Question

    The theatre in Shakespeare’s time was much different than it is today. Authors wrote plays for the masses, especially those who couldn’t read or write.

The theatre changed a lot during Shakespeare’s lifetime. The authorities didn’t like it and didn’t allow acting in the city itself: They thought it had a bad influence on people and kept them from going to church. Queen Elizabeth, on the other hand, loved acting and helped the theatre become popular.

The theatre in Shakespeare’s time was full of life. People did not sit all the time and it was not quiet during the performance. The audience could walk around, eat and drink during the play.

Theaters were open arenas or playhouses that had room for up to three thousand people. There was almost no scenery because the dialogue was the most important part of the play. Colourful and well-designed costumes were very important and told the people about the status of a character. Women never performed in plays, 80 young boys played female characters. The performances took place in the afternoon because it was too dark at night.

There was no stage crew as there is today. Actors had to do everything themselves-from making costumes to setting the stage. Plays were organized by acting companies. They performed about 6 different plays each week because they needed money to survive. They had almost no time to rehearse (排练).

The companies in Shakespeare’s time had a rank system. The company belonged to shareholders and managers. They were responsible for everything and got most of the money when the company was successful. Sometimes they even owned their own buildings. Actors worked for the managers and after some time became a permanent member of the company. Apprentices (学徒) were young boys and were allowed to act in unimportant role. They also played female characters in plays.

1.Why was the theatre banned by the authorities?

A. It was much different than before.

B. They thought it affected people negatively.

C. They thought it kept people going to church.

D. The queen didn’t like it.

2.What does the underlined word “arenas” in Paragraph 4 mean?

A. Stages. B. Stores.

C. Companies. D. Playgrounds.

3.What do we know about then actors?

A. They could drink during the play.

B. Women had to cross-dress male characters.

C. They had stage crew to help them.

D. They were too busy to practice.

4.What is the author’s purpose in writing the text?

A. To remember Shakespeare.

B. To show his love of Shakespeare’s plays.

C. To introduce theaters in Shakespeare’s time.

D. To discuss the company’s rank system.

Answer

1.B

2.A

3.D

4.C

【解析】

本文属于说明文，主要介绍了莎士比亚时代的戏剧表演的情况以及当时演员的状况。

1.细节理解题。根据第二段The authorities didn’t like it and didn’t allow acting in the city itself: They thought it had a bad influence on people and kept them from going to church.可知，当权者不喜欢戏剧，不允许在城市里表演，因为他们认为对人们有不好的影响，所以阻止人们去教堂，故选B。而C选项意思是让人们一直去教堂，不符合。

2.词义猜测题。根据本句Theaters were open arenas or playhouses that had room for up to three thousand people. 可知arenas与playhouses 是同义词，playhouses是一个可以容纳多达3000观众的地方看戏剧表演的地方，因而arenas是开阔的舞台，故选A。

3.推理判断题。根据倒数第二段They performed about 6 different plays each week because they needed money to survive. They had almost no time to rehearse (排练).可知，每周表演六个不同的戏剧，因此没有时间排练，可知他们很忙，故选D。

4.写作意图题。根据文章可知，本文主要介绍了莎士比亚时代的戏剧表演的情况以及当时演员的状况，故可知，本文在于介绍莎士比亚时代的剧院，故选C。