GRE阅读(1-39)练习题及答案

GRE阅读练习题及答案(39)

Untilrecentlyastronomershavebeenpuzzledbythefateofredgiantandsupergiantstars.Whenthecoreofagiantstar

whosemasssurpasses1.4timesthepresentmassofourSun(MO)exhaustsitsnuclearfuel,itisunabletosupportitsown

weightandcollapsesintoatinyneutronstar.Thegravitationalenergyreleasedduringthisimplosionofthecoreblowsoffthe

remainderofthestarinagiganticexplosion,orasupernova.Sincearound50percentofallstarsarebelievedtobegintheir

liveswithmassesgreaterthan1.4MO,wemightexpectthatoneoutofeverytwostarswoulddieasasupernova.Butinfact,

onlyonestarinthirtydiessuchaviolentdeath.Therestexpiremuchmorepeacefullyasplanetarynebulas.Apparentlymost

massivestarsmanagetolosesufficientmaterialthattheirmassesdropbelowthecriticalvalueof1.4M©beforethey

exhausttheirnuclearfuel.

EvidencesupportingthisviewcomesfromobservationsofIRC+10216,apulsatinggiantstarlocated700light-years

awayfromEarth.Ahugerateofmassloss(1MOevery10,000years)hasbeendeducedfrominfraredobservationsof

ammonia(NH3)moleculeslocatedinthecircumstellarcloudaroundIRC+10216.Recentmicrowaveobservationsofcarbon

monoxide(CO)moleculesindicateasimilarrateofmasslossanddemonstratethattheescapingmaterialextendsoutward

fromthestarforadistanceofatleastonelight-year.BecauseweknowthesizeofthecloudaroundIRC+10216andcanuse

ourobservationsofeitherNH3orCOtomeasuretheoutflowvelocity,wecancalculateanageforthecircumstellarcloud.

IRC+10216hasapparentlyexpelled,intheformofmoleculesanddustgrains,amassequaltothatofourentireSunwithin

thepasttenthousandyears.Thisimpliesthatsomestarscanshedhugeamountsofmatterveryquicklyandthusmaynever

expireassupernovas.Theoreticalmodelsaswellasstatisticsonsupernovasandplanetarynebulassuggestthatstarsthat

begintheirliveswithmassesaround6MOshedsufficientmaterialtodropbelowthecriticalvalueof1.4MO.IRC+10216,

forexample,shoulddothisinamere50,000yearsfromitsbirth,onlyaninstantinthelifeofastar.

ButwhatplacedoesIRC+10216haveinstellarevolution?AstronomerssuggestthatstarslikeIRC+10216areactually

uprotoplanetarynebulas“一oldgiantstarswhosedensecoreshavealmostbutnotquiteridthemselvesofthefluffy

envelopesofgasaroundthem.Oncethestarhaslosttheentireenvelope,itsexposedcorebecomesthecentralstarofthe

planetarynebulaandheatsandionizesthelastvestigesoftheenvelopeasitflowsawayintospace.Thisconfigurationisa

full-fledgedplanetarynebula,longfamiliartoopticalastronomers.

21.Theprimarypurposeofthepassageisto

(A)offeramethodofcalculatingtheageofcircumstellarclouds

(B)describetheconditionsthatresultinastar'sexpiringasasupernova

(C)discussnewevidenceconcerningthecompositionofplanetarynebulas

(D)explainwhyfewerstarsthanpredictedexpireassupernovas

(E)surveyconflictingtheoriesconcerningthecompositionofcircumstellarclouds

22.ThepassageimpliesthatatthebeginningofthelifeofIRC+10216,itsmasswasapproximately

(A)7.0MO(B)6.0MO(C)5.0MO(D)1.4MO(E)1.0MO

23.Theviewtowhichline18refersservesto

(A)reconcileseeminglycontradictoryfacts(B)undermineapreviouslyheldtheory

(C)takeintoaccountdatapreviouslyheldtobeinsignificant(D)resolveacontroversy

(E)questionnewmethodsofgatheringdata

24.Itcanbeinferredfromthepassagethattheauthorassumeswhichofthefollowinginthediscussionoftherateat

whichIRC+10216losesmass?

