It would be reasonable to assume that the years following the Civil War were a time of healing and rebuilding. And for the most part, that is what they were, albeit a very long and painful one. While the healing of the rift between North and South did make progress, all was not peaceful and the disharmony wasn’t confined to the political arena. In literary circles too, the period was characterized by upheaval and turmoil. A literary civil war of sorts was raging between the camps of the Romantics and Realists. Later, the Naturalists would join the fray as well. This was a battle waged over the ways fictional characters were presented in relation to their external world. Though the unrest might have been between schools of fiction, it had a very real basis. The battle reflected far-reaching social change that was planting the seeds of new discord- a conflict that would threaten to fragment the country; this time not along geographical borders, but along class lines.
Using plot and character development, a writer expressed his or her philosophy about how much control a man really had over his own destiny. Romantic writers such as Ralph Waldo Emerson celebrated what they saw as the ability of the human will to triumph over any adversity. [A] Occupying the middle ground were authors like Mark Twain, William Dean Howells, and Henry James, all of whom were influenced by the works of the early European Realists. It was their belief that people had only a limited capacity to determine the direction their lives took; that humanity’s freedom of choice was constrained by the power of external forces. [B] Diametrically opposed to the Romantic authors were the Naturalists—the likes of Stephen Crane and Frank Norris, who lined up on the side of Emile Zola and the Determinism movement. [C] Their writings gave voice to the view that individuals have no choice whatsoever in what happens to them. It was their position that the path of one’s life was dictated wholly by a conspiracy between hereditary factors and the external environment. [D]
Socio-economic changes had a profound and decisive influence on this debate. The Industrial Revolution that took place at the end of the 19th century changed the United States in fundamental ways. In huge numbers, people migrated from rural homes seeking economic opportunities in urban environments. The plentiful supply of labor, combined with new machinery and processes being developed made conditions ripe for an economy focused on manufacturing. For the first time, there was an alternative to agriculture and commerce as a means of livelihood. At the same time, immigrants from all over the world flowed across the borders in pursuit of the same opportunities. In so doing, they added to the burgeoning labor pool, drove down costs and helped to push industrialization forward. Upon arriving in the cities and finding work, most of these migrants found themselves and their families at the mercy of unscrupulous businessmen who exploited them with brutal work schedules and coerced any who tried to resist, or in many cases, anyone who tried to escape. In the end, it was these sweeping economic and social changes and the pessimism they engendered that swung the balance of power in favor of the Realists and the Naturalists.
Much of the literary product of the period had a distinctly regional character. This too could be traced to economic changes. The Industrial Revolution called for standardization, the mass production of goods, and streamlined channels of distribution. The lifestyle changes this rationalization of production entailed were profound and people began to fear that local traditions would fall by the wayside trampled in reckless pursuit of economic efficiency. Responding to these sentiments, Realist writers sought to capture and preserve the “local color” before it was lost. They drew upon the grim realities of everyday life in depicting the breakdown of traditional values and the deepening plight of the new urban underclass. This focus on the ordinary lives of ordinary people was characteristic of American Realism. Readers were attracted to the stories because they were something with which they could identify. American life was changing, the pace was quickening, and readers needed writers who dealt directly with the problems they were facing. In the great literary struggle the Romantic writers had been rendered irrelevant, vanquished by changing circumstances.
1. Which of the following could best serve as a title for the passage?
2. Which of the following statements does the passage support?
3. Which of the following best expresses the essential meaning of the italicized sentence in the passage?
4. The phrase a means of livelihood in the passage is closest in meaning to（ ）.
5. In paragraph 3, the author mostly does which of the following?
6. According to paragraph 4, what motivated Realist authors to give their works a regional flavor?
7. The passage supports which of the following conclusions?
8. Look at the four squares marked A, B, C, and D that indicate where the following sentence could be added to the passage.
This was an altogether pessimistic view that left man totally at the mercy of circumstance.
Where would the sentence best fit (A, B, C or D)?
问题1选项
A.The Effects of the Civil War on American Literature.
B.The 19th Century Struggle between the Realism and Romanticism.
