Conversation 1
Steven: Do you want to listen to some music?
Maria: Sure. I have a lot of CDs.
Steven: What kind do you have? Can I take a look? Wow, you have quite a lot.
Maria: I like classical music mostly because my family listen to it a lot, but I really like pop songs the most.
Steven: Can you sing?
Maria: Not the newest one, and when it comes to foreign songs I can only hum.
Conversation 2
Bobby: Do you like music?
Rachel: Well, it depends.
Bobby: Do you think this music is well-matched?
Rachel: Of course yes!
Bobby: How about the lyrics ( 歌词 )?
Rachel: Very touching.
Bobby: They bring back some of my childhood memories.
Rachel: Yeah! It’s so nostalgic ( 怀旧的 ). I love songs that take me to some places I haven’t been, or haven’t been for a long time. It’s fun and exciting.
Bobby: Of course, the rhythm is fantastic too. It makes me eager to dance.
Rachel: It’s full of energy.
Bobby: This song is really worth listening to and enjoying.
Rachel: It certainly is. It’s worth the Grammy Award it won.
Reading 1
Almost everyone is fond of music. I am a music lover. Listening to music is a hobby in my life.Listening to music will make me feel relaxed. Whenever I feel sad, I can just turn on the radio and listen to some music. Music can cheer me up when I am sad.
I enjoy different kinds of music. Light music fills my heart with joyfulness. Country music tells me the feelings of country people. Pop music tells me the young people’s concern and I am willing to share their happiness and trouble. Music comes from the heart and flows into the heart.
Reading 2
Music is an international language. Popular music in America is what every student likes. Students carry small radios with earphones and listen to music before class, after class, and at lunch. Students with cars buy large speakers and play music loudly as they drive on the street. Adult drivers listen to music on the car radio as they drive to work. They also listen to the news about sports, weather, politics, and activities of American people. Most of the radio broadcast are music.
Pop or popular music singers make much money. They make CDs or tape which radio stations use in every state. Once the popular singer is heard all over the country, young people buy his or her tape. Some of the money from these tapes comes to the singer. Wherever the singer goes, all the young people want to meet him or her. Now the singer has become a national star.
There are other kinds of music that are important to Americans. One is called folk music. It has stories about the common life of Americans. Another is called western or country music. This was started by cowboys who would sing at night to the cows they were watching. Today, any music about country life and the love between a country boy and his girl is called western or country music. Serious music for the concert halls is called classical music. Music for instruments is called orchestra music, such as the symphonies of Beethoven.
Choose the best answer.
( )1. Almost every American student likes _____.
A. popular music B. American songsC. folk music
( )2. What do adult drivers do while they are driving?
A. Listen to pop songs.B. Listen to news and make a CD.
C. Listen to music and news.
( )3. What’s one of the reasons that singers become national stars?A. Their CDs or tapes are used in every state.
B. Several young people buy their CDs or tapes.
C. They are followed by young people sometimes.
( )4. _____ was started by cowboys.
A. Popular music B. Western musicC. Serious music
( )5. What may be the best title for this passage?
A. Popular Music in America.
B. Kinds of Music in America.
C. How to Be Famous Singers.
traditional music :传统音乐
dancing music :舞曲
country music :乡村音乐
rap :说唱
campus songs :校园歌曲
world famous music :世界名曲
art ballad :艺术民谣或歌曲
pleasant :悦耳的
heavy metal :重金属音乐
beat :节拍
national anthem :国歌
classical music :古典音乐
pop music :流行
jazz :爵士
blues :布鲁斯,蓝调
civic ballad :民谣
folk songs :民歌
tune :曲调
relaxing :令人放松的
lyrics :歌词
composition :音乐作品
rhyme :韵律,节奏
light music :轻音乐
folk music :民间音乐
rock & roll :摇滚
swing :摇摆乐
national music :民族音乐
art songs :艺术歌曲
melodious :悠扬的
soulful :充满热情的
pop rock :流行摇滚
melody :旋律
tempo :拍子,音乐速度