Difficulty Level ★☆☆

2
1. What kind of music are these people famous for?
(A) R&B (B) rock ’n’ roll (C) campus folk songs
(D) the blues (E) country music (F) bossa nova

David Tao Louis Armstrong The Beatles

( ) ( ) ( )

Elvis Presley Chin Tsai Lisa Ono

( ) ( ) ( )

2. Which of the following is true about country music? You can check more
than one.
□ Cowboy films in the 1930s and 1940s made this music popular.
□ This music was brought by slaves to the southern United States.
□ Its typical instruments include guitars and harmonicas.
□ It has something to do with traditional folk music. 25
2

Country music is very old. It came from the United States,

1 2 3
Canada , Ireland , and Great Britain . Country music is a
1
mixture of music from all of these places.
2
In the American West, cowboys had to take care of the
3
5 cattle . They had to watch them all day and all night because
4
the cattle were nervous and sometimes ran away. A cowboy’s

life was lonely and dangerous. When he was alone in the

5
desert with the cattle, he drank strong coffee with lots of

1. Canada [1k{n@d@] 1. mixture [1mIkst?_] 4. nervous [1n^v@s]

2. Ireland [1aIrl@nd] 2. cowboys [1ka¨%bOIz] 5. desert [1dEz_t]

3. Great Britain [1©ret 1brIt§] 3. cattle [1k{t¬]

26
 LESSON 2 Country Music

Critical Thinkin
g
In the American
West, cowboys
2
to ca lm ca tt le . sang
4
caffeine to stay awake
6 H o w ev er, th er e
C h in es e p ro v er is a
b “d u i n iu ta n
at night. He also sang to w h ic h m e a n s w q in ,” 10
h e n y o u c a n ’t
7 sense it’s like sin ta lk
the cattle to calm them. ging to cattle. D
th in k th er e is an o you
y ch an ce th at ca
He sang about the stars ca n u n d er st an d tt le
m u si c? If so , w
How can you pro hy?
and the moon, about his ve it?
family and his fr iends.

The cattle listened to the cowboy and went to sleep. They did 15

8
not run away if he sang beautiful, peaceful music.

The cowboys played music either on guitars or on

5 9
harmonicas . Later, they used violins and other instruments .

In the American South, many people came from Ireland,

6
Scotland , and England. Other people came from French 20

4. caffeine [1k{fiIn] 8. peaceful [1pisf@l] 6. Scotland [1skAtl@nd]

6. awake [@1wek] 5. harmonicas [hAr1mAnIk@z]

7. calm [kAm] 9. instruments [1Instr@m@nts]

27
 7

2
Canada . They enjoyed their own kind of music. They used

guitars, violins, and harmonicas, too. However, they also

10 11
added instruments from their homes, like bottles, cans , and

spoons.
12
25 Country music describes life. It talks about love, jobs,
13
home, and money. It also talks about friends and enemies ,
14
trucks and highways, farms and crops . People in many parts

of the world like country music because everyone knows

something about these things.

30 When it comes to songs, it would be difficult to really

understand or even enjoy them without listening to both

15
the words and the music. The following is a classic

country song. Why not put on some cowboy clothes like

many country music fans do and sing it? You will certainly
16
35 have a better understanding of the music. Who knows?

You may even fall in love with it.

7. French Canada 12. describes [dI1skraIbz] 16. understanding

[1frEnt? 1k{n@d@] 13. enemies [1En@mIz] [%ynd_1st{ndIµ]

10. added [1{dId] 14. crops [krAps]

11. cans [k{nz] 15. classic [1kl{sIk]
28
 LESSON 2 Country Music

Take Me Home, Country Roads

by John Denver
8
2

17 9
Almost heaven , West Virginia
10 11
Blue ridge mountains, Shenandoah River 40

Life is old there, older than the trees

Younger than the mountains
12
Blowing like a breeze

Country roads, take me home

18
To the place I belong 45

West Virginia, mountain mamma

Take me home, country roads

8. John Denver [1dZAn 1dEnv_] 11. Shenandoah River [%SEn@n1do@ 1rIv_]

17. heaven [1hEv@n] 12. breeze [briz]

9. West Virginia [1wEst v_1dZInj@] 18. belong [b@1lOµ]

10. ridge [rIdZ]

29
 19
All my memories gather round her
13
Miner’s lady, stranger to blue water

2
50 Dark and dusty, painted on the sky
14 15 16
Misty taste of moonshine , teardrop in my eye

Country roads, take me home

To the place I belong
West Virginia, mountain mamma
55 Take me home, country roads

