Question

Argentina in the late nineteenth century was an exciting place. Around 1870,it was experiencing an economic boom(繁荣), and the capital, Buenos Aires, attracted many people. Farmers, as well as a flood of foreigners from Spain and Italy, came to Buenos Aires seeking jobs. These jobs didn′t pay well, and the people felt lonely and disappointed with their new life in the city. As the unhappy newcomers mixed together in the poor parts of the city, the dance known as the tango(探戈舞)came into being.

At the beginning the tango was a dance of the lower classes. It was danced in the bars and streets. At that time there were many fewer women than men, so if a man didn′t want to be left out, his only choice was to dance with another man so that he could attract the attention of the few available women. Gradually, the dance spread into the upper classes of Argentinean society and became more respectable.

In Europe at this time, strong interest in dance from around the world was beginning. This interest in international dance was especially evident in Paris. Every kind of dance from ballet(芭蕾舞)to belly dancing could be found on the stages of the Paris theaters. After tango dances from Argentina arrived in Europe, they began to draw the interest of the public as they performed their exiting dance in cafes. Though not everyone approved of the new dance, saying it was a little too shocking, the dance did find enough supporters to make it popular.

The popularity（流行）of the tango continued to grow in many other parts of the world.  Soldiers who returned to the United States from World War I brought the tango to North America. It reached Japan in 1926, and in 2003 the Argentinean embassy in Seoul hired a local tango dancer to act as a kind of dance ambassador, and promoted tango dancing throughout South Korea.

1.The origin of the tango is associated with _____________.

A. Belly dancers  B. American soldiers

C. Spanish city  D. the capital of Argentina

2.Which of the following is true about the tango?

A. It was created by foreigners from Spain and Italy.

B. People of the upper classes loved the tango most

C. It was often danced by two males in the beginning

D.A dancer in Seoul became the Argentinean ambassador.

3.Before World War I, the tango spread to __________.

A. America     B. Japan    C. France      D. South Korea

4. What can be the best title for the text?

A. How to Dance the Tango

B. The History of the Tango

C. How to Promote the Tango

D. The Modern Tango Boom

Answer

1.D

2.C

3.C

4.B

【解析】

试题分析：文章介绍了探戈舞的起源及其发展过程。

1.细节理解题。文章第一、二段介绍的是探戈舞的起源，belly dances是当时在欧洲流行的舞蹈之一，与探戈舞的起源无关，A项可排除。一战归来的美国士兵将探戈舞传到了北美，这是探戈舞的发展史，不是起源，B项也可排除。C项和D项为两个地名，通读第一段可知，探戈舞起源于阿根廷首都Buenos Aires(布宜诺斯艾利斯)，故选D。

2.细节理解题。文中信息不足以判断A项正确与否；根据第二段首句“At the beginning the tango was a dance of the lower classes.”和最后一句“Gradually，the dance spread into the upper classes of Argentinean society and became more respectable.”可排除B项。D项与最后一段最后一句“...and in 2003 the Argentinean embassy in Seoul hired a local tango dancer to act as a kind of dance ambassador，and promote tango dancing throughout South Korea”不符。根据第二段第三句“At that time there were many fewer women than men，so if a man didn’t want to be left out，his only choice was to dance with another man so that he could attract the attention of the few available women.”可知，故选C。

3.细节理解题。探戈舞传到美国是在第一次世界大战之后，传到日本是在1926年，在韩国流传开来是在2003年，显然A项、B项和D项均可排除。根据排除法可推断C项正确。根据第三段内容可知，探戈舞传到法国的时间比较早，在其诞生后不久就传到法国。其诞生时间大约在1870年，所以传到法国应该是在19世纪，在一战前。故选C。

4.主旨大意题。本文介绍的是探戈舞的起源及其发展史，故选B。

考点：科教类阅读。