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2011 - 2012 Fall Upper-Intermediate PQ14 (Reading)

1. The passage describes a program called YOLA that teaches classical music to underprivileged youth in Los Angeles. It helps keep kids out of gangs and trouble by providing structure and activities. 2. YOLA was inspired by Venezuela's El Sistema program, which has taught music to poor children for decades. When Gustavo Dudamel became director of the LA Philharmonic, he helped launch YOLA to replicate El Sistema's success. 3. YOLA now teaches 500 kids in LA, providing free lessons and instruments. It has faced challenges adapting the Venezuelan model to the US context without government support like Venezuela receives.

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48 views3 pages

2011 - 2012 Fall Upper-Intermediate PQ14 (Reading)

1. The passage describes a program called YOLA that teaches classical music to underprivileged youth in Los Angeles. It helps keep kids out of gangs and trouble by providing structure and activities. 2. YOLA was inspired by Venezuela's El Sistema program, which has taught music to poor children for decades. When Gustavo Dudamel became director of the LA Philharmonic, he helped launch YOLA to replicate El Sistema's success. 3. YOLA now teaches 500 kids in LA, providing free lessons and instruments. It has faced challenges adapting the Venezuelan model to the US context without government support like Venezuela receives.

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farzetkibuhayatiyasamadiksay
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© © All Rights Reserved
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SFL/METU January 2012

Dept of B.E. Time: 20 mins.


Testing Office
Pop-Quiz 114 UPPER-INTERMEDIATE GROUP
Read the text below, and answer the questions that follow.
Mozart vs. the Gangstas

1 Latino and African-American gangs are such a part of life in southeast Los Angeles that Daniel Gonzalez once
thought that there were all sorts of indications that he, too, was destined to be wrapped up in them sooner or later.
The omens were everywhere. He has had friends die after they were stabbed in a racially-motivated fight. Almost
every day, he hears gunshots and police sirens around the neighborhood. “Of course, it scared me,” says Daniel, 17,
whose parents are Guatemalan and Salvadoran. “I would never want to live that life.” However, something rescued
him from that nightmare: classical music. At age 12, Daniel began taking classes at the Youth Orchestra of Los
Angeles (YOLA), a program run by the L.A. Philharmonic Orchestra. Now, he’s a French horn player who has
performed on stage at the Hollywood Bowl with the likes of Stevie Wonder. He says the program gave him the
structure and love for music that helped him get on the right path in life. “When I came here, it just felt like a relief,
like a sanctuary,” Daniel says. “This program has really changed lives because it gives kids something to do instead
of getting into trouble.”

2 The initiative, the YOLA, is inspired by the Venezuelan program known as El Sistema, which has taught classical
music to hundreds of thousands of under-privileged children for more than three decades. El Sistema’s most famous
product is L.A. Philharmonic director Gustavo Dudamel himself. When the Venezuelan took over the orchestra in
2009, he began to replicate El Sistema and got the L.A. Philharmonic to invest in the YOLA. The program now
offers instruction as many as four days a week to some 500 deprived kids in impoverished areas of the city — most
of them Latino or African-American. Families normally have to pay a lot of money for lessons and instruments if
they have children who want to learn to play classical music; the YOLA provides both for free.

3 I first visited the El Sistema program six years ago when I was a reporter in Caracas. At concerts, teenagers raved
about the performances of certain pianists or violinists in the same way American children might be passionate
about a rock band. Kids from poor backgrounds were able to use music to direct themselves toward greater
opportunities. Visiting the YOLA, I was curious to see whether the successes in Caracas could be replicated in the
US. In L.A., the program is in its infancy, and there have been challenges tailoring the Venezuelan model to suit the
situation in the US. While efforts to mirror El Sistema have also sprouted up in other cities across the US, the
program has been easier to implement in Venezuela because it is financed by the government, and decisions are
made by a central administration.

