Music
There are two important kinds of music in the world one is written down and the other is not. Many people earn their living by writing music. They write songs for popstars and music for films and TV plays. They usually write exact instructions how the music is to be played.
Folk music has been passed down from one generation to another. At first it was never written down. Pe pie learnt the songs from their families, relatives, neighbours and friends in the same village. These songs were about country life, the seasons, animals and plants, and about love and sadness in people`s lives.
Early performers of music were popular and respected. They used to learn hundreds of songs by heart. On festivals they used to act and sing in praise of heroes who lived long ago. This was at a time when there was no radio, TV or cinema. Many of the country people could neither read nor write. In this way stories were passed on from one person to another. This continues in some countries even today.
In some parts of the world nowadays, you often see musiclans performing in the streets to passers by. They put a cap on the ground in front of them, so that people who like the music can drop coins into it.
[点评]
文章对音乐的种类以及流传方式作了描述。后两段实际上主要讲述音乐人的情况，似乎多少有些不切主题——音乐本身。此文可作为参考资料。
[参考译文]
音乐
世界上的音乐有两大类——一类是写下来的，另一类是没有写下来的。许多人靠写词作曲来谋生。他们给通俗歌星创作歌曲，为电影和电视节目作曲。他们通常还要为如何演奏他们的音乐写出精确的说明。
民间音乐是一代一代地流传下来的。起初从来没有人把它写下来过。人们是从家人、亲戚、村里的邻居或朋友那里学会唱这些歌的。歌词内容是有关乡村生活、季节、动植物以及人的生活中的爱情与忧伤。
早期的音乐演奏家们是深受人们欢迎和爱戴的。他们牢记几百首歌曲。在节日里他们表演并歌颂很久以前的英雄。这是广播、电视或电影出现以前的情形。当时许多乡里人不识字，也不会写字。故事就是用这种方式流传下来的。即使今天，有些国家里还存在这种情况。
现在世界上有些地区，你还可以经常看到音乐家在街头为行人演奏。他们把帽子放在身前的地上，以便喜欢这种音乐的人能把硬币投到帽子里。