MAYA So, Finn, I've done as much as I can for our project on theatre programmes. How's your research coming along?
FINN OK, Maya. I didn't know theatre programmes are called playbills in the USA till I started looking into the topic. Even though I struggled to find many useful websites, I'm glad we picked this subject. No one else on the course is doing the same as us, 【Q21】although it is one of the research areas of the module convener.
MAYA That might actually put some people off.
FINN I suppose so. Anyway I hadn't realised there are actually companies specialising in creating theatre programmes
MAYA Yes, they're quite common nowadays. Contrary to what many people think, theatres don't hire people to do the programmes,【Q22】 in fact, companies buy the rights to publish programmes on the theatre's behalf and then make their money selling advertising space within the programme booklet.
FINN It must be easier for theatres to do it that way.
MAYA Yes.
FINN I remember reading something about programmes in early British theatre. It said that the cast was always very important.
MAYA Yeah, audiences were very familiar with leading actors and big names would draw huge crowds.
FINN But I hadn't realised that if the programme named a famous actor, that's who the public expected to perform. And if that didn't happen, people accused the theatre of breaking their agreement 【Q23】with the audience. They would demand refunds and if they didn't get them, there were riots.
MAYA Outrageous! That'd never happen now.
FINN No, people are too polite, even when they're disappointed if the star of the show misses a performance.
MAYA We should definitely include that information about early audiences in our project. I also think it's important to mention that lots of ordinary people at that time were illiterate, so theatre programmes were of limited value in advertising plays. When a company of actors arrived in a town, they'd parade around the streets in their costumes, beating drums and announcing their upcoming performances.【Q24】
FINN Interesting. I couldn't imagine that happening now either.
MAYA There's also an interesting comparison to make between 18th and 19th century programmes.
FINN Wasn't it in the 19th century that theatre programmes started to resemble programs today?
MAYA Yes. And unlike programs from the 18th century they always used colour.
FINN And there was a greater variety of designs. But personally I think 18th century programmes were superior because they told the theatre-goers so many things【Q25】, including about the actors.
MAYA And about the writer, the plot and sometimes the history of the play.
FINN That's right. What should we say about theatre programmes in the 20th century?
MAYA I reckon the most important thing is the dramatic change they underwent during World War II.
FINN When the government imposed restrictions on the use of paper.
MAYA Yeah, but that was only in the UK. In the USA, programmes, or rather playbills, continued to be published in the same format.
FINN While here in the UK, programmes became merely a single sheet of paper folded to create four pages for text.
MAYA What I don't really get is that, after the war, they didn't go back to being more than one sheet or change in any way for over 25 years.【Q26】 I know there were paper shortages after the war, but only for five or ten years.
FINN Strange.
MAYA I've got some pictures of programmes we could include on the slides for our presentation.
FINN I found a couple too, Maya. Let go through and see what we think
MAYA Erm ..., this is an old one for a play called Ruey Blass.
FINN Never heard of that. But the programme looks very decorative.
MAYA Good enough to put in a frame on the wall【Q27】. The images are just beautiful. Finn, what did you find?
FINN I've got some pages from a programme for Man of La Mancha. I thought this was a good programme to show, not because of the pictures, but because it contains articles written by members of the theatre company, So we can learn how the production was created and the thoughts and feelings of the cast.【Q28】
MAYA Good. I've got a copy of a programme that's now in a museum. It's for The Tragedy of Jane Shore and it's said to be the earliest surviving document to have been printed on Australia's first printing press【Q29】.
FINN Fantastic.
MAYA Another programme to talk about is for The Sailors Festival. It comes from the British Library's digitised collection of programmes that was started a few years ago.【Q30】 It already comprises over 200,000 programmes which is amazing!
FINN Wish I'd known about it while I was doing my research!
Choose the correct letter, A, B or C.
