James Joyce was an Irish novelist who revolutionized the methods of depicting characters and developing a plot in modern fiction. his astonishing way of constructing a novel, his frank portrayal(描画, 描写)of human nature in his books, and his complete command of English have made him one of the outstanding influences on literature in the 20th century. Many critics judge that he is second only to Shakespeare in his mastery of the English language. Joyce was deeply influenced by Ireland and wrote all his books about Dublin.
When he was in Dublin College, he studied languages and spent his spare time reading books. He refused to take part in the nationalist movement like his fellow students, but he became passionately(热情地, 热烈地)interested in literature. He wrote outspoken articles of literary criticism that shocked his teachers and even taught himself norwegian(挪威语)so that he could read Ibsen’s(挪威剧作家及诗人)works in the original.
When he graduated in 1902, he knew he would become a writer and an exile(流犯, 被放逐者), because he felt he could not be one without the other. In order to preserve his ideal of writing truthfully, fully, and as objectively as he knew how, about the people and places he knew best, he had to escape from all temptations to become involved in popular opinion or public life. He went to France, Italy and Switzerland, where he lived in poverty and obscurity for the first 20 years, only returning to Ireland when his mother was dying. Except for a couple of brief trips, he stayed abroad all his life.
1.James Joyce was famous for many reasons except _______.
A.his way of constructing a novel
B.his frank portrayal of human nature
C.his complete command of English
D.his passion in literature
2.“he is second only to Shakespeare” is a comment on his ________.
A.achievement in literature
B.achievement in the nationalist movement
C.achievement in his study of languages
D.mastery of the English language
3.How many examples are used to show his passion in literature?
A.2. B.3. C.1. D.4.
4.Why did James Joyce stay abroad almost all his life?
A.Because he wanted to live in poverty and obscurity.
B.Because he wanted to write the people and places he knew best.
C.Because he wanted to escape from all temptations to become involved in popular opinion or public life.
D.Because he wanted to preserve his ideal of writing truthfully, fully and objectively about the people and the places he knew best.
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题
James Joyce was an Irish novelist who revolutionized the methods of depicting characters and developing a plot in modern fiction. his astonishing way of constructing a novel, his frank portrayal(描画, 描写)of human nature in his books, and his complete command of English have made him one of the outstanding influences on literature in the 20th century. Many critics judge that he is second only to Shakespeare in his mastery of the English language. Joyce was deeply influenced by Ireland and wrote all his books about Dublin.
When he was in Dublin College, he studied languages and spent his spare time reading books. He refused to take part in the nationalist movement like his fellow students, but he became passionately(热情地, 热烈地)interested in literature. He wrote outspoken articles of literary criticism that shocked his teachers and even taught himself norwegian(挪威语)so that he could read Ibsen’s(挪威剧作家及诗人)works in the original.
When he graduated in 1902, he knew he would become a writer and an exile(流犯, 被放逐者), because he felt he could not be one without the other. In order to preserve his ideal of writing truthfully, fully, and as objectively as he knew how, about the people and places he knew best, he had to escape from all temptations to become involved in popular opinion or public life. He went to France, Italy and Switzerland, where he lived in poverty and obscurity for the first 20 years, only returning to Ireland when his mother was dying. Except for a couple of brief trips, he stayed abroad all his life.
1.James Joyce was famous for many reasons except _______.
A.his way of constructing a novel
B.his frank portrayal of human nature
C.his complete command of English
D.his passion in literature
2.“he is second only to Shakespeare” is a comment on his ________.
A.achievement in literature
B.achievement in the nationalist movement
C.achievement in his study of languages
D.mastery of the English language
3.How many examples are used to show his passion in literature?
A.2. B.3. C.1. D.4.
4.Why did James Joyce stay abroad almost all his life?
A.Because he wanted to live in poverty and obscurity.
B.Because he wanted to write the people and places he knew best.
C.Because he wanted to escape from all temptations to become involved in popular opinion or public life.