(A)ThecircumstellarcloudsurroundingIRC+10216consistsonlyofCOandNH3molecules.

(B)ThecircumstellarcloudsurroundingIRC+10216consistsofmaterialexpelledfromthatstar.

(C)Theageofastarisequaltothatofitscircumstellarcloud.

(D)TherateatwhichIRC+10216losesmassvariessignificantlyfromyeartoyear.

(E)Starswithamassgreaterthan6M©losemassataratefasterthanstarswithamasslessthan6MOdo.

25.Accordingtoinformationprovidedbythepassage,whichofthefollowingstarswouldastronomersmostlikely

describeasaplanetarynebula?

(A)Astarthatbeganitslifewithamassof5.5MO,hasexhausteditsnuclearfuel,andhasacorethatisvisibleto

astronomers

(B)Astarthatbeganitslifewithamassof6MO,lostmassatarateof1MOper10,000years,andexhaustedits

nuclearfuelin40,000years

(C)Astarthathasexhausteditsnuclearfuel,hasamassof1.2M0,andissurroundedbyacircumstellarcloudthat

obscuresitscorefromview

(D)Astarthatbeganitslifewithamassgreaterthan6MO,hasjustrecentlyexhausteditsnuclearfuel,andisinthe

processofreleasingmassiveamountsofgravitationalenergy

(E)Astarthatbeganitslifewithamassof5.5MO,hasyettoexhaustitsnuclearfuel,andexhibitsarateofmassloss

similartothatofIRC+10216

26.Whichofthefollowingstatementswouldbemostlikelytofollowthelastsentenceofthepassage?

(A)Supernovasarenotnecessarilythemostspectaculareventsthatastronomershaveoccasiontoobserve.

(B)Apparently,starsthathaveamassofgreaterthan6MOaresomewhatrare.

(C)RecentstudiesofCOandNH3inthecircumstellarcloudsofstarssimilartoIRC+10216haveledastronomersto

believethattheformationofplanetarynebulasprecedesthedevelopmentofsupernovas.

(D)Itappears,then,thatIRC+10216actuallyrepresentsanintermediatestepintheevolutionofagiantstarintoa

planetarynebula.

(E)Astronomershaveyettodevelopaconsistentlyaccuratemethodformeasuringtherateatwhichastarexhaustsits

nuclearfuel.

27.Whichofthefollowingtitlesbestsummarizesthecontentofthepassage?

(A)NewMethodsofCalculatingtheAgeofCircumstellarClouds

(B)NewEvidenceConcerningtheCompositionofPlanetaryNebulas

(C)ProtoplanetaryNebula:ARarelyObservedPhenomenon(D)PlanetaryNebulas:AnEnigmatoAstronomers

(E)TheDiminutionofaStar*sMass:ACrucialFactorinStellarEvolution

DBABADE

GRE阅读练习题及答案(38)

StudentsofUnitedStateshistory,seekingtoidentifythecircumstancesthatencouragedtheemergenceoffeminist

movements,havethoroughlyinvestigatedthemid-nineteenth-centuryAmericaneconomicandsocialconditionsthat

affectedthestatusofwomen.Thesehistorians,however,haveanalyzedlessfullythedevelopmentofspecifically

feministideasandactivitiesduringthesameperiod.Furthermore,theideologicaloriginsoffeminismintheUnited

Stateshavebeenobscuredbecause,evenwhenhistoriansdidtakeintoaccountthosefeministideasandactivities

occurringwithintheUnitedStates,theyfailedtorecognizethatfeminismwasthenatrulyinternationalmovement

actuallycenteredinEurope.Americanfeministactivistswhohavebeendescribedas“solitary”and^individual

theorists”wereinrealityconnectedtoamovement—utopiansocialism—whichwasalreadypopularizingfeminist

ideasinEuropeduringthetwodecadesthatculminatedinthefirstwomen'srightsconferenceheldatSenecaFalls,

NewYork,in1848.Thus,acompleteunderstandingoftheoriginsanddevelopmentofnineteenth-centuryfeminismin

theUnitedStatesrequiresthatthegeographicalfocusbewidenedtoincludeEuropeandthatthedetailedstudy

alreadymadeofsocialconditionsbeexpandedtoincludetheideologicaldevelopmentoffeminism.

