1．November 20，1924
Dear Scott：
I think you have every kind of right to be proud of this book---The Great Gatsby（了不起的蓋茨比）．It is an extraordinary book，suggestive of all sorts of thoughts and moods．You adopted exactly the right method of telling it，that of employing a narrator who is more of a spectator（旁觀者）than an actor：this puts the reader upon a point of observation on a higher level than that on which the characters stand and at a distance that gives perspective．
I could go on praising the book，but points of criticism are more important now．I think you are right in feeling some looseness in chapters six and seven，and I don't know how to suggest a remedy．I hardly doubt that you will find one and I am only writing to say that I think it does need something to hold up here to the pace set，and following．I have only two actual criticisms：
One is that among a set of characters marvelously vivid and vital-I would know Tom Buchanan if I met him on the street and would avoid him-Gatsby is somewhat vague．The reader's eyes can never quite focus upon him，his outlines are dim．This may be somewhat of an artistic intention，but I think it is mistaken．Couldn't he be physically described as distinctly as the others，and couldn't you add one or two characteristics like the use of that phrase"old sport"-not verbal，but physical ones，perhaps．I think that for some reason or other a reader gets an idea that Gatsby is a much older man than he is．But this would be avoided if on his first appearance he was seen as vividly as Daisy and Tom are，for instance-and I do not think your scheme would be weakened if you made him so．
The other point is also about Gatsby：his career must remain mysterious，of course．But in the end you make it pretty clear that his wealth came through his connection with Wolfsheim．Now almost all readers are going to be puzzled by his having all this wealth and demand an explanation．To give a distinct and definite one would be，of course，completely absurd．It did occur to me，though，that you might here and there insert some phrases，and possibly incidents that would suggest that he was in some active way mysteriously engaged．You do have him called on the telephone，but couldn't he be seen once or twice consulting at his parties with people of some sort of mysterious significance，from the political，the gambling，the sporting world，or whatever it may be．If some sort of business activity of his were simply suggested，it would lend further probability to that part of the story．
There is one other point：in giving deliberately Gatsby's biography，when he gives it to the narrator，you do withdraw from the method of the narrative in some degree，for otherwise almost everything is told，and beautifully told，in the regular flow of it．But you can't avoid the biography altogether．I thought you might find ways to let the truth of some of his claims like his army career come out，bit by bit，in the course of actual narrative．
The general brilliant quality of the book makes me ashamed to make even these criticisms．The amount of meaning you get into a sentence，the dimensions and intensity of the impression you make a paragraph carry，are most extraordinary．It seems，in reading，a much shorter book than it is，but it carries the mind through a series of experiences that one would think would require a book of three times its length．
You once told me you were not a natural writer-my God!You have plainly mastered the craft，of course； but you needed far more than craftsmanship for this．
As ever，--Maxwell E．Perkins
65．The author wrote this letter in order toC．
A．praise Scott had written a magnificent book
B．criticize Scott's description of Gatsby
C．help Scott improve his book
D．discuss the writing skills applied by Scott
66．How many suggestions did Perkins offer in his letter？B
A．Two．
B．Three．
C．Four．
D．Five．
67．By"I would know Tom Buchanan if I met him on the street and would avoid him，"Perkins intends to sayC．
A．he does not like Tom Buchanan
B．he has never met Tom Buchanan before
C．some characters in the book are described very well
D．Gatsby is mysterious compared to Tom Buchanan
68．It can be inferred from the passage thatB．
A．the method of telling the story disconnects readers from the book
B．Scott might deliberately describes Gatsby in an unclear way
C．a(chǎn) clear explanation will help readers understand Gatsby's business
D．the book is too short for the amount of content delivered in it
69．What does"You have plainly mastered the craft，of course； but you needed far more than craftsmanship for this．"mean？D
A．Scott is too modest about his talents．
B．Scott is a born talented writer．
C．Scott needs to improve his writing skills．
D．Scott has to better himself in other aspects．
70．In writing this letter，Perkins appears to beA．
A．polite and straightforward
B．proud but insightful
C．modest and uncertain
D．sharp and definite．
分析 這是一封柏金斯寫給美國作家斯科特菲茲杰拉德信函，內(nèi)容是關(guān)于修改小說《了不起的蓋茨比》的建議．
解答 65．C．文章主旨題．縱觀全文內(nèi)容可知柏金斯在贊揚(yáng)《了不起的蓋茨比》一書的同時(shí)，重點(diǎn)提出了自己的修改意見，所以C項(xiàng)正確．
66．B．細(xì)節(jié)理解題．由第三段One is that among a set of characters marvelously vivid、第四段The other point is also about Gatsby、第五段There is one other point：in giving deliberately Gatsby's biography，可知柏金斯提出了關(guān)于蓋茨比的形象描寫、財(cái)富來源和生平經(jīng)歷三方面的意見．故選B．
67．C．推理判斷題．畫線句意思是說柏金斯在路上遇到小說中的人物Tom Buchanan會(huì)主動(dòng)避開，作用是為了說明前一句小說中的一組人物形象既生動(dòng)又重要．故選C．
68．B．推理判斷題．根據(jù)第三段"This may be somewhat of an artistic intention"，可以推知菲茲杰拉德可能是出于藝術(shù)創(chuàng)作的需要，把蓋茨比的形象描寫得比較模糊，故選B項(xiàng)．
69．D．推理判斷題．最后一句意思為柏金斯表揚(yáng)了菲茲杰拉德的寫作技巧高超，同時(shí)有指出菲茲杰拉德還需要在技巧之外多加磨練，所以D項(xiàng)正確．
70．A．觀點(diǎn)態(tài)度題．縱觀全文柏金斯多出贊揚(yáng)了菲茲杰拉德的高超技藝，又客氣委婉地提出了自己的建議，因此是禮貌坦率的，故選A項(xiàng)．
點(diǎn)評 在做閱讀理解時(shí)，考生可快速閱讀短文，通讀測試題，明確考察點(diǎn)，在對應(yīng)細(xì)讀，加快做題速度．有時(shí)間還可以復(fù)查校對答案．
