The Grand Ole Opry, in Nashville, Tennessee, has always been America's most important concert hall for country music. Every Saturday night the place is filled with country music 1  .

    One 2 in January 1967, it was a very 3 night at the Opry. For the first time, a 4 man was an attraction. 5 music had always been thought of as “white music”. For many, it was a strange 6 to see Charley Pride step 7 the Opry stage. Some people felt 8 about whether a black man could sing country songs. 9 Charley's smooth voice quickly 10 over the Opry 11   . Charley was so good that before long, he was the country music's biggest 12   .

    Like many country singers, Charley was 13 on a farm. He spent his youth milking cows and picking cotton. But he knew he wasn't going to make 14 his career. Later he became a baseball player.  

Charley made it to a major league team. But he didn't stay on for more than one season.

    In the winter, after the baseball season, Charley 15 at a local nightclub. One evening, Red Sovine, a great country music star, 16 Charley sing. Red told Charley to sing. He told Charley to forget about 17 and go for a singing career.  

    Charley took the 18 and became a true hit maker. His 19 were always near the top on the list. Some were number 1 all over the country.  

    Today Charley Pride is 20 one of the biggest stars in country music. But he says his real wish is to own a baseball team.  

    How to Remember What You Read

    Reading is important. But the next step is making sure that you remember what you've read! You may have just read the text, but the ideas, concepts and images(形象) may fly right out of your head. Here are a few tricks for remembering what you read.

    If the plot, characters, or word usage is confusing for you, you likely won't be able to remember what you read. It's a bit like reading a foreign language. If you don't understand what you're reading, how would you remember it? But there are a few things you can do. . . Use a dictionary; look up the difficult words.

    Are you connected?

    Does a character remind you of a friend? Does the setting make you want to visit the place? Does the book inspire you, and make you want to read more? With some books, you may feel a connection right away.  How willing are you to make the connections happen?  

    Read it; hear it; be it!

    Read the lines. Then, speak them out loud. And, put some character into the words. When he was writing his novels, Charles Dickens would act out the parts of the characters. He'd make faces in the mirror, and change his voice for each character.

    How often do you read?

    If you read frequently, you'll likely have an easier time with remembering what you're reading (and what you've read).  As you make reading a regular part of your life, you'll make more connections, stay more focused and understand the text better. You'll learn to enjoy literature—as you remember what you read!

A. Are you confused?

B. Practice makes perfect.

C. What's your motivation?

D. Memory is sometimes a tricky thing.

E. Marking helps you remember what you read.

F. But other books require a bit more work on your part.

G. You can do the same thing when you are reading the text!