“Anyone who comes to Buenos Aires and hasn’t seen tango, hasn’t been to Buenos Aires at all!” This is what Japanese tourist Kuwabara Kazumi learned on her trip to the capital of Argentina.
Kazumi, 27, and her husband Taisuke Hanabusa joined the sea of dancing people during the Buenos Aires Tango Festival and its first World Tango Dance Championships. This year’s annual celebration was held during the first week of March.
Kazumi was one of 4 million tourists at the festival who braved the summer heat of the southern hemisphere. Buenos Aires is the birth place of tango – a city known as the “Paris of the South”.
During the festival, the whole city is gripped by tango fever. Professional dancers – men in dark suits and women in evening gowns – whirl (旋转) on glittering stages in bars.
Tourists rush for lessons with tango masters. The more adventurous even try their steps at the dance parties, which block off entire downtown streets at night. These parties often last until the early hours of the morning.
Tango originated in bars around the ports of Buenos Aries in the late 19th century – after the arrival of European immigrants. It developed from a mix of culture. Influences included the constant rhythms that the African slaves beat on their drums and music from early Spanish colonists. Tango became a hit by the 1920s. And in the 1990s, the dance gained fame in American movies.
Gustavo Sorel, a tango teacher, said the dance is a local invention whose passion is universally understood. “Here one lives the tango, one listens to it and one dances it all the time. As Argentines, this helps us preserve our roots.”
1．Which of the following is not true about Buenos Aires?
A．It is the birthplace of Tango.
B．It is the “Paris of the South”.
C．It holds the Tango Championships every other year.
D．It is the capital of Argentina.
2．How did Tango come into being?
A．It was brought in by Spanish colonists.
B．It was invented by European immigrants.
C．It originates in African dances.
D．It is a mixture of different music elements.
3．Which of the following statements about what tourists do during the Tango Season in Buenos Aires is true?
A．People drink in the bars for a whole night.
B．People dance in the bars for a whole night.
C．People enjoy the summer heat on the beach.
D．People rush for lessons with tango masters.