Although Zhang Bichen,a 25-year-old songstress with a power?ful yet delicate voice,took the crown of The Voice of China in 2014? runnerup Parhat Halik,32. seems to have impressed more of the au?dience with his husky (沙ft的) ,natural and,most of all,distin?guished sound.

Despite his unmistakable voice,Parhat Halik's music is also special. General?ly,it's rock―but influenced and mixed by different styles within the genre. Read on and find out where Halik's music gets its inspiration.

Blues rock

 Representative artists:Guns N' Roses,The Rolling Stones,John Mayer Blues rock 

combines improvisation (即兴创作) with rock 'n' roll style. It be?gan to develop in the mid-1960s in Britain and the US,when rock bands such as the Rolling Stones experimented with music from older African American blues musici?ans. It borrows the idea of instrumental combo (小型爵士乐队) from blues but is played at a faster tempo and louder volume,distinguishing it from the blues. The sound is created with the electric guitar,piano,bass and drums.

As the root for several contemporary rock styles,such as heavy metal and hard rock,blues rock had a rebirth in the early 2000s,with artists including John Mayer and The Black Keys.

Folk rock

 Representative artists: Bob Dylan,Simon &. Garfunkel,The Byrds As the name indicates,folk rock is a genre combining elements of folk music and rock music. Also developed in the mid-1960s,folk rock was pioneered by the US band The Byrds,who began playing traditional folk music and Bob Dylanpenned material with rock instruments,in a style heavily influenced by The Beatles and other British bands.

The genre was most popular among teenagers and college students at the time,because it includes both rock 'n' roll's free spirit and the more serious,culturally authentic and socially aware sounds of folk music.

Soft rock

 Representative artists: Bryan Adams,Eagles,Elton John,James Blunt Compared to hard rock's loud and aggressive nature,soft rock,or light rock,uses the techniques of rock music to compose a softer and less threatening sound. De?rived from folk rock,it uses acoustic instruments (原声乐器) and puts more empha?sis on melody and harmony.

Although the genre gets quite a bad name among hardcore rock fans,who see it as "wimpy"(软弱无力) ,it doesn't mean soft rock is without merit (优点) .Soft rock songs often deal with themes like romantic relationships and everyday life in a thoughtful and complex way that hard rock simply couldn't.

1. Which of the artists played traditional folk music and Bob Dylanpenned material with rock instruments first?

   A. The Beatles. B. The Byrds. C. Eagles. D. Guns N' Roses.

2. We can learn from the passage that .

   A. the Rolling Stones ignored African American musicians' work

   B. soft rock focuses more on melody and culture awareness

   C. blues rock gained a second birth in the 2000s

   D. all the three rock styles developed in America

3. What is hardcore rock fans' attitude towards soft rock?

   A. They quite admire it. B. They can hardly tolerate it.

   C. They are indifferent to it. D. They misunderstand it.

4. What's the main purpose of the text?

   A. To help readers become rock 'n' roll artists.

   B. To inform the readers of the result of The Voice of China

   C. To introduce some common rock music to the readers.

   D. To offer the readers some suggestions of composing rock music.

Today,roller skating is easy and fun. But a long time ago,it wasn't easy at all. Before 1750,the idea of skating didn't exist. That changed because of a man named Joseph Merlin. Merlin's work was making musical instruments. In his spare time he liked to play the vio?lin. Joseph Merlin was a man of ideas and dreams. People called him a dreamer.

One day Merlin received an invitation to attend a fancy dress ball. He was very pleased and a little excited. As the day of the party came near,Merlin began to think how to make a grand entrance at the party. He had an idea. He thought he would get a lot of attention if he could skate into the room.

Merlin tried different ways to make himself roll. Finally,he decided to put two wheels under each shoe. These were the first roller skates. Merlin was very proud of his invention and dreamed of arriving at the party on wheels while playing the violin.

On the night of the party Merlin rolled into the room playing his violin. Every?one was astonished to see him. There was just one problem. Merlin had no way to stop his roller skates. He rolled on and on. Suddenly,he ran into a huge mirror that was hanging on the wall. Down fell the mirror,breaking to pieces. Nobody forgot Merlin's grand entrance for a long time!

1. The text is mainly about       .

   A. a strange man

   B. an unusual party

   C. how roller skating began

   D. how people enjoyed themselves in the 18th century

2. People thought Merlin was a dreamer because he      .

   A. often gave others surprises

   B. was a gifted musician

   C. invented the roller skates

   D. was full of imagination

3. Merlin put wheels under his shoes in order to       .

   A. impress the party guests

   B. arrive at the party sooner

   C. test his invention

   D. show his skill in walking on wheels

4. What is the main point the writer is trying to make in the last paragraph?

   A. The roller skates needed further improvement.

   B. The party guests took Merlin for a fool.

   C. Merlin succeeded beyond expectation.

   D. Merlin got himself into trouble.

 On April 22 ,2011,we decided to go "green every single day for an entire year. This meant doing 365 different green things,and it also meant challenging our?selves to go green beyond the easy things. Rather than re?cycle and reduce our energy,we had to think of 365 differ?ent green things to do and this was no easy task.

With the idea of going green every single day for a year,Our Green Year started. My wife and I decided to educate people about how they could go green in their lives and hoped we could show people all the green things that could be done to help the environment. We wanted to push the message that every little bit helps.

Over the course of Our Green Year,we completely changed our lifestyles. We now shop at organic (有机的) stores. We consume less meat,choosing green food. We have greatly reduced our buying we don't need. We have given away half of what we owned through websites. Our home is kept clean by vinegar and lemon juice,with no chemical cleaners. We make our own butter,enjoying the smell of homemade fresh bread. In our home anyone caught doing something ungreen might be punished.

Our minds have been changed by Our Green Year. We are grateful for the chance to have been able to go green and educate others. We believe that we do have the power to change things and help our planet.

19. What might be the best title for the passage?

   A. Going green

   B. Protecting the planet

   C. Keeping openminded

   D. Celebrating Our Green Year

20. It was difficult for the couple to live a green life for the whole year because       ,

   A. they were expected to follow the green fad

   B. they didn't know how to educate other people

   C. they were unwilling to reduce their energy

   D. they needed to perform unusual green tasks

21. What did the couple do over the course of Our Green Year?

   A. They tried to get out of their ungreen habits.

   B. They ignored others' ungreen behaviour.

   C. They chose better chemical cleaners.

   D. They sold their homemade food.

22. What can we infer from the last paragraph?

   A. The government will give support to the green project.

   B. The couple may continue their project in future.

   C. Some people disagree with the couple's green ideas.

   D. Our Green Year is becoming a national campaign.

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