Rock and roll music developed in the United States in the early nineteen-fifties. It was based on the music called rhythm and blues that was performed by African American musicians.
Early rock and roll singers developed their own kinds of music. Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry, the Beach Boys, and Bob Dylan were the most popular rock and roll musicians in the early 1960’s. All were American. Then, in 1964, a new rock and roll group from England invaded America: the Beatles.
Some people say the Beatles’ music shook America like an earthquake. The Beatles changed rock and roll forever. Their early songs were influenced by American rock and roll musicians, including Chuck Berry. But the Beatles looked different and sounded different from any musical group before them.
The Beatles released their first album in the United States in 1964, when all of the top five records in America were by the Beatles. In 1967, they released an album called “Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.” It was one of the first “concept” albums. That is, all the songs were linked by a common story or idea.
The popularity of the Beatles led the way for more rock and roll bands from England to become popular in America. The Rolling Stones was the most important of these bands. The Rolling Stones is one of the few groups from the 1960’s that is still performing and recording today. In 1965, the group recorded one of its most famous songs, “Satisfaction”.
The musical instrument most linked to rock and roll is the guitar. Experts say Jimi Hendrix was one of the most influential guitar players in rock and roll during the late 1960’s. His “Purple Haze” was liked by many people.
By the 1970’s, rock and roll music became known as rock music. It expanded into many new forms. For example, there was country rock, hard rock, acid rock, and heavy metal rock. Punk rock, jazz rock, and glitter rock.
In the middle 1970’s, experts say rock music regained some of the energy of early rock and roll. Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band became popular with their album “Born to Run”. Springsteen’s music was like the lively rock and roll music of the early nineteen-sixties. Many of his songs were about social issues. He sang about the effects of unemployment and the war in Vietnam.
小题1:The main topic of this passage is _______.
| A．the history of American music |
| B．the famous rock and roll groups |
| C．the new forms of rock and roll music |
| D．the development of rock and roll music |
小题2:Which of the following matches is NOT true?
| A．the Beatles — Chuck Berry |
| B．the Rolling Stones — Satisfaction |
| C．Jimi Hendrix — Purple Haze |
| D．Bruce Springsteen — Born to Run |
小题3:Whose songs were mainly about social problems like unemployment and war?
| A．Elvis Presley’s. | B．Bob Dylan’s. |
| C．Jimi Hendrix’s. | D．Springsteen’s. |
小题4:From the passage, we can know that _______.
| A．one of the Rolling Stones’ albums was called “concept” |
| B．rock and roll music had many different forms at the beginning |
| C．rock and roll music probably came from African American music |
| D．the Beatles and the Rolling Stones became popular at the same time |
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