The United States is usually given credit for creating and developing the musical comedy as it is known today. The first musical shows were based (1) everyday American life and the (2) development of the form took place in the United States for more than half a century. (3) the early 1970s, (4) , the London theater has (5) the Broadway stage.
The Black Crook, which opened at Niblo’s Garden in New York City on Sept. 12, 1866, is usually (6) as the inspiration for musical comedy. A troupe of French ballet dancers (7) to be stranded in New York without work (8) a fire damaged the theater (9) they had been booked. In order to keep a (10) to them, the theater producer put the dancers into a melodrama written by Charles M. Barres.
The first stage production that was (11) a musical comedy was a show that was (12) from the Prince of Wales Theater to the Gaiety Theater in London in 1892. Staged by George Edwards, the show called In Town featured a chorus line of Gaiety Girls. The (13) year A Gaiety Girl was equally successful, and a (14) of the show played in New York in the same year. When it was (15) in newspapers, it was designated a musical comedy and regarded as a new (16) of entertainment.
It did not take the form long to (17) in the United States. Almost (18) one of the most renowned talents of the American stage went to work on his own musicals. The singer-dancer George M. Cohan staged Little Johnny Jones in 1904. Cohan, (19) own life story was made into the musical George M (1968), also wrote the books, words, and (20) for Forty-five Minutes from Broadway ( 1906 ), The Little Millionaire ( 1911 ), The Song and Dance Man ( 1923 ), and American Born (1925).
8（）
A.because
B.thus
C.but
D.hence
参考答案：A
解析：
[解题思路] 连词辨析。考查的是考生依据上下文进行逻辑分析的能力。四个选项涉及两种与上文的承接关系。具体地说，because，thus和hence表达的是一种“因果关系”；but表达的是一种“转折关系”。前文陈述了“法国芭蕾舞团在纽约处于困境”，本句则陈述了“大火毁坏了剧院”。两者的逻辑方向显然是一致的，因此[C]转折关系在逻辑方向上与上下文不符。同时，根据上下文判断，此处是因果关系。能连接因果关系的选项是[A]、[B]和[D]。深入分析，thus和hence前面接原因，后面接结果，即用于连接“前因后果”。而because前面接结果，后面接原因，即用于连接“前果后因”，而此处上文是结果，下文是原因，因此选择[A]。