4 The program teaches children more than just music; it also teaches them responsibility and how to be models in the
community. In a hallway, Maria Morales, a native of Mexico, waited for her child to finish class. Morales said that
instead of hanging out on the streets or becoming pregnant at an early age, which most girls in the neighborhood risk
doing, her 13-year-old daughter Kasandra wants to grow up to be like her cello teacher. Music class also helped
teach Kasandra the discipline she needed to overcome difficulties she was having with math class in school, she
said. “She has models to follow,” Morales said. “The teachers have been a big support for her.”

5 Word of the program is spreading so fast that staff can’t keep up with the demand. Demand is high partly because
the YOLA offers what many public schools can’t: amid budget cuts, many don’t have programs to teach string
instruments, and those that do usually won’t offer more exotic instruments like double basses or double reeds. The
YOLA is also sought after because children find a caring staff that offers moral support and helps kids through the
turbulent teenage years. Program manager Paloma Ramos, for example, not only helps students flourish as
musicians, but also gives them feedback on the essays they write for their college applications. That’s a huge asset,
especially for children who come from broken homes. “This type of prolonged contact with the program allows us
to help them become not only good musicians but good human beings,” says Ramos.

6 Of course, another huge plus for the students is that some of them get to play with Dudamel. Sharing a stage with
the passionate Venezuelan would be a huge honor for any musician. He’s had praise lavished on him by the most
legendary of conductors, and he’s largely considered the hottest ticket in all of classical music right now. However,
these kids don’t boast. I asked Penny the flutist what it was like to play with him. “Cool,” she said modestly. “He’s a
cool conductor.”
Mark the best choice.
1. The word “omens” in para. 1 probably means ______.
a) gangs b) crimes
c) signs d) victims

2. It can be inferred from para. 1 that Daniel ______.


a) received treatment for psychological problems that gave him nightmares
b) had a special musical talent that was discovered by Stevie Wonder
c) was very often involved in racially-motivated fights
d) belonged to an ethnic group that is prone to crime

3. Which of the following is TRUE about the YOLA according to para. 1?


a) It has helped many kids to stay out of trouble.
b) It is a program aimed at treating troubled teenagers.
c) It is a shelter for teenagers who are involved in criminal acts.
d) It is a community of young and talented French horn players.

4. According to para. 2, El Sistema ______.


a) is a program developed by L.A. Philharmonic director Gustavo Dudamel
b) received a great deal of investment from the L.A. Philharmonic orchestra
c) has been the inspirational source for the YOLA
d) took over the YOLA in 2009

5. “both” in para. 2 refers to ______.


a) Latino and African-American families b) money for lessons and instruments
c) the YOLA and El Sistema d) families and children

6. It can be inferred from para. 3 that ______.


a) Venezuelan youngsters are more passionate about rock music than classical
b) the children of poor families are not as interested in classical music as kids from better-off families
c) El Sistema was a great challenge for the Venezuelan government to implement
d) in the US, there is no government support for projects similar to El Sistema or the YOLA

7. The word “tailoring” in para. 3 probably means ______.


a) adjusting b) volunteering
c) inventing d) compensating

8. It is clear from para. 4 that most Latino kids in the US ______.


a) work very hard at school in order to catch up with and surpass their American peers
b) spend most of their time on the streets or do things they are not supposed to do
c) have a strong sense of responsibility, especially towards their families
d) see their peers from other ethnic groups in the society as their models

9. Which of the following is FALSE according to para. 5?


a) Most public schools can’t afford to include string instruments in their music classes.
b) The YOLA cannot keep up with the demand because of budget cuts.
c) Kids at the YOLA both receive music lessons and get academic support.
d) Unlike public schools, the YOLA offers instruction in exotic instruments.

10. Based on the information in para. 6, it can be said that kids at the YOLA are ______.
a) know-alls b) showoffs
b) devious d) self-effacing
SFL/METU January 2012
Dept of B.E. Time: 20 mins.
Testing Office
Pop-Quiz 114
UPPER-INTERMEDIATE GROUP
ANSWER KEY
1. c 2. d 3. a 4. c 5. b 6. d 7. a 8. b 9. b 10. d

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