-The ballet “Nutcracker will be put on next week. Why not join us to the theater? -Well, not me. . A．That is simply not my cup of tea B．I can’t wait to go C．I just don’t believe a single word of 题目和参考答案——青夏教育精英家教网—

Dancing That Tells a Story--Ballet

　　There are different ways of telling a story. It can be told in words. It can be told in pictures. It can be told in music. It can be acted out. Or it can be told by still another way--by dancing. Dancing that tells a story is called ballet.

　　The dancing in a ballet is done to music, but the story is told by the movements of the dancers. There is no singing or speaking.

　　The dancers in the picture are telling the story of Steeping Beauty. The music for this famous ballet was written by the Russian composer Tschaikowsky. The movements of its dancers were worked out by the French ballet master Petipa.

　　A ballet is a work (of art) just as a beautiful picture is. The person who plans a ballet is an artist. So is each dancer.

　　Sometimes ballet is called toe dancing. It is true that in some ballets the dancers do dance on their toes. But a great deal of the dancing in ballets is not toe dancing. Toe dancing is used to give the idea of lightness and airiness. It is never put into a ballet unless it fits the story.

　　Back in the days of ancient Greece and Rome there were dances that told stories of the gods. Even longer ago in Egypt there were dances that told stories of the planets.But the ballet of today had its beginnings about 600 years ago. It began as a kind of entertainment in the courts of the rulers of Italy. Two hundred years later ballet was popular in the French court. The French king Louis X IV founded a ballet school.

　　On a ballet program today there are often some French words. The names of many ballets are French. But there may be other French words, too. A part of a ballet that is danced by just two people is called a pas de deux. Such French words remind us that France was once the leader in ballet.

　　Today there are many ballet companies. All opera companies, too, have ballet dancers, for ballets are a part of many operas. No one country now leads in ballet.

　　Later the rulers of Russia became interested in ballet. They offered a great deal of money to the best ballet masters and dancers of France. They founded a ballet school. Soon Russia was the leader in ballet.

　　Ballet is not easy to learn. A boy or a girl who wishes to be a ballet dancer has to begin going to a ballet school very early. Some begin when they are only three or four. All the parts in a ballet used to be danced by men. But now a girl has as good a chance as a boy of being a famous ballet dancer.

(1)There are ______ ways of telling a story accordingto the passage.

[　　]

(2)Ballet is called toe dancing because _____.

[　　]

A．there is a great deal of toe dancing in every ballet

B．in some ballets toe dancing is used to fit the story

C．it always tells a story by toe move-ments

D．the word ballet means “toe” in French

(3)Ballet of today can date back as early as ___.

[　　]

A．the days of ancient Greece and Rome

B．days before ancient Greece and Rome

C．about 600 years ago

D．the time when Louis X IV was in power

(4)_______ never acted as the leader in the history of ballet.

[　　]

(5)Which of the following is true?

[　　]

A．Boys are more likely to be successful in ballet than girls.

B．Ballet dances also play parts in many operas beside ballets.

C．Petipa was a Russian ballet master.

D．Ballet dancers of France weren't welcome in Russia.

Individuality is the particular character, or aggregate (total) of qualities that distinguishes one person or thing from others. 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 (改革者) even drew from what they considered the dread ballet, but first they had to get rid of 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 (称赞).

Her search for a 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 movement 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 (高超技巧) shown by complex, codified positions and movements. Duncan performed dance by using 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 lies in dance costume. She rejected ballet shoes and stiff costumes. These were replaced with flowing Grecian (希腊式的) tunes, 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 (怪异) in her personal life as in her dance.

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.

Compared to those of the ballet, Isadora Duncan’s costumes were less _________.

A．costly B．colorful C．graceful D．restrictive

Which of the following is not mentioned as an area of dance that Duncan worked to change?

A. The stage set. B. The music. C. Costumes. D. Movements.

We can infer from the passage that the author _________.

A. appreciates modern dance very much B. dislikes Isadora Duncan’s dance

C. thinks highly of individuality D. knows a lot about modern arts

Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?

