托福閱讀之題目分析 --劇院的起源

 托福閱讀和聽力是托福考試當中比較容易得分的項目，也是我們中國學(xué)生在當中的強項，同學(xué)們在，第一要注意積累詞匯，第二要學(xué)會分析托福閱讀文章分析的技巧和思路，張揚才能夠事半功倍。

原文：

The Origins of Theater

In seeking to describe the origins of theater, one must rely primarily on speculation, since there is little concrete evidence on which to draw. The most widely accepted theory, championed by anthropologists in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, envisions theater as emerging out of myth and ritual. The process perceived by these anthropologists may be summarized briefly. During the early stages of its development, a society becomes aware of forces that appear to influence or control its food supply and well-being. Having little understanding of natural causes, it attributes both desirable and undesirable occurrences to supernatural or magical forces, and it searches for means to win the favor of these forces. Perceiving an apparent connection between certain actions performed by the group and the result it desires, the group repeats, refines and formalizes those actions into fixed ceremonies, or rituals.

Stories (myths) may then grow up around a ritual. Frequently the myths include representatives of those supernatural forces that the rites celebrate or hope to influence. Performers may wear costumes and masks to represent the mythical characters or supernatural forces in the rituals or in accompanying celebrations. As a person becomes more sophisticated, its conceptions of supernatural forces and causal relationships may change. As a result, it may abandon or modify some rites. But the myths that have grown up around the rites may continue as part of the group’s oral tradition and may even come to be acted out under conditions divorced from these rites. When this occurs, the first step has been taken toward theater as an autonomous activity, and thereafter entertainment and aesthetic values may gradually replace the former mystical and socially efficacious concerns.

Although origin in ritual has long been the most popular, it is by no means the only theory about how the theater came into being. Storytelling has been proposed as one alternative. Under this theory, relating and listening to stories are seen as fundamental human pleasures. Thus, the recalling of an event (a hunt, battle, or other feat) is elaborated through the narrator’s pantomime and impersonation and eventually through each role being assumed by a different person.

A closely related theory sees theater as evolving out of dances that are primarily pantomimic, rhythmical or gymnastic, or from imitations of animal noises and sounds. Admiration for the performer’s skill, virtuosity, and grace are seen as motivation for elaborating the activities into fully realized theatrical performances.

In addition to exploring the possible antecedents of theater, scholars have also theorized about the motives that led people to develop theater. Why did theater develop, and why was it valued after it ceased to fulfill the function of ritual? Most answers fall back on the theories about the human mind and basic human needs. One, set forth by Aristotle in the fourth century B.C., sees humans as naturally imitative—as taking pleasure in imitating persons, things, and actions and in seeing such imitations. Another, advanced in the twentieth century, suggests that humans have a gift for fantasy, through which they seek to reshape reality into more satisfying forms than those encountered in daily life. Thus, fantasy or fiction (of which drama is one form) permits people to objectify their anxieties and fears, confront them, and fulfill their hopes in fiction if not fact. The theater, then, is one tool whereby people define and understand their world or escape from unpleasant realities.

But neither the human imitative instinct nor a penchant for fantasy by itself leads to an autonomous theater. Therefore, additional explanations are needed. One necessary condition seems to be a somewhat detached view of human problems. For example, one sign of this condition is the appearance of the comic vision, since comedy requires sufficient detachment to view some deviations from social norms as ridiculous rather than as serious threats to the welfare of the entire group. Another condition that contributes to the development of autonomous theater is the emergence of the aesthetic sense. For example, some early societies ceased to consider certain rites essential to their well-being and abandoned them, nevertheless, they retained as parts of their oral tradition the myths that had grown up around the rites and admired them for their artistic qualities rather than for their religious usefulness.

我們今天就其中的第六段進行講解。

【Paragraph 6】But neither the human imitative instinct nor a penchant for fantasy by itself leads to an autonomous theater. Therefore, additional explanations are needed. One necessary condition seems to be a somewhat detached view of human problems. For example, one sign of this condition is the appearance of the comic vision, since comedy requires sufficient detachment to view some deviations from social norms as ridiculous rather than as serious threats to the welfare of the entire group. Another condition that contributes to the development of autonomous theater is the emergence of the aesthetic sense. For example, some early societies ceased to consider certain rites essential to their well-being and abandoned them, nevertheless, they retained as parts of their oral tradition the myths that had grown up around the rites and admired them for their artistic qualities rather than for their religious usefulness.

