单选题
单选题 According to the passage, what did nature represent to Isadora Duncan?
  • A. Something to conquer
  • B. A model for movement
  • C. A place to find peace
  • D. A symbol of disorder
【正确答案】 B
【答案解析】[解析] Many artists late in the last century were in search of a means to express their individuality. Modern dance was one of the ways some of these people sought to free their creative spirit. At the beginning there was no exacting technique, no foundation from which to build. In later years, trial, error, and genius founded the techniques and the principles of the movement. Eventually, innovators even drew from what they considered the dread ballet, but first they had to discard all that was academic so that the new could be discovered. The beginnings of modern dance were happening before Isadora Duncan, but she was the first person to bring the new dance to general audiences and see it accepted and acclaimed. Her search for natural movement form sent her to nature. She believed movement should be as natural as the swaying of the trees and the rolling waves of the sea, and should be in harmony with the movements of the Earth. Her great contributions are in three areas. First, she began the expansion of the kinds of movements that could be used in dance. Before Duncan danced, ballet was the only type of dance performed in concert. In the ballet the feet and legs were emphasized, with virtuosity shown by complicated movements. Duncan performed dance by using all her body in the freest possible way. Her dance stemmed from her soul and spirit. She was one of the pioneers who broke tradition so others might be able to develop the art. Her second contribution lied in dance costume. She discarded ballet shoes and stiff costumes. These were replaced with bare feet, and unbound hair. She believed in the natural body being allowed to move freely, and her dress displayed this ideal. Her third contribution was in the use of music. In her performances she used the symphonies of great masters, including Beethoven and Wagner, which was not the usual custom. She was as exciting and eccentric in her personal life as in her dance. 细节题,文中提到“She believed movement should be as natural as the swaying of the trees and the rolling waves of the sea,and should be in harmony with the movements of the Earth.”,说明自然是她舞蹈动作的范本,关键词是as natural as,因此选B。
单选题 Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the passage as an area of dance that Isadora Duncan worked to change?
  • A. The music
  • B. The stage sets
  • C. Costumes
  • D. Movements
【正确答案】 B
【答案解析】是非题,全文提到邓肯对舞蹈的三大贡献,惟独没有stage sets这一项,因此选B,注意题目中有NOT。
单选题 Compared to those of the ballet, Isadora Duncan's costumes were less ______.
  • A. costly
  • B. colorful
  • C. graceful
  • D. restrictive
【正确答案】 D
【答案解析】细节题,文章提到“She discarded ballet shoes and stiff costumes.”,也可以根据第17题的理解来选,邓肯喜欢像自然一样自由,她的舞衣风格当然如此。
单选题 What is the passage mainly about?
  • A. The evolution of dance in the twentieth century.
  • B. Artists of the last century.
  • C. Natural movement in dance.
  • D. A pioneer in modern dance.
【正确答案】 D
【答案解析】综合大意题。文章讲邓肯对舞蹈艺术的贡献。A具有较强的干扰性,但文中并未涉及以前的舞蹈家,因此不存在进化的问题。B、C两项太泛。只有D项符合,因为邓肯一直被称为现代舞蹈先驱。