Experts say the American state of Hawaii has been invaded (入侵)by a small frog called the coqui (ko--kee). There may be millions of the small frogs in Hawaii. However, they do not belong there. They are normally found in the southeastern United States. The coqui frogs are harming Hawaii’s environment. And the extremely loud noise they make is causing problems for Hawaiian citizens and visitors.
The coqui invaders arrived in Hawaii about ten years ago. They were believed to have been brought in accidentally in shipments of plants from Florida. Their number has sharply increased. They have quickly spread around the Hawaii Islands hidden in plants.
The coqui is a brown frog about five centimeters long. During the day, the frogs hide in wet protected areas, such as under plant leaves. At night, the frogs move onto trees to feed, call to females and mates. The call of the male coqui sounds like. Ko kee! Ko kee!
In the southeastern United States, local people celebrate coqui frogs. But in Hawaii, the foreign frog has been considered as a harmful animal. The coqui frogs are a major danger to Hawaii’s environmental system. The frogs eat thousands of insects (昆虫)every night. These insects are important for the reproduction of plants. The insects also are important food for Hawaii’s native rare birds. The frogs also are affecting the tourism industry in Hawaii. Increasing numbers of hotels, visitors and local people have been annoyed by the loud calls made by male coqui frogs to female frogs. At night, the noise often makes it difficult for people to sleep.
The frogs do not have any natural enemies in Hawaii to reduce their population size. The warm weather permits them to lay eggs all year long. There are many efforts in Hawaii designed to stop the spread of the coqui. It is a crime to transport ,sell or release(释放)the frogs there.
The Hawaii Department of Agriculture is trying to find an effective chemical that can be safely used to kill the frogs. For now, the frogs may only be caught by hand. The Hawaii Department of Agriculture says the greatest danger to the economy and environment of the state is from harmful species, like the coqui.
1.The statement that can best summarize the main idea of the passage is ________.
A.the coqui invaders have seriously affected the tourism industry in Hawaii
B.it is not permitted to transport, sell or release the coqui frogs in Hawaii
C.the coqui invasion has serious effects on the economy and environment in Hawaii
D.great efforts have been made by the Hawaii people to kill the coqui
2.The coqui frogs originally arrived in Hawaii ________.
A.by chance B.at the request of all the local citizens
C.as a gift D.as goods demanded in the local market
3.Visitors to Hawaii don’t like the coqui frogs mainly because ________.
A.they are a big danger to the environmental system there
B.the loud noise made by the frogs bother their rest at night
C.they affect the reproduction of the local plants and insects
D.visitors could no longer see the native rare birds because of them
4.The two factors leading to the rapid spread of coqui frogs in Hawaii are ________.
A.the frogs’ habit and the environment in Hawaii
B.the large number of the insects and the plants in Hawaii
C.the geographic location of Hawaii and its tourism industry
D.the warm weather there and the frogs’ lack of natural enemies
高三英语阅读理解简单题
Experts say the American state of Hawaii has been invaded (入侵)by a small frog called the coqui (ko--kee). There may be millions of the small frogs in Hawaii. However, they do not belong there. They are normally found in the southeastern United States. The coqui frogs are harming Hawaii’s environment. And the extremely loud noise they make is causing problems for Hawaiian citizens and visitors.
The coqui invaders arrived in Hawaii about ten years ago. They were believed to have been brought in accidentally in shipments of plants from Florida. Their number has sharply increased. They have quickly spread around the Hawaii Islands hidden in plants.
The coqui is a brown frog about five centimeters long. During the day, the frogs hide in wet protected areas, such as under plant leaves. At night, the frogs move onto trees to feed, call to females and mates. The call of the male coqui sounds like. Ko kee! Ko kee!
In the southeastern United States, local people celebrate coqui frogs. But in Hawaii, the foreign frog has been considered as a harmful animal. The coqui frogs are a major danger to Hawaii’s environmental system. The frogs eat thousands of insects (昆虫)every night. These insects are important for the reproduction of plants. The insects also are important food for Hawaii’s native rare birds. The frogs also are affecting the tourism industry in Hawaii. Increasing numbers of hotels, visitors and local people have been annoyed by the loud calls made by male coqui frogs to female frogs. At night, the noise often makes it difficult for people to sleep.
The frogs do not have any natural enemies in Hawaii to reduce their population size. The warm weather permits them to lay eggs all year long. There are many efforts in Hawaii designed to stop the spread of the coqui. It is a crime to transport ,sell or release(释放)the frogs there.
