Question

 David Wroblewski's The Story of Edgar Sawtelle explores the silent world of the novel's hero,Edgar Sawtelle,living in Wisconsin during the middle of the 20th century. Born unable to speak,the boy seems to prefer the language of dogs more than the words of people. From his earliest memories,his favorite job on the farm was to name the new born dogs. As he grows older,his connection with the dogs becomes deeper. He helps to train them through sign lan?guage.

  The novel begins with Edgar's grandfather,telling readers about how the dog farm began. When Edgar's father,Gar,dies strangely,Edgar blames his uncle,Claude,his father's younger brother,who has meant nothing but trouble for the family. When Claude falls in love with Edgar's mother,Trudy,Edgar is shocked and very angry.

  The story is filled with loving family memories until Claude arrives,returning to the farm he abandoned long ago. Edgar finds Claude to be twofaced. The man presents his best side to Edgar's mother. She falls in love with him,allowing him to fill in the vacant spaces left behind from her husband's death. Edgar sees the other side of Claude,a side that Edgar finds danger?ous.

  When tensions become too strong between Edgar and Claude,Edgar takes his favorite dogs and runs away from home. For the story itself,this tension raises the level of curiosity for the reader. It is at this point that the novel takes on the form of a mystery or a sort of detective story. Edgar fears that the police are looking for him because of an accidental death that he played a part in. Readers may worry that Edgar might be caught because Claude tells local offi?cials that Edgar committed murder. In the end,it is Edgar against Claude―a fight to the finish. Unfortunately,there are no winners.

  The Story of Edgar Sawtelle was Wroblewski's first novel. It took him ten years to com?plete it. Literary critics praise the author's writing,especially in the first half of the story. Some critics,however,hold the opposite opinion. And,some have found the second half to be too artificially operated.

(   ) 1. As a whole,this passage is         . ,

   A. a news report   B. a horrible story

   C. a book review   D. a research paper

(   ) 2. Which of the following is true about Edgar?

   A. He is badly treated by the police.

   B. He is good at training different kinds of dogs.

   C. He is angry that his mother doesn't love his father at all.

   D. He thinks Claude is possibly linked to his father's death.

(   ) 3. According to the passage,Claude's arrival         .

   A. makes the family surprised

   B. disturbs the happy family life

   C. immediately causes Edgar's anger

   D. leads to the death of Edgar's grandfather

(   ) 4. From the passage,we know that         .

   A. the opinions about the novel are mixed

   B. in fact,the novel is a very good detective story

   C. David Wroblewski wrote the novel in Wisconsin

   D. on the farm,all the dogs are trained through sign language

Answer 1

1-4 CDBA     

A篇：全文主要介绍了小说《索特尔家的狗》的故事梗概以及作者的简要信息和小说得到的反响。

1. C推理判断题。本文主要介绍了小说《索特尔家的狗》的故事梗概以及作者的简要信息和小说得到的反响，是一则书评。

2. D推理判断题。根据第二段"When Edgar's father,Gar,dies strangely,Edgar blames his uncle,Claude,his father's younger brother,who has meant nothing but trouble for the fami?ly."可知，Edgar的父亲离奇去世时，他责怪他的叔叔Claude ,而Claude是一个一无是处还给家里添乱的人。由此可推知，Edgar认为他父亲的死很可能与他的叔叔有关。

3. B细节理解题。根据第三段"The story is filled with loving family memories until Claude arrives,returning to the farm he abandoned long ago."可知，Claude的归来扰乱了一家人幸福的生活。

4. A细节理解题。根据最后一段"Literary critics praise the author's writing,especially in the first half of the story. Some critics,however,hold the opposite opinion. And,some have found the second half to be too artificially operated."可知，文学评论家赞扬了作者的写作，特别是小说的上半部分。然而，也有人持相反观点。还有一些评论家认为下半部分过于做作。由此可知，大家对该小说观点不一致。