英美文学选读试题及答案

1、英美文学选读试题 .Multiple Choice (40 points in all, 1 for each) Select from the four choices A,B,C,D of each item the one that best answers the question or completes the statement and write the letter on the answer sheet.1.Romance,which uses narrative verse or prose to tell stories of _ adventures or other

2、 heroic deeds, is a popular literary form in the medieval period. A.Christian B.knightly C.Greek D.primitive2.Among the great Middle English poets, Geoffrey Chaucer is known for his production of _. A.Piers Plowman B.Sir Gawain and the Green Knight C.Confessio Amantis D.The Canterbury Tales3.Which o

3、f the following historical events does not directly help to stimulate the rising of the Renaisssance Movement? A.The rediscovery of ancient Greek and Roman culture. B.The new discoveries in geography and astrology. C.The Glorious revolution. D.The religious reformation and the economic expansion.4.W

4、hich of the following statements best illustrates the theme of Shakespeares Sonnet 18? A.The speaker eulogizes the power of Nature. B.The speaker satirizes human vanity. C.The speaker praises the power of artistic creation. D.The speaker meditates on mans salvation.5.“And we will sit upon the rocks,

5、/Seeing the shepherds feed their flocks,/By shallow rivers to whose falls/Melodious birds sing madrigals.”The above lines are probably taken from _. A.Spensers The Faerie Queene B.John Donnes “The Sun Rising” C.Shakespeares “Sonnet 18” D.Marlowes “The Passionate Shepherd to His Love”6.“Bassanio:Anto

6、nio,I am married to a wife Which is as dear to me as life itself; But life itself, My wife, and all the world. Are not with me esteemd above thy life; I would lose all, ay, sacrifice them all, Here to the devil, to deliver you. Portia:Your wife would give you little thanks for that, If she were by t

7、o hear you make the offer.” The above is a quotation taken from Shakespeares comedy The Merchant of Venice. The quoted part can be regarded as a good example to illustrate _. A.dramatic irony B.personification C.allegory D.symbolism7.The ture subject of John Donnes poem,“The Sun Rising,” is to _. A.

8、attack the sun as an unruly servant B.give compliments to the mistress and her power of beauty C.criticize the suns intrusion into the lovers private life D. lecture the sun on where true royalty and riches lie8.Of all the 18thcentury novelists Henry Fielding was the first to set out, both in theory

9、 and practice, to write specifically a “_ in prose,”the first to give the modern novel its structure and style. A.tragic epic B.comic epic C.romance D.lyric epic9.The Houyhnhnms depicted by Jonathan Swift in Gullivers Travels are _. A.horses that are endowed with reason B.pigmies that are endowed wi

10、th admirable qualities C.giants that are superior in wisdom D.hairy,wild, low and despicable creatures, who resemble human beings not only in appearance but also in some other ways.10.Here are four lines from a literary work:“Others for language all their care express,/And value books,as women men,

11、for dress.”The work is _. A.Thomas Grays “Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard” B.John Miltons Paradise Lost C.Alexander Popes Essay on Criticism D.Shakespeares Midsummer Nights Dream11.The phrase “to urge people to abide by Christian doctrines and to seek salvation through constant struggles with

12、their own weaknesses and all kinds of social evils” may well sum up the implied meaning of _. A.Gullivers Travels B.The Rape of the Lock C.Robinson Crusoe D.The pilgrims Progress12.William Wordsworth, a romantic poet, advocated all the following EXCEPT _. A.the use of everyday language spoken by the

13、 common people B.the expression of the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings C.the use of humble and rustic life as subject matter D.the use of elegant wording and inflated figures of speech13.Which of the following is taken from John Keats “Ode on a Grecian Urn”? A.“I fall upon the thorns of li

14、fe! I bleed!” B.“They are both gone up to the church to pary.” C.“Earth has not anything to show more fair.” D.“Beauty is truth, truth beauty”.14.“If Winter comes, can Spring be far behind!” is an epigrammatic line by _. A.J.Keats B.W.Blake C.W.Wordsworth D.P.B.Shelley15.“Ode o na Grecian Urn”shows

15、the contrast between the _ of art and the _ of human passion. A.glory ugliness B.permanencetransience C.transiencesordidness D.glorypermanence16.In the statement“oh,God! would you like to live with your soul in the grave?” the term“soul” apparently refers to _. A.Heathcliff himself B.Catherine C.one

16、s spiritual life D.ones ghost17.The typical feature of Robet Brownings poetry is the _. A.bitter satire B.larger-than-life caricature C.Latinized diction D.dramatic monologue18.The Victorian Age was largely an age of _,eminently represented by Dickens and Thackeray. A.poetry B.drama C.prose D.epic p

17、rose19._is the first important governess(家庭女教师) novel in the English literary history. A.Jane Eyre B.Emma C.Wuthering Heights D.Middlemarch20.The major concern of _ fiction lies in the tracing of the psychological development of his characters and in his energetic criticism of the dehumanizing effec

