44. According to the passage, how did Lennon and McCartney enhance the music of the group?
A. They struggled to reach stardom in the United States
B. They composed lyrics to scornful songs and ballads
C. Their music added distinctiveness to the Beatles’ repertoire
D. Their loneliness and sadness made their music popular
Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to
indicate the correct answer to each of the questions from 45 to 54.
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 (3) 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 (8)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
(14) 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 (18) 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 (24) 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.
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