Actividad : the beatles

1. The Beatles were one of the most influential music groups of the rock era, and many consider them the best musical group on Earth. Initially they affected the post-war baby boom generation of Britain and the U.S. during the 1960s, and later the rest of the world. Certainly they were the most successful group, with global sales exceeding 1.1 billion records.

2. While they were originallyfamous for light-weight pop music (and the extreme hysterical reaction they received from young women), their later works achieved a combination of popular and critical acclaim perhaps unequaled in the 20th century.

3. Eventually, they became more than recording artists, branching out into film and — particularly in the case of John Lennon — political activism. They achieved an iconic statusbeyond more celebrity, with far reaching effects difficult to exaggerate.

4. The members of the group were John Lennon, (James) Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr (Richard Starkey), all from Liverpool, Merseyside, England. Original drummer Pete Best was asked to leave the group just before it started recording. Stuart Sutcliffe was with them in Hamburg but also left.

5. Beatlemaniabegan in the UK and exploded following the appearance of the Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show in the United States, on February 9, 1964. The pop-music band became a worldwide phenomenon with worshipful fans, hysterical adulation, and denunciations by culture commentators and others such as Frank Sinatra.

6. Some of this was confusion over the sources of their music (a similar confusion wasevinced in 1956 over Elvis Presley by commentators who were unaware of the tradition of blues, R&B and gospel out of which Presley emerged), and some of it was simply an incredulous reaction to the length of their hair. At any rate, it was regarded by the band members with both awe and resentment.

Name: ________________________________________. Date: _____________.
BEFORE YOU START

A. Inpairs, look at the title of the story. What do you think is about? Have you ever listened The Beatles? Do you have a story to tell us about your favorite music band ?

B. Make predictions about the text.
1. The text is about…
a) The most influential band on the rock era.
b) School friends who try to form a band.
2. The band did one important thing …
a) They made importantpaintings.
b) They made many records.
3. They were famous for play…
a) Light-weight pop music.
b) Hip-Hop music.
4. They affected a generation…
a) During 60’s
b) During 80’s

READING
Check your predictions after you read the text.

C. Put the events in order.
a) They received with a hysterical reaction from young women.
b) Beatlemania began in the UK.c) They sold exceeding 1.1 billion records.
d) They became more than recording artists.
e) They affected the post-war baby boom generation of Britain and the U.S. during the 1960s.
f) They achieved an iconic status beyond more celebrity.
g) They were originally famous for light-weight pop music.
h) They have problems and confusions with the tradition of blues, R&B and gospel out of whichPresley emerged.
i)They became a worldwide phenomenon with worshipful fans.
D. Write the number of the paragraph (s) were you can find information about:
a) The origin of The Beatles.
b) The name of the members of the group.
c) How they received for the people.
d) Where the Beatlemania began in UK.

E- Match the words with their definitions. The number in parenthesesindicates the paragraph where the words can be found.
Beatlemania(5), The Ed Sullivan Show (5), baby boom (1), members (4)
1. Term referring to the Beatles, immense popularity; manifested by screaming fans in the 1960s.
2. Was an American television variety show.
3. Increase in the birth rate between 1946 and 1964.
4. A person who belongs to a club, political party, etc.

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