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Making mountain music

PHOTO: EPA

Have you ever seen an instrument like the one in this picture?

The instrument these men are playing is a kind of horn. It is very different from most horns. As you can see, it is much longer. In fact, this kind of horn is almost always longer than the person who plays it!

There is another difference. Most horns have more than two openings. This horn has only two. One opening is where the player puts his or her mouth and blows. The other is where the air comes out.

Horns like these are usually only played in the mountains. Up high in the mountains, the sound they make echoes off the mountains. Can you imagine what it sounds like?

Do you know? ALPHORNS These horns are called alphorns, because they were first made in the Swiss Alps (阿爾卑斯山). The long part of the horn is carved from a piece of wood. Originally, horn makers found trees that were curved at the bottom like the horn, but today, the bottom piece is attached to the long tube.

The words of the day instrument n. 樂器 (yue4 qi4) echo v.i. 產生回音 (chan3 sheng1 hui2 yin1) In the bathroom, sounds echo off the walls. 浴室的聲音會經由牆壁產生回音。

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