Question

【题目】Legend has it that the performing arts began when a Greek singer named Thespis invented tragedy.In 534 B.C., Thespis was performing a hymn（赞美诗）to the god Dionysius.Such hymns,called dithyrambs,were usually sung by a lead singer and a chorus.Thespis added a speaking actor.Performances at the annual Dionysian festival soon included plays with three actors as well as the standard hymns.By 449 B.C.,the Greeks were giving prizes to the best actor and the best playwright at the festival.A modern word for actor—thespian recognizes the debt today's drama owes to Thespis.

Performing in a Greek play required physical strength.Because each play had only three actors,performers had to play several roles.Chorus members both sang and danced.Being in the chorus for the many performances given at a festival was said to be as demanding as competing in the Olympic Games.

The Theater of Dionysius in Athens could hold 20,000 people.Even those in the front rows were quite a distance from the actors.Performers used grand gestures and wore masks so that they could be seen by everyone in their huge audience.Tragic（悲剧的）actors wore long clothes and masks.Comic actors wore short costumes that let them move freely and masks designed to make them look ugly or silly.Sometimes the chorus were dressed up to look like animals.

Another legacy（遗产）of the ancient Greeks is the deus ex machina,or "god from the machine".If a playwright was having trouble with the plot,he might have a god appear through a trap door（天窗）.The god would rescue the main character and find a solution to any difficult plot situations.Modem writers might not call on gods,but they do sometimes use unlikely ways to end a story.A character or an event that brings a complicated plot to an unlikely conclusion is still called deus ex machina.

【1】We can learn from Paragraph 1 that .

A. the word "thespian" means "debt" in English

B. the Dionysian festival was held once a year

C. there were four actors in early Greek drama

D. the first tragedy was performed in 449B.C

【2】From the passage we can know .

A. it was not easy to get a chance to perform in the chorus

B. the best actor and the best playwright would be given money

C. the playwright must play a role in the performance

D. the audience sat very close to actors to have a good view

【3】According to the passage,one difference between early Greek comedies and tragedies is .

A. the actors' distance from the audience

B. the play's beginning

C. the number of performers

D. the actors' clothes

【4】Deus ex machina is .

A. a kind of tragedy popular with ancient audience

B. a type of character that modern writers often write about

C. a way ancient Greek dramatists used to develop the plot

D. a style of performance first used by ancient Greek actors

Answer 1

【答案】

【1】B

【2】A

【3】D

【4】C

【解析】这篇文章介绍了希腊戏剧的发展。

【1】细节理解题。由Performances at the annual Dionysian festival soon included plays with three actors as well as the standard hymns.可知酒神节每年举办一次，选B。

【2】细节理解题。由Being in the chorus for the many performances given at a festival was said to be as demanding as competing in the Olympic Games.可知想要获得在合唱中表演的机会是非常难的，选A。

【3】细节理解题。由Tragic（悲剧的）actors wore long clothes and masks.Comic actors wore short costumes that let them move freely and masks designed to make them look ugly or silly.可知早期的希腊喜剧和悲剧的一个不同之处在于演员的服装，选D。

【4】细节理解题。由Another legacy（遗产）of the ancient Greeks is the deus ex machina,or "god from the machine".If a playwright was having trouble with the plot,he might have a god appear through a trap door（天窗）.The god would rescue the main character and find a solution to any difficult plot situations.可知Deus ex machina是古希腊剧作家用来发展情节的一个方法，故选C。