C.Realism and the Industrial Revolution.
D.How Realism Promoted Social Change in 19th Century America.
问题2选项
A.The Naturalists, Realists, and Romanticists had fundamentally different views on the roles men play in their own lives.
B.The differences between Romanticism, Realism, and Naturalism were more in the means of expression than in the philosophies espoused.
C.There were a number of crucial differences between the 3 contending schools of American literature in the late 19th century.
D.While there were significant differences, the Naturalists and Realists shared some characteristics of the Romanticists.
问题3选项
A.The pessimism was finally swept away by economic and social reform, and this allowed a balance to be formed between the Realists and the Naturalists.
B.The resulting triumph of the Realists and the Naturalists can be attributed to the broad socio-economic changes that took place and the feelings of hopelessness they gave rise to.
C.The victory of the Realists and the Naturalists led to dramatic socio-economic change and increasing pessimism.
D.At the end of all the social and economic change, the Realists and Naturalists had fallen out of favor and into deep pessimism.
问题4选项
A.a way to support one’s self
B.a way of looking at life
C.a way of changing one’s life
D.a place to live
问题5选项
A.Shows why social circumstances favored Realism and Naturalism.
B.Describes the social background that led to the dominance of Realism and Naturalism.
C.Shows why Romantic literature had once been so popular.
D.Shows why the Realist and Naturalist writers had difficulty in being accepted at first.
问题6选项
A.The personal backgrounds of the authors.
B.A desire to protest the changes going on around them.
C.Concern for the preservation of tradition.
D.The limited markets in which their works were distributed.
问题7选项
A.Realism was an extension of Naturalism.
B.Romanticism experienced a sudden resurgence immediately following the Civil War.
C.Naturalism and Realism both retained popularity in the late 19th century.
D.Readers took to Romantic literature as a means of escaping the hard realities of their lives.
问题8选项
A.A
B.B
C.C
D.D
第1题:B
第2题:A
第3题:B
第4题:A
第5题:B
第6题:C
第7题:C
第8题:D
第1题:
【选项释义】
Which of the following could best serve as a title for the passage? 以下哪项最能作为文章的标题？
A. The Effects of the Civil War on American Literature A. 内战对美国文学的影响
B. The 19th Century Struggle between the Realism and Romanticism B. 19世纪现实主义和浪漫主义之间的斗争
C. Realism and the Industrial Revolution C. 现实主义和工业革命
D. How Realism Promoted Social Change in 19th Century America D. 现实主义如何促进了19世纪美国的社会变革
【考查点】主旨大意题
【解题思路】本文主要讨论19世纪现实主义和浪漫主义之间的争议，作者先从两者的定义开始说明，接着用同一时期的工业发展所导致的社会变迁作为类比，最后谈到因读者的情感需求造成现实主义的流行以及浪漫主义的衰微。因此B选项最适合做文章标题。
【干扰项排除】
A选项，本文说的是工业革命的影响，不是内战，属于张冠李戴；
C选项，涉及的文章篇幅小，不能完整概括文章内容；
D选项，由原文可知，是工业革命先导致社会变迁，然后才有了文学相应的变化，属于曲解原文。
第2题:
【选项释义】
Which of the following statements does the passage support? 文章支持以下哪个说法？
A. The Naturalists, Realists, and Romanticists had fundamentally different views on the roles men play in their own lives. A. 自然主义者、现实主义者和浪漫主义者对男人在自己的生活中所扮演的角色有着根本不同的看法。
