Extraordinarycreative activity has been characterized as revolutionary, flying in the faceof what is established and producing not what is acceptable but what willbecome accepted. According to this formulation, highly creative activitytranscends the limits of an existing form and establishes a new principle oforganization. However, the idea that extraordinary creativity transcendsestablished limits is misleading when it is applied to the arts, even though itmay be valid for the science. Differences between highly creative art andhighly creative science arise in part from a difference in their goals. For thesciences, a new theory is the goal and end result of the creative act.Innovative science produces new propositions in terms of which diversephenomena can be related to one another in more coherent ways. Such phenomenaas a brilliant diamond or a nesting bird are relegated to the role of data,serving as the means for formulating or testing a new theory. The goal ofhighly creative art is different: the phenomenon itself becomes the directproduct of the creative act. Shakespeare’s Hamlet is not a tract about thebehavior of indecisive princes or the uses of political power, nor is Picasso’spainting Guernica primarily a prepositional statement about the Spanish CivilWar or the evils of fascism. What highly creative activity produces is not anew generalization that transcends established limits, but rather an aestheticparticular. Aesthetic particulars produced by the highly creative artistsextend or exploit, rather than transcend that form.

This is not todeny that a highly creative artist sometimes establishes a new principle of organizationin the history of an artistic field; the composer Monteverdi, who created musicof the highest aesthetic value, comes to mind. More generally, however, whetheror not a composition establishes a new principle in the history of music has nobearing on its aesthetic worth. Because they embody a new principle oforganization, some musical works, such as the operas of the FlorentineCamerata, are of signal historical importance, but few listeners ormusicologists would include these among the great works of music. On the otherhand, Mozart’s “the Marriage of Figaro” is surely among the masterpiece ofmusic even though its modest innovations are confined to extend existing means.It has been said of Beethoven that he toppled the rules and freed music fromthe stifling confines of convention. But a close study of his compositionreveals that Beethoven overturned no fundamental rules. Rather, he was astrategist who exploited limits—the rules, forms, and conventions that he inherited frompredecessors such as Haydn and Mozart, Handel and Bach—in striking original ways.

1．According to the author，distinctions between those engaged in the creative arts and innatural sciences could in part be explained by ______.

A. the different objectives of those involved in these respectivepursuits

B. the different methods they employ in the collection of data tosupport their theories

C. the different ways in which they attempt to extend acceptedconventional forms

D. the different principles of organization that they utilize inorder to create new works

2．Why does the author suggest that the work of Beethoven was highlycreative?

A. Because he sought to become the only composer of his time tochallenge accepted musical conventions.

B. Because he adopted a new principle of organization in his work byutilizing innovative strategies.

C. Because he creatively manipulated the accepted rules and formsgoverning musical composition.

D. Because he synthesized a transition between the older stylisticconvention and the newer musical form.

3．The passage implies that an originalcontribution in science is one that ______.

A. is often quoted in the work of other scientists

B. is careful not to make a value judgment about the use of data

C. is applauded by all distinguished experimentalists

D. generates a novel and well-founded generalization

4．Which of the following would most likelyfollow the final sentence of the passage?

A. In the similar manner, several modern composers successfullyestablished musical conventions.

B. Similarly, the succeeding generation of composers manipulatedaccepted musical forms.

C. In contrast to Beethoven, however, even great modem composerslike Bela Bartok did not attempt to alter accepted musical conventions.

D. Musicologists are continuing to study the compositional styles ofcomposers in order to determine whether their contributions have beeninnovative.

5．Which is the best title for this passage?

A. Extraordinary Creative Activity.

B. Creative Artist.

C. Direct Product of the Creative Art.

D. Musical Conventions.

【答案与解析】

1．A 第一段第三句开始“可是，非凡的创造活动超越现存藩篱的观点，虽适用于科学，但用于艺术，就会起误导作用。高度创造性的艺术和高度创造性的科学之间的差异，部分在于他们的目标不一样。对科学来说，建立一种新理论是创造性行动的目标和最终结果。”“艺术的高度创造性之目的不同；该现象本身就是创造行为的直接产品。”

2．C 文章第二段指出“he was a strategist who exploited limits in striking original ways”，也就是选项C的内容。

3．D 文章开始就提出超凡创造力的革命性在于创造将为人接受的东西。接着就说“根据这一公式，高度创造性活动超越现存形式藩篱，建立一个崭新的组织原则。”这个原则就是通则。所以D选项是正确的，是文中所隐含的。

4．B 句意为：同样，下一代的作曲家巧妙地处理了被认可的音乐传统形式。这可从最后几句讲到贝多芬如何创造性地运用了现存的音乐规则、形式和传统可看出。该段是承上启下的段落。

5．A 文章通篇谈的就是“非凡的创造活动”，其他选项都表述的是具体某一方面的内容。 TE4OrNcwoQG/0Duo0SLQcelNXQKSVEZbMGPJrZLoY4KiW6dyGo/NMJfYUdZ3M76E