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American country music
is also known as country western music. It has a very long history. It comes
from the folk songs of immigrants (移民) from
Britain.
Country music uses simple music and words to
express everyday feelings such as loneliness, love, and sadness. That is to
say, country music describes life. It talks about friends and enemies, trucks
and roads, farm and crops. People in many parts of the world like country
music, because everyone can understand what the music is about.
Country western music
became popular first among cowboys (牛仔)
in the American west countryside. Cowboys had to take care of cows day and
night. When they were alone with the cows, they often sang beautiful and
peaceful songs to calm the animals and to
overcome their own fear. They were not well-educated and so they sang about
their daily life in very simple words. They played guitars, violins and other
instruments. In the south of America, many people added instruments from their
homes, like bottles and spoons. When cowboys visited their friends and families
on holidays like Thanksgiving, they usually sang and played country western
music.
In recent years, many
musicians have made country western music a little different from the one in
the past. These changes make the songs sound even better. Today singers such as
Carth Brooks, Reba McEntire, Emmylou Harris, Lyle Lovett, Eddie Rabbitt, LeAnn
Rimes, Randy Travis and a group called Alabama are singing and playing in
different styles. They have brought country western music more and more fans
from all over the world.
(1)
The underlined words "calm the animals" here mean "make the animals become ".
A . sad and lonely
B . quiet and relaxed
C . angry and wild
D . upset and scared
(2)
Which of these is mentioned in the passage?
A . Early immigrants lived a very simple life.
B . Many country music singers are not well-educated.
C . Cowboys usually played country western music on holidays.
D . In the west of America, cowboys added instruments from their homes.
(3)
The best title (标题) for the passage is .
A . Americans Love American Country Music
B . The History of American Country Music
C . Singers and Fans of American Country Music
D . All Kinds of American Music, Yesterday and Today
(4)
According to the passage, people like American country music because .
A . it has a long history
B . it comes from Europe
C . it is sung by cowboys
D . it is easy to understand
答案: B
C
B
D