Legend has it that the performing arts began when a Greek singer named Thespis invented tragedy.In 534 B.C., Thespis was performing a hymn（赞美诗）to the god Dionysius.Such hymns,called dithyrambs,were usually sung by a lead singer and a chorus.Thespis added a speaking actor.Performances at the annual Dionysian festival soon included plays with three actors as well as the standard hymns.By 449 B.C.,the Greeks were giving prizes to the best actor and the best playwright at the festival.A modern word for actor—thespian recognizes the debt today's drama owes to Thespis.
Performing in a Greek play required physical strength.Because each play had only three actors,performers had to play several roles.Chorus members both sang and danced.Being in the chorus for the many performances given at a festival was said to be as demanding as competing in the Olympic Games.
The Theater of Dionysius in Athens could hold 20,000 people.Even those in the front rows were quite a distance from the actors.Performers used grand gestures and wore masks so that they could be seen by everyone in their huge audience.Tragic（悲剧的）actors wore long clothes and masks.Comic actors wore short costumes that let them move freely and masks designed to make them look ugly or silly.Sometimes the chorus were dressed up to look like animals.
Another legacy（遗产）of the ancient Greeks is the deus ex machina,or "god from the machine".If a playwright was having trouble with the plot,he might have a god appear through a trap door（天窗）.The god would rescue the main character and find a solution to any difficult plot situations.Modem writers might not call on gods,but they do sometimes use unlikely ways to end a story.A character or an event that brings a complicated plot to an unlikely conclusion is still called deus ex machina.
1.We can learn from Paragraph 1 that .
A. the word "thespian" means "debt" in English
B. the Dionysian festival was held once a year
C. there were four actors in early Greek drama
D. the first tragedy was performed in 449B.C
2.From the passage we can know .
A. it was not easy to get a chance to perform in the chorus
B. the best actor and the best playwright would be given money
C. the playwright must play a role in the performance
D. the audience sat very close to actors to have a good view
3.According to the passage,one difference between early Greek comedies and tragedies is .
A. the actors' distance from the audience
B. the play's beginning
C. the number of performers
D. the actors' clothes
4.Deus ex machina is .
A. a kind of tragedy popular with ancient audience
B. a type of character that modern writers often write about
C. a way ancient Greek dramatists used to develop the plot
D. a style of performance first used by ancient Greek actors
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题
Legend has it that the performing arts began when a Greek singer named Thespis invented tragedy.In 534 B.C., Thespis was performing a hymn（赞美诗）to the god Dionysius.Such hymns,called dithyrambs,were usually sung by a lead singer and a chorus.Thespis added a speaking actor.Performances at the annual Dionysian festival soon included plays with three actors as well as the standard hymns.By 449 B.C.,the Greeks were giving prizes to the best actor and the best playwright at the festival.A modern word for actor—thespian recognizes the debt today's drama owes to Thespis.
Performing in a Greek play required physical strength.Because each play had only three actors,performers had to play several roles.Chorus members both sang and danced.Being in the chorus for the many performances given at a festival was said to be as demanding as competing in the Olympic Games.
The Theater of Dionysius in Athens could hold 20,000 people.Even those in the front rows were quite a distance from the actors.Performers used grand gestures and wore masks so that they could be seen by everyone in their huge audience.Tragic（悲剧的）actors wore long clothes and masks.Comic actors wore short costumes that let them move freely and masks designed to make them look ugly or silly.Sometimes the chorus were dressed up to look like animals.
Another legacy（遗产）of the ancient Greeks is the deus ex machina,or "god from the machine".If a playwright was having trouble with the plot,he might have a god appear through a trap door（天窗）.The god would rescue the main character and find a solution to any difficult plot situations.Modem writers might not call on gods,but they do sometimes use unlikely ways to end a story.A character or an event that brings a complicated plot to an unlikely conclusion is still called deus ex machina.
1.We can learn from Paragraph 1 that .
A. the word "thespian" means "debt" in English
B. the Dionysian festival was held once a year
C. there were four actors in early Greek drama
D. the first tragedy was performed in 449B.C
2.From the passage we can know .
A. it was not easy to get a chance to perform in the chorus
B. the best actor and the best playwright would be given money
C. the playwright must play a role in the performance
D. the audience sat very close to actors to have a good view
3.According to the passage,one difference between early Greek comedies and tragedies is .
A. the actors' distance from the audience
B. the play's beginning
C. the number of performers
D. the actors' clothes
4.Deus ex machina is .
