Young musicians in African countries are creating a new kind of pop music. The tunes and the rhythms of their music combine African traditions with various forms of music popular today, such as hip-hop, rap, rock, jazz, or reggae. The result is music that may sound familiar to listeners anywhere in the world, but at the same time is distinctly African. It is different also in another way: Many of the songs are very serious and they deal with important social or political issues inAfricatoday.

    Eric Wainaina is one of these African musicians. He grew up inNairobi,Kenya, in a family of musicians. As a teenager, he listened to pop music from theUnited States, and later he moved toBostonto study at the Berklee College of Music. Now he has produced a CD inKenya. Eric"s most popular song, "Land of ‘A Little Something’” is aboutKenya"s problem of bribery, or paying others for illegal favors. He wants people to listen to his songs and think about how to makeKenyaa better place to live.

    Another musician who writes serious songs is Witness Mwaijaga fromTanzania. Her own experiences have helped her understand the suffering of many African women. At the age of fifteen she lost her home, but she was luckier than other homeless young people. She could make a living by writing songs and singing on the street. By the time she was eighteen years old, she had become a star. Her songs are written in rap or hip-hop style about the problems that she sees inTanzania, especially AIDS and the lack of rights for women ¹.

    Baaba Maal, fromSenegal, also feels that pop music must go beyond entertainment. He says that inSenegal, storytellers have always been important people. In the past, they were the ones who kept the history of their people alive. Baaba believes that songwriters now have a similar responsibility. They must write about the world around them and help people understand how it could be better. The words of his songs are important, in fact. They speak of peace and cooperation among Africans, as well as the rights of women, love for one" s family, and saving the environment ².

    One ofSouth Africa"s most popular musicians is Brenda Fassie. She is sometimes compared to Madonna, the American pop star, because she likes to shock people in her shows. But she also likes to make people think. She became famous in the 1980s for her simple pop songs against apartheid. Now that apartheid has ended, her songs are about other issues in South African culture and life. To sing about these, she uses local African languages and a new pop style called kwaito.

    In recent years, people outside ofAfricahave also begun to listen to these young musicians. Through music, the younger generation of Africans are connecting with the rest of the world and, at the same time, influencing the rest of the world. 

词汇： 

reggae /"regei/ n. 瑞格舞（西印度群岛的舞曲）

bribery ["braɪbərɪ] n. 行贿，贿赂

apartheid [əˈpɑ:tˌhaɪt, -ˌheɪt] n. 种族隔离

注释：

1. Her songs are written in rap or hip-hop style about the problems that she sees in Tanzania,especially AIDS and the lack of rights for women.她用嘻哈和说唱的风格写歌，歌曲的内容是坦桑尼亚的各种问题，特别是艾滋和女性权利的缺失。

2. They speak of peace and cooperation among Africans, as well as the rights of women, love forone"s family, and saving the environment.他倡导在非洲要和平与协作，同时也包括妇女权利、热爱家庭和保护环境。

For people outside of Africa, African pop music is____.

A:the same as other pop music B:not usually very interesting C:entirely strange to them D:both familiar and different

Many people who work in London prefer to live outside it, and to go in to their offices or schools every day by train, car or bus, even though this means they have to get up early in the morning and reach home late in the evening.
One advantage of living outside London is that houses are cheaper. Even a small flat in London without a garden costs quite a lot to rent. With the same money, one can get a little house in the country with a garden of one’s own.
Then, in the country one can rest from the noise and hurry of the town. Even though one has to get up earlier and spend more time in trains or buses, one can sleep better at night and during weekends and on summer evenings, one can enjoy the fresh, clean air of the country. If one likes gardens, one can spend one’s free time digging, planting, watering and doing the hundred and one other jobs which are needed in a garden. Then, when the flowers and vegetables come up, one has the reward of one who has shared the secret of Nature.
Some people, however, take no interest in country things: for them, happiness lies in the town, with its cinemas and theatres, beautiful shops and busy streets, dance-halls and restaurants. Such people would feel that their life was not worth living if they had to live it outside London. An occasional walk in one of the parks and a fortnight’s (two weeks) visit to the sea every summer is all the country they want: the rest they are quite prepared to leave to those who are glad to get away from London every night.

A:People who like country things prefer to live outside the city. B:People who work in London prefer to live in the country. C:Because of certain disadvantages of living outside London, some people who work in London prefer to live inside London. D:Because of certain advantages of living outside London, many people who work in London prefer to live outside London

One afternoon, my son Adam asked me, "Are all people the same even if they are different in color " I thought for a minute, and then I said, "I’ll explain,（1）you can just wait until we make a quick stop at the grocery store. I have something （2） to show you. "At grocery store, we bought some apples-red, green and yellow ones. Back home, I told Adam, "It’s time to（3） your question." I put one apple of each type on the table. Then I looked at Adam, who had a （4） look on his face."People are like apples. They come in all different colors, shapes and sizes. On the（5）, some of the apples may not even look as the others. " As I was talking, Adam was（6）each one carefully. Then, I took each of the apples and peeled them, placing them back on the table, but （7） a different place."Okay, Adam, tell me which is which." He said, "I can’t tell. They all look same now." "Take a bite of （8）. See if that helps you decide which one is which. "He took（9） , and then a huge smile came cross his face. "People are just like apples! They are all different, but once you（10）the outside, they’re pretty much the same on the inside. "He totally got it. I didn’t need to say or do anything else.

A:outside B:whole C:table D:inside

Have you ever heard your own voice "Of course," you say.
Has anyone else ever heard your voice Again you say, "Of course. "
But that’ s not quite true. Nobody else has ever heard your voice—the way you hear it. When you talk, you set up sound waves. The air outside your head carries the sound waves to your outer ears. But, of course, the sound of your voice begins inside your head. The bones of your head pick up the sound waves, too. They carry the sound waves straight to your inner ears. You get the sound from the outside and the inside too. Other people get just the sound waves from the outside. That’s why they don’t hear your voice the way you do.
The sound of your voice begins ______.

A:inside your head B:outside your head C:in your inner ears D:in your outer ears

Have you ever heard your own voice "Of course," you say.
Has anyone else ever heard your voice Again you say, "Of course. "
But that’ s not quite true. Nobody else has ever heard your voice—the way you hear it. When you talk, you set up sound waves. The air outside your head carries the sound waves to your outer ears. But, of course, the sound of your voice begins inside your head. The bones of your head pick up the sound waves, too. They carry the sound waves straight to your inner ears. You get the sound from the outside and the inside too. Other people get just the sound waves from the outside. That’s why they don’t hear your voice the way you do.
When you talk, other people hear your voice ______.

A:through the bones of your head B:from the outside C:from the inside D:all of the above

A:People who like country things prefer to live outside the city. B:People who work in London prefer to live in the country. C:Because of certain disadvantages of living outside London, some people who work in London prefer to live inside London. D:Because of certain advantages of living outside London, many people who work in London prefer to live outside London.

In the eyes of visitors from the outside world ______.

A:rude taxi drivers are rarely seen in the US B:small- minded officials deserve a serious comment C:Canadians are not so friendly as their neighbors D:most Americans arc ready to offer help

The ______ stuck on the outside of the envelope says "By Air".

A:label B:ticket C:signal D:advertisement

The machinery outside the calorimeters records everything ______.