1998年1月托福考试阅读理解全真试题

　　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 improvise 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 cornet player Buddy Bolden， achieved local fame for their ability to improvise a solo. Later the idea of the chorus-long or multichorus 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.

　　41.The passage answers which of the following questions？

　　（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？

　　42.Which of the following preceded jazz as a popular music for dancing？

　　（A） Disco

　　（B） Rock

　　（C） Rhythm and blues

　　（D） Ragtime

　　43.According to the passage， jazz musicians are able to demonstrate their individual artistry mainly by？

　　（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

　　44.Which of the following was the function of "get-off" musicians （line 16）？

　　（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

　　45.The word "cohesion" in line 18 is closest in meaning to

　　（A） sorrow

　　（B） fame

　　（C） unity

　　（D） vibration

　　46.The word "initially" in line 20 is closest in meaning to

　　（A） at first

　　（B） shortly

　　（C） alphabetically

　　（D） in fact

　　47.The word "consciously" in line 21 is closest in meaning to

　　（A） carelessly

　　（B） easily

　　（C） periodically

　　（D） purposely

　　48.The word "unadorned" in line 24 is closest in meaning to

　　（A） lovely

　　（B） plain

　　（C） disorganized

　　（D） inexpensive

　　49.Which of the following terms is defined in the passage？

　　（A） "improvisation" （line 6）

　　（B） "polyphony" （line 10）

　　（C） "cornet player"（line 11）

　　（D） "multichorus"（line 12）

　　50.The topic of the passage is developed primarily by means of

　　（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