美国文学选读试题

1、美国文学选读试题美国文学史及作品选读模拟试题一I. Multiple Choice (1 × 15=15)1.C_was the first colony in American history.A. MassachusettsB. New JerseyC. VirginiaD.Georgia2. _B_ was the only good American author before the Revolutionary War.Oneof his fellow Americans said,“His shadow lies heavier than any other man so

2、nthis young nation. ”A. John Smith B. Benjamin Franklin C. Thomas Jefferson D.Thomas Paine3. Romantics put emphasis on the following EXCEPT _A_.A. common senseB. imaginationC. intuitionD. individualism4. The Raven was written in 1844 by _B_A. Philip FreneauB. Edgar Allan PoeC. Henry Wadsworth Longfe

3、llowD. Emily Dickinson5. The ship _C_ carried about one hundred Pilgrims and took 66 days to beatits way across the Atlantic. In December of 1620, it put the Pilgrimsashore atPlymouth, Massachusetts.A. SunflowerB. ArmadaC. MayflowerD. Titanic6. Melville s novelD_ is a tremendous chronicle of a whali

4、ng voyage inpursuit of a seemingly supernatural white whale.A. TypeeB. OmooC. White JacketD. Moby Dick7. As a philosophical and literary movement, _D_ flourished in New Englandfrom the 1830s to the Civil War.A.ModernismB.RationalismC.SentimentalismD.Transcendentalism8. The theme of original sin is f

5、ully reflected in _A_.第 0 页II. M atch the Column A with Column B (1 × 10=10)Column AColumn B( c ) 1.Dimmesdalea. Robert Frost( e ) 2.Ahabb. Mark Twain( i ) 3. Drouetc. The Scarlet Letter( a ) 4.Pulitzer Prizerd. Thomas Jefferson( h ) 5.Reclusive poete. Moby Dick( b ) 6. humorist and satiristf.

6、Ernest Heminway( d )7. The Decalrationof Indepenenceg. Henry DavidThoreau( g ) 8. transcendentalisth. Emily Dickinson( j ) 9. The Great Gatsbyi. Sister Carrie( f ) 10. The Lost Generationj. F. Scott FitzgeraldIII.Define the following words within one phrase(2× 5=10)1. free verse2. Ralph Waldo E

7、merson3. Mark Twain4. Benjamin Franklin5. Ezra PoundIV. Simple questions (5 × 4=20)1. What are Puritan thoughts?2. What is Transcedentalism and list some representative figures?3.Explain the symbolic meanings of“A ”in The Scarlet Letter.4. Illustrate the three principles of Imagist Poetry.V.Int

8、erpreting the following texts (45)Text 1When a girl leaves her home at eighteen, she does one of two things. Either she falls into saving hands and becomes better, or she第 0 页rapidly assumes the cosmopolitan standard of virtue and becomes worse. Of an intermediate balance, under the circumstances, t

9、here is no possibility. The city has its cunning wiles, no less than the infinitely smaller and more human tempter. There are large forces which allure with all the soulfulness of expression possible in the most cultured human. The gleam of a thousand lights is often as effective as the persuasive l

10、ight in a wooing and fascinating eye. Half the undoing of the unsophisticated and natural mind is accomplished by forces wholly superhuman. A blare of sound, a roar of life, a vast array of human hives, appeal to the astonished senses in equivocal terms. Without a counsellor at hand to whisper cauti

11、ous interpretations, what falsehoods may not these things breathe into the unguarded ear! Unrecognised for what they are, their beauty, like music, too often relaxes, then weakens, then perverts the simpler human perceptions. Questions1. Please use one phrase to summarize the above paragraph (2 )2.

12、What are the two possibilities for a girl of eighteen leaving her home?(2)3. Please find out the figures of speech (2 )4.What are the attractive forces mentioned in a big city? (4)5. How are naturalist views are reflected in this paragraph? Illustrate your points with examples (5 )Text 2Because I co

13、uld not stop for Death He kindly stopped for me -The Carriage held but just Ourselves -And Immortality.We slowly drove - He knew no hasteAnd I had put awayMy labor and my leisure too,第 1 页For His CivilityWe passed the School, where Children stroveAt Recess - in the Ring -We passed the Fields of Gazi

14、ng Grain -We passed the Setting Sun Since then - 'tis Centuries - and yetFeels shorter than the DayI first surmised the Horses' HeadsWere toward Eternity Questions:1.Identify the poet and the title of this poem? (2 )2.Explain the underlined words (4 )3.What are the implications of “the Schoo