I hear her voice, in the morning hours she calls me

20
Radio reminds me of my home far away
And driving down the road I get a feeling
That I should’ve been home yesterday, yesterday

60 Country roads, take me home

To the place I belong
West Virginia, mountain mamma
Take me home, country roads

—from Facts & Figures,

Basic Reading Practice 3rd edition by ACKERT. 1999.
Reprinted with permission of Heinle,
a division of Thomson Learning: www.thomsonrights.com

OT: Take Me Home, Country Roads (100%)

OC/OA: DENVER, JOHN/DANOFF, BILL/DANOFF, TAFFY NIVERT
OP. CHERRY LANE MUSIC PUB. CO. IN/MUSIC OF 1091
SP. PEERMUSIC TAIWAN LTD.

19. gather [1©{D_] 14. misty [1mIstI] 16. teardrop [1tIr%drAp]

13. miner’s [1maIn_z] 15. moonshine [1mun%SaIn] 20. reminds [rI1maIndz]

30
 LESSON 2 Country Music

2
I Choose the main idea of this reading.

(A) Country music has its origins, musical instruments and spirits.
(B) Country music is a form of music that cowboys sing to cattle.
(C) Country music covers a variety of themes.

According to the reading, choose the best answer to

II
each question below.

1. Country music is a mixture of music from .

(A) western America (B) several countries
(C) French Canada (D) the American South

2. The life of a cowboy is .

(A) nervous (B) exciting
(C) dangerous (D) peaceful

3. Cowboys would try to stay awake by .

(A) drinking coffee (B) singing songs
(C) looking at the stars (D) exercising

4. are not used to play country music.

(A) Spoons (B) Cups (C) Cans (D) Bottles

5. are not typical subjects of country songs.

(A) Trucks and highways (B) Jobs and money
(C) Friends and enemies (D) Farms and fruits
31
2 To get a better picture of this reading, go through it again and fill in the
following blanks with the right words from the box below.

Paragraph :

Cowboys sang to calm the cattle

when taking care of them.

Paragraph : Paragraph :
Paragraph
:
e.g. trucks and Introduction e.g. guitars, harmonicas,
highways; friends and violins, spoons, and
enemies drums, etc.

Song—

Content of Country Music

Musical Instruments
Origin of Country Music
Take Me Home, Country Roads
32
 LESSON 2 Country Music

2
1 What is your favorite kind of music? Think of an example and sing
it for your classmates.

2 In addition to music, what else can be used to calm animals?

3 Some people think certain kinds of music are “superior” to others.

Check each of the following statements and see if you agree or
not. If you do, why? If you don’t, why not? Put down your
reasons.

( ) a. Some types of music are just too “local.”

( ) b. Classical music is the most elegant and upper-class.

( ) c. Yo-Yo Ma plays the cello very well.

( ) d. Music is a matter of likes and dislikes.

( ) e. Taiwanese opera is only for poor people.

( ) f . People listen to different kinds of music when in different

moods.

Your opinion:

33
2 Words for Production
1. mixture a combination of different people, things, or ideas
[1mIkst?_] n. [C] 混合
He told me the news with a mixture of sadness and anger.
mix v. [I, T] 混合
[mIks] Oil and water don’t mix.
You should not mix business with pleasure.
2. cowboy a person who rides a horse and is hired to take
[1ka¨%bOI] care of cattle in the western U.S.
n. [C] 牛仔
You look cool in that cowboy hat.
3. cattle cows and bulls kept for their meat or milk
[1k{t¬] n. [pl.] 牛
How many cattle and sheep are there on the farm?
4. nervous worried and scared so that you cannot relax
[1n^v@s] adj. 緊張的
I felt nervous about the coming exam.
nervously adv. 緊張地
[1n^v@slI] Jack looked around nervously.
nervousness n. [U] 緊張
[1n^v@snIs] Though Emily felt afraid, she tried hard to hide her
nervousness.
5. desert a large, hot, dry area of sand
[1dEz_t] n. [C] 沙漠
The Sahara Desert is one of the largest deserts in the world.
6. awake not sleeping
[@1wek] adj. 醒著的
Jane stayed awake all night preparing for the math test.
wake v. [I, T] (wake, woke, woken) 醒來；喚醒
[wek] When Nancy woke up the next day, the sun was blazing
through the windows.
34
I was sleeping but a scream woke me (up).
 LESSON 2 Country Music

