Question

The 1920s was a decade of wealth, decadence(堕落) and social changes. They were known as the Roaring Twenties, and the best place to experience this exciting time was New York City. But what was it really like?

  Prohibition

  In 1919, a new law in the US known as Prohibition made it illegal to buy and sell alcohol. But Prohibition didn’t stop people drinking; it just drove the sale of strong alcoholic drink underground. Bootleggers(走私贩) waited off the coast of New York after dark and brought illegal alcohol into the city.

  Jazz

  Jazz was the music of New York in the 1920s. In fact, the decade is called Jazz Age. The best place to listen to this new form of music was the Cotton Club in Harlem. All the great jazz musicians played at the Cotton Club, including Louis Armstrong, Dizzy Gillespie and Duke Ellington. Also, in 1942 George Gershwin composed the jazz—influenced Rhapsody in Blue. The piece has been called “a musical portrait of New York” and was used by Woody Allen in his film Manhattan.

  Art Deco

  Art Deco was the most popular style of the 1920s, with bright colors and geometric designs; it can be seen in the art, architecture and inside designs of the period. New York is full of Art Deco buildings, but the most famous ones are the Chrysler Building (built between 1928 and 1930) and the Empire State Building (built between 1930 and 1931).

  The Great Depression

  On 29th October, 1929, the Roaring Twenties came to a dramatic end. On that day (known as “Black Tuesday”), the US stock market crashed, causing the Great Depression. The economic downturn lasted ten years and affected most of the Western world. Unemployment in America reached 25% and the country didn’t recover until after World War II.

1.We know from the passage that in 1919 people ________ alcohol in the US.

A. began to buy and sellB. stopped producing

C. completely stopped tradingD. secretly bought and sold

2.The 1920s is called _________.

A. Country Music TimeB. Jazz Age

C. Folk Music AgeD. Pop Age

3.We infer from the passage that the US _________ in the year 1930.

A. was in a bad economic state

B. was in good economic condition

C. developed at a rapid speed

D. had many dramatic plays

Answer

1.D

2.B

3.A

【解析】

试题分析：本文介绍二十世纪二十年代的美国是一个财富、堕落和社会变革的十年。

1. 细节理解题。根据第二段第二句But Prohibition didn’t stop people drinking; it just drove the sale of strong alcoholic drink underground.（但是Prohibition并没有阻止人们喝酒，它只是将很强的酒精销售转为地下）。可知，酒精销售变为秘密买卖。故选D。

2. 细节理解题。根据第三段第一、二句Jazz was the music of New York in the 1920s. In fact, the decade is called Jazz Age.可知，事实上，这十年被称作Jazz Age。故选B。

3. 细节理解题。根据最后一段第一、二句On 29th October, 1929, the Roaring Twenties came to a dramatic end. On that day (known as “Black Tuesday”), the US stock market crashed, causing the Great Depression. The economic downturn lasted ten years and affected most of the Western world.可知，在那一天美国股市暴跌，造成大萧条。经济低迷持续十年，影响了大部分西方世界。故在1930年美国处于经济萧条的状态。故选A。

【名师点拨】

细节题的破解一般采用寻读法，即先看试题，再读文章。对有关信息进行快速定位，再将相关信息进行整合、甄别、分析、对比，有根有据地排除干扰项，选出正确答案。此法加强了阅读的针对性，提高了做题的准确率，节省了宝贵的时间。寻读法还特别适用于对图形表格类题材的理解。做此类型的题目还要特别注意句子的逻辑关系。英语中有许多功能词，如：表因果关系的because, since, as等；表转折关系的but, however ,on the contrary, on the other hand等等。5小题根据第二段第二句But Prohibition didn’t stop people drinking; it just drove the sale of strong alcoholic drink underground.（但是Prohibition并没有阻止人们喝酒，它只是将很强的酒精销售转为地下）。可知，酒精销售变为秘密买卖。故选D。

考点：考查文化类阅读