D.Because he wanted to preserve his ideal of writing truthfully, fully and objectively about the people and the places he knew best.
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Daniel Defoe (about 1660—1731) was an important novelist in the English literature. When he was young, he served as a soldier and had been to Spain, Italy, France and Germany. At the same time, he went in for politics. He cared much about the development of capitalism(资本主义). He had written a lot of articles against it and he was put into prison twice for that. It was not until that he was nearly sixty that he began to write the famous novel “Robinson Crusoe”, which was published in May, 1709. It spread so rapidly that the story was known to every household very soon.
“Robinson Crusoe” can be divided into three parts. The first part is about Crusoe’s three voyages, the second part about his hunting, hiding in caves farming and his hard struggles against nature on a small island, the third about the things which happened after his return from the island. The second part is the body of the novel, in which Robinson’s characters are clearly shown. Defoe wrote his novel in a simple style and his language is easy to understand. His novel writing set a milestone of the modern English novel. In his later part of life, He was in poor health and lived very poorly. He died on April 24, 1731.
1.Deniel Defoe was _______ and the writer of _______.
A. an Englishman, “A Tale of Two Cities”
B. an American, “A Million Pound Note”
C. a French, “The Lost Necklace”
D. an English, “Robinson Crusoe”
2.How old was he when he began to write his famous novel Robinson Crusoe?
A. He was in his sixties.
B. He was in his fifties.
C. He was over 60.
D. He was sixty.
3.Robinson Crusoe can be divided into ______ parts and the first is about _______.
A. three, his journeys by sea
B. three, his characters
C. two, his lonely life
D. four, his fame
4.“Every household” in this passage means ________.
A. all members of a family
B. all people
C. every building
D. persons living in the same house
5.What was Defoe’s contribution(贡献) to the English literature?
A. He wrote a very interesting story.
B. He made people happy while reading his story.
C. He set a milestone of the modern English novel.
D. He was active in politics and was against capitalism.
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Today, I made the time to listen to a person new to me, who I met was parking my car, “Perfect”, he said as he walked by me as I checked how considerately I parked. He was a clean cut gentleman sharing his feelings about his grown kids, parenting mistakes he is aware of, while expressing a realization to slay clear of destructive addictions.
I listened patiently and kindly. He seemed quite comfortable with me, in need of some treatment letting go of his thoughts and emotions. After talking for a while, I had to go inside, and I asked him to wait on the sidewalk and I’d be right back with some gifts for him. He was so receptive ail along, and I could feel the desires of his heart. I returned to him with bookmarks. I encouraged him, also, with a couple of inspirational thoughts to live by: To focus on what you want — how you want to feel and how you want to live and experience life.
This experience is a good thing to me, meeting this gentleman as I am experiencing the challenges of trying to be a positive encouragement to my daughter Angel in fighting her illness. I know Angel has the desire too, although in a different way and at a different level in her growth.
I’ve received little to no reaction from Angel about the positive encouragement of the family. On the other hand, this gentleman paid attention. Some of this, of course, is the big age difference, I imagine. Anyhow, I extended myself in friendship to have a walk and talk with my daughter early tomorrow morning, so as to be a curing support, and it feels good for me, too — although far outside my usual comfort zone.
1.What did the author react to the man’s talk?
A. She showed great pity to him. B. She chatted with him warmly.
C. She left him to go shopping. D. She tried to be a good listener.
2.Which of the following matches the author’s advice to the man?
A. Follow your own will to live. B. Do your best to change your life.
C. Live a meaningful life of your own. D. Gather your bravery to pull through.
3.What did the man and the author’s daughter have in common?
A. They had unique characters. B. They accepted advice easily.
C. They faced personal problems. D. They were strong-will persons.
4.What would the author do the next day?
A. Get in touch with the man. B. Take her daughter to hospital.
C. Communicate with her daughter. D. Tell her daughter to learn from the man.
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
James knew the decision was not going to be an easy one to make as he sat on the hill near the small town that he lived in. There was no one he could turn to for advice. His only sister lived away and he hardly ever saw her and when his sister came over, they always ended up in an argument.
