英语小说阅读理解

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 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 (资本主义) 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.
36. 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
37. According to Dickens, the society at his time in England was _______. 
A. just           B. poor     C. comfortable        D. unsatisfying
38. 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
39. 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.

答案：36-39 CDBC  

阅读理解Amber, 16, has been in four foster-care homes（寄养家庭）in two years. Now she is getting a makeover（精心打扮）at the mall to be filmed in a television station in Boise, Idaho, which may help her find a permanent family that does the ordinary things families do — go on picnics, eat out, and watch movies together.
Ten years ago, teenagers such as Amber were so hard to place with adoptive families that hardly anyone tried. If you talked about finding a home for an older child, that meant the kid was 7 or 8. But today, people are increasingly willing to adopt those who are 9 years old or older, and most experts believe the phenomena will continue.
Of course, the teens often need as much encouragement and advice as the future parents do. In St. Louis, Missouri, Project Teen Plus provides a support group to help teenagers talk about their fears and doubts about being adopted, for many of them have lived in institutions so long that they have no idea what life in a family is like. And teens often have mixed feelings about joining aword/media/image1.gif new family. Many teens in foster care are worried that being adopted means having to reject their birth families. One adoption expert suggests finding out the reasons for teenagers’ resistance and offering the choice of remaining in touch with their birth families after entering adoptive homes.
The key to success seems to be careful preparation and patience of both the teen and the family. So a teenager usually spends six to nine months with a future family before an adoption is finally decided. For example, a couple decided to open their home to Michael, 17. For ten months, the couple and the boy struggled to get to know and accept one another. But Michael’s 18th birthday brought about change. The big event was not only his first birthday with his adoptive family but also the first time he had ever been given birthday gifts and a cake. For Michael’s new parents, the rewards have been great. “You’re not just helping someone else,” says Father. “You’re making a decision to grow as a family.” 
67. The purpose of mentioning Amber in the first paragraph is ___________.
A. to show the readers the ordinary things families do
B. to help Amber find a permanent family to adopt her
C. to introduce the topic of teenager adoption to readers
D. to indicate that teenager girls are eager to be film stars
68. According to the passage, why do teenagers fear and doubt about being adopted
A. They spend too much time living all by themselves. 
B. They don’t know what their life will be in a new family. 
C. They can’t get enouword/media/image1.gifgh suword/media/image2.gifpport from some institutions.
D. They talk less with the future parents about adoption. 
69. Many teens in foster care think being adopted means _______. 
A. no longer seeinword/media/image1.gifg their friends
B. saying good-bye to their pets
C. having to reject their birth families
D. losing their choice of education
70. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage
A. Success of adoption calls for patience and preparation. 
B. Teenagers are encouraged to place with foster care.
C. Foster parents share worries with their future children.
D. The family needs great financial support to adopt children.

