The balalaika, also called the "Russian guitar", is a traditional Russian musical instrument. It has a long neck, a wooden triangle-shaped body and strings. It is usually used to play Russian music by plucking the strings with fingers or a pick.

Russians like the balalaika. The music played with it can be cheerful, as if the farmers were dancing happily to celebrate their harvest. It can also be energetic, as if the workers were working hard to make their country richer and stronger. If a Russian moves to live or work abroad, he will probably take a balalaika with him. When he feels lonely and sad, he will play it to cheer himself up.

The balalaika was originally played by the poor in Russia. At that time, balalaikas were made by the players themselves. They were rough, simple and cheap with different numbers of strings, from two to even six. Later a Russian musician Vasily Vasil'yevich Andreev (1861-1918) improved the balalaka. He created a whole family of balalaikas of different sizes, all with three strings. The smallest balalaika is called Prima. It is 60-70cm long. The biggest, Contrabass, is almost 2metres high with a leg to sit on the floor. Andreev founded the first balalaika orchestra in the world, mainly using balalaikas to perform. He gave concerts at the Universal Exposition in Paris in 1889, which was a great success.

Today, there are blalaika groups performing around the world. More and more people get to know the balalaika and are attracted by its Russian style music.

1.The balalaika is a musical instrument __________.

A.without strings B.with a long neck

C.of a round shape D.with a metal body

2.The music played with a balalaika is usually__________.

A.slow and sad B.strong and serious

C.soft and modern D.cheerful and energetic

3.Andreev is mentioned in Paragraph Three to introduce __________.

A.the success of balalaika concerts B.the history of balalaika orchestras

C.his talent for playing the balalaika D.his contributions to the balalaika

4.Which of the following can be the best title for the passage?

A.Balalaika: The "Russian Guitar" for the Poor

B.Russia: The Home of Famous Balalaika Musicians

C.Balalaika: A Traditional Russian Musical Instrument

D.Russia: The International Hand-made Balalaika Factory

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