2017届高三英语阅读专题——文学评论

2017届高三英语阅读专题——文学评论

1.首末端作者对文学作品的褒贬中态度很关键！

练习

P1: Mark Twain has been called the inventor of the American novel. And he surely deserves additional praise: the man who popularized the clever literary attack on racism.

70. What does the author mainly argue for?

A. Twain had done more than his contemporary writers to attack racism.

B. Twain was an admirable figure comparable to Abraham Lincoln.

C. Twain’s works had been banned on unreasonable grounds.

D. Twai’s works should be read from a historical point of view.

2.经常受其他作家的风格影响，或其它作家对该作家/作品态度褒贬不一

1) A owes much to the ideas of B A在很大程度上要归功于B的想法

2)A’s most notable works exert a tremendous impact on B

A最著名的作品对B发挥了巨大的影响

3) a striking similarity between A and B A和B之间有一个惊人的相似之处

4)Sth establish a strong echo between A and B 在A和B之间建立了一个强烈的呼应

5)bear similarity to sb 与某人有相似之处

6)Resemble sb / sth 像某物/某人

7)Share close resemblance to 与….拥有非常相似之处

8)be modeled after sb 模仿某人

练习

In general, Austen occupies a curious position between the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Her favorite writer, whom she often quotes in her novels, was Dr. Samuel Johnson, the great model of eighteenth-century classicism and reason. Her plots bear similarities to such works of Johnson’s contemporaries as Pamela, written by Samuel Richardson. Austen's novels also display an ambiguity about emotion and an appreciation for intelligence and natural beauty. In their awareness of the conditions of modernity and city life and the consequences for family structure and individual characters, they prefigure (预示) much Victorian literature (as does her usage of such elements as frequent formal social gatherings, sketchy characters, and scandal).

70. It is implied in the passage that __________.

A. Austen was somewhat influenced by her contemporary writers.

B. Austen and her contemporary writers changed Victorian literature.

C. Austen played a less important part in the nineteen century.

D. Austen was one of the pioneers of eighteenth-century classicism.

3.作者的个人成长史或者逸闻趣事都会写进去。

Sb’s living experience at sp greatly affect his/her work

4.作者的写作内容和风格会精辟入里地分析

主题：

1)racial discrimination 种族歧视

2)Racial oppression 种族压迫

3)Victorian Literature 维多利亚时期的文学

4)The inseparability of gender and race 性别和种族的不可分离性

5)first-hand account of sth 第一手资料

6)Romantic and twisting 浪漫的和曲折的

7)Sth stands as a challenge to sth 对某事物是一个挑战

8)The most dramatic event of the country 最具戏剧性的事件

风格：

1)Vividness and intensity 生动和强度

2)Maintain sb’s own style 维持了某人自己的风格

3)Concrete and living language 具体而生动的语言

4)Write sth with great sympathy 具有同情心的

5)the story feels alive and present 这个故事感觉是栩栩如生的

6)true to life 逼真的

7)Investigative 研究的；调查的；好调查的

8)non-fiction 纪实小说

9)The critical analysis of sth 批评性分析

练习

British writer John Bunyan was born at Elstow, Bedfordshire, England ,in November,1628. His father was a maker and mender of pots and kettles, and the son followed the same trade. Though he is usually called a tinker, Bunyan had a settled home and place of business. He had little schooling, and he describes his early surroundings as poor and mean. He became much interested in religions, but it was only after a tremendous spiritual conflict, lasting three or four years, that he found peace. His struggles are related with extraordinary vividness and intensity in his “Grace Ab ounding to the Chief of Sinners.” His writing began with a controversy against the Quakers, and shows from the first the command of a homely but vigorous style.

Like most working men at the time, Bunyan had a deep hatred for the corrupted, hypocritical rich who accumulated their wea lth” by hook and by crook.” As a stout Puritan, he had made a conscientious study of the Bible and firmly believed in salvation through spiritual struggle.

