Question

A Book Review—The Snake-Stone by Berlie Doherty
The setting: Urban England (the cities), but also rural England (the countryside) including remote English villages.
The theme: The main theme is a teenage search of self-discovery, in this case the search for a mother from whom the hero was separated at an early age. Its other concerns are love, getting on with others, being persistent and courageous and trying to deal with doubts, troubles and worries. As the book moves to a close, James’ swimming coach says to him: “You are not like a kid obeying instructions any more. You are diving like a young man who knows where he is going.”
The characters: James is the hero of the story. He is a championship diver, and has a comfortable life with his foster parents (養(yǎng)父母). Yet he also has the qualities to take him on a long journey to find his birth mother. The other characters in The Snake-Stone, James’ parents, his diving instructor, best friend, the villagers, people he meets on his journey, are pictured realistically.
The turning point: The turning point in the story comes while James’ foster parents are away in London, and he wonders about the identity of his birth mother. The only clue he has is a fossil, “the snake stone” which she left behind along with a note on which she had written: “Take good care of Sammie. It was written on a torn envelope with parts of an address still there.
The journey: Instead of going to London, James decides to find his birth mother. With help from his geography teacher, James sets out for the remote country village where his mother might be found. James has painful, challenging, but also humorous and happy travels. The mother he finally meets, Anne, has a minor yet powerful voice in the novel. He comes to understand why she left him at a stranger’s door fifteen years before. Although the meeting is not long, it leaves him with a feeling of completeness. As a journey of self-discovery The Snake-Stone also provides its readers with a happy ending. Its hero says, on returning to his foster parents, “I was home.”
小題1:What is the main theme of the novel?

A．Life with foster parents.

B．Life in the world of diving.

C．A journey of self-discovery.

D．A travel around the country.

小題2:What do the coach’s words in Paragraph 2 suggest?

A．James is a successful diver.

B．James is a hopeful swimmer.

C．James is an outgoing young man.

D．James is an independent young man.

小題3:The snake stone in the novel is        .

A．a(chǎn) stone with an address on it

B．a(chǎn) clue left by the birth mother

C．a(chǎn) gift from the swimming coach

D．a(chǎn) fossil left by the foster parents

小題4:Which of the following is true about the novel?

A．The story has a sad ending.

B．The story takes place in the city of London.

C．The characters are vividly described.

D．The turning point comes after the hero meets his birth mother.

小題5:It can be concluded that James’ journey is _________.

A．worthwhile	B．boring
C．comfortable	D．disappointing

Answer 1

小題1:C
小題2:D
小題3:B
小題4:C
小題5:A

本文是應(yīng)用文書評體。分別從背景，主題，角色以及其主要情節(jié)“發(fā)現(xiàn)之旅”方面介紹名著The Snake-stone。
小題1:段落大意題 從第二段第一句話以及最后一段最后一句可以得知，該書主題體現(xiàn)在James尋找生身母親的征途也就是戰(zhàn)勝自我獲得人生真諦的發(fā)現(xiàn)之旅。所以C選項正確。
小題2:細節(jié)理解題 從第二段最后兩行教練所說“你不能再像小孩一樣，就知道循規(guī)蹈矩。你應(yīng)該探索，像找定方向的年輕潛水員�！毖酝庵�意要James做一個獨立的有個性的年輕人。故D選項正確。
小題3:細節(jié)理解題 從the turning point段落中前兩句可以得知，the snake stone是James生身母親離開留下的識別身份見證物（The only clue he has is a fossil, “the snake stone” which she left behind…）。所以B答案正確。
小題4:細節(jié)理解題 從最后一段最后一句可知A選項錯誤；從最后一段第一句可知B選項錯誤：從the turning point段落中可知故事轉(zhuǎn)折點是在James養(yǎng)父母離開他的時間，那時候還沒找到他的生身母親。故D選項錯誤；從第三段最后一句可知C選項正確（…are pictured realistically.）
小題5:推理判斷題 從最后一段的第三句，第五句得知James的尋母征途是快樂而又有成就感的。自己發(fā)現(xiàn)了人生真諦從此開始成長起來了（I was home.）所以A選項正確。