Question

    The critics’ top four books of 2018 are based on Christmas selections in national newspapers, the London Evening Standard, The TLS, The Spectator and the New Statesman.

Normal People by Sally Rooney   Faber £14.99

Sally Rooney’s debut novel, Conversations with Friends, was one of last year’s most talked-about books. The response to the Irish writer’s follow-up has, if anything, been even more ecstatic. The 27-year-old was praised for her ability to convey subtle modulations of emotion. The novel was long listed for the Man Booker Prize — but many felt that it should have done better.

Vietnam by Max Hastings  William Collins £30

This long-awaited historical blockbuster follows the Vietnam War over three decades. from the French “dirty war” of 1946—54 to America’s capitulation to the Vietcong in 1975. Hastings, who reported from the battlefield in Vietnam as a young British journalist, was praised for his encyclopedic knowledge of the conflict.

The Silence of the Girls   by Pat Barker  Hamish Hamilton £18.99

Pat Barker’s novel is a retelling of The lliad — but with women at the heart of the action. The central character is Briseis, who appears only glancingly in Homers original. Best-known for her First World War Set Regeneration trilogy (1997). Barker, in her fifties, again focuses on the traumas of war. Reviewers praised the novel’s subversive energy even if it was judged conventional in places.

A Certain Idea of France   by Julian Jackson  Allen Lane £35

This door-stopping biography by British historian Julian Jackson — born in 1954 chronicles the life of Charles de Gaulle who is regarded as one of the greatest ever Frenchmen. While acknowledging that de Gaulle wasn’t very likeable, Jackson salutes his imagination and boldness- qualities that helped him steer France through its liberation from the Nazis and the war in Algeria. Critics suggested it would become the standard biography.

1.Which author of the four books is the youngest according to the text?

A. Sally Rooney B. Max Hastings C. Pat Barker D. Julian Jackson

2.Which book may people who are interested in a political leader’s life choose?

A. Normal People B. Vietnam

C. The Silence of the Girls D. A Certain Idea of France

3.What is the author’s purpose in writing the text?

A. To remember the four great novelists.

B. To introduce the yearly top four novels.

C. To encourage studies on the four novels

D. To promote the values of the four novelists

Answer

1.A

2.D

3.B

【解析】

本文是一篇2018年度书评。文章介绍四本年度最受欢迎小说及其简要内容特点。

1.判断推理题。对比文章四位作者可知Sally Rooney27岁；第三段最后一句“Hastings, who reported from the battlefield in Vietnam as a young British journalist, was praised for his encyclopedic knowledge of the conflict.”可知Max Hastings年轻时曾在越南战场做过报道，可推测他的年龄比Sally Rooney大；第四段第二句“Barker, in her fifties, again focuses on the traumas of war.”可知Pat Barker已经五十岁了；Julian Jackson出生在1954年；对比这些信息我们可知Sally Rooney在四位书作者中应当是最年轻，因此选A。

2.细节理解题。根据最后一段第一句“This door-stopping biography by British historian Julian Jackson — born in 1954 chronicles the life of Charles de Gaulle who is regarded as one of the greatest ever Frenchmen.”可知这是一本关于法国著名政治家戴高乐的生平传记，因此人们如果对政客的生活感兴趣，可以选择，故选D。

3.主旨大意题。根据文章第一段第一句“The critics’ top four books of 2018 are based on Christmas selections in national newspapers”以及文章内容介绍了四本受欢迎小说可以判断，作者这篇文章的目的是为了介绍四部年度小说，故选B。