閱讀理解

A

Most students in America like popular music. Students carry small radios with earphones and listen to the music before class， after class， and at lunch. Students with cars buy large speakers and play the music loudly as they drive on the street.

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

Popular music singers make much money. They make a CD or tape which radio stations use in many places. Once the popular singer is heard all over the country， young people will buy his or her tape. Some of the money from these tapes goes to the singer. Wherever the singer goes to， most of the young people want to meet him or her. Now the singer has become a national star.

There are other kinds of music that are important to Americans. One is called folk music which tells stories about the common life of Americans. Another is called western or country music. It was started by cowboys who would sing at night to the cows which they were watching. Today， any music about country life and the love between a country boy and his girl is called western or country music.

1. How many kinds of music are mentioned in the passage？

A. Two. B. Three.

C. Four. D. Five.

2. How can popular music singers become national stars？

A. By making a CD or tape.

B. By earning a lot of money.

C. By going to other countries to perform.

D. By getting popular of the young people.

3. From the passage we learn that nowadays country music is about the ___ .

A. life of cowboys

B. country life and love

C. school life in the country

D. common life of Americans

4. What can be the best title for this passage？

A. Popular Music B. American Music

C. Classic Music D. Folk Music

B

Papa Ricky Lickabu and Coco Ngambali grew up in Africa. They both had polio （小兒麻痹癥） and the two men couldnt use their legs. However， both men were extremely skilled at playing music. But they couldnt find work as a musician. “When I went to see my musician friends to look for work， they didnt want to work with me because I am handicapped， even though I knew how to sing and play the guitar，” Papa Ricky said.

So Papa Ricky and Coco started their own music group called Staff Benda Bilili. Soon， other handicapped musicians joined their group. Some played instruments. Some sang. And some of them even danced by using their hands like feet.endprint

All of the men worked other jobs during the day. But， they played their music as often as they could. The men of Staff Benda Bilili believed they could do anything they wanted. Benda Bilili means “l(fā)ook beyond appearances”. And this is what they wanted people to do. The members of Staff Benda Bilili dreamed of being famous for their music， not for their handicaps. They hoped that one day their music would even be popular in Europe.

Staff Benda Bilili started by playing their music on street corners. People liked their music and gave them money. Then， one day， filmmakers Renaud Barret and Florent de la Tullaye heard Staff Benda Bilili performing in the streets. “Their songs were about living on the streets of a city that had no pity. Their music went straight to our hearts，” Barret said. After that， they decided to help them make a music album.

After the release of their first album， they traveled to Europe to play for a music celebration event in France.

The men of Staff Benda Bilili have seen their dream become real. Their music became famous in many countries around the world. They achieved this because they never stopped hoping and working hard.

5. What does the underlined word “handicapped” in Paragraph 1 probably mean？

A. Troubled. B. Disabled.

C. Unskilled. D. Unattractive.

6. The music group Staff Benda Bilili ___.

A. was popular with people

B. was set up by Renaud Barret

C. made a living by playing music

D. helped musicians to make albums

7. We can learn from the text that the members of Staff Benda Bilili ___.

A. feel confident about themselves

B. care about their appearances

C. want people to help them

D. live on street corners

8. What did the two filmmakers think of Staff Benda Bililis music？

A. Noisy. B. Boring.

C. Pleasant. D. Moving.endprint