TheearliestandmostpopularoftheutopiansocialistsweretheSaint-Simonians.Thespecificallyfeminist

partofSaint-Simonianismhas,however,beenlessstudiedthanthegroup'scontributiontoearlysocialism.Thisis

regrettableontwocounts.By1832feminismwasthecentralconcernofSaint-Simonianismandentirelyabsorbedits

adherents'energy;hence,byignoringitsfeminism,EuropeanhistorianshavemisunderstoodSaint-Simonianism.

Moreover,sincemanyfeministideascanbetracedtoSaint-Simonianism,Europeanhistorians9appreciationoflater

feminisminFranceandtheUnitedStatesremainedlimited.

Saint-Simon,sfollowers,manyofwhomwerewomen,basedtheirfeminismonaninterpretationofhis

projecttoreorganizetheglobebyreplacingbruteforcewiththeruleofspiritualpowers.Thenewworldorderwould

beruledtogetherbyamale,torepresentreflection,andafemale,torepresentsentiment.Thiscomplementarity

reflectsthefactthat,whiletheSaint-Simoniansdidnotrejectthebeliefthattherewereinnatedifferencesbetween

menandwomen,theyneverthelessforesawanequallyimportantsocialandpoliticalroleforbothsexesintheirutopia.

OnlyafewSaint-Simoniansopposedadefinitionofsexualequalitybasedongenderdistinction.This

minoritybelievedthatindividualsofbothsexeswerebornsimilarincapacityandcharacter,andtheyascribed

male-femaledifferencestosocializationandeducation.Theenvisionedresultofbothcurrentsofthought,however,was

thatwomenwouldenterpubliclifeinthenewageandthatsexualequalitywouldrewardmenaswellaswomenwith

animprovedwayoflife.

21.ItcanbeinferredthattheauthorconsidersthosehistorianswhodescribeearlyfeministsintheUnited

Statesas"solitary”tobe

(A)insufficientlyfamiliarwiththeinternationaloriginsofnineteenth-centuryAmericanfeministthought

(B)overlyconcernedwiththeregionaldiversityoffeministideasintheperiodbefore1848

(C)notfocusednarrowlyenoughintheirgeographicalscope

(D)insufficientlyawareoftheideologicalconsequencesoftheSenecaFallsconference

(E)insufficientlyconcernedwiththesocialconditionsoutofwhichfeminismdeveloped

22.Accordingtothepassage,whichofthefollowingistrueoftheSenecaFallsconferenceonwomen'srights?

(A)Itwasprimarilyaproductofnineteenth-centurySaint-Simonianfeministthought.

(B)ItwastheworkofAmericanactivistswhowereindependentoffeministsabroad.

(C)Itwastheculminatingachievementoftheutopiansocialistmovement.

(D)Itwasamanifestationofaninternationalmovementforsocialchangeandfeminism.

(E)Itwasthefinalmanifestationofthewomen,srightsmovementintheUnitedStatesinthenineteenthcentury.

23.Theauthor'sattitudetowardmostEuropeanhistorianswhohavestudiedtheSaint-Simoniansis

primarilyoneof

(A)approvalofthespecificfocusoftheirresearch

(B)disapprovaloftheirlackofattentiontotheissuethatabsorbedmostoftheSaint-Simonians,energyafter1832

(C)approvaloftheirgeneralfocusonsocialconditions

(D)disapprovaloftheirlackofattentiontolinksbetweentheSaint-SimoniansandtheirAmericancounterparts

(E)disagreementwiththeirinterpretationoftheSaint-Simonianbeliefinsexualequality

24.TheauthormentionsallofthefollowingascharacteristicoftheSaint-SimoniansEXCEPT:

(A)Thegroupincludedmanywomenamongitsmembers.