听前预测:定位词为 their topic,限定词为 Finn、pleased to discover。
题目解析:本题定位词 topic 原词出现后,注意听男士 Finn 欣然发现的内容 I'm glad we picked this subject,此处的 glad 对应题干信息 pleased,符合题干要求。继续听,听到欣喜的原因 No one else on the course is doing the same as us,意为“课程中没有其他人做和我们相同的课题”,对应选项 B 内容 had not been chosen by other students,意为“没有被其他学生选择”,故选项 B 为该题正确答案。随后听到 although it is one of the research areas of the module convenor,意为“尽管这是本模块负责人的研究领域之一”,其中 module convenor 对应选项 A 部分信息 module leader,但其余信息不符合选项 A 其他的描述 not familiar to,意为“对……不熟悉”,属于偷换概念,且不符合题干要求,故排除。原文没有提及选项 C 的信息 did not prove to be difficult to research,意为“不难研究”,属于无中生有,故排除。
听前预测:限定词为 Maya、mistaken belief。
题目解析:原文主题为 theatre programmes,全文反复出现,难以作为定位信息。注意关注对话的推动。女士 Maya 评价后,男士 Finn 附和道“I suppose so.”,意 为“我也觉得”,表明上一层话题的结束。继续听,听到 Finn 开启新话题“Anyway, I hadn't realised there are actually companies specialising in creating theatre programmes.”,意为“无论如何,我没想到还有专门制作剧院节目单的公司”,对话层次推动。注意关注女士 Maya 所述内容 Contrary to what many people think,意为“与许多人的想法不同”,对应题干信息 mistaken belief。注意听搭 配信息 theatres don't hire people to do the programmes,意为“剧院并不雇人制作节目单”。也就是说人们认为剧院会雇公司制作节目单,但实际并非如此,对应选项 A 信息 theatres pay companies to produce them,意为“剧院雇人制作节目单”,故选项 A 为该题正确答案。选项 B、C 在原文都没有正面提及。原文提及 make their money selling advertising space within the programme booklet,意为“通过出售节目单手册中的广告位来盈利”,但并非选项 C 中的 contain far more adverts than previously,意为“比之前的广告更多”,属于偷换概念,故排除。
听前预测:定位词为 early British theatre,限定词为 Finn、surprised。
题目解析:本题定位词 early British theatre 原词出现,核心关注男士 Finn 感到惊讶的信息 But I hadn't realised,意为“我没有想到”,对应题干信息 surprised。注意听后续搭配的信息 people accused the theatre of breaking their agreement with the audience, 意为“人们便会指责剧院违背了与观众的协议”,此处的 agreement 对应选项 C 中的 contract,因此本题的正确答案为选项 C。注意区分选项 B 信息 were given out free of charge,意为“(节目单)免费发放”,而原文指的是公众因节目单里的演员没有演出而要求退款,而非强调节目单本身免费,属于偷换概念,故排除。
听前预测:定位词为 companies of actors,限定词为 Maya。
题目解析:上一题结束后,女士 Maya 进一步推动对话 I also think it's important to mention,意为“另外,我认为很有必要提及”,其中 also 提示逻辑层次推动。注意听女士 Maya 强调的信息“lots of ordinary people at that time were illiterate, so theatre programmes were of limited value in advertising plays”,意为“当时许多普通人是文盲,因此戏剧节目单对于宣传剧目的作用也有限”,对应选项 A 的信息 promoted their own plays,意为“宣传其剧目”,先待定该选项。随后听到包含定位信息的内容“When a company of actors arrived in a town, they'd parade around the streets in their costumes, beating drums and announcing their upcoming performances.”,意为“当一个剧团来到小镇时,他们会穿着戏服在街上巡游,敲锣打鼓宣布即将到来的演出”,为选项 A 宣传剧目的具象化描述,故选项 A 为该题正确答案。注意本题选项间相似性高,注意区分差异,选项 B 信 息 performed plays outdoors,意为“在户外表演剧目”,选项 C 信息 had to tour with their plays,意为“必须带着他们的剧目巡回演出”,都不是原文所指的信息。本题难度在于先出现选项信息,再出现题干信息。注意不要等到题干出现再判断选项,会被具象化描述干扰,尤其是注意力放在视觉时会觉得很相似。 核心要依赖听觉判断,且听时要有主动性。
