Question

Arthur Miller (1915—2005) is universally recognized as one of the greatest dramatists of the 20th century. Miller's father had moved to the USA from Austria Hungary, drawn like so many others by the “Great American Dream”. However, he experienced severe financial hardship when his family business was ruined in the Great Depression of the early 1930s.

Miller's most famous play, Death of a Salesman, is a powerful attack on the American system, with its aggressive way of doing business and its insistence on money and social status as indicators of worth. In Willy Loman, the hero of the play, we see a man who has got into trouble with this system. Willy is “burnt out” and in the cruel world of business there is no room for sentiment: if he can't do the work, then he is no good to his employer, the Wagner Company, and he must go. Willy is painfully aware of this, and at a loss as to what to do with his lack of success. He refuses to face the fact that he has failed and kills himself in the end.

When it was first staged in 1949, the play was greeted with enthusiastic reviews, and it won the Tony Award for Best Play, the New York Drama Critics' Circle Award, and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. It was the first play to win all three of these major awards.

Miller died of heart failure at his home in Roxbury, Connecticut, on the evening of February 10, 2005, the 56th anniversary of the first performance of Death of a Salesman on Broadway.

1.Why did Arthur Miller's father move to the USA?

A．He suffered from severe hunger in his home country.

B．He was attracted by the “Great American Dream.”

C．He hoped to make his son a dramatist.

D．His family business failed

2.The play Death of a Salesman________.

A．exposes the cruelty of the American business world

B．discusses the ways to get promoted in a company

C．talks about the business career of Arthur Miller

D．focuses on the skills in doing business

3.What can we learn about Willy Loman?

A．He treats his employer badly.

B．He runs the Wagner Company.

C．He is a victim of the American system.

D．He is regarded as a hero by his colleagues.

4.After it was first staged, Death of a Salesman________.

A．achieved huge success

B．won the first Tony Award

C．was warmly welcomed by salesmen

D．was severely attacked by dramatists

5.What is the text mainly about?

A．Arthur Miller and his family.

B．The awards Arthur Miller won.

C．The hardship Arthur Miller experienced.

D．Arthur Miller and his best known play.

Answer

1.B

2.A

3.C

4.A

5.D

【解析】

试题分析：

1.从第一段drawn like so many others by the “Great American Dream可知 Miller的父亲被伟大的美国梦所吸引。

2.从第二段。。。is a powerful attack on the American system, with its aggressive way of doing business and its insistence on money and social status as indicators of worth可得知答案

3. 从第二段第三，四，五行及最后一行可知Willy Loman陷入到残酷的商业体系不能自拔以致最后自杀，说明他是美国体制的牺牲品。

4.从倒数第二段the play was greeted with enthusiastic reviews, and it won the Tony Award for Best Play, the New York Drama Critics' Circle Award, and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. It was the first play to win all three of these major awards可知一个推销员之死一登台就获得了巨大成功。

5.综合全文，本文主要讲述Arthur Miller及他的最有名的戏剧。

考点：传记体短文阅读