21. Which of the following best describes British novels in the 18th century?
- A. They were difficult to understand.
- B. They were popular among the rich.
- C. They were seen as nearly worthless.
- D. They were written mostly by women.
答案：C
答案句：In 1812, the year Charles Dickens was born, there were 66 novels published in Britain. People had been writing novels for a century—most experts date the first novel to Robinson Crusoe in 1719—but nobody wanted to do it professionally. The steam-powered printing press was still in its early stages; the literacy(识字) rate in England was under 50%. Many works of fiction appeared without the names of the authors, often with something like “By a lady.”Novels, for the most part, were looked upon as silly, immoral, or just plain bad.
参考译文：1812年，查尔斯·狄更斯出生的那一年，英国出版了66部小说。人们写小说已经有一个世纪了——大多数专家将第一部小说追溯到1719年的《鲁滨逊漂流记》——但没有人想以此为职业。蒸汽动力印刷机仍处于早期阶段；英国的识字率低于50%。许多虚构作品没有作者姓名，常常带有“一位女士著”之类的字样。小说在很大程度上被视为愚蠢、不道德或简直糟糕透顶。
定位线索：题干“18世纪英国小说”定位到第一段；文中“looked upon as silly, immoral, or just plain bad”对应选项C“seen as nearly worthless”（被视为几乎毫无价值）。
解析：题干问18世纪英国小说的特点，答案句在第一段，直接描述小说“被视为愚蠢、不道德或简直糟糕透顶”，这与选项C“被视为几乎毫无价值”是同义转述。选项A“难以理解”无中生有，文中未提；选项B“富人喜欢”无中生有；选项D“主要由女性写作”偷换概念，文中只说许多作品匿名或标“女士著”，并非主要女性写作。
22. Dickens is compared with the Mona Lisa in the text to stress________.
- A. his reputation in France
- B. his interest in modern art
- C. his success in publication
- D. his importance in literature
答案：D
答案句：Today Dickens’ greatness is unchallenged. Removing him from the pantheon(名人堂) of English literature would make about as much sense as the Louvre selling off the Mona Lisa.
参考译文：如今，狄更斯的伟大地位无可争议。将他从英国文学名人堂中移除，就像卢浮宫卖掉《蒙娜丽莎》一样毫无意义。
定位线索：题干“compared with the Mona Lisa”定位到第二段；文中“Removing him from the pantheon of English literature”对应选项D“his importance in literature”（他在文学中的重要性）。
解析：题干问狄更斯被比作《蒙娜丽莎》是为了强调什么。答案句是“将他从英国文学名人堂中移除，就像卢浮宫卖掉《蒙娜丽莎》一样”，例子本身（蒙娜丽莎）不是关键，前面的观点句“狄更斯的伟大无可争议”才是重点，说明他在文学中的重要性，对应选项D。选项A“在法国的声誉”无中生有；选项B“对现代艺术的兴趣”无中生有；选项C“出版成功”偷换概念，文中未提出版。
23. What is the author’s purpose in writing the text?
- A. To remember a great writer.
- B. To introduce an English novel.
- C. To encourage studies on culture.
- D. To promote values of the Victorian age.
答案：C
答案句：How did Dickens get to the top? For all the feelings readers attach to stories, literature is a numbers game, and the test of time is extremely difficult to pass. Some 60,000 novels were published during the Victorian age, from 1837 to1901; today a casual reader might be able to name a half-dozen of them. It’s partly true that Dickens’ style of writing attracted audiences from all walks of life. It’s partly that his writings rode a wave of social, political and scientific progress. But it’s also that he rewrote the culture of literature and put himself at the center. No one will ever know what mix of talent, ambition, energy and luck made Dickens such a singular writer. But as the 200th anniversary of his birth approaches, it is possible — and important for our own culture—to understand how he made himself a lasting one.
参考译文：狄更斯是如何登上顶峰的？尽管读者对故事怀有各种情感，但文学是一场数字游戏，时间的考验极难通过。维多利亚时代（1837年至1901年）出版了约6万部小说；如今，一个普通读者或许能说出其中六部。狄更斯的写作风格吸引了各界读者，这部分属实。他的作品乘着社会、政治和科学进步的浪潮，这部分也属实。但同样重要的是，他重写了文学文化，并将自己置于中心。没有人会知道天赋、抱负、精力和运气如何混合造就了狄更斯这样独特的作家。但随着他诞辰200周年临近，理解他如何使自己成为不朽的作家是可能的——而且对我们自己的文化很重要。
定位线索：题干“author’s purpose”定位到全文；文中“understand how he made himself a lasting one”对应选项C“To remember a great writer”（纪念一位伟大作家）。
解析：题干问作者写这篇文章的目的。文章开头介绍狄更斯出生时小说地位低下，中间讲述他如何成功，结尾强调“理解他如何使自己成为不朽的作家是可能的——而且对我们自己的文化很重要”，这体现了纪念和探讨狄更斯的意义，对应选项C“纪念一位伟大作家”。选项A“介绍一部英国小说”范围缩小，文中未具体介绍某部小说；选项B“鼓励文化研究”偷换概念，文中未提；选项D“推广维多利亚时代的价值观”无中生有。