It had been a hot day and James’s clothes seemed to stick to his body. He had felt terrible for weeks and he was just tired of feeling sick. He had started vomiting(呕吐)after he would eat anything and he knew that something would have to be done.
After going to the doctor, he was told to come back in a few days. The next three days had gone by slowly and it was time for his visit to the doctor. He had been shown into the doctor’s office and James knew it was bad news. The end result was he had stomach cancer.
James sat on the hill looking down at the town and wonder what he would do. Taking out his phone, he dialed his sister’s number and told her the bad news. She started to cry and said, “If anything happens to you, I will be alone in this world.”
Marie, his sister said, “You are moving up here and you will live with me until you get back on your feet, so go home, pack up and I will be there to get you in two days.”
He smiled and said, “It sounds wonderful, but I still haven’t decided if I am going to have the surgery or not?” Hearing this, she softly whispered, “Of course you are having the surgery. I will pick you up in two days. I love you.”
James knew the final word was still up to him and he would think about it because this was a decision that wouldn’t come easy to him.
1.From the very beginning, we know that James ________________.
A.used to sit on the hill when in trouble
B.lived alone and seldom met others
C.didn’t get along well with Marie
D.never made a decision by himself
2.James decided to go to his doctor when _____________.
A.he felt it had been too hot for him
B.he vomited anything he ate
C.he felt sick for several weeks
D.he got a call from his sister
3.The underlined word “it” in the passage refers to _____________.
A.James having the surgery
B.Packing up within two days
C.Marie coming to meet him
D.James moving to live with Marie
4.What is the message expressed in the passage?
A.Health is not valued till sickness comes.
B.Blood is thicker than water.
C.Each day brings its own bread.
D.Good health is above wealth.
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
George Bernard Shaw(1856,07-1950,11) was an Irish dramatist, literary critic, and socialist. During his career Shaw wrote more than sixty plays. He was uniquely honored by being awarded both a Nobel Prize(1925) for his contribution to literature and an Oscar(1938) for Pygmalion. Shaw was a free-thinker, defender of women's rights, and advocate of equality of income.
George Bernard Shaw was born in Dublin, where he grew up in something close to genteel poverty. His father, George Carr Shaw, was in the wholesale grain trade. Lucinda Elisabeth Shaw, his mother, was the daughter of a landowner. She was 16 years younger than her husband. George Carr was a drunkard -his example made his son become a teetotaler(禁酒主义者). When he died in 1885, his children and wife did not attend his funeral. Young Shaw and his two sisters were brought up mostly by servants. Shaw's mother eventually left the family to teach music, singing in London. When she died in 1913, Shaw confessed to Mrs. Patrick Campbell: "I must write to you about it, because there is no one else who hates his mother."
Boy and man, he was always bitterly opposed to schools and teachers, saying "Schools and schoolmasters, as we have them today, are not popular as places of education and teachers, but rather prisons and turnkeys in which and by whom children are kept to prevent them disturbing and chaperoning (陪伴) their parents."
1.What did Shaw do about his father’s behavior?
A. Shaw’s father set a good example to him
B. Shaw hated his father’s behavior and didn’t drink any wine.
C. Shaw followed his father and drank wine every day
D. His father’s behavior made Shaw think drinking was a good thing
2.By Shaw’s words according to the passage, we know ________.
A. he really hated his mother
B. his mother really loved her children
C. he really loved his mother
D. finally, he forgave his mother
3.The underlined word “turnkeys” in the last paragraph means ________.
A. someone who guards prisons
B. a prison house
C. a teaching house
D. someone who was put into prison
4.What’s the main idea of the last paragraph?
