Question

Many musicians meet and form a band because they like to write and play their own music. They may start as a group of high-school students, for whom practicing their music in someone’s house is the first step to fame. Sometimes they may play to passers-by in the street or subway so that they can earn some extra money for themselves or to pay for their instruments. Later they may give performances in pubs or clubs, for which they are paid in cash. Of course they hope to make records in a studio and sell millions of copies to become millionaires!

However, there was one band that started in a different way. It was called the Monkees and began as a TV show. The musicians were to play jokes on each other as well as play music, most of which was based loosely on the Beatles. The TV organizers had planned to find four rock musicians who could act as well as sing. But they could only find one who was good enough. They had to use actors for the other three members of the band.

As some of these actors could not sing well enough, during the broadcasts they just pretended to sing. Anyhow their performances were humorous enough to be copied by other groups. They were so popular that their fans formed clubs in order to get more familiar with them. Each week on TV, the Monkees would play and sing songs written by other musicians. However, after a year or so the Monkees started to play and sing their own songs like a real band. Then they produced their own records and started touring and playing their own music. In the USA they became even more popular than the Beatles and sold even more records. The band broke up about 1970, but happily they reunited in the mid-1980s. They produced a new record in 1996, with which they celebrated their former time as a real band.

71. Which of the following are the normal stages that a band might go through?

  A. Form a group. →Make records. →Make advertisement. →Play in theatres.

  B. Practise in one’s house. →Play to passers-by. →Play in pubs or clubs. →Make records.

  C. Play for passers-by. →Form a band. →Advertise for advisors. →Make their own music.

  D. Advertise for musicians. →Form a band. →Study their own advantages. →Make records.

72. How did the Monkees start?

  A. It started by some students.                              B. It began as a TV show.

  C. It started by fans of the Beatles.                        D. It began as a rock music band.

73. At the beginning of their show, how did they solve the problem of lacking good musicians?

  A. They had actors sing for them.                         B. One sang while others just performed.

  C. They broadcast songs by the Beatles.                 D. They played jokes instead of singing.

74. What were the Monkees most famous for?

  A.       Their unique rock style.                                   B. The record for their reuniting.

  C. The clubs by their fans.                                    D. Their humourous performance.

75. Which of the following is NOT true about the Monkees?

  A. They started in an unusual way.                        B. They broke up around 1970.    

  C. They always played their own songs.                 D. They reunited in the mid-1980s.

Answer 1

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