高中英语第一册课本(上)U11reading

the sounds of the world

There is a world of music out there! What we hear on the radio or see on TV is only a small part of all the wonderful music that is waiting for us.Most of us probably like pop music and have our favourate performers,stars or bands,but many of us also want to discover new sounds and rhythms¹.Here is a brief look at some of the exciting musical styles from around the world.

Blues² music has a long history,The blues is a way for people to show who they are and what is in their heart.People have been playing the blues for many years,but the music has kept many of its characteristics.The blues comes from African songs that people uesd to sing when they worked and during festivals.The African songs met American music when African slaves were brought to the US.The blues has been part of African-American culture since then,and it is still an important part of Amecican culture.Other musical styles like jazz and rock music,have all come from blues music.

Today's American culture contains many different musical styles.People still listen to blues and rock,but they also listen to hip-hop and rap³.Hip-hop and rap have much in common with blues and rock,but they also have their own characteristics.Hip-hop music often combines parts of other styles to create music that will help people hear new things in old music.Perhaps the most important characteristics of rap music is the way the artists sing.In rap music,the singer or "rapper" will speak or "rap" the words along with the beat.

Another important style in today's world of music is Latin⁴ music.Latin music-music that uses traditional styles from Latin America-has spread all over the world.In the US.where there are many Spanish-speaking people,Latin music is a big part of the culture.It has always been popular in Spanish-speaking countries and today stars like Santana and Ricky Martin are known throughout the world.

There are of course many othere interesting styles of music.There is a wide variety of new music to be discoverd in every corner of the world,so the next time you look for a tape or a CD,don't just look for Chinese or American music-open your ears to the sounds of the world!
 

1 rhythms   

节奏( rhythm的名词复数 )； 规则变化； 规律； 节律

参考例句：

• Double rhythms, resounding through the lyric depiction and connecting with each other, indicate the thespian place of mankind and the cognition of the writer to this thespian place. 这双重旋律互为表里，表明了人类的某种悲剧性处境以及作家对这种悲剧性处境的感受和认识。
• Stylistically, the term implies loose, rapid painthandling, large rhythms and broken colour. 从风格上来说，这个名称意味着松散而迅速的绘画笔触，奔放的格调，使用强烈配色。

2 blues   

n.抑郁，沮丧；布鲁斯音乐

参考例句：

• She was in the back of a smoky bar singing the blues.她在烟雾弥漫的酒吧深处唱着布鲁斯歌曲。
• He was in the blues on account of his failure in business.他因事业失败而意志消沉。

3 rap   

n.轻敲，拍击，责骂，厉声说出，说唱音乐，谈话，最少量；vi.轻敲，敲门，表演说唱音乐，畅谈；vt.抓，抢，拍击

参考例句：

• I heard a rap on the door.我听到有轻轻的敲门声。
• Today we are going to rap about relationships.今天我们要聊聊关系的问题。

4 Latin   

adj.拉丁的，拉丁语的，拉丁人的；n.拉丁语

参考例句：

• She learned Latin without a master.她无师自通学会了拉丁语。
• Please use only Latin characters.请仅使用拉丁文字符。