A. As a boy Shaw liked to go to school.
B. Shaw highly praised schools and teachers.
C. Shaw thought schools were prisons where children couldn’t be with their parents.
D. When Shaw grew up, he began to hate schools and teachers.
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Former Irish President Mary Robinson was just making a polite conversation with an Ethiopian (埃塞俄比亚的) teenager about her wedding day. The 16yearold had already been married for a year. “She looked at me with the saddest eyes and said, ‘I had to drop out of school’,” Robinson said in a telephone interview. “That conveyed to me the reality,” said Robinson, the first woman to serve as Ireland's president and former U.N. high commissioner for human fights. “Her life, as far as she is concerned, had more or less ended.”
Robinson said keeping girls in school was one of the most important things policymakers could do to address the coming challenges of an ever-increasing population, predicted by the United Nations to reach 7 billion soon. “European countries are concerned about aging populations as is Japan, but this is much less of an issue than the huge number of people which we are going to see over the next 40 years when the population goes from 7 billion to 9 billion,” she said. “Almost all of that increase will be in poor developing countries, so that we have a very big challenge.”
Family planning experts worry in particular about the future population explosion in subSaharan Africa. In May, the United Nations projected the world population would reach 9.3billion in 2050 and 10.1 billion by 2100. Much of that growth will come from Africa, where the population is growing at 2.3 percent a year—more than double Asia's 1 percent growth rate. If that rate stays consistent, which is not certain, Africa's population will reach 3.6 billion by 2100 from the present 1 billion.
Joel Cohen, a professor of population studies at Rockefeller University and Columbia University in New York, said universal secondary education offered a way to reduce population in high birthrate regions. In addition to providing information about birth control, a secondary education teaches women to reduce their own fertility (生育力), improve the health of their children and allows them to move from a mindset of having many children, in the hopes that some will survive to improving the quality of each child's life, Cohen wrote in the journal Nature.
1.In the first paragraph, the author introduces his topic by ________.
A.explaining the author's opinions
B.giving an example
C.describing the poor education system
D.coming straight to the topic
2.What can we learn from the passage?
A.Robinson is happy after talking to the Ethiopian girl.
B.Robinson is a successful expert in population studies.
C.Robinson is worried about population growth.
D.Robinson encourages female education.
3.What is Joel Cohen's view about secondary education?
A.It provides basic knowledge of health.
B.It improves the health of children.
C.It makes people pay more attention to education.
D.It can change people's parenting ideas.
4.According to Robinson, what is one of the most important things policymakers can do to prevent the population from increasing rapidly?
A.Keeping girls in school.
B.Letting girls go away from Africa.
C.Letting young girls remain single.
D.Keeping girls in families.
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
F. Scott Fitzgerald, born on September 24,1896, an American novelist, was once a student of St. Paul Academy, the Newman School and attended Princeton. University for a short while. In 1917 he joined the army and was posted in Alabama, where he met his future wife Zelda Sayre. Then he had to make some money to impress her.
His life with her was full of great happiness, as he wrote in his diary : “ My own happiness in the past often approached such joy that I could share it even with the person dearest to me but had to walk it away in quiet streets and take down parts of it in my diary. ”
This side of paradise, his first novel, was published in 1920. encouraged by its success, Fitzgerald began to devote more time to his writing. Then he continued with the novel the Beautiful and Damned (1922), a collection of short stories Thales of the Jazz Age (1922), and a play The Vegetable (1923). But his greatest success was The Great Gatsby, published in 1925,which quick brought him praise from the literary world. Yet it failed to give him the needed financial security. Then, in 1926, he published another collection lf short stories All the Sad Young Men.
However, Fitzgerald’s problems with his wife Zelda affected his writing. During the 1920s he tried to reorder his life, but failed. By 1930, his wife had her first breakdown and went to a Swiss clinic. During this period he completed novels Tender Is the Night in 1934 and The love of the last Tycoon in 1940.While his wife was in hospital in the United States, he got totally addicted to alcohol. Sheila Graham, his dear friend, helped him fight his alcoholism.
