🔥Read the text about pop 

art.

The 1950s and ’60s were a time of many changes in the US. After a long period of war, factories began using machines to make large amounts of goods. Many people had new jobs and more money to spend. People started buying more cars and houses. They also had more money to buy things for their new homes, like washing machines and refrigerators. Colour TVs became popular, too. By 1960, most families had at least one TV in their home. During this time, art changed, too. A new style of art grew out of the new products that were being sold on TV and in magazine ads. It was called pop art.

‘Pop’ is short for popular. This style of art started as a revolt against the art that was well known at the time. Many young artists refused to follow the ‘old’ art styles. They wanted to create art that represented their everyday, modern lives instead. Pop art showed things that were popular among Americans at the time and that were often shown in TV and magazine ads, films and comic books. Some pop artists turned everyday objects, like telephones, into pieces of art. Andy Warhol was a pop artist who created screen prints of cans of soup. He also created famous art using soft drink bottles and soap boxes.

Not everyone thought pop art was ‘real’ art. Some people did not see it as serious art. Still, many people connected with this one-of-a-kind style, and pop art can now be found in museums around the world.

🔥Read the text about the Vegetable 

Orchestra.

A carrot flute? A trumpet made from a pepper? You’ve probably heard the saying ‘eat your vegetables’, but you might be surprised to learn that some people actually play their veggies! The members of the Vegetable Orchestra create instruments out of vegetables and then play them. This group plays all kinds of music, from classical to electronic rock.

The Vegetable Orchestra started in 1998 when three friends came up with the idea. This orchestra grew in size and now performs in hundreds of shows worldwide. On show days, performers shop the markets for the freshest vegetables. Packaged vegetables sold in many shops don’t work as well and can result in poor—even disagreeable—sound quality. After shopping, the performers start putting their instruments together. Some instruments, like pumpkin drums, do not require any work. Performers can just use their hands to pound on a pumpkin. Other instruments, like the cucumberphone, require attaching several vegetables together.

It’s not easy to use food as instruments. First, no two pieces of vegetables are the same, so each will sound different. Also, vegetable instruments can spoil quickly. Most won’t stay fresh for more than six hours, and hot stage lights can dry them out fast. So, even after the instruments are tested, it’s tough to know if the music will sound good throughout the entire show.

After each concert, audience members can take extra vegetables home with them. At a Vegetable Orchestra concert, the music is entertaining and nothing goes to waste.

🔥Read the text about the 

pipa.

The pipa is a stringed instrument that was first brought to China more than two thousand years ago. During ancient times, the pipa was played with other instruments in performances for the royal court. The pipa was also used in Chinese operas and storytelling. Today, the pipa is most often played alone as a solo instrument.

The Chinese word pipa comes from pi, meaning ‘play forwards’, and pa, ‘play backwards’. The pear-shaped instrument is made from wood and has four strings. The player’s right hand pulls at, or plucks, the strings to make sounds. Meanwhile, the player’s left hand presses down on the strings. Pressing down in different places changes how high or low the music sounds. This is similar to how a guitar is played.

Back in the day, the pipa was held in a horizontal position across the player’s lap. The silk strings were plucked with a triangle-shaped piece called a plectrum, also known as a pick. After some time, musicians began using their fingers to pluck the silk strings. Today, musicians hold the instrument in a different way. It is now held upright in a standing position. And the strings are now made of steel. So, musicians pluck the strings using special picks that they place on the tips of their fingers, like long fingernails.

🔥Based on the text, what was the pipa usually played for when it was first brought to China?

• parades and festivals
• bands and concerts
• operas and storytelling
• weddings and celebrations