Gre阅读真题200篇 brief contents
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Hank Morgan, the hero of Mark Twain’sHank Morgan, the hero of Mark Twain’s A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court, is a nineteenth-century master mechanic who mysteriously awakening in sixth-century Britain, launches what he hopes will be a peaceful revolution to transform Arthurian Britain into an industrialized modern democracy. The novel, written as a spoof (a light humorous parody) of Thomas Malory’s Morte d’ Arthur, a popular collection of fifteenth-century legends about sixth-century Britain, has been made into three upbeat movies and two musical comedies. None of these translations to screen and stage, however, dramatize the anarchy at the conclusion of (at the conclusion of: 当...完结时) A Connecticut Yankee, which ends with the violent overthrow of Morgan’s three-year-old progressive order and his return to the nineteenth century, where he apparently commits suicide after being labeled a lunatic for his incoherent babblings about drawbridges and battlements. The American public, although enjoying Twain’s humor, evidently rejected his cynicism about technological advancement and change through peaceful revolution as antithetical to the United States doctrine of progress. 17. According to the passage, which of the following is a true statement about the reception of A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court by the American public? (A) The public had too strong a belief in the doctrine of progress to accept the cynicism demonstrated at the conclusion of Twain’s novel. (B) Twain’s novel received little public recognition until the work was adapted for motion pictures and plays. (C) Although the public enjoyed Twain’s humor, his use of both sixth-century and nineteenth-century characters confused many people. (D) The public has continued to enjoy Twain’s story, but the last part of the novel seems too violent to American minds.（A） (E) Because of the cynicism at the end of the book, the public rejected Twain’s work in favor of the work of Thomas Malory. 18. The author uses the examples of “three upbeat movies and two musical comedies” primarily in order to demonstrate that (A) well-written novels like A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court, regardless of their tone or theme, can be translated to the stage and screen (B) the American public has traditionally been more interested in watching plays and movies than in reading novels like A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court (C) Twain’s overall message in A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court is one that had a profound impact on the American public (D) Twain’s A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court has been a more popular version of the Arthurian legends than has Malory’s Morte d’ Arthur（E） (E) A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court has been accepted as an enjoyable and humorous tale in versions that have omitted the anarchy at the novel’s conclusion 19. The author of the passage characterizes Thomas Malory’s Morte d’ Arthur as which of the following? (A) The best-known and most authoritative collection of Arthurian tales written in the English language (B) A collection of legends that have been used as the basis for three movies and two musical comedies (C) A historical account of King Arthur, the sixth-century king of Britain (D) A collection of legends about sixth-century Britain that have existed since at least the fifteenth century（D） (E) The novel about the life of King Arthur that inspired Twain’s cynicism about nineteenth-century notions of progress 20. It can be inferred from the passage that Mark Twain would most probably have believed in which of the following statements about societal change? (A) Revolutions, in order to be successful in changing society, have to be carried out without violence. (B) Technological advancements are limited in their ability to change society and will likely bring liabilities along with any potential benefits. (C) The belief in the unmitigated benefits of societal change is antithetical to the American doctrine of progress. (D) The political system of sixth-century Britain was more conducive to societal change than was the political system of nineteenth-century America.（B） (E) Technological advances and peaceful revolutions, although sometimes accompanied by unintended violence and resistance to societal change, eventually lead to a more progressive order.
The sweep (磅礴的气势) of narrative in A. N. Wilson’s biography of C. S. Lewis is impressive and there is much that is acute and well argued. But much in this work is careless and unworthy of its author. Wilson, a novelist and an accomplished biographer, has failed to do what any writer on such a subject as Lewis ought to do, namely work out (work out: v.设计出, 作出) a coherent view of how the various literary works by the subject are to be described and commented on. Decisions have to be made on what to look at in detail and what to pass by (pass by: v.掠过) with just a mention. Wilson has not thought this problem out. For instance, Till We Have Faces, Lewis’ treatment of the Eros and Psyche story and one of his best-executed and most moving works, is merely mentioned by Wilson, though it illuminates Lewis’ spiritual development, whereas Lewis’ minor work Pilgrim’s Regress is looked at in considerable detail. 24. The author of the passage implies that Wilson’s examination of Pilgrim’s Regress (A) is not as coherent as his treatment of Till We Have Faces (B) would have been more appropriate in a separate treatise because of the scope of Pilgrim’s Regress (C) demonstrates how Wilson’s narrow focus ignores the general themes of Lewis’ works (D) was more extensive than warranted because of the relative unimportance of Pilgrim’s Regress（D） (E) was disproportionately long relative to the amount of effort Lewis devoted to writing Pilgrim’s Regress 25. The author of the passage would be most likely to agree with which of the following statements regarding Till We Have Faces? (A) It is an improvement over the Eros and Psyche story on which it is based. (B) It illustrated Lewis’ attempt to involve his readers emotionally in the story of Eros and Psyche. (C) It was more highly regarded by Wilson than by Lewis himself. (D) It is one of the outstanding literary achievements of Lewis’ career.（D） (E) It is probably one of the most popular of Lewis’ works. 26. Which of the following best describes the organization of the passage? (A) An evaluation is made, and aspects of the evaluation are expanded on with supporting evidence. (B) A theory is proposed, and supporting examples are provided. (C) A position is examined, analyzed, and rejected. (D) A contradiction is described, then the points of contention are evaluated and reconciled.（A） (E) Opposing views are presented and evaluated, then modifications are advocated. 27. Which of the following best describes the content of the passage? (A) A critique of A. N. Wilson as a biographer (B) An evaluation of the significance of several works by C. S. Lewis (C) An appraisal of a biography by A. N. Wilson (D) A ranking of the elements necessary for a well-structured biography（C） (E) A proposal for evaluating the literary merits of the works of C. S. Lewis
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