Question

It was August 2nd, 1927. The news had spread fast. A man named Ralph Peer was coming to the city of Bristol. He wanted to make recordings of local people singing and playing musical instruments. And he said he would pay fifty dollars for each song recorded. That was a lot of money in those days. Many people came to Bristol that day to play for Mr. Peer. But one group seemed to have just the sound that he was looking for. They were a man named A .P. Carter, his wife Sara, and her cousin Maybelle. They called themselves the Carter Family.

Their first recordings were sent to radio stations throughout the United States. Many listeners were surprised at what they heard. Instead of classical or jazz songs that radio stations usually played, a new sound was born. The Carter Family sounded different. They did not sound as if they had taken music lessons. But it did not matter. The people in poor rural areas thought they sounded just like their neighbors.

The Carters sang songs about living in the mountains of Virginia, Tennessee, and North Carolina. They sang about the love of a young man for a special girl. They sang about the beauty of nature. They sang about death and sadness. And they sang religious songs that told of the hope for a better life after death.

A .P. Carter sang in the group and also searched for new songs. He often traveled long distances to small towns in the south-eastern United States. He wanted to hear the songs that local people sang in their communities. He wrote down the words but kept the music in his memory. When he returned home, he helped Sara and Maybelle fit them to the Carter Family musical style.

The Carter Family soon became famous. They recorded more songs. They traveled to many cities and towns in the eastern United States to perform. Thousands of people heard them sing and bought their recordings. Some people estimate that within three years, the Carter Family sold three hundred thousand recordings.

1.When Mr. Peer heard the Carter Family’s singing, he most probably felt _________.

A. disappointed    B. calm

C. confused    D. excited

2.Many listeners were surprised when they heard the Carter Family’s songs because _________.

A. the family did not seem to be good at singing

B. what the family sang sounded uncomfortable

C. the family sang classical and jazz songs in a very different way

D. the family sang something that they had never heard before

3.What was A.P.Carter’s purpose in traveling to small towns in the south-eastern United States?

A. To ask for some advice on his music.

B. To collect songs sung by the local people there.

C. To introduce his music to the local people there.

D. To see if the local people there had heard his music.

4.What does the last paragraph suggest?

A. The Carter Family’s songs were different.

B. The Carter Family’s songs were well received.

C. The Carter Family became famous by accident.

D. The Carter Family became good at singing later.

Answer

1.D

2.D

3.B

4.B

【解析】本文向我们介绍了第一个演绎乡村音乐的家庭。

1.【命题意图】推理判断题。

【解题思路】根据第一段中的＂But one group seemed to have just the sound that he was looking for.＂可知，他们的声音正是Mr. Peer在寻找的，故当他听他们的歌时应该很激动。

2.【命题意图】推理判断题。

【解题思路】根据第二段中的＂Many listeners were surprised at what they heard. Instead of classical or jazz songs that radio stations usually played, a new sound was born.＂可推断，人们听了这个家庭的歌后感到惊讶，是因为这是他们以前从未听到过的。

3.【命题意图】细节理解题。

【解题思路】根据第四段中的＂He wanted to hear the songs that local people sang in their communities. He wrote down the words but kept the music in his memory.＂可知，A.P. Carter去那些小镇是为了搜集当地的歌曲。

4.【命题意图】推理判断题。

【解题思路】根据最后一段的最后两句可推知他们唱的歌很受欢迎。