1995年8月托福考试阅读理解全真试题（下）

Questions 31-40

There are many theories about the beginning of drama in
ancient GREece. The one most widely accepted today is based

on the assumption that drama evolved from ritual. The
argument for this view goes as follows. In the beginning, human
beings viewed the natural forces of the world, even the seasonal
changes, as unpredictable, and they sought through various
means, to control these unknown and feared powers.
Those measures which appeared to bring the desired results
were then retained and repeated until they hardened into fixed
rituals. Eventually stories arose which explained or veiled the
mysteries of the rites. As time passed some rituals were
abandoned, but the stories, later called myths, persisted and
provided material for art and drama.

Those who believe that drama evolved out of ritual also
argue that those rites contained the seed of theater because
music, dance, masks, and costumes were almost always used.
Furthermore, a suitable site had to be provided for performances,
and when the entire community did not participate, a
clear division was usually made between the "acting area" and
the "auditorium." In addition, there were performers, and
since considerable importance was attached to avoiding mistakes
in the enactment of rites, religious leaders usually assumed
that task. Wearing masks and costumes, they often
impersonated other people, animals, or supernatural beings,
and mimed the desired effect - success in hunt or battle,
the coming rain, the revival of the Sun - as an actor
might. Eventually such dramatic representations were separated
from religious activities.

Another theory traces the theater s origin from the
human interest in storytelling. According to this view, tales
(about the hunt, war, or other feats) are gradually elaborated,
at first through the use of impersonation, action, and
dialogue by a narrator and then through the assumption of each of
the roles by a different person. A closely related theory traces
theater to those dances that are primarily rhythmical and
gymnastic or that are imitations of animal movements and sounds.

31. What does the passage many discuss?

(A) The origins of theater
(B) The role of ritual in modern dance
(C) The importance of storytelling
(D) The variety of early religious activities.

32. The word "they" in line 6 refers to

(A) seasonal changes
(B) natural forces
(C) theories
(D) human beings

33. What aspect of drama does the author discuss in the first paragraph?

(A) The reason drams is often unpredictable
(B) The seasons in which dramas were performed
(C) The connection between myths and dramatic plots
(D) The importance of costumes in early drama

34. Which of the following is NOT mentioned as a common element of theater and ritual?

(A) Dance
(B) Costumes
(C) Music
(D) Magic

35. The word "considerable" in line 21 is closest in meaning to

(A) thoughtful
(B) substantial
(C) relational
(D) ceremonial

36. The word "enactment" in line 22 is closest in meaning to

(A) establishment
(B) performance
(C) authorization
(D) season

37. The word "they" in line 23 refers to

(A) mistakes
(B) costumes
(C) animals
(D) performers

38. According to the passage, what is the main difference between ritual and drama?

(A) Ritual uses music whereas drama does not.
(B) Ritual is shorter than drama.
(C) Ritual requires fewer performers than drama.
(D) Ritual has a religious purpose and drama does not.

39. The passage supports which of the following statements?

(A) No one really knows how the theater began
(B) Myths are no longer represented dramatically.
(C) Storytelling is an important part of dance
(D) Dramatic activities require the use of costumes.

40. Where in the passage does the author discuss the separation of the stage and the audience?

(A) Lines 8-9
(B) Lines 12-14
(C) Lines 19-20
(D) Lines 22-24


Questions 41-50

Staggering tasks confronted the people of the United
States, North and South, when the Civil war ended. About a
million and a half soldiers from both sides had to be demobilized,
readjusted to civilian life, and reabsorbed by the devastated
economy. Civil government also had to be put back on a
peacetime basis and interference from the military had to be
stopped.

The desperate plight of the South has eclipsed the fact
that reconstruction had to be undertaken also in the North,
though less spectacularly. Industries had to adjust to peacetime
conditions, factories had to be retooled for civilian needs.

Financial problems loomed large in both the North and
the South. The national debt had shot up from a modest $65
million in 1861, the year the ear started to nearly $3 billion
in 1865, the year the war ended. This was a colossal sum for
those days but one that a prudent government could pay. At
the same time, war taxes had to be reduced to less burdensome
levels.

Physical devastation caused by invading armies, chiefly in
the South and border states, had to be repaired. This herculean
task was ultimately completed, but with discouraging
slowness.

Other important questions needed answering. What
would be the future of the four million black people who were
freed from slavery? On what basis were the Southern states to
be brought back into the Union?

What of the Southern leaders, all of whom were liable to
charges of treason? One of these leaders, Jefferson Davis,
President of the Southern Confederacy, was the subject of an
insulting popular Northern song,"Hang Jeff Davis from a Sour
Apple Tree." And even children sang it. Davis was temporarily
chained in his prison cell during the early days of his two-
year imprisonment. But he and the other Southern leaders
were finally released, partly because it was unlikely that a jury
from Virginia, a Southern Confederate state, would convict
them. All the leaders were finally pardoned by President Johnson
in 1868 in an effort to help reconstruction efforts proceed
with as little bitterness as possible.

41. What does the passage mainly discuss?

(A) Wartime expenditures
(B) Problems facing the United States after the war
(C) Methods of repairing the damage caused by the war
(D) The results of government efforts to revive the economy

42. The word " Staggering" in line 1 is closest in meaning to

(A) specialized
(B) confusing
(C) various
(D) overwhelming

43. The word "devastated" in line 4 is closest in meaning to

(A) developing
(B) ruined
(C) complicated
(D) fragile



44. According to the passage, which of the following statements about the damage in the South is correct?

(A) It was worse than in the North.
(B) The cost was less than expected
(C) It was centered in the border states.
(D) It was remedied rather quickly.

45. The passage refers to all of the following as necessary steps following the Civil War EXCEPT

(A) helping soldiers readjust
(B) restructuring industry
(C) returning government to normal
(D) increasing taxes

46. The word "task" in line 21 refers to

(A) raising the tax level
(B) sensible financial choices
(C) worse decisions about former slaves
(D) reconstruction of damaged areas

47. Why does the author mention a popular song in lines 30?

(A) To give attitude towards the South
(B) To illustrate the Northern love of music
(C) To emphasize the cultural differences between the North and the South
(D) To compare the Northern and Southern presidents

48. The word "them" in line 36 refers to

(A) charges
(B) leaders
(C) days
(D) irons

49. Which of the following can be inferred from the phrase " _____it was unlikely that a jury from Virginia . a Southern Confederate state ,would convict them" (lines 25-26)?

(A) Virginians felt betrayed by Jefferson Davis
(B) A popular song insulted Virginians
(C) Virginians were loyal to their leaders
(D) All of the Virginia military leaders had been put in chains.

50. It can be inferred from the passage that President Johnson pardoned the Southern leaders in order to

(A) raise money for the North
(B) repair the physical damage in the South
(C) prevent Northern leaders from punishing more Southerners
(D) help the nation recover from the war