The French word renaissance means rebirth. It was first used in 1855 by the historian Jules Michelet in his History of France, and then adopted by historians of culture, by art historians, and eventually by music historians, all of whom applied it to European culture during the 150 years spanning 1450-1600. The concept of rebirth was appropriate to this period of European history because of the renewed interest in ancient Greek and Roman culture that began in Italy and then spread throughout Europe. Scholars and artists of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries wanted to restore the learning and ideals of the classical civilizations of Greece and Rome. To these scholars this meant a return to human—as opposed to spiritual-values. Fulfillment in life—as opposed to concern about an afterlife—became a desirable goal, and expressing the entire range of human emotions and enjoying the pleasures of the senses were no longer frowned on (不赞同). Artists and writers now turned to secular (非宗教的) as well as religious subject matter and sought to make their works understandable and appealing.
These changes in outlook deeply affected the musical culture of the Renaissance period—how people thought about music as well as the way music was composed, experienced, discussed, and disseminated. They could see the architectural monuments, sculptures, plays, and poems that were being rediscovered, but they could not actually hear ancient music—although they could read the writings of classical philosophers, poets, essayists, and music theorists that were becoming available in translation. They learned about the power of ancient music to move the listener and wondered why modern music did not have the same effect. For example, the influential religious leader Bernardino Cirillo expressed disappointment with the learned music of his time. He urged musicians to follow the example of the sculptors, painters, architects, and scholars who had rediscovered ancient art and literature. The musical Renaissance in Europe was more a general cultural movement and state of mind than a specific set of musical techniques. Furthermore, music changed so rapidly during this century and a half—though at different rates in different countries—that we cannot define a single Renaissance style.
小题1:What is the passage mainly about?
A．The musical compositions that best illustrate the developments during the European Renaissance.
B．The musical techniques that were in use during the European Renaissance.
C．The European Renaissance as a cultural development that included changes in musical style.
D．The ancient Greek and Roman musical practices used during the European Renaissance.小题2:According to the passage, Renaissance artists and writers had all of the following intentions EXCEPT _______.
A．to use religious themes
B．to express only the pleasant parts of human experience
C．to produce art that people would find attractive
D．to create works that were easily understood小题3:The word "disseminated" in paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to _______.
A．played
B．documented
C．spread
D．ignored小题4:What can be inferred about the music of ancient Greece and Rome?
A．It expressed different ideals than classical sculpture, painting and poetry.
B．It was played on instruments that are familiar to modern audiences.
C．It had the same effect on Renaissance audiences as it had when originally performed.
D．Its effect on listeners was described in a number of classical texts.
小题1:C
小题2:B
小题3:C
小题4:D
试题解析：本文从法语中的“再生，复兴”讲述了欧洲文化复兴时期的音乐文化领域的变化总结出：不能简单地定义文艺复兴风格。
小题1:C主旨大意题。通读全文和根据文章第一段的第一句开篇点题：The French word renaissance means rebirth. It was first used in 1855 by the historian Jules Michelet in his History of France, and then adopted by historians of culture, by art historians, and eventually by music historians, all of whom applied it to European culture during the 150 years spanning 1450-1600法语词“Renaissance”的意思是“再生、复兴”，第一次被应用于历史学家Jules Michelet的法国历史著作，随后被文化史学家和艺术史学家采用，最终被加入了音乐史，用于描述欧洲于1450-1600年间长达150年的文化运动，所以C正确。
小题2:B细节理解题。根据文章第一段最后一句话Artists and writers now turned to secular (非宗教的) as well as religious subject matter and sought to make their works understandable and appealing.艺术家和作家们将他们的作品主题从宗教转向了世俗，并试图使他们的作品看起来更通俗易懂、更引人瞩目，排除 A C Ｄ，所以Ｂ正确。
小题3:C词义猜测题。根据后句中的关键词：They could see the architectural monuments, sculptures, plays, and poems that were being rediscovered人们可以看到那个时期的建筑、雕塑、戏剧以及诗歌并重现它们，所以上句应该是音乐的组成、经验积累、探讨和传播，所以Ｃ正确。
小题4:D推理判断题。根据根据文章第二段内容；人们可以看到那个时期的建筑、雕塑、戏剧以及诗歌并重现它们，却不能真正听那个时期的音乐——尽管他们可以阅读并翻译古典哲学家、诗人、散文家和音乐理论家的作品。但他们了解到了那些古典音乐中吸引观众的神奇力量，并思考为什么现代音乐缺乏这样的影响，加举例说明，所以D正确。