Have you ever counted the number of keys on a piano? On a standard modern piano, the number of keys is 88. So, why is this the case?
The piano is believed to have been invented around the beginning of the 18th century. It was first created as a modifiedversion of the harpsichord. Most harpsichords at the time had 60 keys—covering five octaves, with each octave comprisingseven white keys and five black keys. That’s why the earliest pianos also had 60 keys. The white keys on a piano are called natural keys and correspondto the musical notes A, B, C, D, E, F, and G. The black keys, known as sharp or flat keys, represent notes that fall between pairs of natural keysin terms ofpitch.
As the years went by and composersbecame more experimentalin their work, many desired to composepieces for piano that contained notes beyond the lower and upper boundaries of the 60-key piano. Accordingly, composers began to order larger pianos from piano makers, and by the mid-19th century, seven-octave pianos were common. It was in the late 1880s that piano manufacturerSteinway created the first 88-key piano. This model, consisting of 52 white and 36 black keys, spannedseven octaves plus four additional notes. Other manufacturers soon followed suit, and this form became the standard that we know today.
The adoptionof the 88-key piano was also influenced by practical considerations. At the extremes of the piano keyboard, especially in the lowest and highest octaves, the human ear generally has troubledistinguishingbetween notes of different pitch. This is also one of the reasons why the 88-key piano has been widely adoptedas the industry standard.
1. From (A) to (F) below, choose the statements that are NOT true.（多選題）
(A) Each octave on a piano is made up of 12 notes.
(B) The piano was invented in the middle of the 1800s.
(C) The first pianos were modeled on another instrument.
(D) There are more black keys than white keys on a piano.
(E) Experimentation by composers influenced the development of the piano.
(F) Humans struggle to recognize the pitch of sounds below the range of notes produced by a piano.
2-4. Please fill in blanks 2 and 3 with one word each and identify the correct octave position on the standard 88-key piano labeled A to D.（簡答）
4. correct octave position: ____________
5. Which phrase in the passage means “did the same thing that someone else had done”?（簡答）
_________________
單字片語整理
Words in Use
●
precisely
[prɪˋsaɪslɪ]
adv. 精確地
=
sharp
=
on the dot
=
with precision
The plane will take off at 10 o’clock precisely.
飛機將在十點整起飛。
= The plane will take off at 10 o’clock exactly.
飛機將在十點整起飛。
= The plane will take off at 10 o’clock sharp.
飛機將在十點整起飛。
= The plane will take off at 10 o’clock on the dot.
飛機將在十點整起飛。
高中 Level 4
●
modified
[ˋmɑdə͵faɪd]
adj. 改造的；修改的；modify的動詞過去式、過去分詞
The modified sports car moves at an incredible speed.
這款改良的跑車馳騁速度驚人。
高中 Level 5
●
comprise
[kəmˋpraɪz]
vt. 包括；組成
Our company’s product line comprises 30 different items.
我們公司的產品線有 30 種不同的產品。
50 students comprise this class.
這個班級由 50 位學生所組成。
This class is comprised of 50 students.
這個班級由 50 位學生所組成。
This class is made up of 50 students.
這個班級由 50 位學生所組成。
This class is composed of 50 students.
這個班級由 50 位學生所組成。
This class consists of 50 students.
這個班級由 50 位學生所組成。
高中 Level 5
●
correspond
[͵kɔrɪˋspɑnd]
vi. 符合；通信
Todd’s actions don’t correspond with his words.
陶德這個人言行不一致。
Tom often corresponds with his foreign friends because he thinks it is a good way to practice his writing.
湯姆常和他的外國朋友通信，因為他認為這是一個練習寫作的好方法。
多益藍色
英檢中級
高中 Level 4
●
pitch
[pɪtʃ]
vt. 投（球）；紮（營）
n. 瀝青；音調；銷售話術
Dad pitched the ballto my sister, and she swung the bat.
老爸投球給我妹妹，她便揮棒。
Let’s pitch our tent by the river.
咱們在河邊紮營吧。
I dare not go downstairs myself. It’s pitch-black down there.
我不敢自己一個人下樓。那裡烏漆抹黑的。
Andrew has perfect pitch; he can sing any note correctly without the help of instruments.
安德魯有絕對音感，他不用樂器輔助就能準確地唱出任何音調。
高中 Level 3
●
composer
[kəmˋpozɚ]
n. 作曲家
Who is your favorite composer?
你最喜歡的作曲家是哪位？
高中 Level 4
●
compose
[kəmˋpoz]
.vt. 組成，構成；譜（曲）；寫（詩、信等）
This class iscomposed of twenty boys and five girls.
這個班級是由 20 位男孩和 5 位女孩組成的。
This class ismade up of twenty boys and five girls.
這個班級是由 20 位男孩和 5 位女孩組成的。
This class consists of twenty boys and five girls.
這個班級是由 20 位男孩和 5 位女孩組成的。
Twenty boys and five girls compose this class.
這個班級是由 20 位男孩和 5 位女孩組成的。
Beethoven composed nine symphonies.