Bunyan’s style was modeled after that of the English Bible. With his con crete and living language and carefully observed and vividly presented details, he made it possible for the reader of the least education to share the pleasure of reading his novel and to relive the experience of his characters.

68. What are the main characteristics of Bunyan’s works?

①The languages are concrete and living.

②The stories are carefully and vividly described.

③The plots are romantic and twisting.

④The works are easy to understand.

A. ①②③

B. ②③④

C. ①③④

D.①②④

5.作者写作的局限性也会一一披露/ 批评家也会毫不留情面批评作者/作品

1)critics 批评；评论家

2)Present a wrong view of sth 呈现了某物的错误的观点

3)Have negative effect on

4)Criticize sth

5)Accuse sb of sth

6)Disadvantage of the book

练习：

One criticism by literary scholar Patricia Yaeger, leveled at Gone with the Wind, is for its portrayal of African Americans in the 19th century South. Former field hands during the early days of Reconstruction are described behaving "as creatures of small intelligence might naturally be expected to do. Like monkeys or small children turned loose among treasured objects whose value is beyond their comprehension, they ran wild ~ either from wrong pleasure in destruction or simply because of their ignorance." In Gone with the Wind Mitchell is blind to racial oppression and 'the inseparability of race and gender" that defines the southern belle character of Scarlett, according to Patricia Yaeger.

Yet there are complexities in the way that Mitchell dealt with racial issues. Scarlett was asked by a Yankee woman for advice on who to appoint as a nurse for her children; Scarlett suggested a "darky", much to the disgust of the Yankee woman who was seeking an Irish maid, a "Bridget". African Americans and Irish Americans are treated "in precisely the same way" in Gone with the Wind, writes David O'Connell in his 1996 book, The Irish Roots of Margaret Mitchells Gone with the Wind. Ethnic slurs(种族蔑称)on the Irish and Irish stereotypes spread in every part of the novel, O'Connell claims, and Scarlett is not an exception to the insults. And apparently in the novel, the Irish American O'Haras were slaveholders whereas African Americans were held as slaves.

67. David O'Connell's view is different from Patricia Yaeger's in ______________

A.Mitchell's Ethnic slurs in the novel

B.Mitchell's description of slave laborers

C.Mitchell's attitude towards the Irish people

D.Mitchell's ways of dealing with racial problems

6.代表作会着重分析，且分析其为什么很受成功

1)make a differe nce to sb’s life 对某人的生活产生了影响

2)the most widely received / read books 最为广泛接受的读物

3)the book is worth its place / name in some area 这本书值得它在某些区域所拥有的名声

4)Fascinate sb 使某人着迷

5)An encyclopedic knowledge of sth 百科全书

6)sb. enjoy a nationwide reputation 某人享受全国声誉

7)The top fiction bestseller 最棒的畅销书

8)The most enduring legacy of the work 最为持久的遗产

9)Invaluable; Well-known 无价的

10)Deserve additional praise 值得额外的称赞

11) A is a social reformer 社会改革家

12)Sb Popularize sth 推广某事物

13)Challenge the widely accepted wisdom 挑战被广泛接受的智慧

14)Sb’s extraordinary achievement 某人非凡的成就

练习：

Gaby Hick, a third-year student focused on English literature at Brown University, calls it “one of the first books that kids and young adults read that deals with serious issues — rape, race, mental issues”. She adds, “The story makes these adult themes accessible because of Scout.” The book’s setting, a small town in Alabama affected by the Great Depression of the 1930s, may appear very different from the experience of most kids reading it today. But Lee’s words make her story feel alive and present.