B. The differences between Romanticism, Realism, and Naturalism were more in the means of expression than in the philosophies espoused. B. 浪漫主义、现实主义和自然主义之间的差异更多地体现在表达方式上，而不是所拥护的哲学。
C. There were a number of crucial differences between the 3 contending schools of American literature in the late 19th century. C. 19世纪末，美国文学的三个竞争流派之间存在着许多关键的差异。
D. While there were significant differences, the Naturalists and Realists shared some characteristics of the Romanticists. D. 虽然有很大的差异，但自然主义者和现实主义者也有浪漫主义者的一些特点。
【考查点】推理判断题
【解题思路】由A选项可以定位到文章第二段：Romantic writers…celebrated what they saw as the ability of the human will to triumph over any adversity.（浪漫主义作家歌颂了他们所认为的人类意志战胜任何逆境的能力。），…were influenced by the works of the early European Realists. It was their belief that people had only a limited capacity to determine the direction their lives took; that humanity’s freedom of choice was constrained by the power of external forces.（他们都受到早期欧洲现实主义作品的影响。他们相信，人们在决定自己生活的方向方面能力有限；人类的选择自由受到外部力量的限制。），Naturalists…Their writings gave voice to the view that individuals have no choice whatsoever in what happens to them.（自然主义者的作品表达了个人在发生的事情中没有选择余地的观点。），说明浪漫主义者认为人类意志足以克服逆境，而现实主义者则认为人类选择的自由受限于外在的力量，但自然主义者的观点是个人是毫无选择的，三个学派的基本信念完全不同。因此A选项正确。
【干扰项排除】
B选项表述与原文相反，三个学派的哲学各不相同，属于反向干扰；
C选项，由原文可知，事实上差异只有一点，即基本理念的不同，属于曲解原文；
D选项，原文只说了他们的差异，没有说共同之处，属于过度推断。
第3题:
【选项释义】
Which of the following best expresses the essential meaning of the italicized sentence in the passage? 以下哪项最能表达文章中斜体字句的基本含义？
A. The pessimism was finally swept away by economic and social reform, and this allowed a balance to be formed between the Realists and the Naturalists. A. 悲观主义最终被经济和社会改革所扫除，这使得现实主义者和自然主义者之间形成了一种平衡。
B. The resulting triumph of the Realists and the Naturalists can be attributed to the broad socio-economic changes that took place and the feelings of hopelessness they gave rise to. B. 由此产生的现实主义者和自然主义者的胜利可以归因于所发生的广泛的社会经济变化以及它们所引起的无望感。
C. The victory of the Realists and the Naturalists led to dramatic socio-economic change and increasing pessimism. C. 现实主义者和自然主义者的胜利导致了社会经济的巨大变化和日益严重的悲观情绪。
D. At the end of all the social and economic change, the Realists and Naturalists had fallen out of favor and into deep pessimism. D. 在所有的社会和经济变革结束时，现实主义者和自然主义者已经失宠，陷入深深的悲观主义。
【考查点】推理判断题
【解题思路】由题干可以定位到文章第三段最后一句：In the end, it was these sweeping economic and social changes and the pessimism they engendered that swung the balance of power in favor of the Realists and the Naturalists.（最终，正是这些全面的经济和社会变革以及由此产生的悲观主义，改变了权力的天平，使之有利于现实主义者和自然主义者。），说明横扫全国的社会和经济的变迁以及它们所造成的悲观心态使得平衡力量倒向支持现实主义和自然主义。因此B选项正确。
【干扰项排除】
A选项，原文说的是经济和社会改革产生了悲观主义，而不是将其扫除，属于偷换概念；
C选项，因果关系和原文相反，属于曲解原文；
D选项根据解析可知与原文意思不符，属于曲解原文。
第4题:
【选项释义】
The phrase a means of livelihood in the passage is closest in meaning to _____. 这段话中的“谋生手段”的含义最接近_____。
A. a way to support one’s self A. 一种养活自己的方式
B. a way of looking at life B. 一种看待生活的方式
C. a way of changing one’s life C. 一种改变生活的方式
D. a place to live D. 一个居住的地方
【考查点】推理判断题