貝多芬譜了 9 首交響樂。
Charlie composed a love poem for his girlfriend.
查理為了他女友寫了一首情詩。
Zack tried to compose himself before speaking to his girlfriend’s parents.
在與他女友的父母談話前，查克設法讓自己鎮定下來。
多益藍色
英檢中級
高中 Level 4
●
experimental
[ɪk͵spɛrəˋmɛnt!]
a. 實驗性的
=
trial
The project is still in its experimental stages and won’t be put into practice until next year.
該計畫仍處於實驗階段，要到明年後才會付諸實施。
高中 Level 4
●
manufacturer
[͵mænjəˋfæktʃərɚ]
.n. 廠商；製造商
=
producer
Manufacturers often introduce new products to keep their business booming. 廠商為了讓生意興隆，常推出新產品。
高中 Level 4
●
span
[spæn]
n. . 一段時間
vt. （時間）持續，貫穿；包括、橫跨,跨越
三態
spanned [ spænd ] / spanned [ spænd ]
Over a span of just one year, the cellphone market
has changed dramatically.
光是一年的時間，手機市場就有了大幅改變。
Women tend to have longer life spans than men.
女人一般比男人長壽。
The Great Depression, a time of tremendous
difficulty, spanned roughly 10 years.
經濟大蕭條是個非常艱困的時期，大約持續了 10 年。
William Shakespeare’s plays span many
themes―everything from revenge to love.
威廉•莎士比亞的戲劇涵蓋了許多主題，從復仇到愛情都
有。
多益金色
英檢中高
高中 Level 6
●
adoption
[əˋdɑpʃən]
n. 採用，採取（不可數）
Everyone hoped that the adoption of the new strategy would improve conditions at the company.
大家都希望採用新策略能改善公司的情況。
英檢中高
●
consideration
[kənsɪdəˋreʃən]
n. 考慮
Further consideration is necessary before we carry out this plan.
在我們實施這項計畫前，必須再三考慮才行。
Before criticizing Martin, you should take his inexperience into consideration.
在批評馬丁之前，你必須顧及到他的經驗並不足。
高中 Level 2
●
distinguish
[dɪˋstɪŋgwɪʃ]
vt. 分辨，區別；使揚名
It took me months to distinguish my girlfriend’s voice from her sister’s on the telephone.
我花了好幾個月才能在電話上分辨出我女友和她姊姊的聲音。
Dolly distinguishedherself by her profound scholarship.
多莉因學術造詣很深而揚名。
多益藍色
英檢中級
高中 Level 4
●
adopt
[əˋdɑpt]
vt. 採用，採納
vt. & vi. 收養
=
accept
The general manager adopted my proposal without hesitation.
總經理毫不猶豫地採用了我的提案。
Ben’s wife is barren, so they’ve decided to adopt a baby boy.
班的太太不孕，因此他們決定領養一個小男嬰。
As Nicole couldn’t have a baby of her own, she decided to adopt.
因為妮可沒辦法懷有自己的小孩，她決定領養一個。
多益藍色
英檢初級
高中 Level 4
Extra Words
●
version
[ˋvɝʒən]
n. 譯本；版本；（文藝作品的）改編形式
A Chinese version of that novel is going to be published next year.
那本小說的中譯本預計明年出版。
Have you bought the latest version of the software?
你買了這套軟體的最新版本嗎？
I prefer the film version of Little Women .
我比較喜歡電影版的《小婦人》。
多益藍色
英檢中級
高中 Level 5
●
harpsichord
[ˋhɑrpsɪ͵kɔrd]
n. 大鍵琴（又稱羽管鍵琴）
●
octave
[ˋɑktev]
n. 八度（音階）
●
boundary
[ˋbaʊndrɪ]
n. 邊界， 分界線；界限
The boundaries between countries are commonly known as international borders.
國與國之間的分界線通常被稱作國界。
Prior to the interview, the mayor tried to establish the boundaries of the topics to be discussed.
在訪談前，市長試圖訂定討論主題的範圍。
高中 Level 5
●
accordingly
[əˋkɔrdɪŋlɪ]
adv. . 照著，相應地；因此（= therefore）
My roommate asked me to turn down the music and I acted accordingly.
我室友要我把音樂關小聲一點，我就照著做。
The cost of raw materials rose 10%. Accordingly, we have to increase our price.
原物料上漲了百分之 10。因此，我們必須調漲價格。
The cost of raw materials rose 10%. Therefore, we have to increase our price.
原物料上漲了百分之 10。因此，我們必須調漲價格。
高中 Level 6
●
experimentation
[ɪk͵spɛrəmɛnˋteʃən]
n. 試驗；實驗
Practical Phrases
●
in terms of...
就……而言，從……方面來說
In terms ofmusic, I like jazz best. 就音樂而言，我最喜歡爵士樂。
●
follow suit
照著做
Whatever his elder brother does, Billy will follow suit.
無論哥哥做什麼，比利都會照著做。