7. calm to make someone or something peaceful, no longer nervous

[kAm] or angry
v. [I, T] 平息；使平靜
Calm down and tell me what is going on here.
The teacher soon calmed the students (down).
2
calm adj. 平靜的；鎮定的
[kAm] They were able to stay calm in the face of danger.
8. peaceful calm and quiet
[1pisf@l] adj. 和平的；寧靜的
Janet’s dream is to live a peaceful life in the country.
peace n. [U] 和平；寧靜
[pis] After the peace talks, people can finally live in peace.
peacefully adv. 和平地；寧靜地
[1pisf@lI] The baby slept peacefully in its mother’s arms.
9. instrument an object such as a piano or a violin used to make musical
[1Instr@m@nt] sounds
n. [C] 樂器
She plays several musical instruments, including the guitar.
10. add to put something with another thing
[{d] v. [T] 增加
Add some sugar to your coffee, and it will taste better.
addition n. [U, C] 增加；增加物
[@1dI?@n] The addition of butter made the cake less dry.
The bestseller will be a welcome addition to our library.
additional adj. 外加的；附加的
[@1dI?@n¬] You have to pay an additional fee for heavy bags.
11. can an object that contains food or drink
[k{n] n. [C] 罐頭
How many cans of milk do we need?
canned adj. 罐頭的
[k{nd] Fresh fruit is better than canned fruit.
12. describe to say what someone or something is like
[dI1skraIb] v. [T] 描述；形容
Can you describe the robber to me?
35
 description n. [C, U] 敘述；描寫
[dI1skrIp?@n] Can you give me a brief description of what happened?
The English countryside is beautiful beyond description.
2 13. enemy
[1En@mI]
a person who hates you and tries to hurt you
n. [C] 敵人
When investigating a murder case, the first thing the police
would want to know is if the victim had any enemies.
14. crop a plant such as wheat or rice that is grown to be eaten
[krAp] n. [C] 農作物
The main crop in Taiwan is rice.
15. classic being considered the oldest and best, having had great
[1kl{sIk] influence for a long time
adj. 經典的
Have you ever read the classic children’s novel Alice in
Wonderland?
classic n. [C] 經典作品；古典作品
[1kl{sIk] “Take Me Home, Country Roads” is a country music classic.
classical adj. 古典的
[1kl{sIk¬] June enjoys listening to classical music in her free time.
16. understanding knowledge about something
[%ynd_1st{ndIµ] n. [sing., U] 理解；領會
She doesn’t have any understanding of the hard work a
mother does.
understand v. [I, T] (understand, understood, understood) 了解；領會
[%ynd_1st{nd] Although my teacher explained the math question again
and again, I still didn’t understand what it was all about.
Although I am not good at English, I can make myself
understood.
17. heaven the place where souls go after death in Christianity; a situation
[1hEv@n] that makes you feel very pleasant
n. [U] 天堂
Reading a good novel by the window with a cup of coffee
is my idea of heaven.
36
 LESSON 2 Country Music

heavenly adj. 天空的

[1hEv@nlI] The sun is a heavenly body.
18. belong
[b@1lOµ]
to be a member of
v. [I] 歸屬
The chair should belong in the kitchen.
2
19. gather to come together
[1©{D_] v. [I, T] 聚集
Baseball fans gathered in front of the TV in the square.
I’ll gather the information I need for the report first.
20. remind to make someone remember something they have to do
[rI1maInd] v. [T] 提醒
The photo reminded me of the happy days during my stay in
Germany.

Words for Recognition

1. Canada [1k{n@d@] n. a country in North America 加拿大

2. Ireland [1aIrl@nd] n. the second largest island in the British Isles, divided
into Ireland (republic) and Northern Ireland 愛爾蘭
3. Great Britain [1©ret 1brIt§] n. a country made up of England, Scotland, and
Wales 大不列顛
4. caffeine [1k{fiIn] n. [U] a substance found in coffee and tea that makes
one feel alert 咖啡因
5. harmonica [ hAr1mAnIk@] n. [C] a small musical instrument played by
blowing air into it or sucking air through it 口琴
6. Scotland [1skAtl@nd] n. a country in the northern part of England 蘇格蘭
7. French Canada [1frEnt? 1k{n@d@] n. area of Canada where French is spoken
加拿大法語區
8. John Denver [1dZAn 1dEnv_] n. a famous American singer and songwriter
約翰丹佛
37
2
9. West Virginia [1wEst v_1dZInj@] n. a state in the eastern part of the United
States 西維吉尼亞州
10. ridge [rIdZ] n. [C] a long area of high land where two sloping surfaces meet
分水嶺
11. Shenandoah River [%SEn@n1do@ 1rIv_] n. a river in the U.S. states of Virginia
and West Virginia 聖納多河
12. breeze [briz] n. [C] a gentle and pleasant wind 微風
13. miner [1maIn_] n. [C] a person who digs such substances as coal out of the
ground 礦工
14. misty [1mIstI] adj. in misty weather, many small floating drops of water are
in the air close to the ground 多霧的
15. moonshine [1mun%SaIn] n. [U] illegally-made alcohol 私釀酒
16. teardrop [1tIr%drAp] n. [C] a large tear coming from your eye when crying
淚滴

