Question

    Dickens was the most popular novelist of his time, and remains one of the best-known and most-read of English authors. He created some of the world’s best-known fictional characters and is regarded as the greatest novelist of the Victorian era.

Among fellow writers, Dickens has been admired. Leo Tolstoy, G. K. Chesterton, and George Orwell praised his realism and comic voice as well as his drawing people’s attention to children and the poor. The French writer Jules Verne called Dickens his favorite writer, writing his novels “stand alone, dwarfing all others by their amazing power and suitable expression.” The Dutch painter Vincent van Gogh was inspired by Dickens’s novels in several of his paintings like Vincent’s Chair and in an 1889 letter to his sister stated that reading Dickens, especially A Christmas Carol, was one of the things that was keeping him from killing himself

A Christmas Carol is most probably his best-known story, with frequent new adaptations. It is also the most-filmed of Dickens’ stories, with many versions dating from the early years of cinema. According to the historian Ronald Hutton, the current state of the observance of Christmas is largely the result of a mid-Victorian revival of the holiday spearheaded by A Christmas Carol. William Makepeace Thackeray called the book “a national benefit, and to every man and woman who reads it a personal kindness”.

At a time when Britain was the major economic and political power of the world, Dickens highlighted the life of the forgotten poor and disadvantaged within society. Through his journalism he campaigned on specific issues — such as sanitation and the workhouse — but his fiction probably demonstrated its greatest prowess (非凡的才能) in changing public opinion on class inequalities. The exceptional popularity of Dickens’ novels not only displayed his outstanding ability to create attractive storylines and unforgettable characters, but also ensured that the Victorian public confronted issues of social justice that had commonly been ignored.

1.What is the second paragraph mainly about?

A.Vincent van Gogh appreciates Dickens’ novels very much.

B.George Orwell sees Dickens’ novels as a minor of society.

C.Jules Verne thinks highly of Dickens and Dickens’ novels.

D.Dickens’ fellow writers comment on his novels positively.

2.What is Thackeray’s attitude towards A Christmas Carol?

A.Critical. B.Appreciative.

C.Doubtful. D.Unconcerned.

3.What made Dickens’ novels popular?

A.Their highlights of the public life in the Victorian era.

B.Their vivid characters and focus on social inequalities.

C.Their presentation of Dickens’ love for his journalism.

D.Their description of British economic and political power.

4.In which section of a magazine may this text appear?

A.Science. B.Entertainment.

C.Literature. D.Health.

Answer

1.D

2.B

3.B

4.C

【解析】

本文是一篇说明文。狄更斯是他那个时代最受欢迎的小说家，也是最著名和最受欢迎的英国作家之一。他创造了世界上最著名的小说人物，被认为是维多利亚时代最伟大的小说家。

1.

主旨大意题。根据第二段第一句话Among fellow writers, Dickens has been admired.可知，狄更斯一直受到其他作家的推崇。随后列举的大家对狄更斯作品的评价，由此可知，第二段主要是狄更斯的同行对他的小说的正面评价。故选D。

2.

推理判断题。根据第三段中的William Makepeace Thackeray called the book “a national benefit, and to every man and woman who reads it a personal kindness”.可知，William Makepeace Thackeray称这本书“是对国家的一种益处，对每一个读到它的人来说都是一种个人的仁慈”。由此可知，Thackeray对A Christmas Carol的态度是非常欣赏的。故选B。

3.

推理判断题。根据最后一段中的The exceptional popularity of Dickens’ novels not only displayed his outstanding ability to create attractive storylines and unforgettable characters, but also ensured that the Victorian public confronted issues of social justice that had commonly been ignored.可知，狄更斯小说的超高人气，不仅展示了他创造引人入胜的故事情节和令人难忘的人物的杰出能力，也确保了维多利亚时代的公众直面普遍被忽视的社会正义问题。由此推知，他们生动的人物形象和对社会不平等的关注使狄更斯的小说大受欢迎。故选B。

4.

推理判断题。根据文章内容可知，本文主要介绍了最著名和最受欢迎的英国作家之一——狄更斯。由此推知，这篇文章可以出现在杂志的文学部分。故选C。