Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each of the questions ⇱
Based on the original The Voice of Holland, The Voice of America, or sooner The Voice, officially aired on NBC on April 26, 2011 aiming to find new singing talent and soon became a big hit.
The Voice process includes Blinds Audition, Battles Rounds, Knockout Rounds, and the final live performance phase. Only those fifteen and over are eligible for the competition. There are four coaches, themselves well-known performing artists, who critique contestants' performances and form their own teams of contestants and give them guidance through the rest of the season. Coaches also have the power to decide on which contestants to advance in the next rounds. One celebrity key advisor gives assistance to the coaches and their teams during the preparation process.
The coaches and the television audience have equal power to decide who moves on to the final four phase. However, the winner is determined by votes from the television audience by online voting on the official website, SMS text and iTunes stores purchases of the contestants' performances. The declared winner receives US$ 100, 000 and a record contract with Universal Music Group.
As an incredible success in both Holland and the U.S., The Voice has been franchised out to many other countries in the world, and has been a big rival to the Idol franchise.
Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D to indicate the correct word or phrase that best fits each of the numbered blanks ⇱
Rock began in the USA in the early 1950s. At that time 'rhythm and blues’ music was very ___(6)___ with black Americans. ‘R&B’ was a mixture ___(7)___ black religious music and jazz. It had strong rhythms that you could dance to and simple, fast music.
___(8)___ the success of R&B music, white musicians started to copy the same style. By the mid 1950s, ___(9)___ new while R&B music, called 'rock ‘n’ roll’ had become very popular. Singers like Elvis Presley and Bill Haley ___(10)___ millions of teenage fans. Their music was fast and loud. Many older people thought that rock ‘n’ roll was very ___(11)___.
By the early 1960s, even rock ‘n’ roll had become old-fashioned. Many of the songs had begun to sound the ___(12)___. It was at that time that a new eroup from England became popular: The Beatles.
The Beatles first started ___(13)___ singing American style songs, but they soon developed their own style, with more ___(14)___ melodies. They also introduced different instruments, ___(15)___ as the Indian sitar. Groups like The Beatles had a very important influence ___(16)___ the style of popular music. By the ___(17)___ 1970s, rock ‘n’ roll had developed into a new form of music. Electronics had ___(18)___ the amplified guitars and drums of rock ‘n’ roll. Rock had arrived.