单选题
It is because of his plays that Shakespeare is now
considered the greatest English writer in history. The era in which he lived,
Elizabethan England, was a time in which broad interests and creativity could
flourish. Elizabeth, the queen, was beloved by her subjects and proved to be a
powerful and able ruler. Under the reign of Elizabeth, England changed from an
island kingdom to an expanding empire. England grew rich through trade.
16th-century Englishmen traveled to the New World and to Africa. Music, dance,
poetry, painting, and architecture flourished; but the art form in which
Elizabethan England distinguished the rest of Europe was the theater.
The theater, which had practically disappeared from Europe, was, at this
time, received as a part of the church service. Later, no longer as a part
of the service, the "mystery plays" responded to popular taste by adding more
and more comic elements. In England, they were sponsored by various trade guilds
and presented on stage wagons that went from place to place. When the mystery
plays began to lose their appeal, they were replaced by "morality" plays which
always taught a moral. In Renaissance England, writers were
particularly interested in classical texts such as Latin and Greek plays.
Schools and universities began to produce comedies and tragedies by Platus,
Terence, and Seneca. Shakespeare was well acquainted with classical humanities
and classical tragedies and comedies often served as models in his own
drama. A Renaissance man, Shakespeare's interest went beyond book learning
to practical knowledge of military strategy, seafaring, business affairs, and
the new geographical discoveries, all evident in his plays.
Companies of "strolling plays" which had specialized in morality plays responded
to the change by staging new plays. Professional actors, who had been viewed by
English society as little better than vagrants or criminals, gradually came
under the protection of the nobility. Licensed theater companies were formed;
Shakespeare belonged to one of those, where in addition to his writing, he
acquired a wide experience in acting and theater management.
The theater grew in popularity and public theaters were built, not inside the
city limits but just outside, along with other places of entertainment.
Theaters in Elizabethan England were {{U}}patronized{{/U}} by all social classes.
The Globe Theater, built in 1599, where many of Shakespeare's plays were
performed, had a platform stage jutting out into a central courtyard. The
audience stay around three sides of this platform -- the lower-class who each
paid a penny in the pit and the wealthier spectators in the galleries above. The
orchestra was on stage, as music was usually a significant part of the
production. Indeed, the costumes, scenery, singing, playing, and dancing, as
well as acting was essential to the total show. There was no lighting, however,
plays were performed in the afternoon. Shakespeare knew his audience: his
theater is addressed not just to the educated but to all classes of
society.
单选题
Which of the following is NOT TRUE about the Elizabethan England?
A. Broad interests and creativity flourished.
B. English people began to travel to the Continent.
C. The theater was the most prominent art form.
D. England was no longer an island kingdom.
【正确答案】
B
【答案解析】[解析] 文中原句是16th-century Englishmen traveled to the New World and to Africa，所以B项符合题意。
单选题
According to the passage, the theater ______.
A. first appeared in England
B. had various types
C. were only sponsored by the nobility
D. followed two classical rules
【正确答案】
B
【答案解析】[解析] 文章第二段至第四段分别提到plays for the church service，mystery plays， morality plays和strolling plays等，可知戏剧有不同的种类。所以选B。
单选题
Which of the following statements may NOT be the reason for
Shakespeare's success?
A. He lived in the Elizabethan Age.
B. He was quite wealthy.
C. He had broad interest.
D. He was experienced in acting and theater management.