Bytheearly20thcentury,astheUnitedStatesbecameaninternat...

问题详情：

By the early 20th century, as the United States became an international power, its cultural self-identity (认同) became more complex. The United States was becoming more diverse as immigrants streamed into the country, settling especially in America’s growing urban areas. At this time, America’s social diversity began to find significant expression in the arts and culture. American writers of German, Irish, Jewish, and Scandinavian ancestry began to find an audience, although some of the cultural elite (中坚分子) resisted the works, considering them crude and unrefined.

Many of these writers focused on 20th-century city life and themes, such as poverty, efforts to assimilate (消化) into the United States, and family life in the new country. European influence now meant something very different than it once had: Artists changed the core of American experience by incorporating their various immigrant origins into its cultural vision. During the 1920s and 1930s, a host of African American poets and novelists added their voices to this new American vision. Langston Hughes, Zora Neale Hurston, and Countee Cullen, among others, gathered in New York City’s Harlem (黑人住宅区) district. They began to write about their unique experiences, creating a movement called the Harlem Renaissance.

Visual artists of the early 20th century also began incorporating the many new sights and colors of the multiethnic (不同种族的) America visible in these new city settings. Painters associated with a group known as The Eight, such as Robert Henri and John Sloan, portrayed the picturesque sights of the city. Later painters and photographers focused on the city’s squalid (污秽的) aspects. Although nature remained a significant part of American cultural self-expression, as the paintings of Georgia O’Keeffe demonstrated, it was no longer at the heart of American culture. By the 1920s and 1930s few artists or writers considered nature the extraordinary basis of American cultural identity.

In popular music too, the songs of many nations became American songs. Tin Pan Alley was full of immigrant talents who helped define American music, especially in the form of the Broadway musical. Some songwriters, such as Irving Berlin and George M. Cohan, used their music to help define American patriotic songs and holiday traditions. During the 1920s musical forms such as the blues and jazz began to dominate the rhythms of American popular music. These forms had their roots in Africa as adapted in the American South and then in cities.

56. The main theme of the painting in the early 20th century is 　　　.

A. poverty　　　　 B. experience　　　　 C. nature　　　　 D. life

57. Which of the following countries’ culture might have the least effect on American culture?

A. Finland.　　　　 B. India.　　　　 C. South Africa.　　　　 D. Irish.

58. The following is true EXCEPT 　　　.

A. Many artists or writers didn’t realize the function of nature in the basis of American cultural identity until 1920s.

B. The blues and jazz was quite popular in the 1920s and had a closely relation with African music.

C. Immigrants affected America’s social diversity and it can be found in the change of the arts and culture at that time.

D. The paintings which were created by Robert Henri and John Sloan may be about the beautiful scenery of the city.

59. What is some of the cultural elite’s attitude towards the works written by the writers who came from Europe?

A. Critical.　　　　 B. Reserved.　　　　 C. Positive.　　　　 D. Objective.

60. Which of the following could be the best title of the passage?

A. Immigration and Diversity in America

B. American Modern Culture and Art

C. Famous American Artists and Writers

D. The United States—A Developed Country

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CBAAA 

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