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TPO54托福听力lecture3听力文本
Title：William Wheatley and Broadway Theaters
Listen to part of a lecture in a theater history class.
One of the things New York city is known for is its Broadway theaters，the productions of elaborate musicals. A lot of money goes into producing a musical with the actors, costumes, scenery and so on. The shows are designed to appeal to large audiences, to make the production financially viable. But theater didn’t always appeal to the masses. In the middle of the 19th century, with mostly wealthy residents who were going to Broadway, they would see an opera that was probably written and produced in Europe before making its way all over to New York. It was a scene for, well, the socially prominent, the upper class, who attended these functions, perhaps, because they felt obligated rather than because of a genuine interesting theater. [a1]
But, in the 1860s, something else started to occur. The middle-class population began to grow, and they were looking for a source of entertainment. [a2] Keep that in mind while I talk about the theater owner named William Wheatley. In 1866, William Wheatley had this show, um, and it was different from most shows on Broadway at the time because it wasn’t an opera. And, it was developed right here in the United States, in English, unlike the operas which were typically Italian or French.[a3] Wheatley also decided to incorporate some fancy production techniques, stage effects. The show also included music to make it more entertaining. And, through a stroke of luck, a world-renown ballet troop became available just as weekly show was about to open. So, he didn’t hesitate to include the ballet dancers in his production. Along the lines of those special affects I mentioned, Wheatley redesign the entire stage for the show. Every floor board on the stage could be lifted up or pushed down. They were all moveable. This allowed for trap doors to be placed anywhere on the stage. So, pieces of the set, of the scenery, could easily be stored beneath the stage.[a4] And these trap doors also gave performers another less traditional way to enter in exit of the stage. Well, today, we might not think much of it, things like this are standard nowadays，the concept was quite novel at the time of Wheatley show. And was one of the things that made the show a hit with audiences.
Another innovative element in the show was a scene called the ‘transformation scene’, during this scene, the audience watched in amazement that a setting on stage changed from a moonlit cave to a throne room in a palace. Normally to have this type of major scene change, the curtains were closed, the stage crew would remove the previous set and replaced it with the new one, and then, the curtains would open again. In this instance though, the transformation to place in front of the audience using simple machinery. And this affect, would have the lasting impression on everyone who saw Wheatley’s production. [a5]
In fact, those people were probably disappointed when they saw another show that didn’t contain something is, well, as elaborate or exciting. So, look, when it premiered, Wheatley show took audiences by surprise, it appealed to large crowds including the growing middle-class, the show ran for almost two years straight in New York city, and achievement unheard of at the time when productions typically lasted weeks or months, not years. It also went on tour visiting different cities across the United States for over 25 years. So, the show was quite a success.
And with all that in mind, some people call Wheatley show the first musical on Broadway. Now our current definition of a musical is that it tells a story through dialogue and song. In Wheatley show the musical sections, well, they didn’t necessarily integrate well with the story. Giving an overall impression of something more like a variety show, yes, everything was loosely focused around the central scene, so maybe it’s fair to say then that the show gave audiences a hint of a new form of musical theater， that would ultimately appear on Broadway in the decades to follow. [a6]
[a1]Q7 出题点2
[a2]Q8 出题点
[a3]Q7 出题点1
[a4]Q9 出题点
[a5]Q10 出题点
[a6]Q11 出题点
TPO54托福听力lecture3题目解析
6、What is the main purpose of the lecture?
A. To describe the influence of opera on Broadway productions
B. To explain how new technology allowed for enhancements to Broadway productions
C. To evaluate financial decisions made by theater owner William Wheatley
D. To examine elements that set a particular theatrical production apart from earlier ones
答案：D
解析：本题为目的主旨题，题干问这个演讲主要目的是什么的?文章开头讲到百老汇戏剧，并引出Wheatley的戏剧，后文围绕Wheatley的戏剧不同于早期戏剧作品的元素展开论述，则D项正确。
A选项的意思为:描述百老汇作品对戏剧的影响，虽然文章中提到过百老汇对戏剧作品的影响，但那只是文章的一个小细节，并不是文章的主旨，则A项不正确;
B选项的意思为:解释新的科学技术是怎样提升百老汇的戏剧作品的，文章中虽然在移动舞台的地方提到过用科学技术。但是这个只是为了说明移动舞台，不是文章的目的主旨，则B项不正确;
C选项的意思为:评价戏剧院的拥有者William Wheatley所做的财政决定，文章中并没有提到过这个内容，所以这个属于无中生有。
7、What was typical of theatrical productions in the United States before the 1860s?