68. Why is the novel well received by teenagers in the US?

A. Because it reveals racial discrimination in America.

B. Because it makes some serious adult issues accessible.

C. Because a white author tells the stories about black people.

D. Because it is widely used as a tool for moral judgments in society.

7.作者成长背景有助于写作

1)sympathize with 与…发生共鸣/ identify with 与….一致

2)Sb’s firsthand knowledge of sth 某事物的第一手资料

3)shine through the book 通过这本书表现出来

Practice：

Doris Lessing has had a fascinating life, born to English parents, she lived in Iran until she was five, before moving to Zimbabwe, where she spent her formative years growing up on a farm. The Grass Is Singing, first published in 1950, was an international success.

The story focuses on Mary Turner, the wife of a farmer, who was found murdered on the porch of her home. No one was really surprised or particularly upset. She was well-known in the area for keeping herself to herself and for treating the local staff badly. After her body was found, we were taken back to her younger days and slowly discovered what happened to her.

Mary’s childhood was largely unhappy. She was brought up by parents who ran a store in a farming community. Her father was a drunk and her mother bitter and twisted. Mary was delighted to leave home and got a job in the city. With a wide circle of friends, she had no desire to marry until reaching her thirties and her friends started to treat her as odd because she was still single. When Dick Turner asked her to marry him, she agreed and went to live on his farm, where her life completely changed.

You might be forgiven for thinking that this is crime fiction. However, this is not really the case. We know right from the beginning of the book who killed Mary, and there are few doubts that she was responsible. The mystery is in finding out why the murder took place and how Mary turned from a fun-loving woman into a cynical, over-bearing tyrant(暴君).

As a character, Mary is particularly well-drawn. She is the focus of the story and her past and feelings are covered in great depth. She had a hard life. She married a man whom she didn’t really love to fulfill her friends’ expectations. Yet her husband wa s a struggling farmer living a lonely lifestyle and after initial attempts to make the best of her life, Mary realized her only chance of happiness was to escape. Her only acquaintances besides her husband were the servants and as she had been brought up to look down on “the natives”, her relationship with them was very stilted(矫揉造作的). Although her behavior wasn’t always acceptable, it is easy to understand why she acted the way she did.

Her husband, Dick Turner, was a different cup of tea. He was crazy about the land he had bought, but his relationship with his wife was difficult. He found it hard to understand her conduct and didn’t always appreciate his wife position. It isn’t hard to feel sorry for him, although his lack of mental strength does sometimes drive readers mad.

There are two particular threads to this book. One is psychological—it looks at the mental suffering of a human being pushed to the limits of his/her ability. The other thread is racism. Mary was brought up to look down upon native Africans and her approach to the servants put her in a real dilemma. A third thread, although not so obvious, is the position of women in society, particularly in the way Mary was virtually forced into marriage because of other people’s opinions.

Lessing’s first-hand knowledge of living on a farm in South Africa shines through in this book. The land, the characters, the farming are all vividly described and readers can really see the images. The book is beautifully written. The language used says what it needs to, yet Lessing still maintains her own style.

The only possible disadvantage is that the ending is not entirely satisfactory because not all the ends are tied. However, this is an advantage, because it keeps the book on the mind for a long time after finishing.

Which of the following best describes Doris Lessing’s life?

A、She lived a very happy life when she was in Iran.

B、She lived in the city after she moved to Zimbabwe.

C、She ran a store in a farming community with her parents.

D、She didn’t marry until she reached her thirties.

From the passage we can learn that___________.

A、Mary lived a harmonious life with her husband

B、Mary was delighted because she got a job in the city

C、people feel very sad when they heard of Mary’s death

D、the book The Grass Is Singing has three threads in all.

We can draw a conclusion from the passage that_____________.

A、people around Mary were accustomed to her strange behavior

B、Doris Lessing’s life on a farm in South Africa is helpful to her writing

C、Mary loved Dick at first sight and married him at her own will

D、Dick Turner was not fond of the land that he had bought.

Which of the following can serve as the title of the passage?

A、The Happy Life of Doris Lessing

B、The Review of The Grass Is Singing

C、The Unfortunate Marriage of Mary

D、The Racism in South Africa