(B)Thegroupbelievedinaworldthatwouldbecharacterizedbysexualequality.

(C)ThegroupwasamongtheearliestEuropeansocialistgroups.

(D)Mostmembersbelievedthatwomenshouldenterpubliclife.

(E)Mostmembersbelievedthatwomenandmenwereinherentlysimilarinabilityandcharacter.

25.ItcanbeinferredfromthepassagethattheSaint-Simoniansenvisionedautopiansocietyhavingwhichof

thefollowingcharacteristics?

(A)Itwouldbeworldwide.(B)Itwouldemphasizedogmaticreligiousprinciples.

(C)ItwouldmostinfluencetheUnitedStates.

(D)Itwouldhavearmiescomposedofwomenratherthanofmen.

(E)Itwouldcontinuetodevelopnewfeministideas.

26.ItcanbeinferredfromthepassagethattheauthorbelievesthatstudyofSaint-Simonianismisnecessary

forhistoriansofAmericanfeminismbecausesuchstudy

(A)wouldclarifytheideologicaloriginsofthosefeministideasthatinfluencedAmericanfeminism

(B)wouldincreaseunderstandingofamovementthatdeeplyinfluencedtheutopiansocialismofearly

Americanfeminists

(C)wouldfocusattentiononthemostimportantaspectofSaint-Simonianthoughtbefore1832

(D)promisestoofferinsightintoamovementthatwasadirectoutgrowthoftheSenecaFallsconferenceof1848

(E)couldincreaseunderstandingofthoseidealsthatabsorbedmostoftheenergyoftheearliestAmericanfeminists

27.Accordingtothepassage,whichofthefollowingwouldbethemostaccuratedescriptionofthesociety

envisionedbymostSaint-Simonians?

(A)Asocietyinwhichwomenwerehighlyregardedfortheirextensiveeducation

(B)Asocietyinwhichthetwogendersplayedcomplementaryrolesandhadequalstatus

(C)Asocietyinwhichwomendidnotenterpubliclife

(D)Asocialorderinwhichabodyofmenandwomenwouldruletogetheronthebasisoftheirspiritualpower

(E)Asocialorderinwhichdistinctionsbetweenmaleandfemalewouldnotexistandallwouldshareequally

inpoliticalpower

ADBEAAB

GRE阅读练习题及答案(37)

Surprisinglyenough,modernhistorianshaverarelyinterestedthemselvesinthehistoryoftheAmericanSouthin

theperiodbeforetheSouthbegantobecomeself-consciouslyanddistinctively“Southern“一thedecadesafter1815.

Consequently,theculturalhistoryofBritain'sNorthAmericanempireintheseventeenthandeighteenthcenturieshas

beenwrittenalmostasiftheSoutherncolonieshadneverexisted.TheAmericanculturethatemergedduringthe

ColonialandRevolutionaryerashasbeendepictedashavingbeensimplyanextensionofNewEnglandPuritan

culture.However,ProfessorDavishasrecentlyarguedthattheSouthstoodapartfromtherestofAmericansociety

duringthisearlyperiod,followingitsownuniquepatternofculturaldevelopment.ThecaseforSouthern

distinctivenessrestsupontworelatedpremises:first,thattheculturalsimilaritiesamongthefiveSoutherncolonies

werefarmoreimpressivethanthedifferences,andsecond,thatwhatmadethosecoloniesalikealsomadethem

differentfromtheothercolonies.Thefirst,forwhichDavisoffersanenormousamountofevidence,canbeaccepted

withoutmajorreservations;thesecondisfarmoreproblematic.

WhatmakesthesecondpremiseproblematicistheuseofthePuritancoloniesasabasisforcomparison.