The Hawaii Department of Agriculture is trying to find an effective chemical that can be safely used to kill the frogs. For now, the frogs may only be caught by hand. The Hawaii Department of Agriculture says the greatest danger to the economy and environment of the state is from harmful species, like the coqui.
1.The statement that can best summarize the main idea of the passage is ________.
A.the coqui invaders have seriously affected the tourism industry in Hawaii
B.it is not permitted to transport, sell or release the coqui frogs in Hawaii
C.the coqui invasion has serious effects on the economy and environment in Hawaii
D.great efforts have been made by the Hawaii people to kill the coqui
2.The coqui frogs originally arrived in Hawaii ________.
A.by chance B.at the request of all the local citizens
C.as a gift D.as goods demanded in the local market
3.Visitors to Hawaii don’t like the coqui frogs mainly because ________.
A.they are a big danger to the environmental system there
B.the loud noise made by the frogs bother their rest at night
C.they affect the reproduction of the local plants and insects
D.visitors could no longer see the native rare birds because of them
4.The two factors leading to the rapid spread of coqui frogs in Hawaii are ________.
A.the frogs’ habit and the environment in Hawaii
B.the large number of the insects and the plants in Hawaii
C.the geographic location of Hawaii and its tourism industry
D.the warm weather there and the frogs’ lack of natural enemies
高三英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析
Many experts say that Billy Wilder changed the history of American movies. He is often called the best movie maker Hollywood has ever had.
He was known for making movies that offered sharp social comment.Wilder was one of the first directors to do this.Between the middle l930s and the l980s,Billy Wilder made almost fifty movies.During that time he received more than twenty nominations(提名)from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.He won six of the Oscar awards.His movies have been seen by people around the world.
In l944,Billy Wilder made the film Double Indemnity.Some critics said this movie established him as one of the greatest Hollywood directors.Wilder directed The Lost Weekend in 1945.Ray Milland plays the part of an alcoholic writer in the movie.It shows that alcohol rules his life,yet he does not admit it.He hides alcohol in his home and says he is not drinking.
In l950, Wilder made Sunset Boulevard.This movie told of an aging actress in silent movies.She plans to return to movies though facing many problems.In l954,Billy Wilder became an independent producer.The next year,Wilder’s first movie as an independent filmmaker was a huge success.It was The Seven Year Ihch.In this movie,a married man wants to cheat on his wife with some of his friends.In l959,Wilder made a funny movie that was very popular.It was Some Like It Hot.It tells about two jazz musicians being chased by criminals.They decide to wear women’s clothes and join a band in which all the musicians were women.
Wilder died in March,2002.He was ninety—five.A current Hollywood producer said:“Billy Wilder made movies that people will never forget.”
1. The text is mainly about ________
A.the background of American movies
B.Wilder’s achievements in American movies
C.Wilder’s attitude to American movies
D.the development of American movies
2. What was Wilder famous for according to Paragraph 2 ?
A.Sharp remarks on society in his movies.
B.His unique style of making movies.
C. More than twenty awards he received.
D. Almost fifty movies he produced himself.
3. Which of the following made Wilder among the greatest Hollywood directors?
A.The Lost weekend. B.Sunset Boulevard.
C.Double Indemnity. D.Some Like It Hot.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Many experts say that Billy Wilder changed the history of American movies. He is often called the best movie maker Hollywood has ever had. He was known for making movies that offered sharp social comment. Wilder was one of the first directors to do this.
Billy Wilder was born in 1906 in the former Austro-Hungarian Empire. Billy Wilder started law school in Vienna, Austria. However, he began reporting for a Vienna newspaper after graduation. By the 1920s, he was writing movies in Germany. However, the Nazis had risen to power in the nation. Wider was Jewish, and he recognized that he had no future in Nazi Germany. In 1933, he went to Paris. There he directed a movie for the first time. It was called “The Bad Seed”. Then he received word that producers in the United States had accepted one of his scripts. Billy Wilder left Europe for America.
In America he formed a writing team with Charles Brackett. The two writers created many films together. Wilder and Brackett wrote several successful movies. One was the nineteen thirty-nine movie, “Ninotchka”, starring Greta Garbo. Ernst Lubitsch directed the film. Wilder always praised this man as a friend and teacher whose humor and expert direction greatly influenced his works.
In 1954, Billy Wilder became an independent producer. The next year, Wilder’s first movie as an independent filmmaker was a huge success. It was “The Seven Year Itch”. In 1959, Wilder made a funny movie that was very popular. I.A.L. Diamond joined Wilder in writing “Some Like It Hot”.
