Question

【题目】Jane Austen ever popular

This summer, the UK will honor its favorite writers, Jane Austen (1775-1817), by making her the face of the new 10 note. In the 200 years since her death, Austen has been getting more and more popular all over the world.

And yet Austen’s works are so English that it’s rather strange she should be so popular all over the world. Her novels are so of their time that it’s strange that she’s still enjoyed in this very different age. Her most famous works including Pride and Prejudice, the one which she is most known for are about the world of the English gentry(贵族阶层)in the late 18th century.

Most of her works is about young women of that time. Women of the gentry could not work so their chances of happiness or even basic living depended upon finding a husband. This is a very serious subject matter, of course, but the joy of Austen’s stories is her ability to make wonderful, but also touching, comedy out of something so serious.

Take Pride and Prejudice as an example. Elizabeth Bennet is one of six daughters in a family that struggles with money problems. Her mother wants to marry off as many of them as possible. Mrs Bennet is one of the great comic characters of English literature.

The novel is developed by the love-hate relationship between Elizabeth and Mr Darcy. The pleasure of the novel is reading how these obstacles(障碍) are overcome and how the comical and unexpected ending is achieved.

If we think about this story, it’s clear why Jane Austen is still popular 200 years after her death, and why readers can still identify with characters from the long dead world of the 18th century English gentry. Although there have been many changes since that time, it’s still the greatest challenge in life for men and women to find the partner of their dreams.

【1】From Paragraph 2 we can know that the writer ______.

A. believes Jane Austen’s works were ahead of their time

B. thinks that everyone should read Jane Austen’s books

C. is surprised that Jane Austen’s books are still so famous

D. doubts if Jane Austen is still popular all over the world

【2】According to the passage, Pride and Prejudice __________.

A. has a sad and unexpected ending

B. deals with a serious social problem in a lighthearted way

C. is mainly about poor people’s struggles in the 18th century

D. tells readers that everyone can succeed through hard work

【3】According to the passage, Jane Austen remains popular today because______.

A. readers enjoy reading love stories about wealthy people

B. her works are developed by the love-hate relationship

C. readers can always find something new from her novels

D. her works deal with problems many of today’s readers still face

【4】The passage is mainly written to ______.

A. explain why Jane Austen is still popular today

B. introduce the story of Pride and Prejudice

C. introduce Jane Austen’s creative writing style

D. explain why Jane Austen was chosen to be on the new 10 note

Answer 1

【答案】

【1】C

【2】B

【3】D

【4】A

【解析】 本文介绍了简奥斯丁的作品为什么在她死后200年，仍然还如此受欢迎。在文中重点介绍了《傲慢与偏见》的故事情节。

【1】主旨大意题。从第二段的内容可知，简奥斯丁的作品为什么在当代如此的还受欢迎。特别是《傲慢与偏见》。选项C是说，从第2段我们可以知道，作者惊讶于简奥斯丁的书仍然如此出名。故选C。

【2】主旨大意题。由句子This is a very serious subject matter, of course, but the joy of Austen’s stories is her ability to make wonderful, but also touching, comedy out of something so serious.可知，奥斯丁的故事的乐趣在于她能做出一些精彩的，但也很感人的喜剧，来解决一个非常严肃的社会问题。也就是B项的解释：他能以一种轻松的方式来处理一个严重的社会问题。故选B。

【3】推理判断题。由短文的最后一段我们知道，简奥斯丁的作品在她死后200年仍然是受欢迎是因为在书中介绍的故事对于当今社会的男人和女人来说，找到他们梦想中的伴侣仍然是人生最大的挑战。她的作品处理了许多当今读者仍然面临的问题。故选D。

【4】主旨大意题。根据短文的第一段的句子In the 200 years since her death, Austen has been getting more and more popular all over the world. 可知，这篇短文主要介绍了简奥斯丁为什么在当今仍然还受欢迎。故选A。