Violin prodigies (神童), I learned , have come in distinct waves from distinct regions . Most of the great performers in the late 19th and early 20th centuries were born and brought up in Russia and Eastern Europe. I asked Isaac Stern, one of the world’s greatest violinists the reason for this phenomenon. “It is very clear , " he told me . “They were all Jews (猶太人)and Jews at the time were severely oppressed and ill-treated in that part of the world . They were not allowed into the professional fields, but they were allowed to achieve excellence on a concert stage. ”As a result, every Jewish parent ' s dream was to have a child in the music school because it was a passport to the West .

　　Another element in the emergence of prodigies , I found , is a society that values excellence in a certain field to nurture (培育)talent . Nowadays , the most nurturing societies seem to be in the Far East . " In Japan , a most competitive society , with stronger discipline than ours . " says Isaac Stem , children are ready to test their limits every day in many fields , including music . When Western music came to Japan after World WarⅡ, that music not only became part of their daily lives , but it became a discipline as well . The Koreans and Chinese as we know , are just as highly motivated as the Japanese .

　　That ' s a good thing , because even prodigies must work hard . Next to hard work , biological inheritance plays an important role in the making of a prodigy . J . s . Bach , for example , was the top of several generations of musicians , and four of his sons had significant careers in music.

　　1. Jewish parents in Eastern Europe longed for their children to attend music school because______

　　A . it would allow them access to a better life in the West

　　B . Jewish children are born with excellent musical talent

　　C . they wanted their children to enter into the professional field

　　D . it would enable the family to get better treatment in their own country

　　2 . Nurturing societies as mentioned in the passage refer to societies that ____ .

　　A , enforce strong discipline on students who want to achieve excellence

　　B . treasure talent and provide opportunities for its full development

　　C . encourage people to compete with each other

　　D . promise talented children high positions

　　3 . Japan is described in the passage as a country that attaches importance to ____ .

　　A . all-round development B . the learning of Western music

　　C . strict training of children D . variety in academic studies

　　4. Which of the following contributes to the emergence of musical prodigies according to the passage ?

　　A . A natural gift . B . Extensive knowledge of music .

　　C . Very early training . D . A prejudice free society .

　　5 . Which of the following titles best summarizes the main idea of the passage ?

　　A . Jewish Contribution to Music . B . Training of Musicians in the World .

　　C . Music and Society . D . The Making of Prodigies .

　　6 . In the first sentence of Paragraph 2 , the word “nurture” can be best replaced by ____.

　　A . cultivate B . acquire C . educate D . bring up