Ludwig Van Beethoven
　　Ludwig Van Beethoven, a major composer of the nineteenth century, overcame many personal problems to achieve artistic greatness.
　　Born in Bonn, Germany, in 1770, he first studied music with the court organist, Gilles van der Eeden. His father was excessively strict and given to heavy drinking1. _________( 1 )________ Appointed deputy court organist to Christian Gottlob Neefe at a surprisingly early age in 1782, Beethoven also played the harpsichord and the viola. In 1792 he was sent to Vienna by his patron, Count Ferdinand Waldstein, to study music under Haydn.
　　Beethoven remained unmarried.________(2)______ Continually plagued by ill health2, he developed an ear infection which led to his tragic deafness in 1819.
　　________(3)______ He completed mature masterpieces of great musical depth: three piano sonatas, four string quartets, the Missa Solemnis, and the 9th Symphony. He died in 1827. _________(4)_________
　　Noting that Beethoven often flew into fits of rage3 ,Goethe once said of him, "I am astonished by his talent, but he is unfortunately an altogether untamed personality. " _________(5)_________
　　詞匯：
　　Ludwig Van Beethoven貝多芬( 1770-1827) , Haydn 海頓,18世紀(jì)奧地利作曲家
　　德國作曲家 erratic adj.不穩(wěn)定的
　　major composer 主要的作曲家 patron n.贊助人
　　court organist 宮廷風(fēng)琴師 piano sonata 鋼琴奏鳴曲
　　guardian n.監(jiān)護(hù)人 string quartet 弦樂四重奏
　　harpsichord n.古鋼琴 Missa Solemnis 莊嚴(yán)彌撒曲
　　viola n.中提琴 Goethe 歌德
　　注釋：
　　1. given to heavy drinking:酬酒成性
　　2. Continually plagued by ill health:不斷受到病痛的折磨
　　3. often flew into fits of rage:常常勃然大怒
　　練習(xí)：
　　A. In spite of this handicap, however, he continued to write music.
　　B. Because of irregular payments from his publishers and erratic support from his patrons, he was troubled by financial worries throughout his adult life.
　　C. His life was marked1 by a passionate dedication to independence.
　　D. When his mother died, Beethoven, then a young man, was named guardian of his two younger brothers.
　　E. Although Beethoven's personality may have been untamed, his music shows great discipline and control, and this is how we remember him best.
　　F. Today his music is still being played all over the world.
　　答案與題解：
　　1.D 本段介紹貝多芬早年生平。前一句話說他的父親對他要求十分嚴(yán)厲，而且酬酒成性。D說當(dāng)他母親亡故后,還是一個(gè)年輕人的貝多芬成為他兩個(gè)小弟弟的監(jiān)護(hù)人。把D放在這里意思連貫，是最合適的選項(xiàng)。
　　2. B 本段介紹貝多芬成年后坎坷的遭遇，選項(xiàng)B最合適。
　　3. A A句中的this handicap承接上段，指上段最后一句話提到的耳聾這一殘疾，全句的意思是說貝多芬身殘志堅(jiān)，繼續(xù)音樂創(chuàng)作。原文后一句列舉了貝多芬的音樂成就，此處選A與上下文銜接自然，意思連貫。
　　4. C 到此為止，作者介紹完了貝多芬的生平，需要做一個(gè)簡要的概括。C說“他的一生是熱切追求獨(dú)立的一生”，放在此處正合適。
　　5. E 本段第一句提到歌德對貝多芬性情的評價(jià)，說他狂躁易怒，性情不羈。E說盡管貝多芬的性情狂躁不羈，但他的音樂卻很有章法，控制有度，這也是他給我們留下深刻印象的原因。