A
After 400 years, William Shakespeare (1564－1616) is still widely celebrated as a great crafter of language and playwright (剧作家)．But he was not the only great master of dramatic writing to die in 1616, and he is certainly not the only writer to have left a lasting impact on theatre.While less known worldwide, Tang Xianzu is rightly considered China's greatest playwright and is highly admired in that country of ancient literary and dramatic traditions.
Tang was born in 1550 in Linchuan, Jiangxi Province, and worked as a government official until, in 1598 and aged 49, he retired to focus on writing.Unlike Shakespeare's large body of plays and poems, Tang wrote only four major plays: The Purple Hairpin, A Dream under a Southern Bough, Dream of Handan and The Peony Pavilion — widely considered to be his masterpiece.In the latter three, much of the story is told through dream sequences.Tang used these scenes to explore human emotions in ways that challenged the feudal system of his time.It is a similar dream structure that we find in Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream.
Tang lived towards the end of the Ming Dynasty (1368－1644) and, similarly to Shakespeare, his lasting success was partly due to the growth of theatre as an artistic practice during his lifetime.As in Shakespeare's England, it became hugely popular in China, with public theatres opening in different cities and traveling performance groups becoming common.Theatrical audiences started to populate open public spaces, and theatre as a popular form of entertainment found its place outside palaces.However, unlike in Shakespeare's England, there was hardly any mixing of the rich with commoners at theatrical events.
During this time, the way in which playtexts were enjoyed, spread and performed also changed.Initially, Chinese dramas had an emphasis on poetic language and were distributed in book form, to be read like novels.They were seldom, if ever, performed.However, from the mid16th century, Kunqu opera, a form of musical drama, spread from southern China to become a symbol of Chinese culture.
While Tang and Shakespeare lived a world away from each other, they share in common the humanity of their drama, their heroic figures, their love for language, a lasting popularity — and the anniversary during which we still celebrate them.
语篇解读：本文是一篇说明文。文章介绍了汤显祖的作品特点和时代意义。
1．Why does the writer refer to Shakespeare throughout this article about Tang?
A．To compare the writing styles of the writers.
B．To emphasize Tang's importance in literature.
C．To assess the achievements of these two great writers.
D．To examine the different influences of Tang and Shakespeare.
解析：选B 推理判断题。全文中作者不断地将莎士比亚和汤显祖对照，以此凸显汤显祖的艺术成就和作用。故选B。
2．What distinguishes The Purple Hairpin from Tang's other plays?
A．It does not rely heavily on dream scenes.
B．It is widely considered to be his best work.
C．It was the only play to be publicly performed.
D．It challenged the feudal system of ancient China.
解析：选A 细节理解题。根据第二段中的“In the latter three, much of the story is told through dream sequences”可知，除去The Purple Hairpin，其余三部戏剧均是通过梦境来讲述的。故选A。
3．What characteristic was shared by both English and Chinese theatre during Tang's lifetime?
A．Music and poetry were present in most performances.
B．The popularity of public theatrical performances grew rapidly.
C．Different social classes often attended the same performances.
D．Most plays were written to be read as novels rather than performed.
解析：选B 细节理解题。根据第三段第二、三句可知，在汤生活的时代，英国和中国歌剧院的共同特点是剧院表演深受欢迎。
4．Which of the following would the author probably agree with?
A．Tang's plays were superior to his poems.
B．Tang is more widely read than Shakespeare.
C．Tang is the best playwright in Chinese history.
D．Tang and Shakespeare knew of each other's works.
解析：选C 细节理解题。根据第一段中的“Tang Xianzu is rightly considered China's greatest playwright and is highly admired”可知，汤显祖被认为是中国最伟大的剧作家，故选C。
