When a new movement in art attains a certain fashion, it is advisable to find out what its advo cates are aiming at, for, however farfetched and unreasonable their principles may seem today, it is possible that in years to come they may be regarded as normal. With regard to futurist poetry, however, the case is rather difficult, for whatever futurist poetry may be—even admitting that the theory on which it is based may be right—it can hardly be classed as literature. This, in brief, is what the futurist says: for a century, past conditions of life have been conditionally speeding up, till now we live in a world of noise and violence and speed. Consequently, our feelings, thoughts, and emotions have undergone a corresponding change. This speeding up of life, says the futurist, requires a new form of expression. We must speed up our literature too, if we want to interpret modern press. We must pour out a large stream of essential words, unhampered by stops, or qualifying adjectives, or finite verbs. Instead of describing sounds we must make up words that imitate them: we must use many sizes of type and different coloured inks on the same page, and shorten or lengthen words at will. Certainly their description of battles are confused. But it is a little upsetting to read in the ex planatory notes that a certain line describes a fight between a Turkish officer and a Bulgarian officer on a bridge off which they both fall into the river—and then to find that the line consists of the noise of their falling and the weights of the officers: "Pluff! Pluff! A hundred and eighty-five kilograms". This, though it fulfils the laws and requirements of futurist poetry, can hardly be classed as lit erature. All the same, no thinking man can refuse to accept their first proposition: that a great change in our emotional life calls for a change of expression. The whole question is really this: have we essentially changed?
单选题
When a new art fashion appears, people should try to______.
【正确答案】
A
【答案解析】解析：细节题。根据第一段When a new movement in art attains a certain fashion，it is advisable to find outwhat its advocates are aiming at可知，当一场新的艺术运动形成某种时尚时，理应弄清其倡导者的目标所在。题干中的purpose是对原文aiming at的同义转述。因此，正确答案是A。
单选题
In order to adapt to the speeding up of life, futurists claim that we must______.
【正确答案】
C
【答案解析】解析：细节题。根据第三段This speeding up of life，says the futurist，requires a new form of expression．可知未来派诗人声称，这种加速的生活节奏需要一种新的表达形式。通读答案，C选项与该句子的内容一致。因此，正确答案是C。
单选题
The author cites the line of a futurist poem to______.
【正确答案】
B
【答案解析】解析：细节题。根据最后一段This，though it fulfils the laws and requirements of futurist poetry，can hardly beclassed as literature．可知，尽管这符合未来派诗歌的规则和要求，却很难被归入文学之列。通读答案，B选项与该句子的内容一致。因此，正确答案是B。
单选题
The author believes that futurist poetry is______.
【正确答案】
D
【答案解析】解析：推断题。通读全文，根据第一段中的With regard to futurist poetry…it can hardly be classed as literature，和最后一段This…can hardly be classed as literature．可知，作者反复声明未来主义诗歌不是文学。最后一句The whole question is really this：have we essentially changed?作者用反问句形式表达肯定的观点：人们没有变化。由以上分析可推断作者认为未来主义诗歌是一种暂时的现象，并非文学，所以答案应该是D。