Question

Arthur Miller （1915-2005） is universally recognized as one of the greatest dramatists of the 20th century. Miller’s father had moved to the USA from Austria Hungary, attracted like so many others by the “Great American Dream”. However, he experienced severe financial hardship when his family business was ruined in the Great Depression of the early l930s.

Miller’s most famous play, Death of a Salesman, is a powerful attack on the American system, with its aggressive way of doing business and its insistence on money and social status as symbol of worth. In Willy Loman, the hero of the play, we see a man who has got into trouble with this system. Willy is “burnt out” and in the cruel world of business there is no room for sympathy: if he can't do the work, then he is no good to his employer, the Wagner Company, and he must go. Willy is painfully aware of this, and at a loss as to what to do with his lack of success. He refuses to face the fact that he has failed and kills himself in the end.

When it was first staged in 1949, the play was greeted with enthusiastic reviews, and it won the Tony Award for Best Play, the New York Drama Critics’ Circle Award, and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. It was the first play to win all three of these major awards.

Miller died of heart failure at his home in Roxbury, Connecticut, on the evening of February 10, 2005, the 56th anniversary of the first performance of Death of a Salesman on Broadway.

1.Why did Arthur Miller’s father move to the USA?

A．He suffered from severe hunger in his home country.

B．He was attracted by the “Great American Dream”.

C．He hoped to make his son a dramatist.

D．His family business failed.

2.The play Death of a Salesman _______________.

A．exposes the cruelty of the American business world

B．discusses the ways to get promoted in a company

C．talks about the business career of Arthur Miller

D．focuses on the skills in doing business

3.What can we learn about Willy Loman?

A．He treats his employer badly.

B． He runs the Wagner Company.

C．He is a victim of the American system.

D．He is regarded as a hero by his colleagues.

4.After it was first staged, Death of a Salesman __________.

A．achieved huge success

B．won the first Tony Award

C．was warmly welcomed by salesmen

D．was severely attacked by dramatists

Answer 1

1.B

2.A

3.C

4.A

【解析】

试题分析：本文介绍了美国著名剧作家Arthur Miller和他最有名的作品Death of a Salesman。提到了这部作品的历史意义以及所获奖项。

1.Miller’s father had moved to the USA from Austria Hungary, attracted like so many others by the “Great American Dream”.可知他的父亲深受美国梦的吸引，所以来到美国。故此题选择B。

2.Miller’s most famous play, Death of a Salesman, is a powerful attack on the American system, with its aggressive way of doing business and its insistence on money and social status as symbol of worth.可知这部小说对于美国经济制度是一记重拳。故选择A，意为这部小说揭露了美国经济制度的残酷。

3.Willy is “burnt out” and in the cruel world of business there is no room for sympathy: if he can't do the work, then he is no good to his employer, the Wagner Company, and he must go.可知在这个残酷的生意圈里，不存在所谓的怜悯。如果一个人不能工作，他对于老板就没有任何用，那么这个人就必须离开。而Willy Loman本书的主人公，正是这样一个美国经济制度的受害者。故选择C。

4.When it was first staged in 1949, the play was greeted with enthusiastic reviews, and it won the Tony Award for Best Play, the New York Drama Critics’ Circle Award, and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama.可知当作品《销售员之死》第一次登上舞台表演时，获得巨大的成功。故选择A。

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