托福听力荟萃 22

So, why did what is now called "modern dance" begin in theUnited States? To begin to answer this question, I'll need to______a little bit and talk about classical______. By the late 1800's, ballet had lost a lot of its popularity. Most of the ballet dancers who performed in theUnited Stateswere brought over from Europe. They performed using the______techniques that had been passed down through the centuries. Audiences and dancers in the United States were eager for their own, "______" dance form. And, so, around 1900, dancers created one. So, how was this "modern" dance so different from classical ballet? Well, most notably¹, it wasn't carefully______. Instead, the dance depended on the______and free, personal expression of the dancers. Music and______were of little importance to the "modern" dance, and______of movement wasn't important either. In fact, modern dancers made no attempt at all to______the effort involved in a dance step. But even if improvisation² appealed to audiences, many dance critics were less than enthusiastic about the performances. They questioned the artistic³ integrity of dancers who were not professionally trained and the artistic value of works that had no formal structure. Loie Fuller, after performing Fire Dance, was described as doing little more than turning "round and round like an______." Yet, the free, personal expression of the______dancers is the basis of the "____________" of modern dance today.

 

 

【填空答案】

backtrack: v. （由原路）返回，后退

ballet: n. ［C］芭蕾舞

rigid⁴: adj. 严格的

contemporary: adj. 当代的

choreograph⁵: v. 设计舞蹈动作，精心编排

improvisation: n. 即席创作

scenery: n. 舞台布景

lightness: n. 轻盈，灵活

conceal⁶: v. 隐藏

eggbeater: n. ［C］打蛋器

pioneer: adj. 先驱，创始人

controlledfreedom: 克制的自由

【听力原文】

So, why did what is now called "modern dance" begin in the United States? To begin to answer this question, I'll need to backtrack a little bit and talk about classical ballet.

By the late 1800's, ballet had lost a lot of its popularity. Most of the ballet dancers who performed in the United States were brought over from Europe. They performed using the rigid techniques that had been passed down through the centuries. Audiences and dancers in the United States were eager for their own, "contemporary" dance form. And, so, around 1900, dancers created one.

So, how was this "modern" dance so different from classical ballet? Well, most notably, it wasn't carefully choreographed⁷. Instead, the dance depended on the improvisation and free, personal expression of the dancers. Music and scenery were of little importance to the "modern" dance --- and lightness of movement wasn't important either. In fact, modern dancers made no attempt at all to conceal the effort involved in a dance step.

But even if improvisation appealed to audiences, many dance critics were less than enthusiastic about the performances. They questioned the artistic integrity of dancers who were not professionally trained and the artistic value of works that had no formal structure. Loie Fuller, after performing Fire Dance, was described as doing little more than turning "round and round like an eggbeater." Yet, the free, personal expression of the pioneer dancers is the basis of the "controlled freedom" of modern dance today.

1 notably   

adv.值得注意地，显著地，尤其地，特别地

参考例句：

• Many students were absent,notably the monitor.许多学生缺席，特别是连班长也没来。
• A notably short,silver-haired man,he plays basketball with his staff several times a week.他个子明显较为矮小，一头银发，每周都会和他的员工一起打几次篮球。

2 improvisation   

n.即席演奏(或演唱)；即兴创作

参考例句：

• a free-form jazz improvisation 自由创作的爵士乐即兴演出
• Most of their music was spontaneous improvisation. 他们的大部分音乐作品都是即兴创作的。

3 artistic   

adj.艺术(家)的，美术(家)的；善于艺术创作的

参考例句：

• The picture on this screen is a good artistic work.这屏风上的画是件很好的艺术品。
• These artistic handicrafts are very popular with foreign friends.外国朋友很喜欢这些美术工艺品。

4 rigid   

adj.严格的，死板的；刚硬的，僵硬的

参考例句：

• She became as rigid as adamant.她变得如顽石般的固执。
• The examination was so rigid that nearly all aspirants were ruled out.考试很严，几乎所有的考生都被淘汰了。

5 choreograph   

v.设计舞蹈动作

参考例句：

• Achim had choreographed the dance in Act II himself.阿希姆自己设计了第2幕的舞蹈动作。
• She has danced,choreographed,lectured and taught all over the world.她在世界各地跳过舞、编过舞、讲过学、也教过书。

6 conceal   

v.隐藏，隐瞒，隐蔽

参考例句：

• He had to conceal his identity to escape the police.为了躲避警方，他只好隐瞒身份。
• He could hardly conceal his joy at his departure.他几乎掩饰不住临行时的喜悦。

7 choreographed   

v.设计舞蹈动作( choreograph的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• There was some carefully choreographed flag-waving as the President drove by. 总统的车经过时，人们按精心编排的动作挥舞着旗帜。
• Achim had choreographed the dance in Act II himself. 阿希姆自己设计了第2幕的舞蹈动作。 来自辞典例句