(高中英语2019版)阅读理解(文学、艺术、音乐)(含解析)(含答案)

文学、艺术、音乐）

李仕才

导读：一位美国早期的作家曾经说过：

吗？美国人究竟有哪些音乐爱好呢？

美国人对音乐艺术几乎是相当无知。”你认可这种观点

American Music Styles

James Fenimore Cooper, an early American writer, once said, "The Americans are almost ignorant of the art of music." If that was once true, you would never know it today. Most Americans--even those without a musical bone in their bodies--have a favorite style of music. Many people enjoy classical and folk music from around the world. But

other popular music styles in America were "made in the U.S.A."

Country and western music lies close to the heart of many Americans. This style originated among country folks in the southern and western United States. Country music tells down-to-earth stories about love and life ′s hardships. Guitars, banjos and violins give country music its characteristic sound. The home of country music is Nashville, Tennessee--Music City U.S.A.

Jazz music, developed by African-Americans in the late 1800s, allows performers to freely express their emotions and musical skill. ①Instead of just playing the melody, jazz musicians improvise different tunes. The peak of jazz music came in the 1920s. This period produced musicians like Louis Armstrong, Benny Goodman and Duke Ellington. Different styles of jazz developed in different cities, ②such as New Orleans, Chicago, New York

and Kansas City.

③The 1950s saw the development of an explosive new music style: rock ′n ′roll. This powerful music style addresses issues like love, sex, drugs, politics and death. Often it rebels against the accepted values of society. Rock concerts, featuring loud music and sometimes weird stage acts, have become a major part of American youth culture. Music videos on television have spread the message of rock to the far corners of the globe.

And the beat goes on. Pop music represents popular styles that have wide appeal.

"Golden oldies" from the past bring back pleasant memories for many. Rap music, which burst onto the

music scene in the 1970s, is actually more like a rhyming chant . Rappers

give a strong--sometimes vulgar --message about life in the streets.

Americans have always been a religious people, and music has long been a part of their religious experience, as well. Today ′s Christian styles fit all musical tastes--from country to jazz to pop to rock to rap.

In America, music is a shared experience. People grow up with piano lessons, chorus classes and marching band practices. They can talk about their tastes in music when there isn ′t anything else to talk about. ④If James Fenimore Cooper were here today, he

would surely have to change his tune.

美国的音乐风格詹姆斯·费尼莫尔·库柏，一位美国早期的作家，曾经说过：“美国人对音乐艺术几乎是相当无知。”如果这句话曾经是事实，今天就绝对不是你所知道的样子了。大部份的美国人——甚至那些根本没有音乐细胞的人——都有自己喜爱的音乐类型。很多人喜欢来自世界各地的古典音乐和民间音乐。但是美国其他的流行音乐则是土生土长的。

在美国，乡村和西部音乐深入人心。这种音乐风格是从美国南部和西部的乡村音乐发展而来的。乡村音乐讲述的是平实的爱情故事和生活的艰辛。吉他、五弦琴和小提琴赋予了乡村音乐特有的音色。美国乡村音乐的故乡是位于田纳西州的那什维尔市，它号称美国音乐之城。

爵士乐，是在19 世纪晚期由非裔美国人创造的，这种音乐可以让演奏者自由宣泄自己的情绪、表现自己的音乐技巧。爵士乐手们不仅演奏乐曲，也可以即兴创作不同的曲调。20 世纪20 年代，爵士乐进入了巅峰时期。这个时期造就了路易斯·阿姆斯特朗、·古德曼和·埃林顿这样的杰出乐手。不同城市孕育了不同风格的爵士乐，比如新奥尔良、芝加哥、纽约和堪萨斯市。

20 世纪50 年代见证了一种爆炸性的音乐类型的发展，这就是摇滚乐。这种音乐极具震撼力，涉及的是诸如爱情、性、毒品、政治和死亡之类的话题。它经常叛离世人接受的社会价值观念。摇滚音乐会凭借其高昂的乐声和怪异的舞台表演已经成为美国年轻人的主流文化之一。摇滚音乐的视频也通过电视传播到了世界偏远的角落。

音乐的节拍一直在前进。流行音乐代表了流行的风格深受大众喜爱。逝去的岁月留给我们的“黄金老歌”带领很多人重温昔日的美好回忆。嘻哈音乐，于20 世纪70 年代迅速跻身音乐舞台，它实际就像一种押韵的说唱。嘻哈乐手表达的是强烈的、有时甚至是粗俗的街头生活。

美国人一直是信奉宗教的民族，因此音乐也是他们宗教体验的一部分。如今的基督教音乐可以满足人们不同的音乐品味——乡村音乐、爵士乐、流行音乐、摇滚乐、嘻哈音乐无不包含其中。