Music in the UK
1
Music in the UK 英国音乐
The Charts 排行榜
Read the text below and do the activity that follows.
阅读下面的短文，然后完成练习。
Have you ever heard of Al Martino? Not many people know his name nowadays but back in 1952 he made history by becoming the first recording artist to have a number one record with his song ‘Here In My Heart’.
For more than fifty years sales of singles have been measured on a weekly basis and ranked in a chart. The week’s best-selling single takes the number one position for that week.
So who has had the most number ones? For 25 years The Beatles and Elvis Presley matched each other with 18 number one records apiece. However, in 2005 Elvis earned a posthumous number one when his 1957 hit ‘Jailhouse Rock was re-released. Since then two more Elvis singles have gone to the top of the charts bringing his total to 21 number ones!
Over the years many artists have enjoyed incredible success in the charts. Bryan Adams held the number one position for 16 weeks in 1991 with the ballad ‘Everything I Do I Do It For You’ whilst Elton John’s tribute to Princess Diana, ‘Candle In The Wind 97’, sold 4.86 million copies in the UK.
However, there are concerns over the future of the music industry as sales have fallen in recent years. This was illustrated in 2004 when Eric Prydz had a number one record despite having sold less than 24,000 copies.
One reason for the fall in CD sales could be the increase in music downloads. Many computer users illegally download MP3 files through peer-to-peer, file-sharing networks.
The music industry has responded to this new threat by offering the possibility to buy downloads from approved web sites. These digital downloads were integrated into the UK chart for the first time in April 2005. Ironically, the first number one of the digital age was a reissue of Tony Christie’s ‘Amarillo’, a song first released in 1971.
2
Glossary 词汇表
recording artist - 唱片艺术家 ranked - 排名
singles - 单曲唱片 best-selling - 畅销的
matched each other - 平分秋色；不分posthumous - 著作者死后出版的；遗作 伯仲
hit - 轰动一时的电影、歌曲或演出 re-released - 再度发行 ballad - 民谣；情歌
peer-to-peer - 相同层次的；对等的 reissue - 重新发行
music downloads - 音乐下载 integrated - 合并到，融入
1. Reading Quiz 阅读测验
Are the following sentences true or false? Circle the correct answer.
以下句子哪句是真?哪句是假？请圈出正确答案。
1. The music charts have measured sales of singles for more than five decades. True/False
2. Elvis Presley managed to get to number one after his death. True/False
3. Elton John’s song ‘Candle In The Wind 97’ is dedicated to the memory of Marylin Monroe. True/False
4. CD sales have risen sharply in recent years. True/False
5. Many people download music in the WAV format. True/False
6. The UK chart includes digital download sales as well as CD sales. True/False
3
2. Musical Genres 音乐流派
What musical genres do you know? Read the descriptions of different musical genres below. Can you guess which genre is being described?
If you need help, look at the box at the bottom of the page. All the names of the genres are there.
你知道哪些音乐流派？阅读下列关于不同音乐类型的描述。你能猜出分别是什么流派吗？
如果需要帮助，请看本页最底端的方框，其中列出了所有的流派。
1. This type of music is usually played by orchestras or smaller groups of musicians. They play traditional acoustic instruments such as violins, trumpets and pianos. Longer pieces of music are called symphonies whilst shorter works are called concertos. Some of the most famous composers of this musical genre include Mozart, Beethoven and Vivaldi.
2. This form of music has a history of several centuries. Performances are usually two to three hours long and take place in theatres. The performers portray characters but act out their parts using song rather than speech. Famous examples of this genre include ‘The Marriage of Figaro’, ‘Aida’ and ‘The Magic Flute’.
3. This contemporary musical genre first became popular in the 1980s when a new musical style evolved in the United States. Instead of singing the lyrics, perfomers spoke the words rhythmically. This style of delivery became known as ‘rapping’. Performers of this genre often take small portions of older songs and combine them with drumbeats to create a powerful, rhythmic sound. They then rap their own words over the soundtrack. Opera Classical Hip-hop
4
3. Jumbled Sentences 打乱词序的句子
Rearrange the words in the sentences below to make correct sentences.
请将下列句子中的单词重新排列，组成一个正确的句子。
1. sales due sharply CD to dropped illegal have due downloads
. 2. use people still Although many CD are prefer players to players popular MP3 portable
, . 3. careers recent In winning their years by some started have television recording talent artists competitions on
. 4. carefully and market Record sometimes manufacture companies boy them bands
.
5
4. Wordsearch 单词搜索
Try to find the words associated with the music industry in the puzzle below.
There are ten words to find. Words can be written horizontally (g), vertically (i) or diagonally (m)
在下面的字谜游戏中，找出与音乐有关的英语单词来。
这些单词的组成方式可能以水平的 (g), 垂直的 (i) 或对角的 (m) 形式出现。
i p e r f o r m a n c e i n e x r a w f g u y i n s p l a y t e r a f r s n o s i t v e r r s h t c e b r e o n y t l y r w s a b e c r o i f t u c l i a r a e t s i h m s w u n t l c e t l m e f o d n g s l h e s e n q u a s t e v a a b c t z d o w n l o a d r e t
a
l
b
u
m t
a
l
i
b
t
single album chart download rhythm instrument vocals play artist performance
6
Answers 答案
1. Reading Quiz 阅读测验
Are the following sentences true or false? Circle the correct answer.
1. The music charts have measured sales of singles for more than five decades. True
2. Elvis Presley managed to get to number one after his death. True
2. Musical Genres 音乐流派
What musical genres do you know? Read the
descriptions of different musical genres below. Can you guess which genre is being described?
1. Classical
2. Opera
3. Hip-hop
3. Elton John’s song ‘Candle In The Wind 97’ is
dedicated to the memory of Marylin Monroe. False
4. CD sales have risen sharply in recent years. False
5. Many people download music in the WAV format. False
6. The UK chart includes digital download sales as well as CD sales. True
3. Jumbled Sentences 打乱词序的句子
Rearrange the words in the sentences below to make correct sentences.
1. sales due sharply CD to dropped illegal have due downloads
CD sales have dropped sharply due to illegal downloads. 2. use people still Although many CD are prefer players to players popular MP3 portable
Although portable CD players are still popular, many people prefer to use MP3 players.
3. careers recent In winning their years by some started have television recording talent artists competitions on
In recent years some recording artists have started their careers by winning talent competitions on television.
4. carefully and market Record sometimes manufacture companies boy them bands
Record companies sometimes manufacture boy bands and market them carefully.
4. Wordsearch 单词搜索 p e r f o r m a n c e i n p l a y a r s v r h t o t y r s c i t u i a s h m n l c t m e g s h n a t d o w n l o a d r
a
l
b
u
m
t
7