Quiteproperly,DavisdecriestheexcessiveinfluenceascribedbyhistorianstothePuritansintheformationof

Americanculture.YetDavisinadvertentlyaddsweighttosuchascriptionsbyusingthePuritansasthestandard

againstwhichtoassesstheachievementsandcontributionsofSoutherncolonials.Throughout,Davisfocusesonthe

important,andundeniable,differencesbetweentheSouthernandPuritancoloniesinmotivesforandpatternsofearly

settlement,inattitudestowardnatureandNativeAmericans,andinthedegreeofreceptivitytometropolitancultural

influences.

However,recentscholarshiphasstronglysuggestedthatthoseaspectsofearlyNewEnglandculturethat

seemtohavebeenmostdistinctlyPuritan,suchasthestrongreligiousorientationandthecommunalimpulse,were

noteventypicalofNewEnglandasawhole,butwerelargelyconfinedtothetwocoloniesofMassachusettsand

Connecticut.Thus,whatincontrasttothePuritancoloniesappearstoDavistobepeculiarly

Southern—acquisitiveness,astronginterestinpoliticsandthelaw,andatendencytocultivatemetropolitancultural

models—wasnotonlymoretypicallyEnglishthantheculturalpatternsexhibitedbyPuritanMassachusettsand

Connecticut,butalsoalmostcertainlycharacteristicofmostotherearlymodernBritishcoloniesfromBarbadosnorth

toRhodeIslandandNewHampshire.WithinthelargerframeworkofAmericancoloniallife,then,nottheSouthern

butthePuritancoloniesappeartohavebeendistinctive,andeventheyseemtohavebeenrapidlyassimilatingtothe

dominantculturalpatternsbythelateColonialperiod.

21.Theauthorisprimarilyconcernedwith

(A)refutingaclaimabouttheinfluenceofPuritancultureontheearlyAmericanSouth

(B)refutingathesisaboutthedistinctivenessofthecultureoftheearlyAmericanSouth

(C)refutingthetwopremisesthatunderlieDavis'discussionofthecultureoftheAmericanSouthinthe

periodbefore1815

(D)challengingthehypothesisthatearlyAmericanculturewashomogeneousinnature

(E)challengingthecontentionthattheAmericanSouthmadegreatercontributionstoearlyAmerican

culturethanPuritanNewEnglanddid

22.ThepassageimpliesthattheattitudestowardNativeAmericansthatprevailedintheSoutherncolonies

(A)wereinconflictwiththecosmopolitanoutlookoftheSouth

(B)derivedfromSouthernersJstronginterestinthelaw

(C)weremodeledafterthosethatprevailedintheNorth

(D)differedfromthosethatprevailedinthePuritancolonies

(E)developedasaresponsetoattitudesthatprevailedinMassachusettsandConnecticut

23.Accordingtotheauthor,thedepictionofAmericancultureduringtheColonialandRevolutionaryerasas

anextensionofNewEnglandPuritanculturereflectsthe

(A)factthathistorianshaveoverestimatedtheimportanceofthePuritansinthedevelopmentofAmericanculture

(B)factthatearlyAmericanculturewasdeeplyinfluencedbythestrongreligiousorientationofthecolonists

(C)failuretorecognizeimportantandundeniableculturaldifferencesbetweenNewHampshireandRhode

IslandontheonehandandtheSoutherncoloniesontheother

(D)extenttowhichMassachusettsandConnecticutservedasculturalmodelsfortheotherAmericancolonies

(E)extenttowhichcolonialAmericaresistedassimilatingculturalpatternsthatweretypicallyEnglish

24.TheauthorofthepassageisinagreementwithwhichofthefollowingelementsofDavis'book?

