Plays are not a new thing. People have been putting them on for thousands of years. Plays first came on the scene in the sixth century B.C..They were put on in Greece.

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How did the first plays develop? They were part of festivals to honor the gods. There were games, dancing, and songs sung by a chorus（合唱隊）.Then someone got an idea. Instead of just the chorus singing, people could also speak lines to each other. This was the beginning of dialogue. And dialogue is a basic thing of drama.

So the early Greek plays had regular characters and a chorus. The story happened through the main characters. But the chorus explained the action. For instance, one character might treat another cruelly. The chorus might admonish(告誡) the character that the god was not pleased with such behavior.

The stories in the plays were mostly about the gods or famous heroes. These were stories the people already knew. Many of the characters in these stories were women. But there were no women actors. Both the main characters and the chorus were played by men.

Greek theaters were usually built into hillsides. The stage was at the bottom. The seats rose up the side of the hill. These theaters were often very large. It could be hard to see and hear. Actors wore platform（舞臺） shoes. These made them look taller. They also wore tall headdresses and masks. A mask would be painted with a face showing the character’s feelings. It would also have a mouth opening shaped like a funnel（漏斗）. This made the actor’s voice sound louder. There was a small painted building on the stage. Actors could go in and out one of its three doors. Aside from this, there was no scenery.

1．What is the best title for this passage would be_____?

A．Plays Then and Now.　　　　 B．Performing in a Large Theater.

　 C．Early Greek Theater.　　　　 D．The Actors’ Use of Masks.　　　

2．The first part of a play to be developed was

　 A．the chorus. B．dialogue.　 C．masks.　　　 D．scenery.　　　

3．Actors wore platform shoes and masks to

A．show how important the characters were.

　 B．make it easier for audiences to see and hear them.

C．make them stand out from the chorus.

　 D．make it easier for audiences to laugh at them.　　　

4．In the third paragraph, the characters and the chorus are explained by

　 A．describing how they dressed.

　 B．describing their functions.

　 C．telling in what ways they were similar.

　 D．telling why women could not join in.　

 

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