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).
4（）
A.forinstance
B.indeed
C.however
D.but
参考答案：C
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。四个选项涉及三种与上文的承接关系。具体地说，for instance表达的是一种“举例关系”；indeed表达的是一种“递进关系”；however和but表达的是一种“转折关系”。前文陈述了“美国音乐剧的进步是半个世纪前发生的”。本句则陈述了“英国戏剧主宰了百老汇的舞台”。两者之间在逻辑上是相反的。[A]举例关系和[B]递进关系用于连接上下文一致的情况，因此直接排除。而此时，[C]、[D]均表示转折关系，似乎都对。但是，本空在句中作插入语，而[D]but不能充当插入语，因此正确答案只能是[C]。