A
What do literary greats Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Robert Burns have in common? They both lived and wrote in Edinburgh, along with many other big names in the field of literature. This fact helped UNESCO (联合国教科文组织) award the city the title of World's First City of Literature on October 14.
Edinburgh left a lasting impression on Arthur Conan Doyle (1859－1930)．Although he was born there he went to school in England but returned home for medical school. After graduating he moved to London and began writing his Sherlock Holmes stories. His inspiration for the character came from one of his professors at university. Holmes' methods were so clever that they actually furthered the advance of the study of criminology (犯罪学)．
Robert Burns (1759－1796) is still regarded as Scotland's national poet, more than 200 years after his death. He is celebrated all over the world through translations of his work and the annual Burns Night supper on his birthday. One of his songs, My Love is Like a Red Red Rose ranks among the finest love songs ever written and Auld Lang Syne (《友谊地久天长》) is sung all around the world.
As one of the first literate societies in Europe, the Scottish Parliament passed the world's first compulsory (义务) education law in 1496. By the 1790s, almost all Scots could read. Visitors to Scotland often observed that even the lowest members of society had copies of Burns' poems and other books.
语篇解读：本文简单介绍了苏格兰的文坛巨匠亚瑟·科南·道尔和罗伯特·伯恩斯以及苏格兰产生众多文学巨匠的历史渊源。
1．Edinburgh was awarded the title of World's First City of Literature because ________.
A．the first award ceremony of literature was held there
B．many literary greats like Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Robert Burns were born there
C．it left a deep impression on many literary greats like Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
D．many literary greats like Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Robert Burns often wrote about it
解析：选B 推理判断题。根据第一段所表述的：文坛巨匠亚瑟·科南·道尔和罗伯特·伯恩斯与文学界的其他一些名人一样，他们两人都出生在爱丁堡，笔耕于爱丁堡。在这座城市里诞生了许许多多的作家，正因为这浓郁的书香，联合国教科文组织于10月14日把“世界首座文学之城”的荣誉授予了爱丁堡。
2．Arthur Conan Doyle was remembered mainly for his ________.
A．detective stories
B．love poems and songs
C．contribution to the study of criminology
D．clever writing skills
解析：选A 推理判断题。根据第二段中的内容：亚瑟·科南·道尔创作了福尔摩斯故事系列，其探案方法被描绘得非常奇妙，这让犯罪学研究也获益匪浅，得到了进一步的发展。由此推理他是以“侦探小说”而出名。
3．In honour of Robert Burns, ________.
A．My Love is like a Red Red Rose and Auld Lang Syne are sung all around the world
B．his works are translated into many languages every year
C．a celebration is held more than 200 years after his death
D．a celebration is held every year on his birthday
解析：选D 细节理解题。根据第三段中的“He is celebrated all over the world through translations of his work and the annual Burns Night supper on his birthday.”一句可知：每年，人们在他的诞辰日举行“伯恩斯之夜”晚宴，以示纪念。
4．In the last paragraph, the writer mainly discussed ________.
A．the impression of visitors to Scotland
B．how Burns' poems are popular in Scotland
C．the possible history reasons for many literary greats in Scotland
D．how the world's first compulsory education law was made
解析：选C 段落大意题。根据最后一段所表述的意义：苏格兰之所以产生这么多的文学巨匠有其历史渊源。短文中列举了三个细节，苏格兰议会于1496年通过了世界上第一个义务教育法案。到18世纪90年代的时候，几乎所有的苏格兰人都能识字了。许多去苏格兰游览的人发现，就连苏格兰的市井小民也在读着伯恩斯的诗以及其他一些书。
