At the recent 77th Academy Awards，a movie about black music legend Ray Charles was nominated （提名） for six awards．

　　When emotional Jamie Fox received his Best Actor Oscar for playing Ray Charles at the ceremony（頒獎儀式）， he sang in respect to Charles and was greeted by a standing ovation（鼓掌）．Charles ，who was blind， has certainly left a beautiful musical legacy（遺產(chǎn)） ，just like many other famous African American musicians．

　　The contributions of African Americans to US musical history began with the arrival of the first Africans on its mainland in 1619．African slaves were often treated no better than animals．Taken from their homes and robbed of their freedom， they managed to maintain （keep） memories of the rich music and dance traditions of their ancestors．

　　Music played a very important role in the West African way of life．Music was played during every activity．There were special kinds of music for festivals．The slaves developed their own versions（版本） of these practices．

　　American music developed under a strong African influence （影響）．Black spirituals （圣歌）are one of the best-known and earliest forms of American music．These religious songs eventually（ finally） gave birth to the blues and jazz in the late 1800's．In the mid-1900's musicians combined spirituals， blues，and jazz styles to develop rock'n'roll．In the late 1900's， a new American musical form called rap appeared．

　　As people traveled and moved around， these forms of music were later brought to Europe and other parts of the world．Nowadays， almost all popular music contains elements（元素） of African American music．

1．The passage is mainly written to________．

A．prove that African American music is the best in the world

B．introduce a famous African American musician

C．explain how African music influenced American music

D．persuade people to love American music

2．Ray Charles was famous because________．

A．he used to be an African slave

B．he was a blind musician

C．he made great contributions to American music

D．he managed to create various kinds of music

3．Which of the following statements about African slaves is NOT true？

A．They were treated better than animals．

B．The first of them reached America in 1619．

C．Their lives were closely related to music．

D．Their ancestors left them a rich legacy of music and dance．

4．The last sentence of the passage infers that________．

A．African music has become the most important part of American music

B．African American music has now become popular all over the world

C．Africans in America are well-received worldwide

D．African American music may replace all other kinds of music