By the 1980s, Wilder no longer was considered the most unusual, creative movie-maker in Hollywood. In recent years, however, Billy Wilder received many more awards and honors. Critics praised his gifts to movie making. In 1987, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences gave him the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award. It is the highest award a producer can receive.
1.Which is Wilder’s first successful movie as an independent filmmaker?
A. Ninotchka
B. The Bad Seed
C. Some Like It Hot
D. The Seven Year Itch
2.What can we know about Wilder according to the text?
A. He intended to be a lawyer at first.
B. He starred a movie for the first time in Paris.
C. He is the first director to make realistic movies.
D. He has been accepted as the most creative movie-maker.
3.Why did Wilder leave Germany?
A. He was Jewish and couldn’t develop there.
B. The Nazis were searching for him everywhere.
C. He was invited to produce his script in America.
D. He expected to go to Paris to form a writing team.
4.What would be the best title for the text?
A. The Maker of History of American Movies
B. Billy Wilder — a Best Movie Maker
C. An Autobiography of a Director
D. The Best Director and Producer
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Many experts say that Billy Wilder changed the history of American movies. He is often called the best movie maker Hollywood has ever had.
He was known for making movies that offered sharp social comment.Wilder was one of the first directors to do this.Between the middle l930s and the l980s,Billy Wilder made almost fifty movies.During that time he received more than twenty nominations(提名)from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.He won six of the Oscar awards.His movies have been seen by people around the world.
In l944,Billy Wilder made the film Double Indemnity.Some critics said this movie established him as one of the greatest Hollywood directors.Wilder directed The Lost Weekend in 1945.Ray Milland plays the part of an alcoholic writer in the movie.It shows that alcohol rules his life,yet he does not admit it.He hides alcohol in his home and says he is not drinking.
In l950, Wilder made Sunset Boulevard.This movie told of an aging actress in silent movies.She plans to return to movies though facing many problems.In l954,Billy Wilder became an independent producer.The next year,Wilder’s first movie as an independent filmmaker was a huge success.It was The Seven Year Ihch.In this movie,a married man wants to cheat on his wife with some of his friends.In l959,Wilder made a funny movie that was very popular.It was Some Like It Hot.It tells about two jazz musicians being chased by criminals.They decide to wear women’s clothes and join a band in which all the musicians were women.
Wilder died in March,2002.He was ninety—five.A current Hollywood producer said:“Billy Wilder made movies that people will never forget.”
1.The text is mainly about ________
A.the background of American movies
B.Wilder’s achievements in American movies
C.Wilder’s attitude to American movies
D.the development of American movies
2.What was Wilder famous for according to Paragraph 2 ?
A.Sharp remarks on society in his movies.
B.His unique style of making movies.
C. More than twenty awards he received.
D. Almost fifty movies he produced himself.
3.Which of the following made Wilder among the greatest Hollywood directors?
A.The Lost weekend. B.Sunset Boulevard.
C.Double Indemnity. D.Some Like It Hot.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Many experts say that Billy Wilder changed the history of American movies. He is often called the best movie maker Hollywood has ever had. He was known for making movies that offered sharp social comment. Wilder was one of the first directors to do this.
Billy Wilder was born in 1906 in the former Austro-Hungarian Empire. Billy Wilder started law school in Vienna, Austria. However, he began reporting for a Vienna newspaper after graduation. By the 1920s, he was writing movies in Germany. However, the Nazis had risen to power in the nation. Wider was Jewish, and he recognized that he had no future in Nazi Germany. In 1933, he went to Paris. There he directed a movie for the first time. It was called “The Bad Seed”. Then he received word that producers in the United States had accepted one of his scripts. Billy Wilder left Europe for America.
In America he formed a writing team with Charles Brackett. The two writers created many films together. Wilder and Brackett wrote several successful movies. One was the nineteen thirty-nine movie, “Ninotchka”, starring Greta Garbo. Ernst Lubitsch directed the film. Wilder always praised this man as a friend and teacher whose humor and expert direction greatly influenced his works.
In 1954, Billy Wilder became an independent producer. The next year, Wilder’s first movie as an independent filmmaker was a huge success. It was “The Seven Year Itch”. In 1959, Wilder made a funny movie that was very popular. I.A.L. Diamond joined Wilder in writing “Some Like It Hot”.