1. take care of to look after 照顧

Who will take care of your baby sister when you are out?
2. run away to leave a place secretly 逃走
He broke the window and ran away as fast as he could.
3. when it comes to when speaking of, when dealing with 提到；處理
When it comes to dancing, Ian is second to none.
4. fall in love with to be very attracted to 愛上
Jack fell in love with Linda at first sight.

38
 LESSON 2 Country Music

flute
2
viola
guitar

French
horn
violin

drums
harmonica clarinet
cello

oboe trumpet tuba

Circle the right word in the parentheses according to the text.

Tina wanted to learn to play a musical instrument. She first wanted

1
to play the (drums/viola/trumpet), but she had a hard time blowing air
2
through closed lips. Then she wanted to play the (violin/oboe/French
horn), but her hand was too small to press all the strings. She later
3
thought it would be cool to play the (flute/drums/tuba), but it was
difficult for her to follow the rhythm. She also considered playing the
4
(trumpet/clarinet/guitar), but it hurt to pluck the strings. Finally, she
5
thought about playing the (violin/clarinet/harmonica) because she
could carry it around in her pocket, but she didn’t like getting saliva on
her hands. As a result, she had to give up her dream of playing an
instrument. She decided just to listen to music instead.
39
2 either ... or ...
both ... and ...
I not only ... but also ...
... as well as ...

Examples

1. The cowboys played music either on guitars or on harmonicas.

2. Jane can both sing and dance very well.
3. Harriet is not only rich but also generous.
4. I’d like to grow flowers as well as vegetables in my garden.

Practice A

Rewrite the following sentences using the words in parentheses.

1. Jay Chou is an actor.
Jay Chou is a singer. (... as well as ...)
→ Jay Chou is an actor as well as a singer.
2. My teacher pointed out my mistakes.
My teacher corrected them for me. (not only ... but also ...)
→
3. Mary needs someone who can listen to her.
Mary needs someone who can give her advice. (both ... and ...)
→
4. You can keep in touch with me by cell phone.
You can keep in touch with me by e-mail. (either ... or ...)
→

40
 LESSON 2 Country Music

5. They own a farm in Tainan.

They own a house in Taipei. (... as well as ...)
→
6. You may choose to clean the bathroom.
2
You may choose to mop the floor. (either ... or ...)
→

Practice B

Although the word “cowboy”

refers to those who have been
hired to look after cattle in
North America, it has other
meanings. Complete the
following passage by using the
given words below to find out
what it means now.
1
Cowboys were originally those who took care of cattle. Their job was both

to feed the cattle and to move them from one place to another (to feed the

cattle/to move them from one place to another/both ... and ...). Now, however,

“cowboy” has other meanings. In America and Europe, a “cowboy” may be

2
someone who is

(violent/careless/either ... or ...). For example, George W. Bush is called a

3
“cowboy”

(in Time Magazine/in European newspapers/not only ... but also ...) because he
4
makes decisions without much thinking. Besides,

41
 (in Australia/in England/... as well as ...)
5
the word “cowboy” is used to refer to a man who
2 (is dishonest in business/makes bad products/either

... or ...); for example, someone may be called “a cowboy builder.” In America,

“cowboy” sometimes has this meaning, and it can also mean anyone who drives
6
(fast/

carelessly/either ... or ...). It seems that cowboys are not regarded as highly now

as they once were.

II The following + be + (...) + NP

Examples

1. The following is a classic country song.

2. The following are songs you can play at a party.

Practice

Fill in each blank with the correct form of the verb “be.”