【解题思路】由题干关键词a means of livelihood可以定位到文章第三段第五句：For the first time, there was an alternative to agriculture and commerce as a means of livelihood.（有史以来第一次，有了一种替代农业和商业的……），商业和农业是用于人类生活和生存的，且此处的means是方法的意思，而livelihood是生计的意思，所以a means of livelihood的意思是谋生的方法。因此可以与A选项同义替换。
【干扰项排除】B、C、D选项不符合原文信息，属于曲解原文。
第5题:
【选项释义】
In paragraph 3, the author mostly does which of the following? 在第三段中，作者主要做了以下哪一项？
A. Shows why social circumstances favored Realism and Naturalism. A. 表明为什么社会环境有利于现实主义和自然主义。
B. Describes the social background that led to the dominance of Realism and Naturalism. B. 描述导致现实主义和自然主义占主导地位的社会背景。
C. Shows why Romantic literature had once been so popular. C. 表明为什么浪漫主义文学曾经如此受欢迎。
D. Shows why the Realist and Naturalist writers had difficulty in being accepted at first. D. 表明为什么现实主义和自然主义作家一开始难以被接受。
【考查点】推理判断题
【解题思路】作者在第三段先描述社会的变迁，最后说明巨大的社会和经济的变化使得平衡力量倒向支持现实主义和自然主义。因此B选项正确。
【干扰项排除】A、C、D选项在第三段没有提及，属于无中生有。
第6题:
【选项释义】
According to paragraph 4, what motivated Realist authors to give their works a regional flavor? 根据第四段，是什么促使现实主义作家使他们的作品具有地域特色？
A. The personal backgrounds of the authors. A. 作者的个人背景。
B. A desire to protest the changes going on around them. B. 对周围发生的变化提出抗议的愿望。
C. Concern for the preservation of tradition. C. 对保护传统的关注。
D. The limited markets in which their works were distributed. D. 他们的作品发行的市场有限。
【考查点】推理判断题
【解题思路】由题干可以定位到文章第四段第四句：The lifestyle changes this rationalization of production entailed were profound and people began to fear that local traditions would fall by the wayside trampled in reckless pursuit of economic efficiency.（这种生产合理化所带来的生活方式的变化是深远的，人们开始担心，在不计后果地追求经济效率的过程中，当地的传统会被践踏。），说明工业革命带来的巨大变化让以往对生产制造的认知大大改变，生活方式也因此发生了剧烈的变化，人们开始担心传统价值会受到打击，所以现实主义者在作品里加入地域特色，表达对传统的关心。因此C选项正确。
【干扰项排除】A、B、D选项在第四段没有提及，属于无中生有。
第7题:
【选项释义】
The passage supports which of the following conclusions? 这篇文章支持以下哪项结论？
A. Realism was an extension of Naturalism. A. 现实主义是自然主义的延伸。
B. Romanticism experienced a sudden resurgence immediately following the Civil War. B. 浪漫主义在内战后立即经历了一次突然的复苏。
C. Naturalism and Realism both retained popularity in the late 19th century. C. 自然主义和现实主义在19世纪末都保持了流行。
D. Readers took to Romantic literature as a means of escaping the hard realities of their lives. D. 读者把浪漫主义文学作为逃避现实生活的一种手段。
【考查点】事实细节题
【解题思路】根据倒数第二段的最后一句：In the end, it was these sweeping economic and social changes and the pessimism they engendered that swung the balance of power in favor of the Realists and the Naturalists.（最后，正是这些全面的经济和社会变革以及它们所产生的悲观情绪，使权力的天平向现实主义者和自然主义者倾斜。）可知，在19世纪自然主义和现实主义是流行的，因此C选项正确。
【干扰项排除】
A、B选项在文中没有提及，属于无中生有；
D选项，文章第二段提到：浪漫主义作家如Ralph Waldo Emerson颂扬了他们所认为的人类意志战胜任何逆境的能力。可知浪漫主义不是作为逃避现实生活的一种手段，选项与原文的意思相反，属于曲解原文。
第8题:
【选项释义】
Look at the four squares marked A, B, C, and D that indicate where the following sentence could be added to the passage. 注意标记为A、B、C和D的四个方格，它们表示下面的句子可以添加到文章中。
This was an altogether pessimistic view that left man totally at the mercy of circumstance. 这是一种完全悲观的观点，使人完全听任环境摆布。
Where would the sentence best fit (A, B, C or D)? 这个句子最适合哪个位置（A，B，C或D)？
【考查点】推理判断题
【解题思路】题干中的句子是对自然主义者的观点再一次做出了总结，D处前文说的是自然主义者的观点，那么下文应该对其进行总结。因此该句放在D处最合适。
