Frederic Chopin was one of the greatest composers of music for the piano. He wrote over two hundred musical compositions. They are still popular today.

Frederic Chopin was born in 1810 in Zelazowa-Wola, a village near Warsaw, Poland. His father had moved there from France. Chopin was to feel strong ties to Poland throughout his life. Many of his musical works have the spirit and rhythm (节奏) of Polish folk dances.

Chopin showed musical ability at an early age. He was giving public concerts and writing music by the time he was eight years old. The young Chopin often performed for members of the wealthy Polish nobility. He was a guest in their homes and was treated well by them.

Poland was a kingdom under Russian control. In 1831, Chopin left Poland to make a tour of other European countries. While he was away, the Poles tried to win freedom from Russia. Their rebellion failed, and the Kingdom of Poland was crushed. Chopin never returned to his homeland.

The piano fascinated Chopin. Believing that it could produce new and varied¹ music, he challenged (对……有异议) many of the strict rules that were followed by earlier composers. Chopin created lively, moving music by using new musical patterns.

Chopin suffered from poor health. He became ill with tuberculosis² (肺结核), a disease that affected³ his lungs. It caused his death in 1849, when he was only thirty-nine years old.

1. We can infer from the passage that ___.

A. Chopin died in a foreign country

B. the Poles fought against the Russians and succeeded in defeating them in 1831

C. Chopin followed many of the strict rules as some earlier composers

D. although Chopin loved his motherland, he had never learned anything from Polish folk dances

2. The passage is mainly about ___.

A. Chopin's musical works and the piano

B. Poland and Russia

C. Chopin's life

D. new musical patterns

KEY: 1. A 2. C