阅读理解 On screens big and small, young heroes like Harry Potter and Buffy, the Vampire Slayer are narked by their ability to transform themselves when faced with danger. Post-9-11 , in a world that seems increasingly out of control, such flexibility is more prized than ever. So perhaps it''s not surprising that the classical master of metamorphosis, Ovid, is having a comeback. The ancient Roman poet created a universe full of magical transformations; his best-known work ''Metamorphoses" depicts constant change as a creative and inevitable life force. Now a new generation of writers, artists and composers is rediscovering his powerful themes. Ovid''s historical impact had been vast. In her new book, Fantastic Metamorphoses, Other Worlds, Marina Warner explores on the likes of Chaucer, Dante and Shakespeare. His stories find avid expression in the works of artists like Raphael, Rembrandt, Chagall and Picasso. For ''Metamorphosing", a new exhibit at London''s Science Museum co-curated by Warner. Artist ''aula Rego created a new work called Metamorphosis, inspired by Kafka''s story about a bureaucrat who turns into a cockroach. The show, which runs through January, also includes drawings of nutant insects found near nuclear power plants. The late British poet Ted Hughes sparked this latest Ovid revival with his 1997 Tales from Ovid, a loose and very dark translation of the original. Curious writers and artists began scouring dusty library shelves for Ovid''s 15 volumes of Latin verse, and soon fell under their sway. Jeffrey Eugenides''s Middlesex, in which a young girl is transformed into a man, refers to the myth of Tiresias, who in Ovid''s account underwent the opposite change. Another recent book, Ovid Metamorphosed, testifies to the poet''s cross-cultural appeal: it contains short stories based on his Latin myths by writers from the United States, Britain, Ireland, the Netherlands, Canada, India and France. September 11 made Ovid seem more relevant than ever. When Mary Zimmerman''s play Metamorphoses opened on Broadway less than a month after the World Trade Center attacks, audiences were deeply moved by its depiction of love, death and human resilience. The play became a hit, earning Zimmerman a Tony Award. Hughes suggested in his introduction to Tales from Ovid that the poet — who finished Metamorphoses in 7 A. D. , as the Roman Empire began to transform — was perfectly placed to comprehend " the psychological gulf that opens at the end of an era". Warner agrees that his tales of change are more likely to resonate during times of uncertainty. Ovid captured the innate pleasure of escaping from the boundaries of life and the laws of nature escapes that can seem more necessary than ever today.
单选题 What inspired people''s interest in Ovid once again?
【正确答案】 C
【答案解析】作者在文章开头用“哈里.波特和吸血鬼在屏幕上热播、人们被其面临危险时具有的变形能力所吸引”自然而然地引出“古典变形作品大师奥维德重受到关注并未让人感到惊讶”。哈里.波特和吸血鬼作品中描写的变形能力与奥维德的作品有相似之处,但并非说明哈里.波特和吸血鬼重新引发了人们对奥维德的兴趣,A项错误。第三段第一句明确指出泰德.休斯的《来自于奥维德的神话》引发了最新一轮奥维德热,故答案为C项。B、D两项说明的是在奥维德的历史影响力下,其他作者创作的作品以及有关变形作品的展览。
单选题 The following works demonstrate Ovid''s historical impact EXCEPT________.
【正确答案】 A
【答案解析】第二段第二句中谈到Marina Wamer在她的新书FantasticMetamorphoses,Other Worlds中研究了其他作家如乔叟、但丁和莎士比亚。其他三个选项列举的都是有关变形的作品。第三段第三句告诉读者B项描写了一个年轻的姑娘变成了一个小伙子的故事。第三段第四句指出C项《变形的奥维德》证实了诗人跨文化的吸引力:书中的短篇故事是在他的拉丁神话基础上写成的。这些神话的作者来自于美国、英国、爱尔兰、荷兰、加拿大、印度和法国。第二段第三句告诉读者D项Metamorphosis是Paula Rego创作的新作品,其灵感来自于卡夫卡的一位官僚变成了蟑螂的故事。
单选题 According to the passage, Ted Hughes'' translation of Ovid''s works is________.
【正确答案】 B
【答案解析】第三段第一句指出《来自于奥维德的神话》是loose and very darktranslation of the original,loose表示“自由的,随意的”。dark这里的含义为“隐晦的,模糊的”,说明泰德.休斯的《来自于奥维德的神话》是随意并且很晦涩难懂的翻译。故选B项。A项与此叙述正好相反。C、D两项对作品的评价与原文不符。
单选题 The play Metamorphoses was successful because________.
【正确答案】 D
【答案解析】第四段谈到Mary Zimmerman的戏剧Metamorphoses在世贸中心遭袭击后不到一个月的时候在百老汇上演。观众被其中对于爱、死亡、人性的达观的刻画深深感动。但其成功的根本原因,本段倒数第二句Wamer指出这类作品在动荡的时代最能够引起人内心的共鸣,故答案选D项。A项与戏剧的成功没有直接的关系;B项文中没有提到。
单选题 What is an appropriate title for this passage?
【正确答案】 B
【答案解析】纵观全篇。文章讨论的是古罗马诗人奥维德及其作品《变形记》如今被再度关注,并且其作品影响了许多现代作者。作者探究其中的原因是由于奥维德抓住了从生命边缘以及自然法则逃离的根本乐趣。目前,在现今局势动荡变幻的世界,比以往任何时候更加凸显出人们的逃离心理。所以B项可以作为最能够概括文章内容的标题。D项不全面,只是说明奥维德对于其他作者的影响力;C项为奥维德的作品,只是文章内容中提到的一部分;A项偏离了文章主题。