Comprehension: Colombian Cumbia Conquers Latin America

Cumbia started life as rural Colombian folk music, but has since taken Latin America by storm, with electronic cumbia nights all the rage among Argentina's hipsters. 
Decide if the statements are True or False.

1. Cumbia originated from a mix of Spanish and electronic music.
a. True
b. False

2. The latest hit of the group Los Wachiturros has been watched 18 million times on You Tube.

a. True
b. False

3.One of La Yegras’s “singles’ was chosen as one of the best songs in 2012 by France and Germany.
a. True
b. False


For transcript and answers see below.

Transcript and Answers:

Cumbia is Colombian folk music - born from the mix of sounds brought there by colonists from Spain and slaves from Africa.   It's played on a gaita - a sort of flute carved from the cactus plant - and drums.
 But cumbia's come a long way from its roots in the Colombian countryside - and is now all the rage here, thousands of miles away in Argentina.
 "At the beginning of the last decade, 2001, 2002, cumbia really started to catch on here, a genre appeared that seemed very shocking for the middle classes, cumbia villera, but cumbia existed and was popular before that"
 Cumbia villera - literally, slum cumbia - was created by young people in poor areas of Argentina's cities, mixing up the Colombian music with electronic beats.
 "Los Wachiturros", stars of the moment, make infectious dance music that hopes to overturn prejudices about inner-city young people.
 "They're just songs about having fun, dancing and meeting girls, having fun in a healthy way. Because, thank God, we have fun in a healthy way. We don't do drugs, we're not alcoholics, and we're not violent."
Their latest hit "Tirate un paso" has been watched 18 million times on YouTube.
 "Digital cumbia" is a more laid-back and musically sophisticated form - like La Yegros, a female singer influenced by folk rhythms, putting a different spin on cumbia's often macho lyrics.
 "It's often about a strong man, and the woman, hanging around admiring him, and I like occupying that space where you, the woman, can also be strong, you can transmit all your energy, all your power from the stage"
La Yegros has even started to win over fans in Europe - her single "Viene de Mi" was picked as one of the best of 2012 by music critics in France and Germany.
Whether it's her more relaxed style or cumbia villera's rap-influenced beats that get people moving, it's clear that cumbia has conquered Latin America's dancefloors.



Answers:
1. b
2. a
3. a

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Comprehension: Bucket List

Do you know what a bucket list is?
Watch the video and answer the questions below. Decide if the statements are True or False.

1. Thousands of bucket list websites appeared after the movie ‘Bucket List’ came out.
a. True
b. False

2. There are only four categories of bucket list.
a. True
b. False

3.One of the most popular bucket list items is swimming with dolphins.
a. True
b. False


For transcript and answers see below.

Transcript and Answers:

Do you know what a bucket list is?  According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary a bucket list is a list of things that one has not done before but wants to do before dying.  In other words it’s a list of all your dreams and goals.  The expression, bucket list, comes from the English idiom, ‘To kick the bucket’, which means to die.  The phrase bucket list was popularised in a Hollywood movie starring Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman and since then thousands of websites have appeared giving advice and ideas to help people create their own bucket list.

So what do people typically put on them?  Well, just about anything is the answer.  But generally we can divide the most popular bucket list goals into four categories.

The first category is travel.  Many people just want to travel the world before they die; others have very specific travel objectives.  Popular destinations for bucket lists include the Egyptian pyramids, and the Great Wall of China, or Australia’s magnificent Great Barrier Reef.

The second category is having unique experiences.  Some of these may be daring and exhilarating such as bungee jumping, others maybe more serene such as taking a ride in a hot air balloon.  One of the most common goals on bucket lists is swimming with dolphins.

The third category concerns the development of personal skills.  This may include learning to speak another language or to play a musical instrument or doing a creative writing course and writing the book you have always wanted to write.

The final category is all about having a better quality of life for example living in a house by the sea or doing work which you find more personally rewarding such as working for a charity.  It could simply be spending more time with the grandchildren. 

Whatever your goals and ambitions why not do as millions of others and write them in your own bucket list.  Imagine the satisfaction as you cross each goal off your list as your dreams come true.

 
Answers:
1. a
2. b
3. a

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