Question

During the 1800s, African Americans worked long days in the fields of the American South. They sang songs that they had brought from Africa while working. One person sang a line. Then a group of workers repeated it. The songs' words told of the hardships (艱苦) that people suffered. They clapped their hands and stomped (跺) their feet to the music.

In the 1860s, the music changed greatly. African American music took new forms. It was also influenced by dance music, which had great rhythm. Banjos (班卓琴) became popular. A blues singer usually sang a line and then played the banjo in reply. By the early 1900s, the guitar had taken the place of the banjo in the blues music.

The blues music has many obvious characteristics. One of them is that the musical notes are often "bent". That is, they are changed slightly to give a song more strength.

Lyrics are the words of a song. Blues lyrics describe everyday life. The lyrics are often about the relationships between men and women. They tell about sadness and overwork. They tell about finding and losing love, having money or being poor, being happy or sad and lonely. They almost always use the rhythms of everyday speech. A group of blues lyrics usually has three lines. The second line repeats the first line. The third line has different words.

By the 1940s, a large number of African Americans moved to Chicago. There, a new kind of "Chicago" blues began. The new music was excellent dance music. Chicago blues led to the birth of a new music style-rock and roll.

1.This passage is mainly about ___________.

A. the rhythms of different music

B. the life of African Americans

C. the blues lyrics

D. the blues music

2.What information does the passage NOT provide?

A. How the blues music developed as time went by.

B. What the blues lyrics are mostly about.

C. When African Americans moved to the American South.

D. How long the banjo was popular in the blues history.

3.Which of the following is the most likely taken from a blues song?

A. You have to help me. I’ll die if you don't. You have to help me.

B. You have to help me. You have to help me. I'll die if you don't.

C. I'll die if you don't. You have to help me. You have to help me.

D. I'll die if you don't help me. You have to help me. Please help me.

4.What fact does the passage lead you to believe?

A. African Americans sang songs after a long day's work to relax in the 1800s.

B. The blues singers in the 1860s usually played the guitar while singing songs.

C. It is not difficult to tell the blues music from others from its musical notes.

D. Rock and roll was the most popular blues music in Chicago in the 1950s.

Answer 1