A
BooksThatShapedAmerica
TheAdventuresofHuckleberryFinn
Novelist Ernest Hemingway famously said,“All modern American literature comes from one book by Mark Twain called ‘HuckleberryFinn’.All American writing comes from that.There was nothing before.There has been nothing as good since.” During their trip down the Mississippi on a raft,Twain describes in a satirical(嘲讽的) and humorous way Huck and Jim’s encounters with hypocrisy,racism,violence and other evils of American society.His use in serious literature of a lively,simple American language full of dialect and informal spoken expressions paved the way for many later writers,including Hemingway and William Faulkner.
GonewiththeWind
The most popular romance novel of all time was the basis for the most popular movie of all time.Margaret Mitchell’s book,GonewiththeWind,set in the South during the Civil War,won both the Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award.It remains popular,despite charges that its author had a blind eye regarding the horrors of slavery.
LeavesofGrass
The publication of the first slim edition of Walt Whitman’s LeavesofGrass in 1855 was the first appearance of a masterpiece that shifted the course of American literary history.Refreshing and bold in both theme and style,the book experienced many revisions during Whitman’s lifetime.Over almost 40 years Whitman produced multiple editions of LeavesofGrass,shaping the book into an evertransforming kaleidoscope(千变万化) of poems.By his death in 1892,Leaves was a thick summary that represented Whitman’s view of America over nearly the entire last half of the 19th century.Among the collection’s best-known poems are ISingtheBodyElectric,SongofMyself,and OCaptain!MyCaptain!in praise of Abraham Lincoln.
TheAmericanWoman’sHome
This classic domestic guide,TheAmericanWoman’sHome,by sisters Catharine E.Beecher and Harriet Beecher Stowe is dedicated to “the women of America,in whose hands rest the real fates of the Republic”.It includes chapters on healthful cookery,home decoration,exercise,cleanliness,good air ventilation(通风方法) and heat,etiquette,sewing,gardening and care of children,the sick,the aged and domestic animals.Intended to elevate the “woman’s sphere” of household management to a respectable profession based on scientific principles,it became the standard domestic handbook.
1.Which of the following best describes Ernest Hemingway’s feelings for Mark Twain’s book?
A.Wonderful. B.Disappointing.
C.Painful. D.Confusing.
答案:A
解析:细节理解题。根据第一段海明威所说的话可知,海明威认为马克·吐温的《哈克贝利·费恩历险记》是一部空前绝后的好作品,即他对马克·吐温作品的评价非常高。
2.Which author is accused of neglecting the horrors of slavery?
A.Mark Twain. B.Margaret Mitchell.
C.Walt Whitman. D.Catharine E.Beecher.
答案:B
解析:细节理解题。根据第二段最后一句可知,玛格丽特·米切尔被指控对于奴隶制的恐怖视而不见。
3.What can we learn from Walt Whitman’s poems?
A.He used many informal oral English in LeavesofGrass.
B.Many poems were added to LeavesofGrass after 1855.
C.He showed little respect for Abraham Lincoln in his poems.
D.The poems reflected Walt Whitman’s bad opinions of America.
答案:B
解析:推理判断题。根据第三段内容可知沃尔特·惠特曼在1855年出版了《草叶集》的第一版,此后的40多年,该书不断被修订,内容不断增加,直至1892年沃尔特·惠特曼去世。由此可知,沃尔特·惠特曼的许多诗是在1855年之后被补充到《草叶集》当中的。
