【高校英語】過去問攻略！大学入試センター試験 vol.932≪2016年第6問≫

□--■--□--■--□--■--□--------------------------------------------◆ 　　【高校英語】過去問攻略！大学入試センター試験 vol.932 　　　　　≪2016年第6問≫　　月・水・土発行　　2020/9/16配信 ◆----------------------------------------□--■--□--■--□--■--□--■ 目次・・・■　問題　■　全文訳　■　解答・解説　■　語句　■　解答一覧 ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ このメルマガでは、大学入試センター試験の問題を詳細に解説します。 今回取り上げる問題は、2016年英語第６問です。 ■　問題 第６問　次の文章を読み、下の問い(Ａ・Ｂ)に答えよ。なお、文章の左にある (1)～(6)はパラグラフ(段落)の番号を表している。 (1) Opera is an art form that celebrates the human voice at its highest level of expression. No other art form creates excitement and moves the heart in the way that opera does, especially when performed by a great singer. Such singers are trained to present some of the greatest and most challenging music that has ever been composed for the human voice. (2) Opera is an important part of the Western classical music tradition. It uses music, words, and actions to bring a dramatic story of life. Opera started in Italy at the end of the 16th century and later became popular throughout Europe. Over the years, it has responded to various musical and theatrical developments around the world and continues to do so. In recent decades, much wider audiences have been introduced to opera through modern recording technology. Some singers have become celebrities thanks to performing on radio, on television, and in the cinema. (3) However, in recent years, opera has been facing serious challenges. The causes of some of these are beyond its control. One current challenge to opera is economic. The current world economic slowdown has meant that less money is available for cultural institutions and artists. This shortage of money raises the broader question of how much should be paid to support opera singers and other artists. Society seems to accept the large salaries paid to business managers and the multi-million-dollar contracts given to sports athletes. [But what about opera singers?] Somehow, people have the idea that artists can be creative only if they suffer in poverty, but this is unrealistic: If artists, including opera singers, lack the support they need, valuable talent is wasted. (4) Not only the shortage of money, but also the way money is managed in the opera world has led to hardships. Principal singers are generally paid performance fees once they complete a show. They typically receive nothing during the many weeks of rehearsal before a show starts. To prepare for a role, they must pay the costs of lessons and coaching sessions. If they become ill or cancel their performance, they lose their performance fee. The insecurity of this system puts the future of opera at risk. (5) Another problem faced by opera is how to meet the demands of audiences who are influenced by popular entertainment. Pop singers are often judged as much on the basis of how they look as how they sound. Therefore, opera singers, performing to audiences influenced by this popular culture, are now expected to be "models who sing." These demands may be unrealistic and possibly harmful. Opera singers simply cannot make a sound big enough to fill a large theater or concert hall without microphone if their body weight is too low. Emphasizing physical appearance over singing ability may cause audiences to miss out on the human voice at its best. (6) There are no easy solutions to opera's problems and there are many different opinions about the value of opera. However, every year many young people register for music courses with hopes and dreams of developing their talents in this special art form. The fact that opera has survived many obstacles and continues to attract the rising generation demonstrates that it remains a respected art form full of value.