意大利克雷莫纳小提琴之谜

蒋建平

The secrets of Cremona violins

难词探意

1. varnish /vɑn/ n. 清漆;罩光漆;指甲油

2. shiny /ani/ adj. 光亮的;锃亮的;有光泽的

Most musicians agree that the best violins were made in Cremona， Italy， about 200 years ago because they sound better than violins made today. Violin makers and scientists try to make instruments like the old Italian violins. But they aren？t the same. Why are these old Italian violins so special？

Some people think it is the age of the violins. But there is a problem here. Not all old violins sound wonderful. Only those from Cremona are special. So age cannot be the answer.

Other people think the secret of those violins is the wood. It must be from certain kinds of trees. It must not be too young or too old. Perhaps the violin makers of Cremona knew something special about the wood for violins.

But the kind of wood may not be so important. It may be more important to cut the wood in a special way. Wood for a violin must be cut into the right size and shape. The smallest difference will change the sound of the violin. Musicians sometimes think that this is the secret of the Italians.

Size and shape may not be the answer either. Scientists make new violins that are exactly the same size and shape. But the new ones still do not sound as good as the old ones. Some scientists think the secret may be the varnish， which covers the wood of the violin and makes it look shiny. It also helps the sound of the instrument. Since no one knows what the Italian violin makers used in their varnish， no one can make the same varnish today.

There may never be other violins like the violins of Cremona. And there are not many of the old violins left. So these old violins are becoming more and more precious.

1. What？s the main purpose of the first para？graph？

A. To list some facts.

B. To lead in the topic.

C. To give an opinion.

D. To answer a question.

2. What is still unclear about Cremona violins according to the author？

A. The size.

B. The shape.

C. The wood.

D. The varnish.

3. What can we learn about Cremona violins from the text？

A. They are special for their sizes.

B. They are famous for their age.

C. They are rare and precious.

D. They are made of old trees.

Useful expressions

the secret of... ……的秘密

cut sth into... 把某物切成……（形狀）

小提琴的故乡——意大利克雷莫纳

意大利北部城市克雷莫纳（Cremona）以制造高品位的小提琴驰名国际。现在，它面临来自世界各地的廉价小提琴的挑战。一把全新的克雷莫纳小提琴售价高达12，000欧元，但亚洲出产的小提琴只售数百欧元。

克雷莫纳16世纪就开始在小提琴制造市场崛起，当地造琴家阿玛蒂曾在1566年为法国国王制造过一把小提琴，颇受称赞，这促使克雷莫纳逐渐成为设计并制造现代小提琴的中心。继阿玛蒂之后，克雷莫纳人才辈出，他们皆擅长制造小提琴，最为音乐界熟悉的名字包括斯特拉迪瓦里和瓜尔内里。

大多数音乐家都认为最好的小提琴是大约200年前在意大利克雷莫纳制造的，它们发出的声音甚至比今天的小提琴都要好。为什么这些古老的意大利小提琴如此特别？答案最后锁定在了它们所使用的清漆上。