CBCA

答案：1．A;2．C;3．D;4．D;5．A;
解析：

Pride and Prejudice for the Modern Woman
Let us imagine how Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen's most famous work, 
might be updated, 200 years on.
Austen's popularity is rooted in her intelligence. But today she would certainly have had a very different life, as would her characters. Here's my own suggestion. . .
It is a truth finally and universally acknowledged that a single woman with brains deserves to have equal opportunities to men, however disadvantaged she may feel by sexism.
“My dear husband," said his hopeful wife one day, “have you heard that the local store, standing empty for so long, is taken over by a bright young businesswoman?"
Her dull and indifferent (漠不关心的) husband replied that he had not. "But it is, it is," she replied excitedly. Mr Dull-Husband made no reply.[来源:学&科&网]
"Don't you want to know her plans?" she cried with some impatience.
"Well, clearly you think it matters to your silly little head... so I'd better listen.”
"Well, my dear, the rumour (传言) is that she has already set up a string of successful businesses in northern England, though how a woman can know anything about that is beyond me. She will move in herself next month. "What is her name?" "Bingley.”
"Is she married or single?"
"What a question! And none of your business. But her coming will be a fine thing for our five boys. “How so? How can it possibly affect them? "
"My dear love; those lazy boys need something to wake them up. There are bound to be jobs going. "
“Is that her point in settling here? Surely as a woman she has simply taken a fancy to the place. "
“Nonsense, my love, how little you've noticed the world has changed. She's got a first-rate degree and some sort of business qualification, I'm told. She surely needs one of our boys! Perhaps you might give her a call. "
“Me? No. Perhaps you can take an interest. You still have your looks, after all. She may even offer you a job. “
“Oh, that's not likely. These new chances belong to the younger generation. But now you mention it, I think I'll go along all the same. "
And Mrs Bennet went along. That was 10 years ago. She is now managing d irector of a FTSE-listed company. 
... It would remain the case, of course, that Mrs Bennet would be one of very few women on the company board, that her salary would be lower than her male colleagues, her bonus of a more "female" dimension and her lifespan (年限) among the city's business leaders shorter than theirs. Still, she'd no doubt have enjoyed Davos—and might even have hobnobbed (攀谈) with influential figures.
67. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A. Austen was born 200 years ago.
B. Austen rewrote Pride and Prejudice.
C. Austen's  success lies in her wisdom.
D. Austen's updated work gains popularity.
68. The underlined part in the passage suggests that Mrs Bennet ____.
A. had mixed feelings of admiration and surprise about Bingley
B. felt kind of worried and doubtful about Bingley
C. was extremely anxious to meet Bingley
D. had a great curiosity about Bingley
69. In the eyes of Mrs Bennet, Bingley surely needed one of their boys to ____.
A. get married to    B. work for her
C. help her move in   D. take over her store
70. What does the writer intend to tell us?
A. Women with brains can also be as successful as men.
B. Women have to pay a high price for success.
C. A judgment must be made free from prejudice.
D. Sex discrimination still exists nowadays.
【语篇解读】本文是一篇记叙文。作者虚拟了一个类似于200年前简.奥斯丁的《傲慢与偏见》的故事。主人翁班内特太太听说一个聪明年轻的女商人要来他们家附近接管一家商店，她对她充满了惊讶羡慕等的复杂情感，但同时却不忘借此为她的孩子谋一份工作，自己也趁机进了公司，成为其中的一名懂事，但薪水，奖金都比男性低，说明女性依然在遭受歧视。
段落 关键词 大意推测
第一部分（Para. 1-2） popularity; intelligence; a very different life; single woman with brains; deserve equal opportunities 奥斯丁受欢迎是因为聪明；现在会有不同的生活；有头脑的单身女人会该拥有跟男人平等的机会。
第二部分（Para. 3—18） local store; taken over; jobs going; surely needs one of our boys; go along all the same 接管当地一家商店；工作机会；需要我们的一个孩子；我也一起去找份工作。
第三部分（Para.19—20） managing director; salary lower ; bonus more female; life-span shorter 执行经理；薪水，奖金都比男性低；年限比男性短。
67. C。细节理解题。难度：较易。
   【解题思路】根据第一段中的Austen's popularity is rooted in her intelligence可知答案。句中的popularity与题干中的success属于“同义转述”。
68. A。句意推断题。难度：中等。
   【解题思路】划线句子的意思是“一个女人怎么能懂开公司的事情，我不理解”，从句子本身能够看出班内特太太对宾利小姐的一种很复杂的感觉：惊讶和羡慕等等。
69. B。细节理解题。难度：较易。
   【解题思路】根据题干的关键词定位在第16段的She surely needs one of our boys，答案一目了然。
   【干扰项排除】选项A，C，D的意思分别是：“想让她的一个儿子娶她”，“想帮她搬家”，“想接管她的商店”，均属无中生有，排除。
70. D。主旨大意题。难度：中等。

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