The fact that Louisa May Alcott was born in German town,Pennsylvania is all but irrelevant to a life grounded in Massachusetts.Except for two European tours,a few months in Washington,and occasional business trips to New York,Louisa lived her entire life in the Boston area,which also provided the setting for her fiction.
Louisa was one of four daughters.Most of Louisa’s early education was received from her father,Bronson Alcott.She was also instructed throughout her childhood by her father’s friends:some writers.
Louisa began publishing in 1851,when just nineteen,and by the end of her life,she had written almost three hundred works.Because many were published under the pseudonym (笔名) of A.M.Barnard,it is only recently that she has been credited with authorship that was previously assumed to be male.
Louisa is widely known as the writer of Little Women,which is a self-reflective children’s book and gives an intimate picture of domestic life that readers have found captivating for more than a century.An immediate hit,booksellers found it hard to get enough copies of Little Women to meet the demand of the public.The success of this book led to other books based on Louisa’s life such as Little Men and Jo’s Boys.
Encouraged by her wish to promote women’s roles and her hate for slavery,as a young adult during the Civil War,she volunteered to be a nurse in an army hospital in Washington.During this time,Louisa caught typhoid fever (伤寒).This experience provided the theme for her work Hospital Sketches.
Although she is most popular for her children’s literature,Louisa explored the themes of self expression and women’s rights through her adult fiction works Work:A Story of Experience,and A Modern Mephistopheles.
1.According to the text,Louisa .
A.spent most of her life in Massachusetts
B.first started publishing under her real name
C.wrote her business trips to New York in her fiction
D.greatly influenced her father’s fellow transcendentalists
2.The underlined word “captivating” in Paragraph 4 probably means .
A.worrying B.puzzling C.fascinating D.frightening
3.What do we know about Little Women?
A.It is Louisa’s masterpiece.
B.It belongs to Louisa’s adult fiction works.
C.It is aimed at expressing Louisa’s hate for slavery.
D.It encouraged Louisa to write more books about girls.
4.Which of the following reflects Louisa’s time as a Civil War nurse?
A.Jo’s Boys. B.Little Women.
C.Hospital Sketches. D.Work:A Story of Experience.
语篇解读:本文是记叙文。文章介绍了美国著名女作家Louisa May Alcott以及她的作品。
答案及剖析:
1.A 细节理解题。根据第一段可知,Louisa May Alcott一生几乎都在马萨诸塞州的波士顿区度过。
2.C 词义猜测题。根据该词所在句的下一句可知,《小妇人》在市场上供不应求,取得极大的成功,故可推知该书对读者很有吸引力。故C项符合题意。
3.A 细节理解题。根据第四段中的Louisa is widely known as the writer of Little Women可知,《小妇人》是Louisa的杰作。
4.C 细节理解题。根据第五段中的During this time,Louisa caught typhoid fever(伤寒).This experience provided the theme for her work Hospital Sketches.可知选 C项。
