Richard Wagner was a German musician has been a very controversial(有争议的) person, but he has gained great fame by writing opera, a form of performance combining singing, music on instruments, and drama.
While he wrote excellent music, many people think his operas are too dark and serious, lacking the fun common in operas written before his time.
Wagner, on the other hand, thought the opera of his time was too simple．He wanted to make opera a serious form of art that combined drama and music to tell deep stories that would have a strong effect on the audience.
Some people thought Wagner’s new kind of music was too different from the operas they were used to hearing．Wagner agreed with them．In fact, he didn’t call his works “operas” at all, using instead a German word that means “Musical Festival” or “Musical play”.
While many people today still do not like Wagner’s operas, they cannot deny that Wagner has had a lot of influence on opera as a form of art．Wagner invented the tradition of turning off the lights before starting a play．He also was the first person to make the whole audience sit down for an entire play．Today, almost all operas are performed in this manner.
Wagner as a man was even more controversial than Wagner as a writer of music．He hated Jewish people, and made many people angry, which we would today think of as evil．Some would say he was a good musician, while others would say that he was a bad musician．But it would be difficult to say he was not an important person in music and in the world.
小题1:Which of the following best expresses the main idea of the passage?
A．Richard Wagner is not worth talking about
B．Richard Wagner has made many people angry
C．Richard Wagner has contributed much to opera.
D．Richard Wagner is a very controversial man.小题2:Why did Wagner write what is considered serious music?
A．He wanted to influence people with deep stories.
B．He wanted to make his music simple to follow.
C．He wanted to make it suitable for his deep voice.
D．He was greatly influenced by previous musicians.小题3:Wagner’s works were different from normal opera of his time NOT because________.
A．he called his works “Musical Festivals”
B．his drama, music and singing are combined
C．the lights are off before starting a play
D．the audience could sit down during his play小题4:Which of the following statements about Wagner’s works is TRUE?
A．His works are seldom accepted
B．His works are known to be funny.
C．His works started a new tradition.
D．Most people are angry about his works.
