Question

    Wanting his audience to feel a roller coaster of emotions, Neil Simon used his own personal experiences of family pain and sorrow to make light of the banalities（陈词滥调）of human existence.

It was this fine ability to dig his audiences' consciousness that brought him big success. With crowds turning up in groups, in 1966, Simon had four plays running on Broadway at the same time. By 1983, he was named the most notable comedy writer in the English language.

He grew up in a household filled with conflict, often caused by his quarrelsome parents' on-off relationship. When he was seven, Simon began writing comedy as a way of blocking out the “really ugly painful things in my childhood" and through the medium of laughter he escaped the heavy atmosphere at home. Often visiting the cinema, Simon was amused and then inspired by watching Charlie Chaplin and Ernst Lubitsch movies, and with his elder brother Danny created comedy sketches.

Receiving a positive reception, he would go to the local library to read books on famous comedians to help him learn the tricks of the trade. He attended DeWitt Clinton High School in the Bronx and studied at New York University, before starting as a clerk at Warner Brothers.

Meanwhile, Simon continued to work on his own plays, developing Come Blow Your Horn which was a fictionalized version of his upbringing. It opened on Broadway in 1961 and enjoyed relative success.

His next play, Bare foot In The Park, was a comedic account of his marriage to Joan Baim. Convinced it would be a failure before it had even begun, Simon begged the producer to pull the play. However, to his disbelief, Barefoot In The Park proved to be a runaway success, became one of Broadway's longest-running plays and pushed him to Hollywood fame when it was made into a movie starring Jane Fonda and Robert Redford.

He received an incredible 16 Tony nominations（提名）and won the best play three times. He also earned four Oscar nominations, a Pulitzer Prize, the Mark Twain Prize and countless other honours.

1.What may Simon's audience be impressed by in his works?

A.The confusing plot and painful ending.

B.The ups and downs in mood.

C.The knowledgeable and experienced characters.

D.The fine ability to recognize valuable information.

2.What can we learn about Simon from paragraph 3?

A.He was born in a large family.

B.He had a very happy childhood.

C.He worked in a cinema with his elder brother.

D.His parents couldn't offer him a harmonious family atmosphere.

3.Why did Simon go to the local library?

A.To improve himself in creating comedies.

B.To learn how to run a company successfully.

C.To make friends with some famous comedians.

D.To find out more information about New York University.

4.What was Bare foot In The Park based on?

A.Simon's marriage to Joan Baim.

B.Simon's previous failure in a play.

C.A beggar's story in Broadway.

D.A movie starring Jane and Robert.

Answer

1.B

2.D

3.A

4.A

【解析】

本文为一篇记叙文。文章主要记叙了英国著名剧作家Neil Simon的作品特色，生活中的一些轶事以及他的个人成就。

1.

推理判断题。根据文章第一段Wanting his audience to feel a roller coaster of emotions, Neil Simon used his own personal experiences of family pain and sorrow to make light of the banalities（陈词滥调）of human existence.“尼尔·西蒙希望他的观众能感受到过山车般的情感，他用他个人经历的家庭痛苦和悲伤来淡化人类存在的平庸。”由此判断出，观众可能被Nel Simon的作品中情感的起起伏伏所打动。故选B。

2.

细节理解题。根据第三段的第一句“He grew up in a household filled with conflict，often caused by his quarrelsome parents’ on-off relationship”“他成长在一个充满矛盾的家庭，常常是由于父母分分合合而引起的。”可知,他的父母之间充满矛盾,关系时断时续,无法给他一个 和谐的家庭氛围。故选D。

3.

细节理解题。根据第四段“Receiving a positive reception，he would go to the local library to read books on famous comedians to help him learn the tricks of the trade”“如果受到好评，他就会去当地的图书馆阅读有关著名喜剧演员的书籍，以帮助他学习这一行的技巧。”可知，去图书馆是为了提高自己创作喜剧的能力 。故选A。

4.

细节理解题。根据第六段“His next play，Barefoot In The Park，was a comedic account of his marriage to Joan Baim. ”“他的下一部剧本《新婚燕尔》(Barefoot In The Park)以喜剧的方式讲述了他与琼·巴伊姆(Joan Baim)的婚姻。”可知,这部剧是根据西蒙和琼·巴姆的婚姻创作的。故选A。