A．Artists of the Last Century B．Evolution of Dance in the 20th Century

C．Natural Movement in Dance D．A Pioneer in Modern Dance

Individuality is the particular character, or aggregate (total) of qualities that distinguishes one person or thing from others. 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 (改革者) even drew from what they considered the dread ballet, but first they had to get rid of 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 (称赞).

Her search for a 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 movement 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 (高超技巧) shown by complex, codified positions and movements. Duncan performed dance by using 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 lies in dance costume. She rejected ballet shoes and stiff costumes. These were replaced with flowing Grecian (希腊式的) tunes, 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 (怪异) in her personal life as in her dance.

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.

Compared to those of the ballet, Isadora Duncan’s costumes were less _________.

A．costly B．colorful C．graceful D．restrictive

Which of the following is not mentioned as an area of dance that Duncan worked to change?

A. The stage set. B. The music. C. Costumes. D. Movements.

We can infer from the passage that the author _________.

A. appreciates modern dance very much B. dislikes Isadora Duncan’s dance

C. thinks highly of individuality D. knows a lot about modern arts

Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?

A．Artists of the Last Century B．Evolution of Dance in the 20th Century

C．Natural Movement in Dance D．A Pioneer in Modern Dance

HK’s Family Affair
　The 32nd Hong Kong Art Festival, to be held early next year, will be based on the theme of “family”.
　The art festival, considered to be Asia’s best, began in 1973.
　“We hope that people from Beijing and from all over the world will go to Hong Kong to enjoy the multiple performances in our art festival,”Douglas Gautier, the festival’s management director, said in a press conference in the capital.
　In the 29 days of the festival, which runs from February 8 to March 7, 2004, the audience can choose from 111 performances of 51 programmes staged by 700 foreign performers, 450 local artists and 160 actors from the mainland.
　Programmes vary from classical music, jazz, world music, Western and Peking opera, drama and dance to outdoor spectaculars.
　The programmes include Beethoven’s only opera Fidelio, Shakespeare’s drama Rromeo and Juliet, the ballet Mozartina and African dances, to name just a few.
　The lineup（阵容）includes the English Touring Theatre, Prague Chamber Orchestra, Zurich Ballet, The Spanish National Dance Troupe, as well as Europe Galante, the Petersen Quartet, pianists Angela Hewitt and Marc-Andre Hamelin, and saxophonist Jan Garbarek.
　In an effort to increase attendance, hotels and airlines are offering discount packages along with art festival ticket sales, most of which are at 20% and 30% discounts.
　　For more information, please check:
　　www. hk. artsfestival. org
【小题1】The press conference must have been held ________.

A．in Hong Kong	B．in Europe
C．in Beijing	D．in England

【小题2】By means of“discount packages”you can pay ________.

A．nothing for the cost

B．less than the usual cost

C．for the air ticket but not for the festival ticket

D．for the festival ticket but not for hotel rooms

【小题3】According to the text, we do NOT have any information about ________.

A．who will perform on stage	B．what programmes there will be
C．when the 32nd Art Festival will be held	D．which theatres will put on performances

【小题4】The main purpose in writing this text is ________.

A．to make the 32nd Art Festival known	B．to announce the plan of the art festival
C．to introduce the cost of the art festival	D．to sell a service during the art festival

Individuality is the particular character, or aggregate (total) of qualities that distinguishes one person or thing from others. 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 (改革者) even drew from what they considered the dread ballet, but first they had to get rid of 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 (称赞).
Her search for a 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 movement 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 (高超技巧) shown by complex, codified positions and movements. Duncan performed dance by using 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 lies in dance costume. She rejected ballet shoes and stiff costumes. These were replaced with flowing Grecian (希腊式的) tunes, 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 (怪异) in her personal life as in her dance.
【小题1】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.

【小题2】Compared to those of the ballet, Isadora Duncan’s costumes were less _________.

【小题3】Which of the following is not mentioned as an area of dance that Duncan worked to change?

【小题4】We can infer from the passage that the author _________.

A．appreciates modern dance very much	B．dislikes Isadora Duncan’s dance
C．thinks highly of individuality	D．knows a lot about modern arts

【小题5】Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?

A．Artists of the Last Century	B．Evolution of Dance in the 20th Century
C．Natural Movement in Dance	D．A Pioneer in Modern Dance

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