听前预测:定位词为 nineteenth-century programmes、eighteenth century,限定词为 both think、eighteenth century。
题目解析:本题定位词 nineteenth-century programmes、eighteenth century 原词出现,但需要注意本题的核心在于 eighteenth century 的相关信息。随后听到男士 Finn 提问“Wasn't it in the nineteenth century that theatre programmes started to resemble programmes today?”,意为“戏剧节目单开始变得像现代节目单不正是从 19 世纪开始的吗”,注意这里提到的信息并非题干要求的 18 世纪节目单的内容。随后女士 Maya 回答“Yes. And, unlike programmes from the eighteenth century, they always used colour.”,意为“的确如此。而且,与 18 世纪的节目单不同,它们 (19 世纪的节目单)经常使用彩色印刷”,对应选项 B 信息 were more colourful, 意为“色彩更丰富”,但不符合题干要求 eighteenth century,为干扰信息,故排除。随后男士 Finn 补充“And there was a greater variety of designs.”,意为“而且有各种各样的设计”,但该内容也是上文提及的 19 世纪节目单内容,同样为干扰信息,故排除。继续听,听到“But personally, I think eighteenth-century programmes were superior because they told the theatre-goers so many things, including about the actors.”,意为“但就我个人而言,18 世纪的节目单更胜一筹,因为它们为戏剧迷提供了丰富的信息,包括关于演员的情况”,符合题干要求 18 世纪节目单,且对应选项 C 的内容 were more informative,意为“信息更为全面”。继续听,女士 Maya 表示赞同且进一步补充选项 C 的具象化内容“And about the writer, the plot, and sometimes the history of the play.”,意为“并且包含编剧信息、剧情,有时候还包括剧目的历史背景”,至此,选项 C 完整 且完全符合题干诉求,故选项 C 为该题正确答案。选项 A 中的 original,意为“更具原创性”,原文没有提及,属于无中生有,故排除。
听前预测:定位词为 twentieth century,限定词为 Maya doesn't fully understand。
题目解析:本题注意听对话推动。接上一题,男士 Finn 表示赞同“That's right.”,开始准备听本题内容,注意听女士 Maya 无法完全理解的内容。定位词 twentieth century 原词出现后,先听到女士 Maya 回答“I reckon the most important thing is the dramatic change they underwent during World War Two.”,意为“我认为最重要的是它们在第二次世界大战期间发生的巨大变化”,该内容没有直接对应选项信息,也没有对应题干限定要求,继续听。男士 Finn 补充道“When the government imposed restrictions on the use of paper.”,意为“当时政府对纸张的使用进行了限制”,随后听到女士 Maya 回应“What I don't really get is that, after the war, they didn't go back to being more than one sheet, or change in any way for over twenty-five years.”,意为“我不太理解的是,节目单在二战后并没有恢复成多页的形式,也没有任何的变化,这种情况持续了 25 年以上”,其中 don't really get 是题干信息 doesn't fully understand 的同义表述,didn't go back...or change...for over twenty-five years 对应选项 B 中的 failed to develop for so long,符合题干要求,因此选项 B 为该题正确答案。注意干扰项选项 A 内容 very few theatre programmes were printed in the USA,意为“在美国印刷的戏剧节目单很少”,原文提及“In the USA, programmes—or rather, playbills—continued to be published in the same format...”,意为“在美国,节目单,或者叫演出海报,继续以原来的样式出版”,信息方向和原文相反,且不符合题干限定内容,并非女士 Maya 不理解的内容,为干扰信息,故排除。选项 C 内容 theatre programmes in Britain copied fashions from the USA,意为“英国戏剧节目单模仿了美国的风格”,并非原文表达的内容,原文只是提及英国改变节目单而美国没有变,属于偷换概念。同时,该选项不符合题干限定内容,并非女士 Maya 不理解的内容,故排除。