By the 1980s, Wilder no longer was considered the most unusual, creative movie-maker in Hollywood. In recent years, however, Billy Wilder received many more awards and honors. Critics praised his gifts to movie making. In 1987, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences gave him the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award. It is the highest award a producer can receive.
1.Which is Wilder’s first successful movie as an independent filmmaker?
A. Ninotchka
B. The Bad Seed
C. Some Like It Hot
D. The Seven Year Itch
2.What can we know about Wilder according to the text?
A. He intended to be a lawyer at first.
B. He starred a movie for the first time in Paris.
C. He is the first director to make realistic movies.
D. He has been accepted as the most creative movie-maker.
3.Why did Wilder leave Germany?
A. He was Jewish and couldn’t develop there.
B. The Nazis were searching for him everywhere.
C. He was invited to produce his script in America.
D. He expected to go to Paris to form a writing team.
4.What would be the best title for the text?
A. The Maker of History of American Movies
B. Billy Wilder — a Best Movie Maker
C. An Autobiography of a Director
D. The Best Director and Producer
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
阅读理解。
Many experts say that Billy Wilder changed the history of American movies. He is often called the best movie maker Hollywood has ever had.
He was known for making movies that offered sharp social comment. Wilder was one of the first directors to do this. Between the middle 1930s and the 1980s, Billy Wilder made almost fifty movies. During that time he received more than twenty nominations (提名) from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. He won six of the Oscar awards. His movies have been seen by people around the world.
In 1944, Billy Wilder made the film Double Indemnity. Some critics said this movie established him as one of the greatest Hollywood directors. Wilder directed The Lost Weekend in 1945. Ray Milland plays the part of an alcoholic writer in the movie. It shows that alcohol rules his life, yet he does not admit it. He hides alcohol in his home and says he is not drinking.
In 1950, Wilder made Sunset Boulevard. This movie told of an aging actress in silent movies. She plans to return to movies though facing many problems. In 1954, Billy Wilder became an independent producer. The next year, Wilder's first movie as an independent filmmaker was a huge success. It was Seven Year Itch. In this movie, a married mailman wants to cheat on his wife with some of his friends. In 1959, Wilder made a funny movie that was very popular. It was Some Like It Hot. It tells about two jazz musicians being chased by criminals. They decide to wear women's clothes and join a band in which all the musicians were women.
Wilder died in March, 2002. He was ninetyfive. A current Hollywood producer said: “Billy Wilder made movies that people will never forget.”
1.The text is mainly about ________.
A.the background of American movies
B.the development of American movies
C.Wilder's attitude to American movies
D.Wilder's achievements in American movies
2.What was Wilder famous for according to Para. 2?
A.His unique style of making movies.
B.Sharp remarks on society in his movies.
C.More than twenty awards he received.
D.Almost fifty movies he produced himself.
3.Which of the following made Wilder among the greatest Hollywood directors?
A.Double Indemnity. B.Sunset Boulevard.
C.The Lost Weekend. D.Some Like It Hot.
4.The text is developed mainly by ________.
A.following time order B.making comparisons
C.analyzing exact data D.giving instructions
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
The state of Colorado has four of the 58 national parks in the United States.These have been judged as the best places of all the national parks.
Black Canyon of Gunnison National Park
This park lies in western Colorado and offers the most impressive views from up in the mountains into the canyons (峡谷)below.While exploring the canyons,you will find that the walls drop nearly straight down into very narrow valleys with snake-like rivers below.Visitors are offered more than 100 camping sites,and a lot of bird species and many animals are native to the area.
Rocky Mountain National Park
It is the only national park in the north central region in the state of Colorado.Elevations (高地)in this park you will find are anywhere from 8,000 feet to 14,259 at the top of Longs Peak.While travelling throughout this park,you will find there are two very different climates because of the fact that the tops of the Rocky Mountains make a difference.With 359 miles of trails for hiking,there are a lot of places for camping,horseback riding and just enjoying the sights of nature.
Mesa Verde National Park
This is probably the most interesting of all the national parks,offering an extremely interesting trip back in time to 600 A.D.up to 1,300 A.D.This park was declared (宣布)a protected national park in 1906 because of the cliff dwellings (住人的崖洞)that were found throughout the park area,which was once home to American Indians.Visitors can actually walk through these dwellings,and they may imagine what each room may have been used for so many years ago.
Great Sand Dunes National Park
The Great Sand Dunes (沙丘)National Park lies in south central Colorado,about 127 miles from Pueblo.This park has the tallest sand dunes in all of North America,with trails for hiking.Natural sandy beaches there are good for people who want to swim around the small rivers and lakes.