參考翻譯 ： 但是，無論是人類模仿的本能或是對幻想的嗜好本身都不能發(fā)展成為獨立的戲劇，因此，我們需要更多解釋。一個必要的條件可能是一種要脫離通常人們看待問題的視角。比如，這個條件的一個標志是喜劇構(gòu)想的出現(xiàn)，因為喜劇要求足夠的發(fā)散思維，我們需要將社會規(guī)范中的離經(jīng)叛道的行為視作極其荒謬的事情，而不是對公眾群體福利的嚴重威脅。另一個導(dǎo)致戲劇獨立的條件是審美感覺的出現(xiàn)。例如，一些早期社會的人們認為有的儀式對他們的幸福生活來說不再是必需品，并且取消了那些儀式。雖然如此，人們還是保留了那些口頭傳述故事的傳統(tǒng)并且熱愛從這些儀式里發(fā)展起來的神話，出于它們的藝術(shù)性，而不是宗教原因。

10. The word “penchant”in the passage is closest in meaning to

○compromise

○inclination

○tradition

○respect

首先是一道詞匯題

penchant for something, they have a special liking for it or a tendency to do it. 特別的喜好 [正式]

例：

...a stylish woman with a penchant for dark glasses.

…一位對墨鏡有特別喜好的時髦女子。

所以這道題的答案是B。 A compromise表示妥協(xié) B inclination 傾向 C tradition 傳統(tǒng) D respect 尊重

11. Why does the author mention “comedy”?

○To give an example of early types of theater

○To explain how theater helps a society respond to threats to its welfare

○To help explain why detachment is needed for the development of theater

○To show how theatrical performers become detached from other members of society

這道題是一個修辭目的題。當然我們首先重點關(guān)注comedy的位置。 For example, one sign of this condition is the appearance of the comic vision, since comedy requires sufficient detachment to view some deviations from social norms as ridiculous rather than as serious threats to the welfare of the entire group. 本句是 個舉例,例子主要是用來支持前面觀點，所以我們要看下它支持的觀點句想表明什么， One necessary condition seems to be a somewhat detached view of human problems. 一個必要的條件可能是一種要脫離通常人們看待問題的視角。選項里只要有跟這句大方向保持同替或概括性的句子就可以選了。 只有C選項強調(diào)了 脫離視角。所以正確答案是C。在修辭目的題目練習(xí)中，大家主要關(guān)注的就是句間關(guān)系，特別是細節(jié)對哪句進行支持。課下需要多多練習(xí)句間關(guān)系的分析。

12. Which of the sentences below best expresses the essential information in the highlighted sentence in the passage? Incorrect choices change the meaning in important ways or leave out essential information.

○A society’s rites were more likely to be retained in the oral tradition if its myths were admired for artistic qualities.

○The artistic quality of a myth was sometimes an essential reason for a society to abandon it from the oral tradition.

○Some early societies stopped using myths in their religious practices when rites ceased to be seen as useful for social well-being.

○Myths sometimes survived in a society’s tradition because of their artistic qualities even after they were no longer deemed religiously beneficial.

這道題是經(jīng)典的句子簡化題。

For example, some early societies ceased to consider certain rites essential to their well-being and abandoned them, nevertheless, they retained as parts of their oral tradition the myths that had grown up around the rites and admired them for their artistic qualities rather than for their religious usefulness.

參考翻譯： 例如，一些早期社會的人們認為有的儀式對他們的幸福生活來說不再是必需品，并且取消了那些儀式。雖然如此，人們還是保留了那些口頭傳述故事的傳統(tǒng)并且熱愛從這些儀式里發(fā)展起來的神話，出于它們的藝術(shù)性，而不是宗教原因。

這個句子主干就是societies ceased to consider certain rites.....nevertheless,...they retained as parts of their oral tradition... and admired them.

正確答案是D。

關(guān)于及托福備考就先給同學(xué)們介紹到這里，如果銅須麼恩想學(xué)習(xí)托福閱讀部分的分析思路及方法，或者想有專業(yè)的指導(dǎo)你備考，

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