I.Davis'claimthatacquisitivenesswasacharacteristicuniquetotheSouthduringtheColonialperiod

II.Davis,argumentthatthereweresignificantdifferencesbetweenPuritanandSoutherncultureduringthe

Colonialperiod

III.Davis'thesisthattheSoutherncoloniessharedacommonculture

(A)Ionly(B)IIonly(C)IIIonly(D)IandIIonly(E)IIandIIIonly

25.ItcanbeinferredfromthepassagethattheauthorwouldfindDavis'secondpremise(lines18-20)more

plausibleifitweretruethat

(A)PuritanculturehaddisplayedthetendencycharacteristicoftheSouthtocultivatemetropolitancultural

models

(B)Puritanculturehadbeendominantinallthenon-Southerncoloniesduringtheseventeenthandeighteen

centuries

(C)thecommunalimpulseandastrongreligiousorientationhadbeenmoreprevalentintheSouth

(D)thevariousculturalpatternsoftheSoutherncolonieshadmorecloselyresembledeachother

(E)theculturalpatternscharacteristicofmostearlymodernBritishcolonieshadalsobeencharacteristicof

thePuritancolonies

26.ThepassagesuggeststhatbythelateColonialperiodthetendencytocultivatemetropolitancultural

modelswasaculturalpatternthatwas

(A)dyingoutasPuritaninfluencebegantogrow(B)self-consciouslyanddistinctivelySouthern

(C)spreadingtoMassachusettsandConnecticut

(D)morecharacteristicoftheSoutherncoloniesthanofEngland

(E)beginningtospreadtoRhodeIslandandNewHampshire

27.Whichofthefollowingstatementscouldmostlogicallyfollowthelastsentenceofthepassage?

(A)Thus,hadmoreattentionbeenpaidtotheevidence,Daviswouldnothavebeentemptedtoarguethatthe

cultureoftheSouthdivergedgreatlyfromPuritancultureintheseventeenthcentury.

(B)Thus,convergence,notdivergence,seemstohavecharacterizedtheculturaldevelopmentofthe

Americancoloniesintheeighteenthcentury.

(C)Thus,withouttheculturaldiversityrepresentedbytheAmericaSouth,thecultureofcolonialAmerica

wouldcertainlyhavebeenhomogeneousinnature.

(D)Thus,thecontributionofSoutherncolonialstoAmericanculturewascertainlyovershadowedbythatof

thePuritans.

(E)Thus,thecultureofAmericaduringtheColonialperiodwasfarmoresensitivetooutsideinfluencesthan

historiansareaccustomedtoacknowledge.

BDAEBCB

GRE阅读练习题及答案(36)

aPopularart”hasanumberofmeanings,impossibletodefinewithanyprecision,whichrangefromfolkloreto

junk.Thepolesareclearenough,butthemiddletendstoblur.TheHollywoodWesternofthe1930's,forexample,has

elementsoffolklore,butisclosertojunkthantohighartorfolkart.Therecanbegreattrash,justasthereisbadhigh

art.ThemusicalsofGeorgeGershwinaregreatpopularart,neveraspiringtohighart.SchubertandBrahms,

however,usedelementsofpopularmusic—folkthemes—inworksclearlyintendedashighart.ThecaseofVerdiisa

differentone:hetookapopulargenre—bourgeoismelodramasettomusic(anaccuratedefinitionof

nineteenth-centuryopera)—and,withoutalteringitsfundamentalnature,transmuteditintohighart.Thisremains

oneofthegreatestachievementsinmusic,andonethatcannotbefullyappreciatedwithoutrecognizingtheessential

trashinessofthegenre.

Asanexampleofsuchatransmutation,considerwhatVerdimadeofthetypicalpoliticalelementsof

nineteenth-centuryopera.Generallyintheplotsoftheseoperas,aheroorheroine—usuallyportrayedonlyasan

individual,unfetteredbyclass-iscaughtbetweentheimmoralcorruptionofthearistocracyandthedoctrinaire

rigidityorsecretgreedoftheleadersoftheproletariat.Verditransformsthisnaiveandunlikelyformulationwith

musicofextraordinaryenergyandrhythmicvitality,musicmoresubtlethanitseemsatfirsthearing.Therearescenes

andariasthatstillsoundlikecallstoarmsandwereclearlyunderstoodassuchwhentheywerefirstperformed.Such

pieceslendanimmediacytotheotherwiseveiledpoliticalmessageoftheseoperasandcallupfeelingsbeyondthoseof

theoperaitself.

