考博英语阅读理解辅导（3）

嘎嘣脆

Passage 3
　　The ballad and the fork song have long been recognized as important keys to the thoughts and feelings of a people, but the dime novel though sought by the collector and referred to in a general way by the social historian, is dismissed with a smile of amusement by almost everyone else.Neither fork songs nor dime novels were actually created by the plain people of America.But in their devotion to these modes of expression, the peoplemade them their own. The dime novel, intersted as it was for the great masses and designed to fill the pockets of both author and publisher, quite naturally sought the lowest common denominator (共同点，标准): themes that were found to be popular and attitudes that met with the most general approval became stereotyped(定型的). Moreover, the dime novel, reflecting a much wider range of attitudes and ideas than the ballad and the fork song, is the nearest thing we have had in this country to a true "proletarian" literature, that is, a literature written for the great masses of people and actually read by them.

　　Although a study of our dime novels alone cannot enable anyone to determine what are the essential characteristics of the Amerian tradition, it can contribute materially to that end. Sooner or later, the industrious researchers who have minded so many obscure lodes of Amerian literary expression will almost certainly turn their attention to these novels and all their kind.Let no one think, however, that the salmon-covered paperbacks once so eagerly decoured (贪婪地阅读) by soldiers, lumberjacks (伐木工人), trainmen, hired girl, and adolescent boys now make exciting or agreeable even for the historian, much as the socialand historical implications may interest him. As for the crowds today who get their sensational thrills from the movies and the tabloids (小刊，小报), I fear that they would find these hair-raisers of an earlier age deadly dull.

　　The principal intention of the author of a dime novel was to _____.[ANSWER]
　　A)explore a segment of Amerian society.
　　B)Promote the Amerian political philosophy.
　　C)raise the level of intelligence of the great（更多考试资讯尽在http://www.kaoshibaike.com/） masses of people.
　　D)make money.

　　The "lowest common denominator" refers to _____.[ANSWER]
　　A)the poorer classes.
　　B)themes ans attitudes that would be accepted by the greatest number of people.
　　C)attitudes accepted by the Amerian intellectuals.
　　D)the character of the authors of the dime novel.

　　"Proletarian" literature is _____.[ANSWER]
　　A)written for and read by the great masses of people.
　　B)distinguished by its devotion to pornography.
　　C)distinguished by its elegant style.
　　D)written for,but not actually read by,most people.

　　The author believes that a study of our dime novels _____.[ANSWER]
　　A)is a waste of time.
　　B)would be sufficient in itself to determine the essential characteristics of the American tradition.
　　C)would be a valuable contribution in determining the essential characteristics of the American tradition.
　　D)would be amusing but unimportant.

　　Which of the followingis implied in the passage?[ANSWER]
　　A)The attitudes of the masses of people are best expressed by sociology texts.
　　B)The nearest thing we have had to a proletarian literature is the dime novel.
　　C)The study of the formal literature alone will not enable the historian to understand the attitudes and interests of the common people.
　　D)Because the themes in the dime novels were not good,they could no longer be legally distributed.

　　Passage 4
　　There are two methods of fighting, the one by law,the other by force; the first method is that of men,the second of beasts; but as the first method is often insufficient,one must have recourse to the second.It is, therefore, necessary for a prince to know how to use both the beast and the man. This was covertly taught to the rulers by ancient writers, who relate how Achilles and many others of those ancient princes were given Chiron the centaur to be brought up and educated under his discipline. The parable(寓言) of this semi-animal, semi-human teacher is meant to indicate that a prince must know how to use both natures. and that the without the other is not durable.

　　A prince,being thus obliged to know

well how to act as a beast, must imitate the fox, and the lion, for the lion cannot protect himself from traps. and the fox cannot defend himself from wolves. Those that wish to be only lions do not underdtand this. Therefore, a prudent ruler ought not to keep faith when by doing so it would be agaist his interest, and the reasons which made him bind himself no longer exist. If men were all good, this precept would not be a good one; but as they are bad, and would not observe their faith with you, so you are not bound to keep faith with them. Nor have legitimate grounds ever failed a prince who wish to show colorable excuse for the nonfulfilment of his promise. Of this one could furnish an infinite number of examples, and sho how many times peace has been broken, and how many promises rendered worthless, by the faithlessness of princes, and those that have best been able to imitate the fox have secceeded best. But it is necessary to be able to disguise this character well,and to be a gre（更多考试资讯尽在http://www.kaoshibaike.com/）at feigner and dissembler, and men are so simple and so ready to obey present necessities, that the one who deceives will always find those who allow themselves to be deceiced.

　　The writer does not believe that _____.[ANSWER]
　　A)the truth makes men free.
　　B)people can protect themselves.
　　C)princes are human.
　　D)leaders have to be consistent.

　　"Prince" in the passage designates _____.[ANSWER]
　　A)anyone in power.
　　B)elected officials.
　　C)aristocrats.
　　D)sons of kings.

　　The lion represents those who are _____.[ANSWER]
　　A)too trusting.
　　B)reliant on force.
　　C)strong and powerful.
　　D)lacking in intelligence.

　　The fox,in the passage,is _____.[ANSWER]
　　A)admired for his trickery.
　　B)no match for the lion.
　　C)pitied for his wiles.
　　D)considered worthless.

　　The writer suggests that a successful leader must _____.[ANSWER]
　　A)be prudent and faithful.
　　B)cheat and lie.
　　C)have principle to guide his actions.
　　D)follow the truth.