2012年高考英語閱讀理解訓練：人物傳記類

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　　(一)(2011·山東高考)

　　Arthur Miller (1915—2005) is universally recognized as one of the greatest dramatists of the 20th century. Miller's father had moved to the USA from Austria??Hungary, drawn like so many others by the “Great American Dream”. However, he experienced severe financial hardship when his family business was ruined in the Great Depression of the early 1930s.

　　Miller's most famous play, Death of a Salesman, is a powerful attack on the American system, with its aggressive way of doing business and its insistence on money and social status as indicators of worth. In Willy Loman, the hero of the play, we see a man who has got into trouble with this system. Willy is “burnt out” and in the cruel world of business there is no room for sentiment: if he can't do the work, then he is no good to his employer, the Wagner Company, and he must go. Willy is painfully aware of this, and at a loss as to what to do with his lack of success. He refuses to face the fact that he has failed and kills himself in the end.

　　When it was first staged in 1949, the play was greeted with enthusiastic reviews, and it won the Tony Award for Best Play, the New York Drama Critics' Circle Award, and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. It was the first play to win all three of these major awards.

　　Miller died of heart failure at his home in Roxbury, Connecticut, on the evening of February 10, 2005, the 56th anniversary of the first performance of Death of a Salesman on Broadway.

　　1．Why did Arthur Miller's father move to the USA?

　　A. He suffered from severe hunger in his home country.

　　B. He was attracted by the “Great American Dream.”

　　C. He hoped to make his son a dramatist.

　　D. His family business failed

　　2．The play Death of a Salesman________.

　　A. exposes the cruelty of the American business world

　　B. discusses the ways to get promoted in a company

　　C. talks about the business career of Arthur Miller

　　D. focuses on the skills in doing business

　　3．What can we learn about Willy Loman?

　　A. He treats his employer badly.

　　B. He runs the Wagner Company.

　　C. He is a victim of the American system.

　　D. He is regarded as a hero by his colleagues.

　　4．After it was first staged, Death of a Salesman________.

　　A. achieved huge success

　　B. won the first Tony Award

　　C. was warmly welcomed by salesmen

　　D. was severely attacked by dramatists

　　5．What is the text mainly about?

　　A. Arthur Miller and his family.

　　B. The awards Arthur Miller won.

　　C. The hardship Arthur Miller experienced.

　　D. Arthur Miller and his best??known play.

　　答案與解析

　　1．B　細節理解題。根據第一段第二句“Miller's father had moved to the USA from Austria??Hungary，drawn like so many others by the ‘Great American Dream’”可知，他父親移居美國像其他許多人一樣是受當年偉大的美國夢吸引。

　　2.A　推理判斷題。根據第二段可知，這部戲劇對美國制度是一個抨擊，它表現了咄咄逼人的做生意的方式以及堅信金錢和社會地位才是財富的象征。主人公Willy陷入困境，然而生意場上殘酷無情：如果他做不了，那么對老板而言，他就一無是處，他必須離開。故此部戲劇揭露了美國職場的殘酷。

　　3．C　推理判斷題。根據第二段最后兩句“Willy is painfully aware of this, and at a loss as to what to do with his lack of success. He refuses to face the fact that he has failed and kills himself in the end.”可知主人公面對失敗無所適從，無法面對現實，從而走向毀滅，成了美國資本主義制度下美國夢的犧牲者。故選C項。

　　4.A　細節理解題。根據第三段可知，這部戲劇自1949第一次搬上銀幕就獲得了“托尼戲劇音樂獎”、“紐約戲劇評論獎”、“普利策戲劇獎”三項大獎，獲得極大的成功。因此A項正確。

　　5．D　主旨大意題。縱觀全文不難看出本文主要介紹Arthur Miller 以及他的戲劇Death of a Salesman《推銷員之死》。其他選項都不全面，只是文中敘述的一部分。故D項正確。