15、l ”, “the fields of Gazing Grain ”, “theSetting Sun ”? (3)4. How do you understand “Since then - 'tis Centuries - and yet / Feels shorter than the Day ”? (3)5. What are the speaker s opinions about death? (3 )Text 3Two roads divergedinayellow wood,AndsorryIcouldnottravel bothAnd be one traveler,

16、 long IstoodAndlookeddownone asfar as I couldTo whereitbentintheundergrowth.Then took the other, as justas fair,第 2 页Andhavingperhapsthebetter claim,Because it was grassy andwanted wear;Thoughas forthatthepassing thereHadwornthemreallyabout the same.Andboththatmorningequally layInleavesnostephadtrod

17、den black.Oh,Ikeptthefirstforanother day!Yet knowing how way leadson to way,I doubted if I should evercome back.I shall be telling this with asighSomewhere ages and ageshence:Two roads divergedinawood, and I-I took the one less traveledby,And that has made all thedifference.Questions:1.Please examin

18、e the poetic form (rhyme and meter) (2 )2.Describe the similarities and differences of these two roads. Which one does第 3 页the speaker take? (3)3.How do you understand the word “sigh”? (4)4.What might the two roads stand for in the speaker s mind? (4 )5.What is the theme of this poem? (2 )参考答案I. Mul

19、tiple Choice (1 ×15=15)1. _C_ 2._B_ 3._A_ 4._B_ 5._C_6._D_ 7._D_ 8._A_ 9._B_ 10._B_11._C_ 12._D_13._A_14._C _15._D_II.Match the Column A with Column B (1 ×10=10)1.( c )2.( e )3.( i )4.( a )5.( h )6.( b )7.( d )8.( g )9.(j )10.( f )III.Define the following words within one phrase (2×5=

20、10)(Any related information can be given marks)1. poetry without a fived beat or regular rhyme scheme, produced by Walt Whitman2. is the representative of transcedentalists, who believes in individualism and self-reliance and brings transcendentalism to New England3is a humorist and satirist, who us

21、es broad humor and biting social satire4is one of Thoreau s masterpieces, which is the result of the author s twoyears ofliving near Walden lake.5. is regarded as the classical poem of imagist poetry by Ezra Pound, conveying the theme of the speaker s sudden pleasure of finding some beautiful faces

22、in the subwayIV.Simple Questions (5×4=20) (Answers should be to the points. 1 score fortime, 2 scores for features and 1 score for representative figures when defining第 4 页theliterary terms)a) Puritan thoughts: to make pure their religious beliefs and practices, to restore simplicity, to live a

23、 hard and disciplined life and oppose pleasure and arts.b) Transcendentalism is the climax of American Romanticism.First, the Transcendentalist placed emphasis on spirit, or the oversoul, as themostimportant thing in the universe.Secondly, Transcendentalists stressed the importance of the individual

24、.Thirdly,the Transcendentalists offered a fresh perception of natureassymbolic ofthe spirit.3. a. The letter s meaning shifts as time passes. Originally intended to mark Hester asan adulterer, the “ A ” eventually comes to stand for “Able ” or“Angel ”.b. Besides Hester, Dimmesdale also ironed the le

25、tter A on his body, which provokedhis self-consciousness and showed his repent for what he did.c. Pearl, their baby, wore a green letter a in a piece of seaweed while playing onthebeach. This green letter A symbolizes vitalityor new life, and also suggestsherinheritance from her mother.4. a. direct

26、treatment of the “thing ”（no fuss, frill, or ornament ）,b. exclusion of superfluous words （precision and economy of expression ） ,c. the rhythm of the musical phrase rather than the sequence of a metronome（ free verse form and music ）.V.Interpreting the following texts (45)Text 11. The attraction of

27、 big city (2 )第 5 页2. One is to fall into the saving hands and becomes better; secondly, she may admit themoral value of big city and becomes worse. (2 )3. Simile, metaphor and synecdoche (2 )4. The gleam of lights, a blare of sound, a roar of life, and a vast array of humanhives (4)5. Naturalist at

28、tempted to achieve extreme objectivity and frankness, presenting characters of low social and economic classes who were dominated by their environment and heredity. In this novel, the majorfemale character Carrie Meeber is deeply influenced by the present environment and heredity, which leads to the

29、 result of her dynamic character.(5 )(the features of naturalism 3 scores, examples 2 scores)Text 21.Emily Dickinson and “Because I Could not Stop for Death ”(2)2.He: death; civility: politeness; Recess: breakSurmised: guessed (4)3. They represent three stages of life. The schoolis the childhood and youngage; the fields of gazing grain refers to the mature period and the setting sunthe old age, that