rearing.
In 1981,a volume of letters written by his father,primarily to Mr.Fou,was published in China.Full of advice,encouragement,life teachings and strict paternal love,the book FuLei’sFamilyLetters became a best-seller in China.Besides influencing a generation of Chinese,Mr.Fu’s words resonated(共鸣) long after his death with the person for whom they were intended.
“My father had a saying that ‘First you must be a person,then an artist,and then a musician,and only then can you be a pianist.’”,Mr.Fou once recalled in an interview.“Even now,I believe in this order—that it should be this way and that I am this way.”
1.What can be learned from paragraph 2?
A.Fou Ts’ong competed and toured in Beijing.
B.Fou Ts’ong first performed on the stage at 7.
C.Fou Ts’ong made great efforts for competitions.
D.Fou Ts’ong started learning music in Eastern Europe.
2.Why does Fou Ts’ong’s global recognition mean a lot to China?
A.It earns Chinese art a place in the West.
B.It promotes the spread of Chinese culture.
C.It proves Chinese people’s talent for music.
D.It enables Chinese art education to be recognized.
3.What does the underlined word “they” in paragraph 4 refer to?
A.Mr.Fu’s words.
B.Young Chinese.
C.Fou Ts’ong and his family.
D.Readers of FuLei’sFamilyLetters.
4.Which of the following agrees with Fu Lei’s ideas in the last paragraph?
A.Pursuing art is a long and painful process.
B.It requires various qualities to be a pianist.
C.Everyone should develop an interest in art.
D.Talent is of the greatest importance for a pianist.