1. How many novels written by Fitzgerald are mentioned in the passage ?
A. 5 B. 6 C. 7 D. 8
2.Which of the following is the correct order to describe Fitzgerald’s life according to the passage?
a. He became addicted to drinking.
b. He studied at St. Paul Academy.
c. He published his first novel This Side of Paradise.
d. The Great Gatsby won high praise.
e. He failed to reorder his life.
f. He joined the army and met Zelda.
A. f-c-e-a-b-d B. b-e-a-f-c-d
C. f-d-e-c-b-a D. b-f-c-d-e-a
3.We can infer from the passage that Fitzgerald .
A. had made some money when he met Zelda in Alabama.
B. was well educated and well off before he served in the army
C. would have completed more works if his wife hadn’t broken down
D. helped his friend get rid of drinking while his wife was in hospital
4.The passage is probably followed by a concluding paragraph about_______ .
A. Zelda’s personal life
B. Zelda’s illness and treatment
C. Fitzgerald’s friendship with Graham
D. Fitzgerald’s contributions to the literary (文学的)world
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
F.Scott Fitzgerald, born on September 24,1896, an American novelist, was once a student of St.Paul Academy, the Newman School and attended Princeton. University for a short while. In 1917 he joined the army and was posted in Alabama, where he met his future wife Zelda Sayre. Then he had to make some money to impress her.
His life with her was full of great happiness, as he wrote in his diary:“ My own happiness in the past often got such joy that I could share it even with the person dearest to me but had to walk it away in quiet streets and take down parts of it in my diary.”
This side of paradise, his first novel, was published in 1920. Encouraged by its success, Fitzgerald began to devote more time to his writing. Then he continued with the novel the Beautiful and Damned (1922), a collection of short stories Thales of the Jazz Age (1922), and a play The Vegetable (1923). But his greatest success was the novel The Great Gatsby, published in 1925, which quickly brought him praise from the literary world. Yet it failed to give him the needed financial security. Then, in 1926, he published another collection of short stories All the Sad Young Men.
However, Fitzgerald’s problems with his wife Zelda had an effect on his writing. During the 1920s he tried to reord his life, but failed. By 1930, his wife had her first break down and went to a Swiss clinic. During this period he completed novels Tender Is the Night in 1934 and The love of the last Tycoon in 1940. While his wife was in hospital in the United States, he got totally addicted to(沉迷于) alcohol. Sheila Graham, his dear friend, helped him fight his alcoholism.
1.How many novels written by Fitzgerald are mentioned in the passage ?
A.5 B.6 C.7 D.8
2.Which of the following is the correct order to describe Fitzgerald’s life
according to the passage?
a. He became addicted to drinking.
b. He studied at St.Paul Academy.
c. He published his first novel This Side of Paradise.
d. The Great Gatsby won high praise.
e. He failed to reorder his life.
f. He joined the army and met Zelda.
A.f-c-e-a-b-d B.b-e-a-f-c-d C.f-d-e-c-b-a D.b-f-c-d-e-a
3.We can infer from the passage that Fitzgerald _______..
A.had made some money when he met Zelda in Alabama.
B.was well educated and well off before he served in the army
C.would have completed more works if his wife hadn’t broken down
D.helped his friend get rid of drinking while his wife was in hospital
4.The passage is probably followed by a concluding paragraph about_____.
A.Zelda’s personal life
B.Zelda’s illness and treatment
C.Fitzgerald’s friendship with Graham
D.Fitzgerald’s contributions to the literary world
高二英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析
Charles Dickens (1812-1870), the great nineteenth century English novelist, was born near Portsmouth. His father ran heavily into debt and when he was twelve, he had to go and work in a factory for making boot polish. The only formal education he received was a two-year schooling at a school for poor children. In fact, he had to teach himself all he knew. He worked for a time as junior clerk in a lawyer’s office. After that, he worked as a reporter in the law courts, and later in parliament, for London newspapers. His career as a writer of fiction began in 1833 with short stories and essays in periodicals, and in 1837 his comic novel The Pickwick Papers made him the most popular author at his time in England.