A. a kind of tragedy popular with ancient audience
B. a type of character that modern writers often write about
C. a way ancient Greek dramatists used to develop the plot
D. a style of performance first used by ancient Greek actors
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Knots are the kind of stuff that even myths are made of.In the Greek legend of the Gordian knot, for example, Alexander the Great used his sword to slice through a knot that had failed all previous attempts to unite it. Knots, enjoy a long history of tales and fanciful names such as “Englishman’s tie, ” “and “cat’s paw. ” Knots became the subject of serious scientific investigation when in the 1860s the English physicist William Thomson (known today as Lord Kelvin) proposed that atoms were in fact knotted tubes of ether（醚）. In order to be able to develop the equivalent of a periodic table of the elements, Thomson had to be able to classify knots — find out which different knots were possible. This sparked a great interest in the mathematical theory of knots.
A mathematical knot looks very much like a familiar knot in a string, only with the string’s ends joined. In Thomson’s theory, knots could, in principle at least, model atoms of increasing complexity, such as the hydrogen, carbon, and oxygen atoms, respectively. For knots to be truly useful in a mathematical theory, however, mathematicians searched for some precise way of proving that what appeared to be different knots were really different — the couldn’t be transformed one into the other by some simple manipulation（操作）. Towards the end of the nineteenth century, the Scottish mathematician Peter Guthrie Tait and the University of Nebraska professor Charles Newton Little published complete tables of knots with up to ten crossings. Unfortunately, by the time that this heroic effort was completed, Kelvin’s theory had already been totally discarded as a model for atomic structure. Nevertheless, even without any other application in sight, the mathematical interest in knot theory continued at that point for its own sake. In fact, mathematical became even more fascinated by knots. The only difference was that, as the British mathematician Sir Michael Atiyah has put it, “the study of knots became a special branch of pure mathematics. ”
Two major breakthroughs in knot theory occurred in 1928 and in 1984. In 1928, the American mathematician James Waddell Alexander discovered an algebraic expression that uses the arrangement of crossings to label the knot. For example, t2-t+1 or t2-3t+1, or else. Decades of work in the theory of knots finally produced the second breakthrough in 1984. The New Zealander-American mathematician Vaughan Jones noticed an unexpected relation between knots and another abstract branch of mathematics, which led to the discovery of a more sensitive invariant known as the Jones polynomial.
1.What is surprising about knots?
A. They originated from ancient Greek legend.
B. The study of knots is a branch of mathematics.
C. Knots led to the discovery of atom structure.
D. Alexander the Great made knots well known.
2.What does the underlined word “that” in Paragraph 3 refer to?
A. No other application found except tables of knots.
B. The study of knots meeting a seemingly dead end.
C. Few scientist showing interest in knots.
D. The publication of complete tables of knots.
3.According to the passage, ______ shows the most updated study about knots.
A. t2-t+1 B. t2-3t+1
C. Alexander polynomial D. Jones polynomial
4.Which one would be the best title for this passage?
A. Mathematicians VS Physicians
B. To be or Knot to be
C. Knot or Atom
D. Knot VS Mathematics
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
You are about to hear a strange but true story. Legend has it that, Harry Houdini, the master magician, once claimed that he could break out of any jail cell in the world. All he had to do was walk into that jail cell with his street clothes on. 'I will be out of there in one hour. No problem!' He said. A very old jail down South heard about Houdini's claims and they accepted the challenge. On the day of the event, many people gathered outside. Very confidently, Houdini walked into the jail and into the cell and they shut the metal door behind him.
The first thing Houdini did was to take off his coat. Then, very strangely, he took off his belt. Secretly hidden in Houdini's belt, was a ten-inch piece of steel; very tough and very flexible and Houdini started working.
In about 30 minutes, that confident expression Houdini had when he walked in disappeared. In one hour, he was bathed in sweat. And at the end of two hours, Houdini in defeat, collapsed against the door, which then opened. It opened because you see, that door had never been locked. But that's not entirely true is it? That door was locked. It was firmly and thoroughly locked in Houdini's mind, which meant it was locked as if the best locksmith in the world had put his lock on it.
The mind is powerful. How many doors in your life do you think are locked but aren't? how many times have you been stuck in the mental prison of over thinking something that really had a simple solution. There is an ancient African proverb that says when there is no enemy within, the enemy outside can do us no harm.
Your mind is the most powerful force you will ever face. It will tell you lies. It will tell you can't do that. You're not meant for that. You're not good enough for that. You can't go on anymore. You don't have the energy. You must thank it for its opinion and carry on. Because as Houdini showed us the only locked doors that exist are in your own mind. The doors in reality are open and all you have to do is walk through.
1.Why couldn't Harry Houdini open the door within two hours?
A.Because he didn't open the door with his mind.
B.Because the door was locked by the best locksmith.
C.Because he had thought the door was locked.
D.Because he overestimated his own ability to open the door.
2.Which of the following story shows the "locked door," in our mind?
A.Bring the painted dragon to life by putting in the pupils of its eyes.
B.One tends to stand still and refuse to make progress.
C.The donkey has exhausted its skills against the tiger.
D.Lock the stable door after the horse has been stolen.
3.We can conclude from the passage EXCEPT ?
A.The biggest enemy in your life is in fact the enemy in your mind.