18、t of the capitalist industrialization on human nature. A.D.H.Lawrences B.J.Galsworthys C.W.Thackerays D.T.Hardys21._is considered to be the best-known English dramatist since Shakespeare, and his representative works are plays inspired by social criticism. A.Richard Sheridan B.Oliver Goldsmith C.Osc

19、ar Wilde D.Bernard Shaw22.Which of the following is NOT a typical feature of Modernism? A.To elevate the individual and inner being over the social being. B.To put the stress on traditional values. C.To portray the distorted and alienated relationships between man and his environment. D.To advocate

20、a conscious break with the past.23.The Romantic writers would focus on all the following issues EXCEPT the _ in the American literary histrory. A.individual feelings B.idea of survival of the fittest C.strong imagination D.return to nature24.Henry David Thoreaus work,_,has always been regarded as a

21、masterpiece of New England Transcendentalism. A.Walden B.The pioneers C.Nature D.Song of Myself25.The famous 20-years sleep in “Rip Van Winkle”helps to construct the story in such a way that we are greatly affected by Irvings _. A.concern with the passage of time B.expression of transient beauty C.s

22、atire on laziness and corruptibility of human beings D.idea about supernatural manipulation of mans life26.Walt whitman was a pioneering figure of American poetry. His innovation first of all lies in his use of _,poetry without a fixed beat or regular rhyme scheme. A.blank verse B.heroic couplet C.f

23、ree verse D.iambic pentameter27.The literary characters of the American type in early 19th century are generally characterized by all the following features EXCEPT that they _. A.speak local dialects B.are polite and elegant gentlemen C.are simple and crude farmers D.are noble savages( red and white

24、) untainted by society28.Hester Pryme, Dimmsdale,Chillingworth and Pearl are most likely the names of the characters in _. A.The Scarlet Letter B.The House of the Seven Gablest C.The Portrait of a Lady D.The pioneers29.“This is my letter to the World” is a poetic expression of Emily Dickinsons _ abo

25、ut her communication with the outside world. A.indifference B.anger C.anxiety D.sorrow30.With Howells,James,and Mark Twain active on the literary scene, _ became the major trend in American literature in the seventies and eighties of the 19thcentury. A.sentimentalism B.romanticism C.realism D.natura

26、lism31.After The adventures of Tom Sawyer, Twain gives a literary independence to Toms buddy Huck in a book entitled _. A.Life on the Mississippi B.The Gilded Age C.The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn D.A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthurs Court32.However,_,the keynote of Daisy Millers character,turn

27、s out to be an admiring but a dangerous quality and her defiance of social taboos in the Old World finally brings her to a disaster in the clash between two different cultures. A.experience B.sophistication C.worldliness D.innocence33.Generally speaking,all those writers with a naturalistic approach

28、 to human reality tend to be _. A.transcendentalists B.idealists C.pessimists D.impressionists34.Emily Dickinson wrote many short poems on various aspects of life.Which of the following is NOT a usual subject of her poetic expression? A.Religion and immortality. B.Life and death. C.Love and marriage

29、. D.War and peace.35.In “After Apple-Picking,”Robert Frost wrote:“For I have had too much/Of applepicking:I am overtired/Of the great harvest I myself desired.”From these lines we can conclude that the speaker is _. A.happy about the harvest B.still very much interested in apple-picking C.expecting

30、a greater harvest D.indifferent to what he once desired36.Chinese poetry and philosophy have exerted great influence over _. A.Ezra Pound B.Ralph Waldo Emerson C.Robert Frost D.Emily Dickinson37.The Hemingway Code heroes are best remembered for their _. A.indestructible spirtie B.pessimistic view of

31、 life C.war experiences D.masculinity38.IN The Emperor Jones and The Hairy Ape,ONeill adopted the expressionist techniques to portray the _ of human beings in a hostile universe. A.helpless situation B.uncertainty C.profound religious faith D.courage and perseverance39.In Hemingways “Indian Cmap”,Ni

32、cks night trip to the Indian village and his experience inside the hut can be taken as _. A.an essential lesson about Indian tribes B.a confrontation with evil and sin C.an initiation to the harshness of life D.a learning process in human relationship40.which of the following statements about Emily

33、Grierson, the protagonist in Faulkners story “A Rose for Emily,” is NOT true? A.She has a distorted personality. B.She is physically deformed and paralyzed. C.She is the symbol of the old values of the South. D.She is the victim of the past glory.PART TWO.Reading Comprehension (16 points, 4 for each

34、) Read the quoted parts carefully and answer the questions in English.Write your answer in the corresponding space on the answer sheet.41.“Her eyes met his and he looked away.He neither believed nor disbelieved her,but he knew that he had made a mistake in asking;he never had known,never would know,

35、what she was thinking.The sight of her inscrutable face,the thought of all the hundreds of evenings he had seen her sitting there like that,soft and passive,but so unreadable, unknown, enraged him beyond measure.”Questions: A.Identify the writer and the work. B.What does the phrase “inscrutable face

36、” mean? C.What idea does the quoted passage express?42.“And when I am formulated,sprawling on a pin, When I am pinned and wriggling on the wall. Then how should begin To spit out all the butt-ends of my days and ways.”Questions: A.Identify the poem and the poet. B.What does the phrase “butt-ends” me