Click on 2 answers
A. The productions originated outside of the United States.
B. Only a limited segment of society attended the productions.
C. People attended the productions because they were interested in the plots.
D. The themes of the productions were typically related to the upper class.
答案：A、B
解析：本题为细节题，题目问在19世纪60年代美国的戏剧作品的典型特点是什么?由出题点1，锁定时间点“In 1866”，William Wheatley 的作品不同于大多数当时在百老汇上演的剧目，它是在纽约发展的，用英语，不像那些典型的意大利语或法语的歌剧。由此推出之前的戏剧是在美国之外的地方发展起来的，则A项正确;由出题点2，可知在19世纪60年代之前，去看戏剧的基本只有上层阶级，则B项正确。
C选项的意思为:人们关注这个作品是因为他们对故事情节感兴趣，文章中并没有提到这些表演的故事情节，故排除;
D选项的意思为:这些作品的主题是跟上级社会有关的，原文未提及，只提到上层阶级会去看这些戏剧，没说内容相关，故排除。
8、According to the professor, what was a reason for a change in theatrical productions in the United States during the 1860s?
A. A growing middle class was in need of entertainment.
B. Wealthy theater advocates provided additional funding for new productions.
C. The interest of theatergoers shifted from opera to ballet.
D. A new artistic movement was founded by a group of actors.
答案：A
解析：本题为细节题，题目问通过教授可知，在19世纪60年代，美国戏剧作品改变的原因是什么?由出题点可知，在19世纪60年代中产阶级开始发展，与此同时，他们也需要自己的娱乐活动，故A选项正确。
B选项的意思为:富有的戏剧院提倡给新的作品投入更多的资金，文章中并没有提到有钱的剧院，所以这个并不是新作品发展的原因，则B项不正确;
C选项的意思为:戏剧爱好者的兴趣由戏剧转向了芭蕾，文章中只是提到将芭蕾与新的戏剧相结合，并没有说:戏剧爱好者的兴趣由戏剧转向了芭蕾，则C项不正确;
D选项的意思为:一群演员发起了艺术运动，文章中并没有提到，故排除。
9、Why does the professor mention moveable floorboards on the stage in Wheatley's production?
A. To explain the reason for an unexpected technical problem
B. To highlight one of the production’s innovative features
C. To point out a similarity between early and modern theater in the United States
D. To give an example of a modification that was made for the ballet troupe
答案：B
解析：本题为组织结构题，题目问教授为什么要提及Wheatley作品中的舞台上的可移动的地板?前文提到惠特利将作品与一些有趣新颖的技术和舞台效果结合起来，例如结合音乐、芭蕾，且重新设计了舞台，此处可移动的地板就是作品的创新之处之一。则B选项正确。
A选项的意思为：为了解释一个意料之外的技术问题的理由，文章中并没有提到要解释意料之外的技术问题，则A选项属于无中生有;
C选项的意思为:为了指出美国早期和当代的戏剧的区别，文章中虽然从多个方面讲述了早期戏剧与当代戏剧的区别，但是教授提起移动地板的目的并不是为了证明这个区别，则C选项不正确;
D选项的意思为:为了给出一个为芭蕾舞团做出调整的例子，这个移动舞台是用于现代戏剧的，并不是用于芭蕾表演的，则D项不正确。
10、What was the audience's reaction to the transformation scene in Wheatley's production?
A. The audience was disappointed by the scene's short duration.
B. The audience was confused by the scene's unfamiliar elements.
C. The audience was amazed by the scene-changing process.
D. The audience was impressed at how quickly the stage crew moved objects onto the set.
答案：C
解析：本题为细节题，题目问，观众对Wheatley作品中的移动舞台有什么反应?由出题点可知，观众对这个舞台改变的过程是感觉很惊奇的，其中“was amazed by”是对“ watched in amazement”的转换，“scene-changing”是对“transformation scene”的转换，则C项正确。
A选项的意思为：观众对舞台的短暂的持续时间感到很失望，和原文相悖，排除;
B选项的意思为:观众对舞台上不熟悉的元素感到很迷惑，原文没提到迷惑，排除;
D选项的意思为:观众对于舞台工作人员快速将物品搬上舞台的行为印象深刻，错误，因为印象深刻的是场景变化的过程，而不是搬道具的过程。
11、According to the professor, what is one way in which Wheatley's production was different from modern musicals?
A. The performers in Wheatley's production performed more than one role.
B. Wheatley’s production was created for the upper class.
C. The songs in Wheatley's production did not include lyrics.
D. The musical numbers in Wheatley's production did not correspond with the plot.
答案：D
解析：本题为细节题，题目问，由教授可知， Wheatley的作品与当代音乐剧有什么不同?由出题点可知，Wheatley的作品中的音乐与故事情节并不是很统一，D项中的“did not correspond with”与文中的“didn’t necessarily integrate well with the story”相对应，则D选项正确。
A选项的意思为：在Wheatley的作品里，一个表演者可能表演多个角色，原文未提及，故排除;
B选项的意思为:Wheatley的作品是为上层社会的人创作的，原文没有说是上层阶级，相反是为了迎合中产阶级的兴趣而创作的，故排除;
C选项的意思为：Wheatley的作品里歌曲是没有旋律的，原文未提及，故排除。
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