【阅读】一道阅读题求解

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新东方绿皮第25篇
题目
The author's attitude toward the "activity" and its  consequences can best be describled as one of
A. amused torlerence
B. mocking envy
C. grave doubt
D. angry disapproval
E. unrestrained enthusiasm
答案为A

请问怎么做出的？brisk取什么意思？

谢谢大神！


Modern archaeological finds can still contribute much to the study of ancient literature. For example, forty years　ago a survey of the early Greek dramatist Aeschylus' plays would have　started with The Suppliant Women. Many　factors internal to the play, but　perhaps most especially the prominence of the chorus (which in this play has the main role),led scholars to consider it one of Aeschylus' earlier works. The consensus was that here was a　drama truly reflecting an early stage in the evolution of tragedy out of choral lyric. The play was dated as early as the 490's B.C., in any event, well before Aeschylus' play The Persians of　472 B.C. Then, in 1952, a fragment of papyrus found at Oxyrhynchus was published stating the official circumstances and results of a dramatic contest. The fragment announced that　Aeschylus won first prize with his　Danaid tetralogy, of which The Suppliant Women is the opening play,　and defeated Sophocles in the process.　Sophocies did not compete in any　dramatic contest before 468 B.C., when　he won his first victory. Hence, except by special pleading (e.g.,that　the tetralogy was composed early in　Aeschylus' career but not produced　until the 460's B.C.), the Danaid　tetralogy must be put after 468 B.C. In addition, a few letters in the fragment　suggest the name Archedemides, archon　in 463 B.C., thus perhaps tying the　plays to that precise date, almost　exactly halfway between Aeschylus' Seven Against Thebes of 467 B.C. and　his Oresteia.　　　
　　The implication of the papyrus administered a severe shock to the vast majority of classical scholars, who had confidently asserted that not only the role of the chorus but also language,　metrics, and characterization all pointed to an early date. The discovery has resulted in no less　than a total reevaluation of every chronological criterion that has been　applied to or derived from Aeschylus'　plays. The activity has been brisk, and a new creed has now spread. The　prominence of the chorus in The　Suppliant Women now is seen not as a　sign of primitivism but as analogous to　the massive choral songs of the Oresieia.tatistics have been　formulated,or reformulated, to show　that stylistically The Suppliant Women　does actually occupy a position after　The Persians and Seven Against Thebes, which now become the "primitive" plays,　and before the Oresteia. While the new　doctrine seems almost certainly　correct, the one papyrus fragment　raises the specter that another may be unearthed, showing, for instance, that　it was a posthumous production of the　Danaid tetralogy which bested　Sophocles, and throwing the date once　more into utter confusion. This is unlikely to happen, but it warns us　that perhaps the most salutary feature　of the papyrus scrap is its message of　the extreme difficulty of classifying and　categorizing rigidly the development of a creative artist.

竹林中人

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空色绘本

顶一个~这题我也错了，选的是E~
不过后来又想了想，也许作者对那些学者的activity （应该是指reevaluation?）大概也不是完全正面态度的。因为文里着意描写了新发现带来的学者门前后态度的巨大反差对比~说起来也许就有了点讽刺意味？这种态度的转变一定程度上取悦了作者，因为毕竟这activity还是正确的。但是后面几句给读者的感觉是作者认为学者们又矫枉过正了，于是又有了点负面的态度？汗~本身也搞不大懂，坐请高人。

eeHannah

虽然是2012年的问题，阅读长难句时搜这篇文章，看到了这个问题，还是想解答一下：
我的理解是这个问题的答案不在原句“The activity has been brisk, and a new creed has now spread”，而是在其后的段落，这段话分开来看表达了三个意思：
1. 由于这个砂纸的出现，这项activity导致学者们开始重新审视作品的内部因素对排列作品时间先后的影响，甚至对作品一些内部因素的定义——The prominence of the chorus in The Suppliant Women now is seen not as a sign of primitivism but as analogous to the massive choral songs of the Oresieia. Tatistics have been formulated,or reformulated, to show that stylistically The Suppliant Women does actually occupy a position after The Persians and Seven Against
Thebes, which now become the "primitive" plays, and before the Oresteia.

2. 学术界对于砂纸的出现有一种恐惧，因为它会颠覆以往的分析——人们不想再来一次了。While the new doctrine seems almost certainly correct, the one papyrus fragment raises the specter that another may be unearthed, showing, for instance, thatit was a posthumous production of the Danaid tetralogy which bested　Sophocles, and throwing the date once more into utter confusion.

3. 作者的态度在最后一句话，作者认为，即便如此，这种事情的发生给学者带来的意义仍然是重大的，即要分析和分类一位多产有创造性的作者的作品是非常困难的，也就是说这种困难不是来自于新的发现，而是作者的作品本身就很难去分类整理。 This is unlikely to happen, but it warns us that perhaps the most salutary feature of the papyrus scrap is its message of　the extreme difficulty of classifying and categorizing rigidly the development of a creative artist.

这个题目对应的文中部分，是一种比较典型的论述方式，即开头说一个观点，后面再阐述开来，最后才表明作者的态度。