Question

British writer John Donne once said: “No man is an island; every book is a world.” As an enthusiastic reader, I can’t agree with the latter part of the sentence more. Every summer, I endeavor to find some peaceful places where I can attack some classics without being disturbed. Thomas Hardy wants to live far from the madding crowd. I am no friend to chaos, either.

I read George Orwell’s 1984 in a New England beachside cottage with no locks on the doors, no telephones or televisions in the rooms. 1984 is a good book that needs deep reflection. Attempting Sound and Fury lying on the bed of a poorly-occupied motel, however, was less fruitful: I made it through one and a quarter volumes, but then my eyelids were so heavy that I couldn’t keep them open.

But this summer I find myself at a loss. I’m not quite interested in J.D.Salinger, say, or Frankenstein. 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 Call of the Wild or Alice in the Wonderland, which feels almost like cheating, too exciting and too much fun to properly belong to serious literature.

And then there’s John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath. This title does not amaze but confuse. We’re never short of sour grapes, but we’ve never heard of angry grapes. Anyway grapes are my favorite fruit of summer. These stone fruits can always make me feel cheerful and peaceful all at once.

1.What can we infer from Paragraph 2?

A. The author has a cottage in New England.

B. 1984 is a book that needs careful thought.

C. Both of the reading attempts were not fruitful.

D. Sound and Fury was set in a poorly-occupied motel.

2.What does the underlined phrase “get bogged down” in paragraph 3 refer to?

A. Get confused.    B. Be carried away.

C. Be interpreted.    D. Make no progress.

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

A. He finishes them quickly.    B. He should read something serious.

C. He barely understands them.    D. He gets amazed by their titles.

4.What can we know about the author from this passage?

A. Thomas Hardy is his friend.    B. He shows talent for literature.

C. He is quite forgetful.    D. He is a literary-minded man.

5.What’s the author’s purpose in writing the passage?

A. To share his reading experience.

B. To encourage readers to read books.

C. To introduce good books to readers.

D. To condemn the chaotic world we live in.

Answer

1. B

2. D

3. B

4. D

5. A

【解析】

本文为说明文。作者介绍了自己阅读的书籍及感悟。

1.推理判断题。根据第二段中的1984 is a good book that needs deep reflection.可知，《1984》是一本需要深入思考的好书。故B选项正确。

2.词义猜测题。根据第三段中的There's always War and Peace which I've covered some distance several times及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.（暂时把它放在一边，意识到我必须重新开始，忘记每个人的名字和社会地位）可知，作者读到“战争”部分时，陷入了的泥潭，毫无进展。故D选项正确。

3.推理判断题。根据第三段中的How appealing to simply fall back on a favorite—once more into The Call of the Wild or Alice in the Wonderland, which feels almost like cheating, too exciting and too much fun to properly belong to serious literature.可知，作者认为阅读自己最喜欢的书，感觉就像作弊，太刺激太有趣了，不属于严肃文学。由此推知，作者认为自己应该读些严肃的文学作品。故B选项正确。

4.推理判断题。根据作者对自己阅读书籍及阅读感悟的描述可推知，作者是个有文学头脑的人。故D选项正确。

5.推理判断题。通读全文可知，作者想通过这篇文章分享他的阅读体验。故A选项正确。