Glass Harps 不只是街頭藝術 The sound of singing glasses is music to people’s ears. 玻璃杯所發出聲音聽起來很悅耳。
The glass harp is one of the world’s most extraordinary▼instruments. It doesn’t even appear to be an instrument at first glance, and it isn’t actually a harp at all. Instead, it’s just a set of glasses on a table. The glasses are different sizes, and some are filled with water. To play the glass harp, musicians wet and rub their fingers along the tops of the glasses. Each glass will then produce a high or low sound, depending on its shape and how much water it contains. Many people think the sound created is delightful, like music you would hear in heaven. It’s a mystery who invented the glass harp. Some say it first appeared in China, while others say Persia, but it was in Europe where it became the most popular. By the 1700s, European glass harp masters could play songs by Mozart and Beethoven on the instruments. This love for glass harps didn’t last long, however, as people lost interest after a while. Glass harps haven’t entirely disappeared, though. You can still find some street musicians playing them to entertain large crowds. If you’re lucky enough to catch such a performance, sit back, relax, and enjoy the beautiful sounds of this unusual instrument.
1. instrument n. 樂器；器械，器具 Carrie made use of some empty plastic bottles and turned them into musical instruments. 凱莉用了一些空寶特瓶來做成樂器。
2. at first glance 乍看之下 glance n. 一瞥，很快的一看 The plan seemed pretty good at first glance, but in the end it failed. 這個計畫乍看之下很不錯，但它最後還是沒能成功。
3. actually adv. 實際上 Charlie pretended that he didn’t care what people thought of him, but he actually did. 查理假裝不在乎別人對他的看法，但其實他很在意。
4. instead adv. 恰恰相反，反而；做為替代 = on the contrary Everyone thinks that Paul is mean. Instead, he is quite generous. = Everyone thinks that Paul is mean. On the contrary, he is quite generous. 大家都認為保羅很小氣。但恰恰好相反，他還挺大方的。
5. invent vt. 發明，創造；捏造，杜撰 In 1913, fridges for home use were invented. 家用冰箱發明於 1913 年。
6. entirely adv. 完全地 (= completely) The reporter’s front-page article was not entirely accurate. 該記者的頭版報導不全然準確。
7. entertain vt. 娛樂；（使）有興趣 Bucky knew from a young age that he wanted to entertain people. 巴奇從小就知道他想娛樂大眾。
8. performance n. 表演；表現 The film reviewers were very impressed with the actress’ performance in the movie. 影評人對該女演員在這部電影中的表演印象十分深刻。
▼ extraordinary a. 意想不到的；令人驚奇的；非凡的
你能聽出弦外之音嗎？ 耳朵是我們的人體最重要的器官之一，所以也有很多生活上的用語都跟它有關，如：副標裡的 (be) music to sb’s ears 指「對某人而言是悅耳的聲音」、close / shut sb’s ears (to sth) 表「不願聽／拒聽／掩耳不聽（壞消息／令人討厭的事）」、be all ears 表「洗耳恭聽；全神貫注地聽」，還有個生活中人們常說的 go in (at) one ear and out (at) the other，沒錯，就是「左耳進右耳出；當作耳邊風」。讓我們來看看生活上的實例吧：
The sweetest music to lovers’ ears is the whisper of each other’s nickname. （戀人耳中最甜蜜悅耳的就是他們互相低喊對方小名的聲音。）
Many teenagers close their ears to the warnings of elders. （許多青少年對長輩的告誡都充耳不聞。）
Now, tell me what the problems and difficulties are. I’m all ears! （現在，告訴我問題及困難是什麼。我洗耳恭聽！）