37、an? C.What idea does the quoted passage express?43.“God knows,Im not myselfIm somebody elseand Im changed,and I cant tell whats my name,or who I am.”Questions: A.Identify the work and the author. B.The speaker says he is changed.Do you think he is changed, or the social environment has changed? C.Wh

38、at idea does the quoted sentence express?44.“I shall be telling this with a sigh Somewhere ages and ages hence: Two roads diverged in a wood, and I I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference.”Questions: A.Idenfity the poem and the poet. B.What does the phrase “ages and age

39、s hence” mean? C.What idea does the quoted passage express?.Questions and Answers(24 points in all, 6 for each) Give brief answers to each of the following questions in English.Write your answers in the corresponding space on the answer sheet.45.As a rule,an allegory is story in verse or prose with

40、a double meaning: a surface meaning,and an implied meaning.List two works as examples of allegory.What is an allegory usually concerned with by its implied meaning?46.Inspiration for the romantic approach initially came from two great shapers of thought.Who are the two?And what ideas they expressed

41、inspire the romantic writers?47.The white whale,Moby Dick,is the most important symbol in Melvilles novel.What symbolic meaning can you draw from it?48.Nature is a philosophic work, in which Emerson gives an explicit discussion on his idea of the Qversoul.What is your understanding of Emersonian “Ov

42、ersoul”?.Topic Discussion(20 points in all, 10 for each)Write no less than 150 words on each of the following topics in English in the corresponding space on the answer sheet.49.How is Romanticism different from Neoclassicism?Provide brief evidence from the literary works you know best.50.Summerize

43、the story of Mark twains The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn in about 100 words,and comment on the theme of the novel.Reading Comprehension (16 points, 4 for each) 41.A.John Galasworthy:The Man of Property. B.A face does not show any emotion or reaction so that it is impossible to know how that perso

44、n is feeling or what he is thinking about. C.it presents the inner mind of Soames in face of his wifes coldness.He can never know what is on his wifes mind because the makeup of his and her mentality is different. His wife Irene, whose mind is romantically inclined, is disgusted with her husbands po

45、ssessiveness. Being unable to read his wifes mind is as good as saying that he really cant regard her as his property- this is the very reason why he is enraged beyond measure. 42.A.T.S.Eliot:“The Love Song of J.Alfred Pruforck.” B.The ends of cigarettes,meaning trivial things here. C.Here,Prufrocks

46、 inability to do anything against the society he is in is made strikingly clear by using a sharp comparison .Prufrock imagines himself as a kind of insect pinned on the wall and struggling in vain to get free.This image vividly shows Prufrocks current predicament. 43.A.Washington Irving:“Rip Van Win

47、kle”. B.The social environment is changed.C.When Rip is back home after a period of 20 years,he finds thta everything has changed.All those old values are gone,and he can hardly feel at home in a changed society.One of the functions that Rip serves in the story is to provide a measuring stick for ch

48、ange. It is through him that Irving drives home the theme that a desire for change,improvement,and progress could subvert stable society. 44.A.Robert Frost:“The Road Not Taken”. B.Many many years later. C.The speaker is telling his experience of making the choice of the roads.But he is conscious of

49、the fact that his choice will have made all the difference in his life.He seems to be giving a suggestion to the reader.“Make good choice of your life.”.Questions and Answers (24 points in all,6 for each) 45.A.Buyans pilgrims Progress and Spensers The Faerie Queene. B.It is usually concerned with mo

50、ral ,religious,political,symbolic or mythical ideas. 46.A.The French philosopher,Jean Jacques Rousseau and the German writer Johna Wolfgan von Goethe. B.It is Rousseau who established the cult of the individual and championed the freedom of the human spirit;his famous announcement was “I felt before

51、 I thought.”Goethe and his compatriots extolled the romantic spirit. 47.A.To Ahab,the whale is either an evil creature itself or the agent of an evil force that controls the universe,or perhaps both. B.To Ishmale,the whale is an astonishing force,an immense power,which defies rational explanation du

52、e to a sense of mystery it carries. It is beautiful,but malignant at the same time. It also represents the tremendous organic vitality of the universe,for it has a life force that surges onward irresistibly, impervious to the desires or wills of men. C.As to the reader, the whale can be viewed as a

53、symbol of the physical limits that life imposes upon man. It may also be regarded as a symbol of nature, or an instrument of Gods vengeance upon evil man. In general,the multiplicity and ambivalence of the symbolic meaning of the whale is such that it becomes a source of intense speculation, an obje

54、ct or profound curiosity for the reader. 48.A.The Oversoul is believed to be an all-pervading power for goodness,omnipresent and omnipotent from which all things come and of which all are a part. It exists in nature and man alike and constitutes the chief element of the universe. B.According to Emer

55、son,it is a supreme reality of mind, a spiritual unity of all beings, and a religion regarded as an emotional communication between an individual soul and the universal Over-soul of which it is a part. C.He holds that intuition is a more certain way of knowing than reason and that the mind could intuitively perceive the existence of the Oversoul and of certain absolutes.Topic Discussion (20 points in all, 10 for each) 49.a.Neoclassici