Question

    In his 402nd anniversary year, Shakespeare is still rightly celebrated as a great wordsmith （语言大师）and playwright （剧作家）.But he was not the only great master of dramatic writing to die in 1616, and he is certainly not the only writer to have left a lasting influence on theater.

While less known worldwide, Tang Xianzu is considered China’s greatest playwright and is highly spoken of in that country of ancient literary and dramatic traditions.

Tang was born in 1550 in Linchuan, Jiangxi province, and pursued a low-key career as an official until, in 1598 and aged 49, he retired to focus on writing. Unlike Shakespeare’s large body of plays, poems and sonnets （十四行诗），Tang wrote only four major plays: The Purple Hairpin （《紫钗记》），Peony Pavilion （《牡丹亭》），A Dream under the Southern Bough （《南柯记》，and Dream of Handan（《邯郸记》. The Peony Pavilion is considered Tang’s masterpiece. The latter three are constructed around a dream narrative, a device through which Tang unlocked the emotional dimension of human desires and ambitions and explored human nature beyond the social and political restrictions of that time.

Tang lived toward the end of the Ming Dynasty（1368—1644）and the popularity of his works had a good reason. Similar to Shakespeare, his success rode the wave of a renaissance （复兴）in theater as an artistic practice. As in Shakespeare’s England, Tang’s works became hugely popular in China too. During Tang’s China, the way, in which playlets were enjoyed and performed, changed. Kunqu opera, a form of musical drama, spread from southern China to the whole nation and became a symbol of Chinese culture. Combining northern tune and southern music, kunqu opera was known for its poetic language, music, dance movements and gestures. Tang’s works benefited greatly from the popularity of kunqu opera, and his playlets are considered classics of kunqu opera.

While Tang and Shakespeare lived in a world away from each other, there are many things they share in common, such as the humanity of their drama, their iconic and heroic figures, their love for poetic language, a lasting popularity and the anniversary during which we still celebrate them.

1.How is the text developed?

A. By analyzing data. B. By giving examples.

C. By providing arguments. D. By making comparisons.

2.What’s the most outstanding feature of Tang’s works according to Paragraph 3 ?

A. They are love stories based on real events.

B. They reflect political environment at that time.

C. They focus on discovering human emotions.

D. They are mainly about dreams of females.

3.What does the underlined phrase in Paragraph 4 mean?

A. Led to. B. Called up.

C. Set off. D. Benefited from.

4.What’s the best title for the text?

A. Tang Xianzu—The Shakespeare of China

B. Kunqu Opera——A Symbol of Chinese Culture

C. Tang Xianzu and His Work——The Peony Pavilion

D. Shakespeare and His Influence on Chinese Theater

Answer

1.D

2.C

3.D

4.A

【解析】

这是一篇人物介绍类阅读。这篇文章主要介绍了中国的莎士比亚——汤显祖的文学成就以及作品风格。

1.推理判断题。根据Unlike Shakespeare’s large body of plays, poems and sonnets （十四行诗），Tang wrote only four major plays以及As in Shakespeare’s England, Tang’s works became hugely popular in China too.可知文章对莎士比亚和汤显祖进行了对比，由此可知文章是用比较的方法进行发展的，故选D。

2.细节理解题。答案定位在第三段Tang unlocked the emotional dimension of human desires and ambitions and explored human nature beyond the social and political restrictions of that time.（汤显祖开启了人类欲望和野心的情感，超越了当时的社会和政治限制，探索了人性。）由此可知根据第三段，汤显祖的作品最突出的特点是它们专注于发现人类的情感，故选C。

3.词义猜测题。根据上下文的语境，可知划线短语所在的句子意思是：与莎士比亚相似，他的成功得益于戏剧作为一种艺术实践的复兴浪潮。rode the wave of的意思是受益于，故选D。

4.主旨大意题。第二段While less known worldwide, Tang Xianzu is considered China’s greatest playwright and is highly spoken of in that country of ancient literary and dramatic traditions.是全文的主题句，结合全文内容，可知这篇文章主要介绍了中国的莎士比亚——汤显祖，故选A。