Question

I start every summer with the best of intentions: to attack one big book from the past, a classic that I was supposed to have read when young and ambitious. Often the pairings of books and settings have been purely accidental: “Moby Dick” on a three-day cross-country train trip; “The Magic Mountain” in a New England beachside cottage with no locks on the doors, no telephones or televisions in the rooms, and little to do beyond row on the salt pond. Attempting “The Man Without Qualities” on a return to Hawaii, my native state, however, was less fruitful: I made it through one and a quarter volumes (册), then decided that I’d got the point and went swimming instead.

But this summer I find myself at a loss. I’m not quite interested in Balzac, say, or “Tristram Shandy.” There’s always “War and Peace,” which I’ve covered some distance several times, only to get bogged down in the “War” part, set it aside for a while, and realize that I have to start over from the beginning again, having forgotten everyone’s name and social rank. How appealing to simply fall back on a favorite — once more into “The Waves” or “Justine,” which feels almost like cheating, too exciting and too much fun to properly belong in serious literature.

And then there’s Stendhal’s “The Red and the Black,” which happens to be the name of my favorite cocktail (鸡尾酒) of the summer, created by Michael Cecconi at Savoy and Back Forty. It is easy to drink, and knocking back three or four seems like such a delightful idea. Cecconi’s theory: “I take whatever’s fresh at the greenmarket and turn it into liquid.” The result is a pure shot of afternoon in the park, making one feel cheerful and peaceful all at once, lying on uncut grass with eyes shut, sun beating through the lids...

1.What can we infer about the author from the first paragraph?

A. He shows talents for literature.    B. He admires a lot of great writers.

C. He has a cottage in New England.    D. He enjoys reading when traveling.

2.What do the underlined words “get bogged down” in paragraph 2 mean?

A. Be interrupted.    B. Make no progress.

C. Get confused.    D. Be carried away.

3.Why does the author say reading his favorite books feels like cheating?

A. He barely understands them.    B. He finishes them quickly.

C. He has read them many times before.    D. He should read something serious.

4.What can be a suitable title for the text?

A. To Read or Not to Read    B. The Books of Summer

C. It’s Never Too Late to Read    D. My Summer Holiday

Answer

1. D

2. B

3. D

4. B

【解析】

本文是一篇记叙文，讲述了作者每年夏天作者都会读一本期望以久的著作，今年夏天读《项迪传》和《战争与和平》让他陷入泥潭，不知所措，后来又读了《红与黑》。

1.推理判断题。根据第一段中的“Often the pairings of books and settings have been purely accidental: “Moby Dick” on a three-day cross-country train trip; “The Magic Mountain” in a New England beachside cottage with no locks on the doors, no telephones or televisions in the rooms, and little to do beyond row on the salt pond. Attempting “The Man Without Qualities” on a return to Hawaii…”可知，作者在旅行时读了《白鲸记》、《魔山》及《没有个性的人》等多部作品，由此推知作者喜欢在旅行时读书，故D项正确。

2.词义猜测题。根据画线词后的“set it aside for a while, and realize that I have to start over from the beginning again, having forgotten everyone’s name and social rank.”可知，读这些书时，我在这本书中的战争部分遇到困难，于是把它搁置在一边，已经忘记了书中每个人的名字和社会地位，才意识到不得不重新开始，由此可知画线词词义为“毫无进展”，故B项正确。

3.细节理解题。根据第二段中的“How appealing to simply fall back on a favorite — once more into “The Waves” or “Justine,” which feels almost like cheating, too exciting and too much fun to properly belong in serious literature.”可知，作者最喜欢的《浪花》或《贾斯丁》让人感觉像欺骗是因为它们太刺激太有趣了，完全不属于严肃文学，他认为自己应该读一些严肃的作品，故D项正确。

4.主旨大意题。根据文章内容，特别是第一段中的“I start every summer with the best of intentions: to attack one big book from the past, a classic that I was supposed to have read when young and ambitious.”及第二段中的“But this summer I find myself at a loss.”可知，本文主要讲述了作者每年夏天开始作者都会读一本期望以久的著作，今年夏天读《项迪传》和《战争与和平》让他陷入泥潭，不知所措，后来又读了《红与黑》，故B项正确。