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A. The secret of the writer’s success B. A writer with enduring popularity C. Well-received creation to encourage Brits D. The insight into human nature E. Writing styles in different stages F. The stories appropriate for school students |
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Charles Dickens is often thought of as one of England’s greatest writers. Yet for many his language is old-fashioned and his story plots often improbable. Why, Dickens, out of so many other great English writers, has made the list? How then to explain Dickens’s enduring popularity?
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One reason undoubtedly is the British government’s insistence that every child studies a Dickens novel at school. Alongside William Shakespeare, Charles Dickens is a compulsory(必读的) writer on every English literature school reading list. His stories, though often over-long by today’s standard, are superbly written moral tales. They are filled with colorful characters.
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But what makes his books stand out from other English writers is his insight into human nature. Dickens, like Shakespeare, tells us truths about human behavior that are as true to citizens of the 21st century as they were to his readers in the 19th century. Readers have returned to Dickens’s books again and again over the years to see what he has to say about readers’ own time.
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The BBC adapted one of his less well-known novels, Little Dorrit, into a popular television drama that introduced many Brits to the novel for the first time. A dark story about greed and money, it was the perfect story to illustrate the bad times. No surprise then that it was Dickens Britons turned to, during the economic crisis last year, to make sense of a world rapidly falling apart.
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Readers of the 19th and early 20th century usually prized Dickens’s earlier novels for their humor and pathos. While recognizing the virtues of these books, critics today tend to rank more highly the later works because of their formal coherence and acute perception of the human condition. For as long as Dickens’s novels have something to say to modern audiences, it seems likely that he will remain one of Britain’s best loved writers.
2、On the morning of January 1 two European cities woke up as European Capital of Culture for 2009. The residents of Linz, the third largest city of Austria, and Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania(立陶宛), were given the __50__ by the European Union. The title offers the two cities the chance to improve their fortunes by showing the rest of Europe how exciting they are __51__.
The cities of Linz and Vilnius are __52__ to compete hard to attract the most international attention. Both are old cities, but __53__ Vilnius has better cared for its medieval(中世纪的) buildings, Linz’s __54__ scene is more lively than Vilnius’s. Each city certainly __55__ the title, but it is difficult to say if one is more culturally exciting than the other.
No Austrian city has changed as __56__ as Linz has in recent years. It was once a nice, quiet commercial town, founded by the Romans, along the river Danube(多瑙河). It became famous for being the place where Adolf Hitler partly grew-up. Later it became an __57__ city and today Linz is a modern place with a/an __58__ arts and music scene. To __59__ what is special about the city, Linz plans to tell the story of its city musical shows and events through 2009.
Vilnius, like Linz, has also __60__ much in recent years. __61__ a large medieval town, it is today a modern European city. __62__ Vilnius’s many changes, the city has preserved its historic center, which __63__ one of the largest in Europe. The city is famous for its narrow medieval streets.
To mark winning the European Capital of Culture title, the Lithuanian city held an enormous 2009 New Year’s Eve __64__. It included a light show said to have been “visible from outer space”, an achievement Linz had yet to beat.
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50. A. honor |
B. title |
C. winner |
D. name |
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51. A. commonly |
B. capably |
C. culturally |
D. commercially |
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52. A. potential |
B. likely |
C. probable |
D. possible |
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53. A. while |
B. since |
C. though |
D. if |
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54. A. natural |
B. arts |
C. historic |
D. agricultural |
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55. A. describe |
B. define |
C. deserve |
D. determine |
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56. A. incredibly |
B. differently |
C. dramatically |
D. impressively |
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57. A. independent |
B. inevitable |
C. interesting |
D. industrial |
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58. A. lively |
B. lovely |
C. living |
D. alive |
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59. A. focus |
B. highlight |
C. represent |
D. find |
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60. A. suffered |
B. enjoyed |
C. seen |
D. changed |
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61. A. Presently |
B. Primarily |
C. Properly |
D. Previously |
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62. A. With |
B. Beyond |
C. Despite |
D. Within |
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63. A. keeps |
B. remains |
C. continues |
D. lies |
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64. A. celebration |
B. decoration |
C. demonstration |
D. position |