He was a great observer of people and their places because he was attracted by life and conditions in mid-nineteenth century London. He wrote 19 novels all his life and in many of them, Dickens gave a realistic picture of all classes of England society, showing deep sympathy for the poor and unfortunate, exposing the injustice and inhumanity(不人道) of the bourgeoisie(资产阶级).
Many of his novels like Oliver Twist, David Copperfield, Nicholas Nickleby, Great Expectations, A Tale of Two Cities and so on drew attention to the unsatisfactory social conditions that existed in England over a hundred years ago.
Dickens criticized capitalist society from the point of view of bourgeois humanism(人文主义). He wished to see improvement in the living conditions of the poor, but failed to find any effective means to achieve that end.
61. Dickens only received a little formal education because______.
A. he wanted to teach himself
B. he wanted to work and made a lot of money
C. he was too poor to afford any more formal education
D. he wanted some working experiences to be a novelist
62. According to Dickens, the society at his time in England was________.
A. just B. poor C. comfortable D. unsatisfying
63. Which of the following novel made Dickens the most popular writer at his time in England?
A. Oliver Twist B. The Pickwick Papers
C. A Tale of Two Cities D. Great Expectations
64. According to the passage, which of the following about Dickens is true?
A. He didn’t go to school at all.
B. He only wrote about poor people and showed deep sympathy for them.
C. He began to write fictions when he was 21years old.
D. He found some effective ways to improve the living conditions of the poor.
65. It can be inferred from the passage that________.
A. Dickens had a miserable childhood
B. Dickens tried many different jobs before he became a professional writer
C. Dickens wrote many novels but only some of them are popular
D. Dickens criticized capitalist(资本主义的)society and helped to improve the living conditions of the poor
高二英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析
Charles Dickens (1812-1870), the great nineteenth century English novelist, was born near Portsmouth. His father ran heavily into debt and when he was twelve, he had to go and work in a factory for making boot polish. The only formal education he received was a two-year schooling at a school for poor children. In fact, he had to teach himself all he knew. He worked for a time as junior clerk in a lawyer's office. After that, he worked as a reporter in the law courts, and later in parliament, for London newspapers. His career as a writer of fiction began in 1833 with short stories and essays in periodicals, and in 1837 his comic novel The Pickwick Papers made him the most popular author at his time in England.
He was a great observer of people and their places because he was attracted by life and conditions in mid-nineteenth century London. He wrote 19 novels all his life and in many of them, Dickens gave a realistic picture of all classes of England society, showing deep sympathy for the poor and unfortunate, exposing the injustice and inhumanity(不人道) of the bourgeoisie(布尔乔亚阶级).
Many of his novels like Oliver Twist, David Copperfield, Nicholas Nickleby, Great Expectations, A Tale of Two Cities and so on drew attention to the unsatisfactory social conditions that existed in England over a hundred years ago.
Dickens criticized capitalist society from the point of view of bourgeois humanism. He wished to see improvement in the living conditions of the poor, but failed to find any effective means to achieve that end.
1.Dickens only received a little formal education because______.
A.he wanted to teach himself |
B.he wanted to work and made a lot of money |
C.he was too poor to afford any more formal education |
D.he wanted some working experiences to be a novelist |
2.According to Dickens, the society at his time in England was________.
A.just | B.poor | C.comfortable | D.unsatisfying |
3.Which of the following novel made Dickens the most popular writer at his time in England?
A.Oliver Twist | B.The Pickwick Papers |
C.A Tale of Two Cities | D.Great Expectations |
4.According to the passage, which of the following about Dickens is true?
A.He didn't go to school at all. |
B.He only wrote about poor people and showed deep sympathy for them. |
C.He began to write fictions when he was 21 years old. |
D.He found some effective ways to improve the living conditions of the poor. |
5.It can be inferred from the passage that________.
A.Dickens had a miserable childhood |
B.Dickens tried many different jobs before he became a professional writer |
C.Dickens wrote many novels but only some of them are popular |
D.Dickens criticized capitalist society and helped to improve the living conditions of the poor |
高二英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析