1. The following are the stores near your home.

2. The following the students who will take part: Mike, Steve, and Denny.

3. The following a list of books the students need to read.

4. The following some of the kinds of bread you may use at a picnic.

5. The following the e-mail address and the phone number Mary wants.

6. The following things you should take to the beach: sunscreen, a

towel, and a swimsuit.
42
 LESSON 2 Country Music

1 2

3 4

Dolly and George are in the classroom, and George is

boasting proudly.
Dolly : You’ve always said that you’re the biggest fan of Elvis Presley. Prove it.
George : I know everything about him. For example, though he was one of the
top country music artists, he later became famous as “the king of
rock ’n’ roll.”
Dolly : But that’s common sense!
V ocabulary
George : I like to dress like him, especially with his
● boast [bost] v. 吹牛
unique hairstyle. ● prove [pruv] v. 證明
● unique [ju1nik] adj.
Dolly : Do you dare to dress like that at school?
獨一無二的
George : OK, how about my new name? No one has ● hairstyle [1hEr%staIl]
ever changed his name to Sivle Yelserp. n. 髮型
● backwards

Dolly : I don’t get it. [1b{kw_dz] adv. 向後地

George : Spell it backwards, and you’ll see what I mean. U seful Expressions
● common sense 常識
Dolly : Oh, my!
43
2 Listen to the dialogues to see what kind of music the speakers are talking
about, and whether the two speakers have the same opinion about this type
of music.

Type of Music Agree or Disagree

Agree Disagree
1. ( )
□ □
(A) Heavy Metal (B) Vocal Band

Agree Disagree
2. ( )
□ □
(A) Rap (B) Musical(s)

Agree Disagree
3. ( )
□ □
(A) Lullaby (B) Country Music

Agree Disagree
4. ( )
□ □
(A) Classical (B) Samba

Agree Disagree
5. ( )
□ □
(A) Musical(s) (B) Country Music
44
 LESSON 2 Country Music

First do the matching and then work in groups to give a concert. Try to 2
imitate the following singers in every way, including their costumes,
makeup, and style of performance. Give a short introduction by using the
given words.
A king of pop
1
stylish
Wu Bai famous for his moonwalk
nominated for a Nobel Peace
Prize for his charity work

2 B queen of pop
sexy
Jolin Tsai wears her underwear outside
full of magic power on the
stage

3 C Taiwan’s “king of live music”

cool
Jay Chou
likes black shirts
guitar-oriented rock music

4
D teenage boy killer
beautiful
Madonna
is multi-style excellent
dancing skills
5
E the king of kings
Michael quiet
Jackson likes to wear a cap
strong family bonds 45
2 Capitalization
In English writing, a passage is made up of sentences. In English sentences,
the first letter of the first word should be capitalized. Proper nouns should
begin with capital letters as well. Now read the following passage taken from
the reading and notice which words are capitalized:

Country music is very old. It came from the United States, Canada, Ireland,

and Great Britain. Country music is a mixture of music from all of these

places.

Practice

Now capitalize words whenever necessary in the following passage

about the Grammy Awards.

the Grammy Awards, or Grammies, are considered the highest honor for

musicians in the u.s. the awards show is always held in february. it is broadcast on

tv around the world. so far, Stevie Wonder has won the most grammies in the area

of popular music. moreover, u2 has won more Grammy Awards than any other

band, and michael Jackson won the most grammies in one night.

46
 LESSON 2 Country Music

2
Johannes Brahms was a well-known composer. George
Bernard Shaw became famous as a playwright. Both men were
known to be quite witty. There are many anecdotes about their
wit. Here are a couple.
A successful wine critic invited Brahms to dinner. In his
guest’s honor, the critic opened one of his best bottles of wine,
calling it “the Brahms of my wine collection.” He gave a glass
to Brahms, who carefully examined it by smelling it and
holding it up to the light. The composer tasted it and put the
glass down without a word. “How do you like the wine?” asked
the host with a hopeful look on his face. Brahms thought for a
moment and said, “Why don’t you open a bottle of your
Beethoven?”
George Bernard Shaw was at a musical party, where his
hostess asked him his thoughts about the violinist. Shaw said
the man reminded him of Paderewski. “Paderewski isn’t a
violinist,” pointed out the hostess. “And this gentleman isn’t
either,” replied Shaw.
—by Martin Mullaney

47
2 Comprehension Check
1. What is the best title for this reading?
(A) Wine and Parties (B) Two Amusing Stories
(C) Witty Musicians (D) Being Famous

2. Why did Brahms ask the wine critic to bring out his Beethoven?
(A) He wanted to know how many wines the critic had.
(B) He had to make a clever comment.
(C) He wanted to make friends with Beethoven.
(D) He thought the wine the critic opened was not very good.

3. What is true about the second story?

(A) The pianist looked like Paderewski.
(B) Shaw didn’t know that Paderewski was not a violinist.
(C) Shaw thought the violinist was an awful musician.
(D) The violinist was not a gentleman.

Thinking More
In what way do you think Brahms and Shaw are being witty?

48