B.If you walk through the door in mind, your potential will be unlimited.
C.Unless you defeat the enemy outside, you will not defeat your enemy inside.
D.Life is really simple, but we insist on making it rigid and complicated.
高三英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析
Legend has it that the origin of the Dragon Boat Festival is to ________ the soul of Qu Yuan.
A. remember B. remind
C. recover D. recall
高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
So well ________in 2009 that the world has agreed that it was the year of China.
| A．did China perform | B．China has performed |
| C．was China performed | D．China is performing |
高三英语单项填空简单题查看答案及解析
Since the time of Socrates, it has been widely said that art imitates life. In the case of literature, however, it would be more accurate to say that art reflects life. The writings of the Romantics were a natural result of life in 19th century America and American Romanticism was the first truly American literary movement, including a group of authors who wrote and published between 1820 and 1860.
The unique American history and landscape had a profound influence on the romanticists. Many were writing not long after the War of 1812. This was a time of growth and expansion and their idealism fueled high hopes for the infant nation. The country was moving westward into vast newly acquired territory. The frontier, both as a place and a concept, became an important representation of the American spirit.
While American Romanticism was a new attitude toward nature, it was also a new attitude toward people, promoting the solitary individual standing against society. Individualism is a typical American value and was central to their writings, which urged people to follow their inner knowing regardless of the pressure to conform.
Romantic writers rebelled against the idea that reason was the best tool for discovering truth. Instead, they deliberately explored feeling, imagination, fantasy, and belief. Their style took advantage of personal freedom in order to break through the wall separating the author and the reader, and gave the author the freedom to comment on the events in the story in novel ways.
Stylistically, the American romantics liked to experiment with form and the novel became an important vehicle for expression, unlike the European romantics who focused mainly on poetry. They also made clever use of symbols to refer to truths or knowledge that exist beyond rationality (合理性).
1.What increased hopes for the newly born America?
A.The War of 1812. B.The belief of romanticists.
C.The western territory. D.The history of America.
2.Which of the following is an ideal of American romantic writers?
A.Reason should be involved to find out truth. B.The author and the reader need to be separated.
C.Individuals should follow their heart. D.Nature is more important than humans.
3.What literary form did American romantics mainly adopt to express their ideas?
A.Poetry. B.Use of symbols. C.Novels. D.Drama.
4.What is the passage mainly about?
A.Advances in American history. B.The rebellion of Romantic writers.
C.A new attitude to people. D.Romanticism in American literature.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Since the modern Olympics began in 1896, it has been held in more than 40 different cities. That gives Olympic fans quite a few possible travel destinations to choose!
Beijing, China
Olympic fans should consider visiting the Beijing Olympic Park to check out the special buildings of the so-called “Bird’s Nest” and “Water Cube”—the national stadium and aquatics center built for the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Popular historic places in Beijing include the Forbidden City, the Summer Palace, and Tian’anmen Square.
Innsbruck, Austria
Located in the heart of the Alps, Innsbruck is known as a great winter destination—which explains why it has hosted not one but two Winter Olympics. Known for its mountainous views, Innsbruck is the perfect stop for outdoor adventurers.
Mexico City, Mexico
This wonderful travel destination offers a wide number of popular museums, historic buildings, and public parks. People will love shopping for fresh meat and produce at the markets, taking a cooking class, and generally eating their way through Mexico City, which is especially known for its culinary (烹饪的) experiences that include both globally well-known restaurants and locally favored street carts.
Melbourne, Australia
Nearly half a century before Sydney hosted the 2000 Summer Olympics, Melbourne became the first Australian host city in 1956. Head to the “cultural capital of Australia”, located in Victoria on the southeastern coast, for an energetic cafe culture and art scene, Melbourne offers something for every type of traveler and everyone can enjoy an evening at one of the city’s many rooftop bars or a day of wine tasting.
1.Where will you go if you are fond of adventure?
A.Beijing, China. B.Mexico City, Mexico.
C.Innsbruck, Austria. D.Melbourne, Australia.
2.What can visitors do in Mexico City?
A.Enjoy wonderful culinary classes. B.Buy beautiful clothes and shoes.
C.Admire beautiful mountainous views. D.Visit special stadiums for the Olympics.
3.What can we know about Melbourne?
A.It is famous for all kinds of wine. B.It has many world-famous hotels.
C.It hosted the Summer Olympics twice. D.It can satisfy different travelers’ needs.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
It was only _____ I read the poem ______ I began to appreciate its beauty.
| A．when,that | B．so,that | C．before,that | D．when,until |
高三英语单项填空简单题查看答案及解析
It is ______ work of art that the museum has decided to buy and keep it .
A such an unusual B a so unusual C such unusual D so unusual
高三英语单项填空简单题查看答案及解析
10． Legend has ______ Sun Wu was buried here.
| A．what | B．that | C．it | D．One |
高三英语单项填空简单题查看答案及解析