The mariachi band 墨西哥流浪乐队

李秀梅

墨西哥有个传统音乐流派名叫“流浪音乐”，起源于18世纪，被认为是最早、最正宗的墨西哥音乐艺术流派。

When you think of Mexico and its culture，what kinds of things come to your mind？ The mariachi band， of course！ The musical tradition of mariachi includes many elements（元素）.You might recog- nize a mariachi band's unique clothing， instruments and musical style. But mari- achi also includes special dancing and performance methods.

Mariachi dates back to at least the 18th century. It started in western Mexico-possibly in the state of Jalisco.Over time， this style of music has become pop- ular beyond Mexico's borders. In 2011， UNESCO even named mariachi as part of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Hu- manity.

Where did the word “mariachi" come from？ Its origin is somewhat unclear. Many people believe it came from the French word “marriage".That's because mariachi bands would often play at wed- dings.However，experts now say the word was in use in Mexico long before the French ever arrived.

Today， most believe the word came from the Cora Indians. Native to Jalisco， the Coras used the word “mariachi" to de- seribe a specific type of tree that grew in the area-and the wood that came from it.

This happened to be the same type of wood used to make early mariachi instruments. Today， mariachi bands usually fea- ture at least four musicians. Often，they include as many as a dozen or more！ Tra- ditional mariachi instruments are the vio- lin，guitar， guitarrón，and vihuela （a small five-string guitar with a round back）.

It's easy to recognize mariachi bands because of the traditional charro suits they wear to perform.These special outfits in- clude waist-length jackets， fitted pants， and special bow ties.Most band members also wear boots. Mariachi bands always dress to impress.

Have you ever seen a mariachi band？ You can sometimes find them in restau- rants.Many also stroll through the crowds at festivals and celebrations. Their songs often cover topics such as love， heroes， and animals. Since mariachi bands are expected to play songs requested by the crowds， they often know hundreds of dif- ferent songs！

Reading

Check

1.Which of the following is one of the mariachi's elements？

A.More crowds. B.Different topics. C.Fixed performers.D.Unique performance methods.

2. What is experts' attitude towards the opinion that the word “mariachi”com- ing from a French word？

A.Positive.B.Doubtful. C.Objective.D.Appreciative.

3.What does the fourth paragraph mainly talk about？

A.The Cora Indians. B.A specific type of tree.

C.The origin of the word “mariachi”. D.Early mariachi instruments.

4. Why should mariachi bands know vari- ous kinds of songs？

A.To meet the needs of the listeners. B.To compete for recognition.

C. To popularize themselves. D.To cover more topics.

Language

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Difficult sentence in the text

Since mariachi bands are expected to play songs requested by the crowds，they often know hundreds of different songs！由于墨西哥流浪樂队要演奏听众要求的歌曲，他们通常熟悉数百种不同的歌曲！

【点石成金】本句是一个主从复合句，句中Since引导原因状语从句，主句的主语是they，指代墨西哥流浪乐队。