2014年職稱英語(綜合類)教材閱讀理解文章及譯文37

　　Pop Music in Africa

　　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 in Africa today.

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

　　Another musician who writes serious songs is Witness Mwaijaga from Tanzania. 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 in Tanzania, especially AIDS and the lack of rights for women1.

　　Baaba Maal, from Senegal, also feels that pop music must go beyond entertainment. He says that in Senegal, 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 environment2.

　　One of South 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 of Africa have 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.

　　詞匯：

　　reggae 瑞格舞(西印度群島的舞曲)

　　bribery 行賄，賄賂 apartheid 種族隔離

　　注釋：

　　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. 她用嘻哈和說唱的風(fēng)格寫歌，歌曲的內(nèi)容是 坦桑尼亞的各種問題，特別是艾滋和女性權(quán)利的缺失。

　　2. They speak of peace and cooperation among Africans, as well as the rights of women, love for one's family, and saving the environment. 他倡導(dǎo)在非洲要和平與協(xié)作，同時也包括婦女權(quán)利、熱愛家庭和保護環(huán)境。

　　練習(xí)：

　　1. This passage is about how African pop music is_______.

　　A) usually about love and romance

　　B) more serious than most pop music

　　C) popular with young people in Africa

　　D) mostly written just for entertainment

　　2. 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

　　3. The musicians mentioned in this passage all_______.

　　A) write about serious problems

　　B) studied in the United States

　　C) lost their homes at a young age

　　D) write songs in a new pop style

　　4. Eric Wainaina_______.

　　A) prefers to sing in English

　　B) listened to traditional music

　　C) studied music in Boston

　　D) performs only in the United States

　　5. Witness Mwaijaga writes about the problem of women partly because_______.

　　A) she was had a difficult life herself

　　B) there are many problems in Tanzania

　　C) she has had an easy life herself

　　D) there are no other women singers

　　答案與題解：

　　1. B 本題的問題是：非洲流行音樂的不同之處是什么?由第一段倒數(shù)第一句可以得出答案。“It is different also in another way : Many of the songs are very serious and they deal with important social or political issues in Africa today.” A,D項錯誤，C項未提及。

　　2.D 本題的問題是：對于非洲以外的人來說，非洲流行音樂給他們的感覺是什么?從第一段可以得出答案?！癟he result is music that may sound familiar to listeners anywhere in the world , but at the same time is distinctly Afican.”故正確選項為D。

　　3. A 本題的問題是：全文所提到的音樂家的共同的特點是什么?總覽全文可以得出結(jié)論。全文通篇在講有關(guān)社會和政治等嚴(yán)肅主題的音樂，故正確答案為A。B,C,D都有明顯的錯誤。

　　4. C 本題的問題是：Eric Wainaina的成長細節(jié)。由第二段可以得出答案?！啊璦nd later he moved to Boston to study at the Berklee College of Music.” 其余選項均有錯誤。

　　5. A 本題的問題是：Witness Mwaijaga 寫有關(guān)女人的問題的原因是什么?答案在第三段第二句“Her own experiences have helped her understand the suffering of many African women.”明顯可見是她有切身經(jīng)歷。所以正確答案為A。

　　譯文：非洲的流行音樂

　　非洲國家的年輕音樂家們創(chuàng)造了一種流行音樂的新形式。音調(diào)與旋律不僅有傳統(tǒng)的非洲因素 也有當(dāng)下十分流行的各種形式，比如嘻哈、說唱打擊樂、搖滾、爵士或者是瑞格舞。這樣就使這 種音樂讓世界各地的聽者都覺得很熟悉，而它又是典型的非洲音樂。這種音樂在另一方面也有所 不同：很多音樂有著嚴(yán)肅的主題，與當(dāng)今非洲重要的社會問題和政治問題相關(guān)。

　　Eric Wainaina是這些非洲音樂家的其中之一。他成長于肯尼亞內(nèi)羅畢的一個音樂世家。少年 時期他就昕美國的流行音樂，之后就讀于波士頓Berklee College學(xué)習(xí)音樂?，F(xiàn)在他在肯尼亞發(fā)了 一張CD。他最紅的歌曲是"Land of ‘ A Little Something' ”，這首歌是有關(guān)肯尼亞行賄受賄問題的。 他希望人們聽他的歌曲然后思考如何讓肯尼亞變成更好的居住地。

　　另一個寫有關(guān)嚴(yán)肅主題音樂的音樂家是來自坦桑尼亞的Witness Mwaijaga。她的個人經(jīng)歷讓 她能夠切身體會非洲婦女所受的苦難。她15歲的時候失去了家，但是比起和她一樣無家可歸 的年輕人來說她很幸運。她可以靠寫歌和在街頭賣唱維持生計。在她18歲的時候，她成為一 個明星。她用嘻哈和說唱的風(fēng)格寫歌，歌曲的內(nèi)容是坦桑尼亞的各種問題，特別是艾滋病和女 性權(quán)利的缺失。

　　來自塞內(nèi)加爾的BaabaMaal也認(rèn)為流行音樂不僅僅是為了娛樂。他在塞內(nèi)加爾說過，故事的 講述者往往是重要的人物。在^：去，他們是人民歷史的書寫者。他認(rèn)為寫歌者也擁有同樣的責(zé)任。 他們必須寫他們周圍的世界，幫助人民明白如何使它變得更好。事實上，歌詞的內(nèi)容十分重要。 他倡導(dǎo)在非洲要和平與協(xié)作，同時也包括婦女權(quán)利、熱愛家庭和保護環(huán)境。

　　南美最流行的音樂家之一是Brenda Fassie。她可以與美國流行巨星麥當(dāng)娜媲美，因為她的舞 臺表現(xiàn)力震撼人心。但是她也喜歡讓人深思。20世紀(jì)80年代她因為一首有關(guān)反對種族隔離的單 曲而一炮走紅?，F(xiàn)在種族隔離巳經(jīng)終止了，她的歌曲有關(guān)于南美政治和文化的其他方面。她使用 傳統(tǒng)的非洲語言與一種新的流行形式庫威多來歌唱。

　　近些年，非洲以外的人們都開始聽這些年輕音樂家的歌曲。通過音樂，年青一代的音樂家使 非洲與世界其他的地方相連接，同時也影響著世界的其他地方。