OrconsiderVerdi'streatmentofcharacter.BeforeVerdi,therewererarelyanycharactersatallinmusical

drama,onlyaseriesofsituationswhichallowedthesingerstoexpressaseriesofemotionalstates.Anyattempttofind

coherentpsychologicalportrayalintheseoperasismisplacedingenuity.Theonlycoherencewasthesinger'svocal

technique:whenthecastchanged,newariaswerealmostalwayssubstituted,generallyadaptedfromotheroperas.

Verdi'scharacters,ontheotherhand,havegenuineconsistencyandintegrity,evenif,inmanycases,theconsistencyis

thatofpasteboardmelodrama.Theintegrityofthecharacterisachievedthroughthemusic:oncehehadbecome

established,Verdididnotrewritehismusicfordifferentsingersorcountenancealterationsorsubstitutionsof

somebodyelse9sariasinoneofhisoperas,aseveryeighteenth-centurycomposerhaddone.Whenherevisedanopera,

itwasonlyfordramaticeconomyandeffectiveness.

21.TheauthorreferstoSchubertandBrahmsinordertosuggest

(A)thattheirachievementsarenolesssubstantialthanthoseofVerdi

(B)thattheirworksareexamplesofgreattrash

(C)theextenttowhichSchubertandBrahmsinfluencedthelatercompositionsofVerdi

(D)acontrastbetweentheconventionsofnineteenth-centuryoperaandthoseofothermusicalforms

(E)thatpopularmusiccouldbeemployedincompositionsintendedashighart

22.Accordingtothepassage,theimmediacyofthepoliticalmessageinVerdi'soperasstemsfromthe

(A)vitalityandsubtletyofthemusic(B)audiencesfamiliaritywithearlieroperas

(C)portrayalofheightenedemotionalstates(D)individualtalentsofthesingers

(E)verisimilitudeofthecharacters

23.Accordingtothepassage,allofthefollowingcharacterizemusicaldramabeforeVerdiEXCEPT:

(A)ariastailoredtoaparticularsingersability(B)adaptationofmusicfromotheroperas

(C)psychologicalinconsistencyintheportrayalofcharacters

(D)expressionofemotionalstatesinaseriesofdramaticsituations

(E)musicusedforthepurposeofdefiningacharacter

24.ItcanbeinferredthattheauthorregardsVerdifsrevisionstohisoperaswith

(A)regretthattheoriginalmusicandtextswerealtered

(B)concernthatmanyoftherevisionsalteredtheplotsoftheoriginalwork

(C)approvalfortheintentionsthatmotivatedtherevisions

(D)puzzlement,sincetherevisionsseemlargelyinsignificant

(E)enthusiasm,sincetherevisionswereaimedatreducingtheconventionalityoftheoperas'plots

25.Accordingtothepassage,oneofVerdi,sachievementswithintheframeworkofnineteenth-centuryopera

anditsconventionswasto

(A)limittheextenttowhichsingersinfluencedthemusicalcompositionsandperformanceofhisoperas

(B)usehisoperasprimarilyasforumstoprotestboththemoralcorruptionanddogmaticrigidityofthe

politicalleadersofhistime

(C)portraypsychologicallycomplexcharactersshapedbythepoliticalenvironmentsurroundingthem

(D)incorporateelementsoffolkloreintoboththemusicandplotsofhisoperas

(E)introducepoliticalelementsintoanartformthathadtraditionallyavoidedpoliticalcontent

26.Whichofthefollowingbestdescribestherelationshipofthefirstparagraphofthepassagetothepassage

asawhole?

(A)Itprovidesagroupofspecificexamplesfromwhichgeneralizationsaredrawnlater