《考研英语阅读理解100篇 高分版》 Unit 18 - TEXT ONE

Pier 17 in downtown Manhattan is not the most likely destination for theatre-goers. But here on the East River, among the wailing seagulls, frying fish and tourists, is an enchanting offer of entertainment. Spiegelworld is back in town for its second summer, with two spicy cabaret shows of dance, music, acrobatics and burlesque. Called Absinthe and La Vie, the shows are staged in the anachronistic opulence of a spiegeltent (Flemish for “tent of mirrors”).
Nobody seems to know how many of these European pavilions are left but most people agree that there are fewer than 20. Built by hand without nails, spiegeltents are beautiful assemblies of teak, velvet, stained glass and bevelled mirrors, created originally in Belgium in the early 20th century as mobile dance halls. Only two families in Belgium and the Netherlands still know how to make them, producing one every five or ten years or so, says Vallejo Gantner, one of the show's producers and a long-time spiegeltent aficionado. “But you know it when you walk into an old one. They have a special boutique quality.”
This one, which dates from the 1920s and has a painted art-nouveau facade, lends continental glamour to the pier. It holds about 350 people on wooden chairs and banquettes around a modest, circular stage. And it is this intimacy, this proximity to the performers, that gives these shows their special feel. Erotic contortionists, balletic hand-balancers and bawdy jugglers emanate a sweaty, tangible humanity. Many of them, Mr. Gantner explains, have left larger circus troupes, such as Cirque du Soleil, in order to make eye-contact with their audience. The simplicity of the staging gives their performances a gritty authenticity.
Once in a while, a family on a children's outing is fooled by Spiegelworld's festive red-and-blue tent spires. Make no mistake: the shows are for adults. La Vie, created by Les 7 Doigts de la Main, a Montreal-based troupe, laces an array of artfully sexy circus acts with the premise that everyone is dead and in purgatory, travelling on “a flight to hell that never quite gets there”. Wearing what looks like a straitjacket, a contortionist moves in a highly unsettling way to a recording of “Crazy”, crooned by Patsy Cline. The show closes with a steamy pas de deux between the devilish master of ceremonies and the evening's lip-curling seductress.
Absinthe is a more explicit grab-bag of stripping, cross-dressing and intrigue, without a unifying theme. The show's strongest moments come from the acrobats, all of whom carry a powerful sexual charge. Two women sway with suggestive grace on the trapeze. An aerialist in black trousers, his sculpted chest glistening, pulls and twists himself up two hanging straps to the lusty music of Jealous Guy, sung by a transvestite diva.
Sexy but not tawdry. Despite colourful language and a brief moment of unnecessary male nudity in La Vie, the setting is too elegant and the talent too astonishing for that. It's a bit of risqué fun that has been warmly received by New Yorkers, many of whom have grown tired of the wholesome, tourist-friendly fare of Broadway. Last summer Absinthe ran for two months to sell-out crowds; this year's two-show programme is for three months until the end of September.
1. According to the passage, Spiegelworld is probably _____.
[A] a series shows of dance, music, acrobatics and burlesque with boutique quality
[B] a mobile dance hall of long history as well as exquisite decoration
[C] a troupe performing certain programs for the public
[D] a traditional form of entertainment derived from some ancient European countries
2. By mentioning that “Pier 17 in downtown Manhattan is not the most likely destination for theatre-goers”, the author wants to _____.
[A] imply that theater-goers are paying much attention to the environment of performance
[B] show that Pier 17 is not a place for a formal performance of the theater
[C] prove that the shows in spiegeltent are very attractive
[D] tell us the status of the place where the shows of Absinthe and La Vie are presented
3. The performances staged in the spiegeltents are different from the other ones mainly in that _____.
[A] they are on show in the pier rather than in the theater
[B] the seats are arranged around the stage so that the audience can watch the performers closely
[C] they are of a sweaty, tangible humanity and a like of enticing simplicity
[D] it is much easier for their performers to make eye-contact with their audience
4. In the fourth paragraph, the author gives a detailed description of La Vie in order to _____.
[A] imply that Spiegelworld is characterized by suggestive sexy scenes and is mainly oriented to the adults
[B] showcase the fact that the performance is sexually attractive, but far from tawdry
[C] demonstrate the profound meaning conveyed by the surface of the performance
[D] give a general impression of the specific performance and illustrate that people should not be deluded by the representation
5. Which one of the following statements is TRUE of the performances staged in spiegeltents?
[A] Only two families in Belgium and the Netherlands know how to give such performances.
[B] The performances are characteristic of erotic shows.
[C] The performances are always given with an explicit motif.
[D] The performances are mainly given to the mass rather than the elite.