Please read the vocabulary lesson at your natural speed, though it should not be too fast so that I could hear what you speak naturally and imitate yours. Part 1 can be found at https://rhinospike.com/audio_requests/sunflower/56303/ Thank you!
Examiner: We have been talking about music and now I would like to ask you some more general questions relating to this topic.
CONSIDER whether famous pop stars influence young people too much
Student: It’s true to say that pop stars influence young people, but it’s hard to say whether it is too much. And is being influenced by a pop star necessarily a bad thing? I suppose it depends on the pop star. Someone like Amy Winehouse who is addicted to drugs is certainly not a positive role model, but I don’t think the world’s drugs’ problems can be attributed to her. Certainly young girls may be influenced by skinny pop stars and want to emulate them and get eating disorders as a result.
CONSIDER whether famous singers are paid too much
Student: Again that depends on the pop star. If you are just a singer and don’t write your own lyrics or music, then the amount you get paid is probably not excessive. Singers who are also songwriters, however, make money from royalties and I think they deserve this money so no I do not agree that singer are paid too much.
CONSIDER whether it is fair that people can now often download music from the internet for free, without paying the writer or performer anything
Student: I totally disagree with people being able to download music from the internet and the writer or performer gets nothing. To me it is stealing. You cannot just walk into a supermarket and take something without paying for it so why should you be allowed to have music for nothing. Record companies should work with the internet to make it impossible to download music without paying for it. This would then solve this problem.
CONSIDER whether it is a good thing that “western” music seems to be popular all over the world
Student: For language students I think western music is a useful tool for learning a language. A large proportion of western music is sung in English, therefore for learners of English listening to songs in English can contribute to their language acquisition. However, if the popularity of western music means that indigenous music is lost then the dominance of western music is a bad thing.
'the world's drugs problem' (UK) vs. 'the world's drug problem' (US)
'probably not excessive'. This phrase is ambiguous. If you listen to my intonation, I read it to mean that these pop stars are not, in fact, being paid lots of money. I'm not sure that this sentence fits the rest of the reading.