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).
15（）
A.viewed
B.criticized
C.reviewed
D.said
参考答案：C
解析：
[解题思路] 动词辨析。本题利用动词的修饰成分和文章的感情色彩做题。动词的修饰成分为in newspapers“在报纸上”，状语为在报纸上，动词不能是[A]viewed和[D]said。报纸上只能是[B]“批评”或者是[C]“评论”。同时，分析上下文内容，it was designated a musical comedy“它被认定为是一个音乐喜剧”，作者的感情色彩应该是支持的，而不是反对的，[B]criticized(批评)是负向含义，不能为正确答案，因此正确答案只能是[C]。