A
It’s OK to say you’ve never heard of grime—unless you’re from the UK. That’s because this music genre was invented in the UK in the early 2000s.
To someone who’s not familiar with underground music culture, it’s easy to get confused between hip-hop and grime since they are both noisy. And many people didn’t bother to tell them apart, until earlier this month when grime stars like Stormzy and JHus led this year’s Mobo— “music of black origin”—award nominations (提名) in the UK.
Just like UK electronic music and hip-hop, from which grime drew influence, it mostly reflects the thoughts of young people. But different from hip-hop, grime singers sing in dialects(方言) with strong accents, giving a special flavor to their songs.
Lady Leshurr, known as the“Grime Queen” said that she once tried to hide her accent, as she didn’t want people to judge her. But one day, she realized that she didn’t need to change herself just to please others. And there’s no doubt that this is the most basic and important quality of grime music: be yourself.
Also different from the hip-hop culture, which usually focuses on being rich, grime singers pay more attention to social matters like the European refugee(难民) problem and the gap between the rich and the poor.
Although still quite young, grime seems to be getting favored by more and more people. In 2016, the English grime artist Skepta won the Mercury Prize with his album Konnichiwa, beating big names like David Bowie and Radiohead. However, no matter whether grime is one day accepted by the mainstream music world or not, one thing is for sure: in grime, singers always stay true to themselves.
【语篇概述】本文为说明文。文章介绍了英国新兴的音乐类型: grime(伦敦地下音乐), 说明了这种音乐的历史、特点以及它与其他音乐形式上的区别。
1. What do hip-hop and grime music have in common?
A. They are invented in the UK.
B. They make a lot of loud noise.
C. They challenge traditional cultures.
D. They are full of creative ideas.
【解析】选B。细节理解题。根据第二段中的To someone who’s not familiar with underground music culture, it’s easy to get confused between hip-hop and grime since they are both noisy. 可知, 不熟悉地下音乐文化的人很难区别这两种音乐形式, 主要是因为它们都很吵闹。
2. What does the underlined word “it” in Paragraph 3 refer to?
A. Electronic music. B. Hip-hop.
C. Grime music. D. Black music.
【解析】选C。推理判断题。根据第三段中的Just like UK electronic music and hip-hop, from which grime drew influence, it mostly reflects the thoughts of young people. 可知, 伦敦地下音乐受到hip-hop和电子音乐的影响, 主要反映了年轻人的思想。句中的it就是指grime。故C选项正确。
3. What can be learned about grime singers?
A. They care too much about themselves.
B. They refuse to be judged by others.
C. They tend to take social responsibility(责任).
D. They show strong independence.
【解析】选C。推理判断题。根据第五段中的grime singers pay more attention to social matters like the European refugee problem and the gap between the rich and the poor. 可知, 伦敦地下音乐歌手非常关注欧洲难民和贫富差距之类的社会问题, 说明这些歌手非常有社会责任感。
4. What does Skepta’s success suggest?
A. Grime is gradually getting recognized.
B. Singers should not try to be themselves.
C. Grime has become mainstream music.
D. It is easy to win the Mercury Prize.
【解析】选A。推理判断题。根据第六段中的Although still quite young, grime seems to be getting favored by more and more people. 可知, 尽管伦敦地下音乐是一种新兴的音乐类型, 但它受到越来越多人的喜爱。接下来列举了Skepta获奖的例子, 以此来说明grime正在逐渐得到认可。
