The development of jazz can be seen as part of the larger continuum of American popular music, especially dance music. In the twenties, jazz became the hottest new thing in dance music, much as ragtime had at the turn of the century, and as would rhythm and blues in the fifties, rock in the fifties, and disco in the seventies. But two characteristics distinguish jazz from other dance music. The first is improvisation, the changing of a musical phrase according to the player’s inspiration. Like all artists, jazz musicians strive for an individual style, and the improvised or paraphrased is a jazz musician’s main opportunity to display his or her individuality. In early jazz, musicians often improvised melodies collectively, thus creating a kind of polyphony. There was little soloing as such, although some New Orleans players, particularly comet player Buddy Bolden, achieved local fame for their ability to improvise a solo. Later the idea of the chorus-long or multicourse solo took hold. Louis Armstrong’s instrumental brilliance, demonstrated through extended solos, was a major influence in this development.
Even in the early twenties, however, some jazz bands had featured soloists. Similarly, show orchestras and carnival bands often included one or two such “get-off” musicians. Unimproved, completely structured jazz does exist, but the ability of the best jazz musicians to create music of great cohesion and beauty during performance has been a hallmark of the music and its major source of inspiration and change. The second distinguishing characteristic of jazz is a rhythmic drive that was initially called “hot” and later “swing”. In playing hot, a musician consciously departs from strict meter to create a relaxed sense of phrasing that also emphasizes the underlying rhythms. (“Rough” tone and use of moderate vibrato also contributed to a hot sound.) Not all jazz is hot, however, many early bands played unadorned published arrangements of popular songs. Still, the proclivity to play hot distinguished the jazz musician from other instrumentalists.
1. The passage answers which of the following questions?
2. According to the passage, jazz musicians are able to demonstrate their individual artistry mainly by?
3. Which of the following was the function of “get-off” musicians?
4. The word “unadorned” is closest in meaning to( ).
5. The topic of the passage is developed primarily by means of( ).
问题1选项
A.Which early jazz musicians most influenced rhythm and blues music?
B.What are the differences between jazz and other forms of music?
C.Why is dancing closely related to popular music in the United States?
D.What instruments comprised a typical jazz band of the 1920’s?
问题2选项
A.creating musical variations while performing
B.preparing musical arrangements
C.reading music with great skill
D.being able to play all types of popular music
问题3选项
A.Assist the other band members in packing up after a performance.
B.Teach dance routines created for new music.
C.Lead the band.
D.Provide solo performances in a band or orchestra.
问题4选项
A.lovely
B.plain
C.disorganized
D.inexpensive
问题5选项
A.dividing the discussion into two major areas
B.presenting contrasting points of view
C.providing biographies of famous musician
D.describing historical events in sequence
第1题:B
第2题:A
第3题:D
第4题:B
第5题:A
第1题:
主旨大意题。文中讨论了爵士乐和其他形式的音乐,文章第一段提到But two characteristics distinguish jazz from other dance music. The first is …“有两个特点将爵士乐和其他形式的音乐区分开来”,之后的段落就一直围绕着这两个特点展开,由此可知B选项 “爵士音乐与其他形式的音乐最大的区别是什么”符合文章大意,A选项“哪位早期的爵士乐手对节奏和蓝调音乐影响最大”,并没有谈论很多乐手;C选项“为什么美国的舞蹈和音乐的联系那么密切”,文章没有谈及美国的舞蹈,只开始一句带过;D选项“什么乐器组成了19世纪20年代最典型的爵士乐队”,乐器方面也并未过多说明。因此B选项正确。
第2题:
事实细节题。文章第一段提到Like all artists, jazz musicians strive for an individual style, and the improvised or paraphrased is a jazz musician’s main opportunity to display his or her individuality. 和所有的艺术家一样,爵士音乐家追求自己独特的风格,即兴创作或意译是爵士音乐家展示自己个性的主要机会。A选项“在表演时创造音乐的变化”与原文意思相同; B选项“准备音乐改编”,不是准备好的音乐,而是即兴的;C选项“有技巧的阅读音乐”并未提及;选项D“能够演奏所有类型的流行音乐”也不对。因此A选项正确。
第3题:
判断推理题。结合文章第二段Even in the early twenties, however, some jazz bands had featured soloists. Similarly, show orchestras and carnival bands often included one or two such “get-off” musicians.“即使在二十世纪初,一些爵士乐队也有独唱的特色。类似地,表演乐团和嘉年华乐队通常也会有一两个这样的“get-off”音乐家。”可知,“get-off”音乐家的功能是独唱。A选项“演出结束后,协助其他乐队成员收拾行装”并未涉及;B选项“教新音乐的舞蹈动作”,文中只提到独唱并没有说舞蹈动作;C选项“领导乐队”与原文不符;D选项“在乐队或管弦乐队中提供独奏表演”与原文提到的独唱特色相对应。因此D选项正确。
第4题:
词义推测题。由unadorned这个词定位到文章第二段倒数第二句话Not all jazz is hot, however, many early bands played unadorned published arrangements of popular songs.“然而,并不是所有的爵士乐都是热门的,许多早期的乐队演奏的是未经修饰的已出版的流行歌曲。”由此可知,unadorned的意思为“未经修饰的,朴素的”。A选项“可爱的”意思不同;B选项“平的,普通的,朴素的”与之意思一致;C选项“紊乱的”错误;D选项“便宜的”可排除。因此B选项符合题意。
第5题:
主旨大意题。结合51题内容,文中讨论了爵士乐和其他形式的音乐,文章第一段提到But two characteristics distinguish jazz from other dance music. The first is…“有两个特点将爵士乐和其他形式的音乐区分开来”,之后的段落就一直围绕着这两个特点展开叙述,所以这篇文章的主题主要是通过分开表述爵士乐区分其他音乐的两个特点展开的。A选项“把讨论分成两个主要部分”符合题意;B选项“提出相反的观点”,原文没有提出其他相反观点,B错误;C选项“提供著名音乐家的传记”,文中没有涉及音乐人物传记;D选项“按顺序描述历史事件”文章并未叙述历史事件,可以排除。因此A选项符合题意。