Paradise Lost is Milton’s masterpiece. Its story is taken from the Bible, about “the fall of man", that is, how Adam and Eve are tempted by Satan to disobey God by eating the forbidden fruit from the Tree of Knowledge, and how they are punished by God and driven out of Paradise. In Milton’s words, the purpose of writing the epic is to “justify the ways of God to men”, but apparently, Milton is uttering his intense hatred of cruelness of the ruler in the poem. By depicting Satan and his followers as well as their fiery utterance and brave actions, Milton is showing a Puritan’s revolt against the dictator and against the established Catholics and the Anglican Church.
In the poem God is no better than a cruel and selfish ruler, seated on a throne with a group of angels about him singing songs to praise him. His long speeches are not pleasing at all. He is cruel and unjust in punishing Satan. His angels are stupid. But Satan is by far the most striking character in the poem, who rises against God and, though defeated, still persists in his fighting.
The story of Adam and Eve shows Milton’s belief in the power of man. God denies them a chance to pursue for knowledge. It is this longing for knowledge that opens before mankind a wide road to intelligent and active life. It has been noted by many critics that Milton’s revolutionary feeling makes him forget religious doctrines. The angels who surround God never think of expressing any opinions of their own, and they never seem to have any opinions of their own. The image of God surrounded by such angels resembles the court of an absolute monarch. But Satan and his followers, who freely discuss all issues in council, remind us of a Republic Parliament.
1.This passage is most probably taken from（ ） .
2.In the poem, Satan is described as （ ） .
3.Which of the following can NOT be inferred from this passage?
4.According to this passage, the main purpose of Paradise Lost is to （ ） .
问题1选项
A.a review of Milton’s Paradise Lost
B.an introduction to Milton’s Paradise Lost
C.a depiction of the cruelness of the British ruler
D.an introduction to English literature
问题2选项
A.an evil person
B.a rebellious hero
C.selfish and cruel devil
D.a stupid devil
问题3选项
A.God acts as the dictator of the Kingdom.
B.Satan and his followers act as members of Parliament.
C.The angels are depicted as followers of the King.
D.Adam and Eve are the people to be enlightened.
问题4选项
A.praise God for the creation of the world
B.change people’s unfavorable impression of Satan
C.express his support for the fight of Satan
D.criticize the cruelness of the British ruler
第1题:
1.【选项释义】
1. This passage is most probably taken from ______. 1. 这篇文章很可能摘自______。
A. a review of Milton’s Paradise Lost A. 弥尔顿的《失乐园》的书评
B. an introduction to Milton’s Paradise Lost B. 弥尔顿《失乐园》的序言
C. a depiction of the cruelness of the British ruler C. 对残忍的英国统治者的描绘
D. an introduction to English literature D. 英国文学概论
【考查点】推理判断题。
【解题思路】结合文章内容可知，本文仅用只言片语简单介绍了《失乐园》的内容，更多的是讲述弥尔顿的写作目的以及反映出来的思想感情。由此可以推测，这篇文章很有可能节选自弥尔顿《失乐园》的书评，所以A项正确。
【干扰项排除】
B项“弥尔顿《失乐园》的序言”根据解题思路可知，这篇文章对《失乐园》内容的描述很少，所以不可能是序言，该项曲解原文；
C项“对残忍的英国统治者的描绘”，文中没有描述残忍的英国统治者，该项属于无中生有；
D项“英国文学概论”包含范围太广，曲解原文。
第2题:
2.【选项释义】
2. In the poem, Satan is described as ______. 2. 在诗中，撒旦被描述为______。
A. an evil person A. 一个邪恶的人
B. a rebellious hero B. 一个具有反抗精神的英雄
C. selfish and cruel devil C. 自私残忍的魔鬼
D. a stupid devil D. 一个愚蠢的魔鬼
【考查点】推理判断题。
【解题思路】根据第二段最后一句“撒旦是迄今为止这首诗中最引人注目的人物，他奋起反抗上帝，虽然被打败了，但仍然坚持战斗”，上文提到上帝不过是一个残忍自私的统治者，所以可以推断撒旦是一个具有反抗精神的英雄，B项正确。
【干扰项排除】A项“一个邪恶的人”、C项“自私残忍的魔鬼”和D项“一个愚蠢的魔鬼”根据解题思路可知，这三项属于曲解原文。
第3题:
3.【选项释义】
3. Which of the following can NOT be inferred from this passage? 3. 下面哪个选项不能从这篇文章中推断出来？
A. God acts as the dictator of the Kingdom. A. 上帝是这个王国的独裁者。
B. Satan and his followers act as members of Parliament. B. 撒旦和他的追随者充当国会议员。
C. The angels are depicted as followers of the King. C. 天使被描绘成国王的追随者。
D. Adam and Eve are the people to be enlightened. D. 亚当和夏娃是应该被启蒙的人。
【考查点】推理判断题。
【解题思路】根据最后一段的最后一句“撒旦和他的追随者们，在议会中自由地讨论所有问题，让我们想起共和议会”可知，这里只是一个比喻的用法，将撒旦和他的追随者们比喻成国会议员，但他们在这首诗中并不是真正的国会议员，所以选项B不符合原文，但符合题意。故该题选择B项正确。
【干扰项排除】
A项“上帝是这个王国的独裁者”，根据文章第二段可知，上帝是一个残忍自私的统治者，该项符合原文，属于反向干扰；
C项“天使被描绘成国王的追随者”，根据第二段第一句中的“上帝不过是一个残忍自私的统治者，坐在宝座上，周围有一群天使唱歌赞美他”可知，该项符合原文，属于反向干扰；
D项“亚当和夏娃是应该被启蒙的人”，根据第三段前几句“亚当和夏娃的故事表明弥尔顿相信人的力量。上帝不给他们追求知识的机会。正是这种对知识的渴望为人类开辟了一条通往智慧和积极生活的宽阔道路。”可知，像亚当和夏娃一样的人类，应该有追求知识的机会，该项符合原文，属于反向干扰。
第4题:
4.【选项释义】
4. According to this passage, the main purpose of Paradise Lost is to ______. 4. 根据这篇文章，《失乐园》的主要目的是为了______。
A. praise God for the creation of the world A. 赞美上帝创造了世界
B. change people’s unfavorable impression of Satan B. 改变人们对撒旦的不良印象
C. express his support for the fight of Satan C. 表达对与撒旦战斗的支持
D. criticize the cruelness of the British ruler D. 批评英国统治者的残酷
【考查点】推理判断题。
【解题思路】根据第一段倒数第二句“用弥尔顿的话来说，写史诗的目的是‘证明上帝对人类的方式是正当的’，但显然，弥尔顿在诗中表达了他对统治者残酷的强烈仇恨”，从中可知，弥尔顿在诗中表达了他对统治者残忍行为的强烈憎恨。所以可以推断，《失乐园》的主要目的是批判英国统治者的残酷无情。选项D符合原文。
【干扰项排除】
A项“赞美上帝创造了世界”，原文中描述的是一个残暴自私的上帝，所以该项不符合原文，属于反向干扰；
B项“改变人们对撒旦的不良印象”和C项“表达对与撒旦战斗的支持”在文章中虽然有依据，但是并不是文章的主要目的，属于本末倒置。
