专转本英语宝典二概要1.doc

[Level 2] 2009年普通高校“专转本”统一考试 大学英语模拟卷2 一、阅读理解 Passage 1 The development of jazz can be seen as part of the development of American popular music, especially dance music. I 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(节奏) and blues in the forties, rock in the fifties, and disco in the seventies. But tow characteristics distinguish jazz from other dance music. The first is improvisation (即兴演奏), the changing of music according to the player’s inspiration(灵感). Lick all artists, jazz musicians strive(奋斗) for an individual style, and improvised solo (独奏) 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 (复调音乐). There was little soloing as such, although some New Orleans players achieved local fame for their ability to improvise a solo. Later the idea of the chorus-long 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. Unimproved, completely structured jazz does exist, but the ability of the best jazz musicians to create music of great beauty during a performance has been a hallmark (特点) of the music and its major source of inspiration and change. The second distinguishing characteristic of jazz is a rhythmic drive that wax 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. Not all jazz is hot; however, many early to play hot distinguished the jazz musician from other instrumentalists. 1. The passage answers which of the following question? A. Which early jazz musicians most influenced rhythm and blues music? B. What are the differences between jazz and other forms of