1.A person who enjoys mountains and rivers will visit .
A.Black Canyon of Gunnison National Park
B.Rocky Mountain National Park
C.Mesa Verde National Park
D.Great Sand Dunes National Park
2.Which of the following is TRUE about Rocky Mountain National Park?( )
A.It has the tallest mountains in the USA.
B.It has very different weather conditions.
C.It is the most interesting national park.
D.It is about 359 miles from Pueblo.
3.If you are interested in history you will visit .
A.Rocky Mountain National Park
B.Black Canyon of Gunnison National Park
C.Great Sand Dunes National Park
D.Mesa Verde National Park
4.Mesa Verde National Park has been a protected national park for around years.
A.1,000 B.1,500 C.100 D.200
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Obama has been elected ________ first black President of the United States, and the international society expects to have ________ new USA under his leadership.
A./;the B.a;the C.the;a D.the;the
高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
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.
I say clever because antislavery fiction had been the important part of the literature in the years before the Civil War.H.B.Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin is only the most famous example.These early stories dealt directly with slavery.With minor exceptions,Twain planted his attacks on slavery and prejudice into tales that were on the surface about something else entirely.He drew his readers into the argument by drawing them into the story.
Again and again,in the postwar years,Twain seemed forced to deal with the challenge of race.Consider the most controversial,at least today,of Twain’s novels,Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.Only a few books have been kicked off the shelves as often as Huckleberry Finn,Twain’s most widely read tale.Once upon a time,people hated the book because it struck them as rude.Twain himself wrote that those who banned the book considered the novel“trash and suitable only for the slums(贫民窟).”More recently the book has been attacked because of the character Jim,the escaped slave,and many occurrences of the word nigger.(The term Nigger Jim,for which the novel is often severely criticized,never appears in it.)
But the attacks were and are silly—and miss the point.The novel is strongly antislavery.Jim’s search through the slave states for the family from whom he has been forcibly parted is heroic.As J.Chadwick has pointed out,the character of Jim was a first in American fiction—a recognition that the slave had two personalities,“the voice of survival within a white slave culture and the voice of the individual:Jim,the father and the man.”
There is much more.Twain’s mystery novel Pudd’nhead Wilson stood as a challenge to the racial beliefs of even many of the liberals of his day.Written at a time when the accepted wisdom held Negroes to be inferior (低等的) to whites,especially in intelligence,Twain’s tale centered in part around two babies switched at birth.A slave gave birth to her master’s baby and,for fear that the child should be sold South,switched him for the master’s baby by his wife.The slave’s lightskinned child was taken to be white and grew up with both the attitudes and the education of the slaveholding class.The master’s wife’s baby was taken for black and grew up with the attitudes and intonations of the slave.
The point was difficult to miss:nurture (养育),not nature,was the key to social status.The features of the black man that provided the stuff of prejudice—manner of speech,for example—were,to Twain,indicative of nothing other than the conditioning that slavery forced on its victims.
Twain’s racial tone was not perfect.One is left uneasy,for example,by the lengthy passage in his autobiography (自传) about how much he loved what were called“nigger shows”in his youth—mostly with white men performing in blackface—and his delight in getting his mother to laugh at them.Yet there is no reason to think Twain saw the shows as representing reality.His frequent attacks on slavery and prejudice suggest his keen awareness that they did not.
Was Twain a racist? Asking the questioning the 21st century is as wise as asking the same of Lincoln.If we read the words and attitudes of the past through the“wisdom”of the considered moral judgments of the present,we will find nothing but error.Lincoln,who believed the black man the inferior of the white,fought and won a war to free him.And Twain,raised in a slave state,briefly a soldier,and inventor of Jim,may have done more to anger the nation over racial injustice and awaken its collective conscience than any other novelist in the past century.
1.How do Twain’s novels on slavery differ from Stowe’s?
A.Twain was more willing to deal with racism.
B.Twain’s attack on racism was much less open.
C.Twain’s themes seemed to agree with plots.
D.Twain was openly concerned with racism.
2.Recent criticism of Adventures of Huckleberry Finn arose partly from its________.
A.target readers at the bottom
B.antislavery attitude
C.rather impolite language
D.frequent use of“nigger”
3.What best proves Twain’s antislavery stand according to the author?
A.Jim’s search for his family was described in detail.
B.The slave’s voice was first heard in American novels.
C.Jim grew up into a man and a father in the white culture.
D.Twain suspected that the slaves were less intelligent.
