题目内容
Vampires (吸血鬼)
Vampire stories go back thousands of years. The acts we now associate with vampires, such as rising from the grave and drinking blood, were popularized by eastern European stories.
Most early cultures created stories to explain things they didn’t understand. For example, hair and nails continue to grow after people die, which has already been proved possible by modern science.
These facts were unknown to most people in the 19th century, however. As a result, the legends surrounding such mysteries were kept alive.
Count Dracula
In 1897, Irish writer Bram Stoker’s novel Dracula was published, spreading the vampire stories to a mass audience. In the novel, the Count Dracula of Transylvania, a 500-year-old vampire, has drunk his country dry and must move to England in search of new victims. Dracula means “son of the dragon” or “son of the devil” in Romania.
Werewolf
The story of a half-man, half-wolf beast is as old as that of vampires, and almost as varied. In most werewolf stories, however, a beast would silently enter settlements at night and steal a young child or an animal.
The most common explanation of werewolf stories is that the beast was usually an ordinary wolf. The genetic disorder, which causes too much body hair, may also have helped to popularize the story.
Frankenstein
This is a fictional scientist created by British writer Mary Shelly in 1818. Dr Frankenstein lives in a castle and is so addicted to making living beings from parts of dead bodies that he refuses to marry.
The story of Frankenstein may have been planted in Shelly’s mind since she visited Castle Frankenstein in Germany, where an alchemist(炼金术士) tried to do experiments with the aim of making people live longer.
The Invisible Man
In HG Wells’ 1897 story, a young scientist called Griffin, manages to make himself invisible. But he cannot find a way to become visible again. He then wants to make use of his super power but finally has gone mad. Wells’ tale owes a great debt to Greek philosopher Plato’s book Republic.
The best title for this passage should be ________.
A. Origins of Ghosts B. Tales of Horror C. Exciting Stories D. Science Fictions
The people in the 19th century did NOT know _________.
A. why vampires drank blood
B. why dead people rose from the grave
C. that vampires always kept their nails
D. that hair could continue to grow after people died
What do most of the werewolf stories have in common according to the passage?
A. The beast often silently entered settlements at night and stole a little child.
B. The werewolf was in genetic disorder and so had a lot of body hair.
C. An ordinary wolf would enter settlements at night and steal a child.
D. The beast was sometimes a half-man and sometimes a half-wolf.
Which of the following statements is right about Frankenstein and the Invisible Man?
A. They were produced based on the writers’ real experience.
B. They were the producers of science and technology.
C. They were not well suited to their surroundings.
D. They were folk legends in the writers’ homeland.
【小题1】B
【小题1】D
【小题1】A
【小题1】C
解析:
略
Published in 1896 and one of the most memorable horror stories ever written, Dracula, by Irish writer Bram Stoker,is the story of a vampire(吸血鬼),someone who lives on human blood. Stoker wrote the book after reading stories about Central European vampires and set his novel in Transylvania. Even today,there are readers of the book who believe that Transylvania is a mythical(神话的)country,a figment(虚构)of Stoker’s imagination. Nothing could be further from the truth. Transylvania is part of modern-day Central European country Romania,and the country does indeed have a history of mythological vampires.
However,Romanians are always puzzled by the description of the novel’s central character, Count Dracula,a tall,elegant aristocrat(贵族)with impeccable(完美的)manners who also happens to speak very good English. This is a world away from the images of vampires that they have grown up with. Romanian vampires are half-human creatures who live solitary lives in the forests,not aristocrats living in castles with well-stocked libraries.
So where did Stoke get the image for his Dracula? The answer becomes clearer when one learns of his relationship with a man called Henry Irving,the greatest British stage actor of his time.
Stoker was working as a civil servant in his home city of Dublin when he first met Irving. Bored with his tedious life and work, Stoker took every opportunity to visit the theatre and for a while was the drama critic for the Dublin Evening Mail. One of the reviews he wrote was of a performance of Shakespeare’s play Hamlet,with Irving in the lead role.
Irving was so pleased with Stoker’s review of his performance that he asked to meet him. Stoker couldn’t believe his luck when one night,he was invited to a dinner party where Irving was the guest of honour. Irving entertained the assembled dinner guests with some renditions(表演)of famous poems and speeches from Shakespeare.
Stoker was already writing the first chapters of Dracula and began to base the central character on Irving,in the vain hope that if it ever became a stage play, Irving would play the central character. Sadly,Irving never did,but the two men became close friends,and in 1878 Stoker left the civil service and became Irving’s manager in London.
【小题1】Bram Stoker set his novel in Transylvania because .
A.it is in modern-day Romania |
B.Transylvania is a mythical country |
C.he wanted to tell a true story |
D.he had read stories about vampires from the area |
A.is very similar to the vampires that Romanians know about |
B.Is completely different from the vampires Romanians know about |
C.Has impeccable manners,like a real Romanian vampire |
D.Is puzzled by the comparison with Romanian vampires |
A.That the book would become a stage-play. |
B.That Irving would play the central character in the stage play. |
C.That he could live in London. |
D.That Irving would work for him. |