What are some traditional kinds of music in your country?

Do you like popular music form Latin America, the United States, or Asia? Many musicians form around the world blend their country’s music with popular sounds.

After thirty years, Caetano Veloso is still one of Brazil’s most important musicians. He mixes rock with the music of Bahia region. Bahia is a state of Brazil that is strongly influenced by African culture. Caetano Veloso is an excellent songwriter and poet. He says of his music, “I make my records like a painter paints his canvas.”

Bonnie Raitt is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Her music blends rock with country and the blues. The blues is a kind of folk music that is often sad. It is usually about love and the problems of life. Bonnie Raitt’s strong, rough voice is perfect for singing country and the blues

☆ Cui Jian

Cui Jian is a very important musician in the growth of rock music in Chin

[　　]

A．Western styles, like jazz and rap, clearly influenced his music. However, his music is very Chinese in its instruments and sounds. Cui Jian says his music expresses the feelings of Chinese young people.

(1) Read about the three musicians. Complete the chart.

(2) Answer the following questions.

　　What do these three musicians have in common?

　　How does Caetano Veloso make his records?

　　Why is Bonnie Raitt’s voice good for country and blues music?

　　What does Cui Jian want his music to express?

閱讀理解

　　Do you like popular music from Latin America, the United States, or Asia? Many musicians from around the world blend their country's music with popular sounds.

　　Caetano Veloso After thirty years, Caetano Veloso is still one of Brazil's most important musicians. He mixes rock with the music of the Bahia region. Bahia is a state of Brazil that is strongly influenced by African culture. Caetano Veloso is an excellent songwriter and poet. He says of his music, “I make my records like a painter paints his canvas.”

　　Bonnie Raitt Bonnie Raitt is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Her music blends rock with country and the blues. The blues is a kind of folk music that is often sad. It is usually about love and the problems of life. Bonnie Raitt's strong, rough voice is perfect for singing country and the blues.

　　Cui Jian Cui Jian is a very important musician in the growth of rock music in China. Western styles, like jazz and rap, clearly influence his music. However, his music is very Chinese in its instruments and sounds. Cui Jian says his music expresses the feelings of Chinese young people.

注釋：blend混合 region 地區(qū) influence 影響 canvas 畫布 rough 粗的 expresses 表達

1．讀短文填寫表格

2．根據(jù)短文回答問題

1)What do these three musicians have in common (共同)?

2)How does Caetano Veloso make his records?

3)Why is Bonnie Raitt's voice good for country and blues music?

4)What does Cui Jian want his music to express?

Music is very popular in America and it is very important to American people．

Pop or popular music is what every student likes in America．Students carry MP3 or MP4 and listen to music before class，after class，and at lunch．Students with cars buy large speakers and enjoy the loud music as they drive on the street．

Adult drivers listen to music on the radio as they drive to work．They also listen to the news about sports，the weather，and the life of American people．However，most of the radio programs are music．

Popular music singers make much money．They make CDs or tapes，which TV or radio stations often use in many ways．Once the singers are heard all over the country，young people buy their CDs or tapes．Some of the money from the CDs or tapes go to the singers．The popular singers also give concerts．Wherever they go，all the young people want to meet them．Now，the singers have become famous stars．

There are another two kinds of music that are important to American people．One is called folk（民間）music．It tells stories about the common life of American people．The other is called western or country music．This was started by cowboys（牛仔）who would sing at night to the COWS they were watching．Today，any music about country life and the love between country boys and girls is called western or country music．

1．How many kinds of music are there in this passage．?

A．3．                     B．5．                     C．4．

2．According to this passage what is the country music about?

A．Country life．                                         B．Country boys' and girls' love．

C．A and B．

3．When do the popular singers become famous stars?

A．When they make some money．

B．When they are very popular with young people．

C．When they make a CD or a tape．

4．Which of the following is Not true?

A．American students like popular music very much．

B．Adult drivers like to enjoy music when they work．

C．Country music was originally（最初）sung by cowboys．

5．What's the best title（標題）for the passage?

A．Popular music．     B．American music． C．Country music．

The definition of pop music is always changing. Whatever, the most popular music at the time is called  1  music.   2 the early 1900s in America, the popular music was called Ragtime. People played it on piano and was very fast. Some of the songs had   3 and were easy  4 . Some of the songs were only music but were easy to dance, too. In the 1920s, a style called “crooning” was popular. Men sang it with a very gentle voice. In the 1930s and 1940s, “jazz” became popular. Jazz is often fast and people usually play it with a piano and horns.
It wasn’t stopping  5 the 1950s when people created “rock and roll”. Elvis Presley is called the “King of Rock and Roll”. He had many popular songs throughout the years. Rock music changed as the years went   6  . Some different kinds of pop music in the 1960s were called Motown and beach music. In the 1960s, there was also a movement in the United States called the British Invasion. That was when the group The Beatles  7 popular. They were one of the most important  8  in American music history.
Today, pop music can be Hip Hop, Rap, R & B, or Country. American young people  9 like listening to pop music. People   10 as Michael Jackson, Madonna and Britney Spears are some of the most well-known singers.

When something becomes fashionable very quickly , we say that it’s a “craze”. The latest craze is sometimes a style of clothes or a hairstyle. Sometimes it is a game or a TV programme.
In the 20^th century a lot of crazes started in the USA and then became popular in the USA andthen became popular in other parts of the world. American youth culture has spread through tourism , TV , films, magazines and music videos.
One of the biggest crazes was the hula hoop（呼啦圈）. Hula hoops are not popular now, but in the1950s they were a sensation.  An American company called Wham-O started to make plastic（塑料的）hoops toys, and in the USA the company sold 100 million hoops in a year.
Frisbees（飛盤）were another Wham-O product（產(chǎn)品）. Some people say that the idea
started in the factory of the Frisbee Baking Company in Connecticut. Workers there threw metal pans to each other during their breaks. Two businessmen made a plastic type of the flying pans,  and sold their products to Wham-O. They became a big business.
So businesses usually help to produce a craze. Yoyos were another example. In the Philippines,  where its name means “comeback”, the yoyo was a popular toy in the 1920s. But it didn’t become a global (世界性的) craze until an American called Donald Duncan bought the idea and sold it to the world. Around 100 million people bought yoyos in 1962 and 1963.
Most crazes come and go, but sometimes they survive. When the big skateboard started in California in 1965, many parents and governments said that the boards were dangerous, and they were not allowed in some areas. But the boards became popular again and they are still an important part of youth culture today.
【小題1】What is a “craze” ?
A. A special culture in the western country.
B. Something that is liked by the young.
C. Something that first spreads in the USA.
D. Something that becomes very popular over a short period (時期) of time.
【小題2】What does the underlined word “sensation” mean ?