Text B. Music in Our Life

Can you think of a day without music? We can hear music everywhere: in the streets and at home, over the radio and on TV, in the shops and in the parks. People all over the world are fond of music. They listen to music, they dance to music, they learn to play musical instruments.

But what is music? Music is beauty in sounds. There are a lot of different kinds of music. Some of them appeared long ago, and some are modern. For example, folk music appeared long ago, but it is still alive. Folk songs are very pleasant to listen to. Classical music is often associated with the music of the past. However, we can also speak of modern classical music. Great Britain has produced more popular music stars than any other country. The Beatles, with their unique style of singing is still one of the most popular groups. My favourite style of music is pop music, because it is full of energy. When I listen to pop music it makes me forget the problems of everyday life. It helps me to relax when I'm tired, and entertains me ¹¹ when I'd like to have fun. My favourite group is Abba. Abba's cheerful tunes made them international pop stars and one of the most successful groups. Their most famous songs often topped European charts. Though the group doesn't exist any more, it is still popular with people of all ages. I find their style of singing fascinating. When I have free time I listen to their records.

It's a pity that many young people like to listen only to modern music. As for me, I also enjoy listening to classical music. Classical music is always a complex of emotions. It gives me delight, pleasure and a sense of happiness. Some pieces of classical music are really wonderful.

The music I hate is heavy metal. I find it noisy and aggressive. When I listen to this style of music it presents to my mind pictures of dark days. Though some young people are fond of this style of music, it is not to everyone's taste.

I like listening to jazz. Improvisation is an important part of this style, that's why a jazz song may sound a little different each time it is played. But I think that jazz is a little complicated.

Tastes differ, and we can agree that each generation has its own tastes.

Unit 8

Text A. -In the Course Director’s Office-- --

------"Come in, Rosa!"

Mary Palmer is sitting at her desk in the Course Director’s office at The English Language College. She is expecting Rosa.

"Angela tells me that you want to change your class. There are only five students in your present class so you have a good opportunity to practise your pronunciation. Do you really want to move to a class with eleven other students?"

Rosa answers Mrs Palmer’s question very carefully.

"It’s true that I have a lot of speaking time in my present class, but I’m becoming bored. The teacher speaks very clearly, but the book is always the same and the other students are very slow."

Mrs Palmer can see that Rosa really wants to change, but she must be careful. She doesn’t want all the students to change their classes.

"Well, it’s possible to move you up to the next level. There’s just one place in that class. You’ll need to learn a lot of new words and the grammar is much more difficult. How often do you use the Study Centre?"

The English Language College has three special rooms where students can practise after school. The Study Centre contains a language laboratory, a video room and a modern library with cassette players and computers. Many students use the rooms every day, but Rosa has to look after Elisabeth and David.

"I can only use the Study Centre on Friday afternoons. On other days, I have to arrive home before three o’clock to help my English family!" answers Rosa.

"O.K." says Mrs Palmer, "you can move to Room 11 after coffee, but I want you to practise in the Study Centre every Friday afternoon!"

Rosa is very happy to change class, but now she has to work every afternoon. When can she visit Arturo’s flat? When can she hear his CDs?