Question

    When people think about British music, for the most part they think about the 60s or 70s with the likes of The Beatles and The Rolling Stones or more modern artists like Adele or Ed Sheeran. However, stuck between these two ages was, in my opinion, British music’s best period. The 90s were an optimistic time for Britain and indeed Europe, with the economy recovering from the lows of the 80s and the Cold War ending.

One of the defining features of 90s music was the birth of “Britpop”. This was a style of pop music that aimed to promote “Britishness” and commonly featured electric guitars, drums and male singers. Britpop was the style used by world-famous bands such as Oasis, Blur, Pulp and Suede who became known as “The Big Four”. The summer of 1995 was dominated by the “Battle of Britpop” which was between Blur and Oasis for the number one spot. Eventually, Blur won the battle and Oasis settled for second.

However, the 90s weren’t only for the boys, with major female groups also finding fame, the most well-known of which were “the Spice Girls” who were extremely popular in Britain and around the world. Once again they promoted “Britishness” and had catchy melodies and lyrics, but they also started the “Girl Power” movement which helped empower girls and women worldwide. It isn’t too far to assume that without their music, many female singers and artists who we love today would not have had the confidence to pursue their dream.

British music may have had many great times, however the 90s are often overlooked. Although I was not alive to enjoy the music properly, the 90s had a huge impact on British culture that can be felt today and I feel that the decade should get the recognition it deserves!

1.What can we infer from the first paragraph?

A.The Cold War came to an end in the 80s.

B.Britain’s economy began to pick up in the 90s.

C.The Beatles represented the best British music.

D.Adele is better than Ed Sheeran in modern music.

2.What is Paragraph 2 mainly about?

A.Britpop. B.Britishness.

C.The Big Four. D.Battle of Britpop.

3.What’s the most important influence of “the Spice Girls” according to the text?

A.Promoting “Britishness”. B.Empowering girls and women.

C.Creating catchy melodies. D.Finding fame for female groups.

4.The writer thinks the impact of the 90s music on British culture is ________.

A.underestimated B.well-recognized

C.fairly evaluated D.reasonably doubted

Answer

1.B

2.A

3.B

4.A

【解析】

本文是一篇说明文。主要介绍了英国90年代的音乐。作者认为英国90年代音乐被忽视了，90年代音乐对英国文化产生了巨大的影响，应该得到它应得的认可。

1.推理判断题。根据第一段的The 90s were an optimistic time for Britain and indeed Europe, with the economy recovering from the lows of the 80s and the Cold War ending.（对于英国乃至欧洲来说，随着经济从80年代的低谷复苏和冷战结束，90年代是一个乐观的时期。）可知，英国经济在90年代开始复苏。故选B。

2.主旨大意题。根据第二段首句One of the defining features of 90s music was the birth of “Britpop”.和下文内容可知，本段主要介绍了90年代音乐的特征英式摇滚的诞生，并介绍了这种流行音乐的盛行，这种音乐旨在促进“英国化”，通常有电吉他、鼓和男歌手。故选A。

3.推理判断题。根据第三段的However, the 90s weren’t only for the boys, with major female groups also finding fame, the most well-known of which were “the Spice Girls” who were extremely popular in Britain and around the world. Once again they promoted “Britishness” and had catchy melodies and lyrics, but they also started the “Girl Power” movement which helped empower girls and women worldwide. （然而，90年代不仅仅是男孩的，主要的女性群体也找到了荣誉，其中最著名的是“辣妹组合”，他们在英国和世界各地都非常受欢迎。他们再次推断了“英国化”，有着令人着迷的旋律和歌词，他们也发起了“女孩力量”运动，有助于世界各地的女孩和妇女拥有权力。 ）可推断，“辣妹组合”最重要的影响是增强女孩和妇女的力量。故选B。

4.细节理解题。根据最后一段的British music may have had many great times, however the 90s are often overlooked. 以及下文可知，作者认为英国90年代音乐被忽视了，90年代音乐对英国文化产生了巨大的影响，作者觉得这十年应该得到它应得的认可！ 故选A。