Chinese writer Mo Yan’s Nobel Prize for Literature
might ignite an explosion of global interest in Chinese literature and
lead to more titles translated into English, European experts say.
“Hopefully, the award means more people will read
Chinese literature and more works will get translated,” says Michel Hockx,
professor of the Languages and Cultures of China and Inner Asia from University
of London. “Many very good Chinese writers have been accepted globally for a
long time already. Mo Yan is probably the most translated Chinese writer alive,
with at least five of his novels made available in English over the past 20
years.”
Jonathan Ruppin, web editor of bookseller Foyles, says
Mo’s win coincides with growing interest in Chinese literature and recognizes
the talents of a distinctive and visionary（富于幻想的）writer.
“We are very excited by the fact that English translations of more of his books
should now become available,” Ruppin says. He made the comment after Mo became
the first Chinese citizen to win the Nobel Prize for Literature in its
century-long history.
As East-West cultural exchange has been booming,
Chinese literature has been attracting growing attention in recent years. Hockx
explains, “It’s mainly because there are many more opportunities for Chinese
writers to visit other countries, to publish their works outside China and to
interact with readers abroad. At the same time, more and more people globally
are learning Chinese and taking an interest in the Chinese language and
culture.”
University of Oxford lecturer in modern Chinese
literature Margaret Hillenbrand says, “The obvious reason for the growing
global presence of Chinese literature is the growing global presence of China
itself. People have come to realize that there is a serious knowledge deficit
between China and its international counterparts — in particular, China
knows incomparably more about Europe and America than the other way round —
and reading Chinese literature is an effective, simple means of solving that
gap.”
1.The underlined word “ignite” in Paragraph 1 probably
means “________”.
A．start out B．burn up C．set off D．appeal to
2.Which of the following is true according to the
passage?
A．Chinese
literature has spread with the development of China.
B．The Nobel
Prize for Literature has a history of hundreds of years.
C．In the past,
no Chinese writers were accepted outside China.
D．Foreigners
know about China mainly by reading Mo Yan’s works.
3.Chinese literature has been attracting growing
attention mainly because
A．Chinese
writers have been writing more and more books in English
B．the Chinese
language has become the most widely used language in the world
C．the Chinese
government attaches great importance to literature
D．the cultural
communication between China and western countries has developed
4.How do you understand the underlined sentence in the
last paragraph?
A．China knows
more about Europe and America than before.
B．China knows
more about Europe and America than they know about China.
C．China, Europe
and America know one another more than before.
D．Compared with
America, China knows more about Europe.
