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In the 1960’s, four young men from the working class city of Liverpool invented a new sound in pop music. Soon after, teenagers throughout England and the rest of the world heard this sound played over and over again on their radios and in their dance halls. The popularity of the music spread quickly, and with it came huge record sales and concerts full of screaming fans. The music world had never seen such an enormous impact made by one band. The band was called “The Beatles” and they were about to become the greatest pop music band in history.
The Beatles were actually normal young men from working class families. What ma
de them standout was that they were all brilliant musicians. John Lennon played the
guitar, Paul McCartney played the bass guitar, George Harrison played the lead guitar
and Ringo Starr played the drums. All four members of the band sang although most
of the singing was shared between John and Paul. They all wore fashionable clothes,
grew thick black hair and portrayed an image to the public to being friendly young m
en. But when it came to music, there was no other band that could match their songs and success. By 1964, John, Paul, George and Ringo were the most famous
entertainers in the world. Everywhere they went, they were followed by thousands of
screaming fans. It was a phenomenon that became known as “Beatlemania.”
1. impact n.
The book made a great impact on its readers.
2. band n. 樂團 The band played several marches.
3. standout a. 卓越的4. brilliant a. 聰穎的 He’s a brilliant basketball player.
5. bass a. 低音的 He has a fine bass voice.
6. fashionable a. 新潮的 She often wears a fashionable hat.
7. portray v. 扮演 He portrayed the king in the play.
8. entertainer n. 演藝人員 She’s a great entertainer.
9. phenomenon n. 現象 The unemployment is a city phenomenon.
10. beatlemania n. 披頭熱潮
Early Beatles songs had popular melodies and lyrics that were mostly about love.
Many of these songs became instant hits such as “Twist and Shout,” “Love Me Do” and
“I Want to Hold Your Hand.” The Beatles were also the first English band to have major
success in the United States. In April 1964, the Beatles held the top five spots on the
American charts and had twelve songs in the top one hundred. No band before or after
the Beatles has come close to matching this success. As the band progressed through
the sixties, their style became more experimental and artistic. Yet despite this change,
their music remained the most popular and influential in the world. Songs like “Hey
Jude,” “All You need is Love” and “Yesterday” are typical of their later style.
1. melody n. 旋律 The melody is beautiful. 2. lyrics n. 歌詞 She wrote the lyrics for the song. 3. hit n. 成功3. chart n. 圖表 The chart shows the rapid growth of the
company.4. progress v. 進展 The boy has progressed in his studies.5. experimental a. 實驗的 This is an experimental form of teachin
g. 6. artistic a. 藝術的 He knows the artistic value of this painti
ng. 7. influential a. 有影嚮的 He has influential friends.
Between 1962 and 1970, the Beatles released ten records. They also re
leased many songs as singles and made three movies. In fact, the Beatles
were so popular and famous that they became the number one symbol of t
he sixties for many people. These days Beatles music is till popular with yo
ung people. Many songs by the Beatles are just as well known today as th
ey were when they first came out. The image of John, Paul, George and Ri
ngo remains clear in the minds of most people and their pictures can often
be seen in music stores and magazines. Their music was so innovative an
d influential that the Beatles style can often be heard in many kinds of mod
ern pop music today. Quite simply, the Beatles were the greatest pop musi
c band ever.
1. release v. 發行 They just release their new album. 2. record n. 唱片 The record is really amazing.3. innovative a. 創新的 What they have done is innovative.
1. Who played bass guitar in The Beatles?
2. Which musical instrument did Ringo Starr play?
3. Who took charge of the most singing?