Question

【題目】A

In 1812, the year Charles Dickens was born, there were 66 novels published in Britain. People had been writing novels for a century—most experts date the first novel to Robinson Crusoe in 1719—but nobody wanted to do it professionally. The steam-powered printing press was still in its early stages; the literacy（識(shí)字） rate in England was under 50%. Many works of fiction appeared without the names of the authors, often with something like “By a lady.” Novels, for the most part, were looked upon as silly, immoral, or just plain bad.

In 1870, when Dickens died, the world mourned him as its first professional writer and publisher, famous and beloved, who had led an explosion in both the publication of novels and their readership and whose characters — from Oliver Twist to Tiny Tim— were held up as moral touchstones. Today Dickens’ greatness is unchallenged. Removing him from the pantheon（名人堂） of English literature would make about as much sense as the Louvre selling off the Mona Lisa.

How did Dickens get to the top? For all the feelings readers attach to stories, literature is a numbers game, and the test of time is extremely difficult to pass. Some 60,000 novels were published during the Victorian age, from 1837 to1901; today a casual reader might be able to name a half-dozen of them. It’s partly true that Dickens’ style of writing attracted audiences from all walks of life. It’s partly that his writings rode a wave of social, political and scientific progress. But it’s also that he rewrote the culture of literature and put himself at the center. No one will ever know what mix of talent, ambition, energy and luck made Dickens such a distinguished writer. But as the 200th anniversary of his birth approaches, it is possible — and important for our own culture—to understand how he made himself a lasting one.

【1】Which of the following best describes British novels in the 18th century?

A. They were difficult to understand.

B. They were popular among the rich.

C. They were seen as nearly worthless.

D. They were written mostly by women.

【2】Dickens is compared with the Mona Lisa in the text to stress________.

A. his reputation in France

B. his interest in modern art

C. his success in publication

D. his importance in literature

【3】What is the author’s purpose in writing the text?

A. To remember a great writer.

B. To introduce an English novel.

C. To encourage studies on culture.

D. To promote values of the Victorian age.

Answer 1

【答案】

【1】C

【2】D

【3】A

【解析】本文寫于Charles Dickens誕辰200周年前夕，介紹了Charles Dickens在英國(guó)小說(shuō)方面的重要貢獻(xiàn)和深遠(yuǎn)影響。

【1】細(xì)節(jié)理解題。根據(jù)第一段對(duì)當(dāng)時(shí)情況的描寫nobody wanted to do it professionally. The steam-powered printing press was still in its early stages; the literacy（識(shí)字）rate in England was under 50%. Many works of fiction appeared without the names of the authors... Novels, for the most part, were looked upon as silly, immoral, or just plain bad.可知，印刷技術(shù)落后，人們識(shí)字率低，作品上沒(méi)有作者名字，小說(shuō)被認(rèn)為是愚蠢的、不正常的，或者毫無(wú)價(jià)值可言。故選C。

【2】推理判斷題。根據(jù)第二段Dickens’ greatness is unchallenged.和列舉的Charles Dickens小說(shuō)的影響可知，把他和Mona Lisa相比是為了說(shuō)明Charles Dickens在英國(guó)小說(shuō)方面的重要性和Mona Lisa在繪畫方面的重要性是一樣的，故選D。

【3】寫作意圖題。根據(jù)文中對(duì)Charles Dickens及其作品在英國(guó)小說(shuō)史上重要性的描寫，和文章最后But as the 200th anniversary of his birth approaches, it is possible — and important for our own culture—to understand how he made himself a lasting one.可知，本文是寫于Charles Dickens誕辰200周年前夕，由此可知作者寫本文是為了紀(jì)念這位偉大的作家。故選A。

本文推理判斷題的考法：

1. 推測(cè)文章的觀點(diǎn)或結(jié)論。小題1要求判斷18世紀(jì)英國(guó)小說(shuō)的現(xiàn)狀，根據(jù)第一段對(duì)當(dāng)時(shí)情況的描寫nobody wanted to do it professionally. The steam-powered printing press was still in its early stages; the literacy rate in England was under 50%.Novels, were looked upon as silly, immoral, or just plain bad.可知，當(dāng)時(shí)印刷技術(shù)落后，人們識(shí)字率低，小說(shuō)被認(rèn)為是愚蠢的不正常的，毫無(wú)價(jià)值可言。

2. 推測(cè)作者寫作目的或意圖。小題3判斷本文的寫作目的，根據(jù)文中對(duì)Charles Dickens及其作品在英國(guó)小說(shuō)史上重要性的描寫，和文章最后But as the 200th anniversary of his birth approaches, it is possible — and important for our own culture—to understand how he made himself a lasting one.可知，本文是寫于Charles Dickens誕辰200周年前夕，由此推斷作者寫本文是為了紀(jì)念這位偉大的作家。