CET6

"Popular" art has a number of meanings,impossible to define with any precision,which range from folklore to junk(质量低劣的东西).The poles are clear enough,but the middle tends to blur.There trash, just as there is bad high art.The musicals of George Gershwin are great popular art,never aspiring to high art.Schubert and Brahms,however,used elements of popular music-folk themes-in works clearly intended as high art.The case of Verdi is a different one,he took a popular genre(流派)-bourgeois melodrama set to music(an accurate definition of 19th century opera)and,without altering its fundamental nature,transformed it into high art.This remains one of the greatest achievements in music,and one that cannot be fully appreciated without recognizing the essential trashiness of the genre.　As an example of such a transformation, consider what Verdi made of the typical political elements of 19th century opera. Generally in the plots of these operas, a hero or heroine--usually portrayed only as an individual, independent from social class is caught between the corruption of the aristocracy and the greed of the proletariat. Verdi transforms this naive and unlikely formulation with music of extraordinary energy and rhythmic vitality, music more subtle than it seems at first hearing. Such pieces lend an immediacy to the otherwise concealed political message of these operas and call up feelings beyond those of the opera itself.

Or consider Verdi's treatment of character. Before Verdi, there were rarely any characters at all in musical drama, only a series of situations which allowed the singers to express a series of emotional states. Any attempt to find coherent psychological portrayal in these is misplaced cleverness. The only coherence was the singer's vocal technique: when the cast changed, new arias (独唱曲) were from other operas. Verdi's characters, on the other hand, have consistency and integrity. The integrity of the character is achieved through the music: once he had . Verdi did not rewrite his music for different singers or countenance alterations, as every 18th-century composer had done. When he revised an opera, he only intended for dramatic economy and effectiveness.

1.The author refers to Schubert and Brahms in order to suggest____.

A) that their works are examples of great trash

B) that their works are examples of high art

C) that popular music could be employed in compositions intended as high art

D) that their achievements are no less substantial than those of Verdi

2.It can be inferred that the author regards the independence from social class of the heroes and heroines of 19th century opera as____.

A) an idealized but fundamentally accurate portrayal of bourgeois life

B) a plot convention with no real connection to political reality

C) a plot refinement

D) a convention largely seen as irrelevant by audiences

3.According to the passage, the immediacy of the political message in Verdi's operas stems from the____.

A) vitality and subtlety of the music

B) audience's familiarity with the earlier operas

C) individual talents of the singers

D) portrayal of the heightened emotional states

4.According to the passage, all of the following characterize music drama before Verdi EXCEPT____.

A) arias tailored to a particular singer's ability

B) adaptation of music from other operas

C) psychological inconsistency in the portrayal of characters

D) music used for defining a character

5.It can be inferred that the author regards Verdi's revisions to his operas with____.

A) regret that the original music and texts are altered

B) concern that many of the revisions altered the plots of the original work

C) approval for the intentions that motivated the revisions.

D) enthusiasm, since the revisions were aimed at reducing the conventionality

答案与解析：

1.C。细节推理题。

见第一段第五句，"Schubert and Brahms...intended as high art" Schubert 和Brahms将流行音乐的元素(民间元素)用于高雅艺术之中, 由此可推断出C)为正确答案。A) 他们的作品是垃圾;B) 他们的作品属于高雅艺术;D)他们的成就不逊于威尔地;都与文章表达的意思不符，为错误答案。

2.B。细节推理题。

见第二段第三句，"Verdi transforms this naive and unlikely formulation...." 关键词是unlikely，作者认为这种剧情安排是幼稚而且不太可能的，由此推断出，只是一个老套的剧情，而并非现实的反映，所以B)为正确答案。A)是资产阶级生活基本正确的写照，虽然被理想化了;C)是精练的剧情;D)对观众来说是不相关的惯例;文中都未提及，为错误答案。

3.A。细节推理题。

见第二段第三四句，"Verdi transforms ...with music of extraordinary energy and rhythmic vitality, music more subtle ... Such pieces lend an immediacy to the otherwise concealed political message..."正是由于他的音乐生动富有活力才使得原本隐藏的政治信息传达的更直观，由此可知A)为正确答案。 B) 观众对早期歌剧的熟悉;C)歌手个人的才能;D)对提升的情感的刻画;文中并为提及，为错误答案。

4.D。细节推理题。

A)专门为某一歌手所做的曲子(文章倒数第二句中提到);B) 从其他歌剧中改编的音乐(第三段第三句提到"when the cast changed, new arias (独唱曲) were from other operas); C) 刻画角色心理上的矛盾(第三段第二句"Any attempt to find coherent psychological portrayal in these is misplaced cleverness");用排除法可知只有D不是威尔地之前的歌剧所具有的特点，为正确答案。

5.C。细节推理题。

见文章最后一句话，"When he revised an opera, he only intended for dramatic economy and effectiveness"当他改写歌剧的时候，他试图达到经济、有效的目的，由此可推断C)为正确答案。A)遗憾的态度，因为他改变了原有的音乐和剧本; B) 关注的态度，因为很多改写改变了原著的情节; D)热心的态度，因为改编致力于打破常规;都与文章旨意不符，为错误答案。

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