C．Opera fans thank celebrities for performing.

D．Opera develops by adapting to new conditions.

34．What does the author try to say in Paragraph 4?

A．Popular culture has had a positive influence on opera.

B．Audiences know best how opera should be performed.

C．Microphones should be used to make opera more enjoyable.

D．Opera singers' voices should be valued more than their looks.

35．What would be the best title for this passage?

A．The Economic Challenge to Opera

B．Opera Faced with the Difficulties

C．Opera as Part of Popular Culture

D．The Historical Context of Opera

33-35.DDB

The rumor proved all too bitterly true：Park's Hardware, a downtown institution of Orono for over 100 years，would be closing. Locals cross­examined，and begged Lin，the owner of the store，but in vain. Running a small，local，family­owned hardware business was no longer profit­making. The town's affection for Park's Hardware was just not enough to allow it to compete against the giant warehouse stores.

I was one member of the excited masses that began to walk through Park's as，day by day，the lettering on the front window changed from