Music is an international language. The songs that are sung or played by instruments are beautiful to all people everywhere.
Popular music in America is what every student likes. Students carry small radios with earphones and listen to music before class, after class, and at lunch. Students with cars buy large speakers and play the music loudly as they drive on the streets.
Adult drivers listen to music on the car radio as they drive to work. They also listen to the news about sports, the weather, politics, and activities of the American people. Most of the radio broadcast is music.
Pop or popular music singers make much money. They make a CD or a tape which radio stations use in every state. Once the popular singer is heard throughout the country, young people buy his or her tapes. Some of the money from these tapes comes to the singer. Wherever the singer goes, all 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. It tells stories about the common life of Americans. Another is called western or country music. This was started by cowboys who would sing at night to the cows 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.
Serious music for the concert halls is called classical music. Music for instruments is called orchestra music (管弦乐), such as the symphonies (交响乐) of Beethoven. There is opera (歌剧) for singers. There is ballet (芭蕾舞剧) for dancers like the story of Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai in China.
1．In what way can music be regarded as an international language?
A．Popular music is what everyone enjoys.
B．The songs that are sung or played by instruments are so beautiful and understandable that everyone can enjoy them.
C．When music is played, it seems as if it were speaking to us.
D．Music is so popular throughout the world that everyone can play it.
解析：选B 细节理解题。本文在开篇第一段即点明“音乐是国际语言”，主要标志就是世界各地的人都喜欢音乐。
2．What can we know about music and people in America?
A．Student drivers carry small radios with earphones when they drive on the streets.
B．Students always listen to music before class, in class and after class.
C．Adult drivers listen to news as well as music when they drive to work.
D．Adult drivers never listen to music when they drive to work.
解析：选C 细节理解题。由第三段的第一、二句可知C项正确，成年人在开车去上班时会听音乐或者新闻。
3．How many kinds of music are mentioned in the passage?
A．Six. B．Eight.
C．Five. D．Seven.
解析：选D 细节理解题。共提到七种音乐：pop/popular, folk, western/country, orchestra, symphonies, opera和ballet。