4.The story of two babies switched mainly indicates that________.
A.slaves were forced to give up their babies to their masters
B.slaves’ babies could pick up slaveholders’ way of speaking
C.blacks’social position was shaped by how they were brought up
D.blacks were born with certain features of prejudice
5.What does the underlined word “they” in Paragraph 7 refer to?
A.The attacks.
B.Slavery and prejudice.
C.White men.
D.The shows.
6.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.Twain’s works should be read from a historical point of view.
高三英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析
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.
I say clever because anti-slavery fiction had been the important part of the literature in the years before the Civil War. H. B. Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin is only the most famous example. These early stories dealt directly with slavery. With minor exceptions, Twain planted his attacks on slavery and prejudice into tales that were on the surface about something else entirely. He drew his readers into the argument by drawing them into the story.
Again and again, in the postwar years, Twain seemed forced to deal with the challenge of race. Consider the most controversial, at least today, of Twain’s novels, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Only a few books have been kicked off the shelves as often as Huckleberry Finn, Twain’s most widely read tale. Once upon a time, people hated the book because it struck them as rude. Twain himself wrote that those who banned the book considered the novel “trash and suitable only for the slums (贫民窟).” More recently the book has been attacked because of the character Jim, the escaped slave, and many occurences of the word nigger. (The term Nigger Jim, for which the novel is often severely criticized, never appears in it.)
But the attacks were and are silly—and miss the point. The novel is strongly anti-slavery. Jim’s search through the slave states for the family from whom he has been forcibly parted is heroic. As J. Chadwick has pointed out, the character of Jim was a first in American fiction—a recognition that the slave had two personalities, “the voice of survival within a white slave culture and the voice of the individual: Jim, the father and the man.”
There is much more. Twain’s mystery novel Pudd’nhead Wilson stood as a challenge to the racial beliefs of even many of the liberals of his day. Written at a time when the accepted wisdom held Negroes to be inferior (低等的) to whites, especially in intelligence, Twain’s tale centered in part around two babies switched at birth. A slave gave birth to her master’s baby and, for fear that the child should be sold South, switched him for the master’s baby by his wife. The slave’s lightskinned child was taken to be white and grew up with both the attitudes and the education of the slave-holding class. The master’s wife’s baby was taken for black and grew up with the attitudes and intonations of the slave.
The point was difficult to miss: nurture (养育), not nature, was the key to social status. The features of the black man that provided the stuff of prejudice—manner of speech, for example— were, to Twain, indicative of nothing other than the conditioning that slavery forced on its victims.
Twain’s racial tone was not perfect. One is left uneasy, for example, by the lengthy passage in his autobiography (自传) about how much he loved what were called “nigger shows” in his youth—mostly with white men performing in black-face—and his delight in getting his mother to laugh at them. Yet there is no reason to think Twain saw the shows as representing reality. His frequent attacks on slavery and prejudice suggest his keen awareness that they did not.
Was Twain a racist? Asking the question in the 21st century is as wise as asking the same of Lincoln. If we read the words and attitudes of the past through the “wisdom” of the considered moral judgments of the present, we will find nothing but error. Lincoln, who believed the black man the inferior of the white, fought and won a war to free him. And Twain, raised in a slave state, briefly a soldier, and inventor of Jim, may have done more to anger the nation over racial injustice and awaken its collective conscience than any other novelist in the past century.
1. How do Twain’s novels on slavery differ from Stowe’s?
A.Twain was more willing to deal with racism.
B.Twain’s attack on racism was much less open.
C.Twain’s themes seemed to agree with plots.
D.Twain was openly concerned with racism.
2.Recent criticism of Adventures of Huckleberry Finn arose partly from its ______.
A.target readers at the bottom
B.anti-slavery attitude
C.rather impolite language
D.frequent use of “nigger”
3.What best proves Twain’s anti-slavery stand according to the author?
A.Jim’s search for his family was described in detail.
B.The slave’s voice was first heard in American novels.
C.Jim grew up into a man and a father in the white culture.
D.Twain suspected that the slaves were less intelligent.
4.The story of two babies switched mainly indicates that ______.
A.slaves were forced to give up their babies to their masters
B.slaves’ babies could pick up slave-holders’ way of speaking
C.blacks’ social position was shaped by how they were brought up
D.blacks were born with certain features of prejudice
5.What does the underlined word “they” in Paragraph 7 refer to?
A.The attacks. B.Slavery and prejudice.
C.White men. D.The shows.
6.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.Twain’s works should be read from a historical point of view.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析