A
JANE AUSTEN(1775—1817)is often regarded as the greatest English woman novelist on the strength of her six completed novels. Known particularly for their social comedy and accurate description of human relationships, they are still as widely read today as they have ever been.
As the seventh child of a country priest(牧师), Jane Austen was born on 16 December 1775 at Steventon in Hampshire. Her father, the Reverend George Austen, was an intelligent and sensitive man who encouraged Jane in her love of reading. From an early age she was familiar with the works of Henry Fielding, Sir Walter Scott, Samuel Richardson, Fanny Burney and the poet George Crabbe. Her early attempts at writing include burlesques(滑稽作品) of popular romances. When her father retired in 1801 the family moved to Bath, which was later to feature in her novel Northanger Abbey(published in 1818). After his death in 1805 the family moved first to Southampton and then in 1809 to Chawton in Hampshire, where Jane Austen is known to have written her last three novels: Mansfield Park(1814), Emma(1815)and Persuasion(also published in 1818). Although her other novels were written much earlier, it was not until 1811 that Sense and Sensibility was first published. Pride and Prejudice, which followed in 1813, features Jane Austen’s own favourite hero, Elizabeth Bennet.
Surrounded by her lively and warm family and wholly buried herself in her writing and housework, Jane Austen led a life often known for its lack of events. She did, however, attract several admirers and even accepted a proposal of marriage from one admirer—only to change her mind the following morning. Jane Austen’s independent life often seems reflected in her novels, which seem to display the world in miniature(缩影). Sir Walter Scott praised Jane Austen for“that unique touch which makes ordinary commonplace things and characters interesting”, while William Somerset Maugham claimed that she had at her command “the most precious gift a novelist can possess to keep the readers’ interest”. Jane Austen died in 1817.
【语篇概述】 简·奥斯汀因为她的六本小说被人们称为英国最伟大的女小说家。文章主要介绍了简·奥斯汀的生平事迹。
1. The underlined word “touch” in the third paragraph is closest in meaning to “ ”.
A. style B. contact C. taste D. attitude
【解析】选A。词义猜测题。根据最后一段倒数第二句内容可知, 沃尔特·斯科特伯爵赞扬简·奥斯汀, 是因为她那独一无二的化平凡无奇为生动有趣的手法, 故选A项。
2. Which of Jane Austen’s novels were published after her death?
A. Northanger Abbey and Mansfield Park.
B. Northanger Abbey and Persuasion.
C. Pride and Prejudice and Emma.
D. Sense and Sensibility and Persuasion.
【解析】选B。细节理解题。根据文章第二段“Northanger Abbey(published in 1818)”和“Persuasion(also published in 1818)”, 以及最后一段“Jane Austen died in 1817. ”可知, Northanger Abbey和Persuasion这两本小说是在简·奥斯汀去世之后才出版的, 故选B项。
3. We can infer from the passage that Jane Austen had a gift for .
A. attracting admirers
B. reflecting her own life in all her novels
C. making dull things and characters interesting
D. holding the readers’ interest
【解析】选D。推理判断题。根据文章最后一段的倒数第二句的后半句可知, 威廉·萨默塞特·毛姆称她(简·奥斯汀)有最珍贵的她自己能灵活运用的天赋, 那就是一个小说家能够拥有的把握读者兴趣的天赋, 故选D项。
4. This passage is most probably a .
A. collection of women novelists and their works
B. comment on Jane Austen and her works
C. brief introduction of Jane Austen
D. description of Jane Austen’s road to success
【解析】选C。推理判断题。通读文章可发现, 文章主要介绍简·奥斯汀的生平事迹。
