当代英美散文名篇选读上册课后答案

Unit2 Edgar Allan Poe1) Who is the narrator? What wrong does he want to redress?It is Montresor. Fortunato has given Montresor thousands of injuries that he has to bear before he has this opportunity of taking revenge.2) What is the pretext Montresor uses to lure Fortunado to his wine cellar?He claims that he has just got a cask of Amontilado and stores it in the wine cellar before he may find a connoisseur to testify to its authenticity.3) What happens to Fortunado in the end?The deceived Fortunado is killed because of his inability of getting out of the catacomb.4) Describe briefly how Poe characterizes Mortresor and Fortunado as contrasts.Poe characterizes Mortresor and Fortunado as seemingly contrasting characters chiefly by presenting their identical habit in wine and their different manners towards each other, but actually he intends to show some similarly defective aspects in their nature. The similarity in their nature is also suggested by their names as synonyms in Italian: Mortresor means “fortune” while Fortunado “treasure”. Their defective nature is highlighted when the revenger Mortresor, who is fully prepared on psychological and operating levels, throws the hardly prepared but totally deceived wrong-doer Fortunado into the deep and damp catacomb and blocks up its entrance with huge rocks.Lecture 4 Nathaniel HawthorneQuestions :1.Why is the prison the setting of Chapter 1 ?No matter how optimistic the founders of new colonies may be, they are quick to establish a prison and a cemetery in their “Utopia,” for they know that misbehavior, evil, and death are unavoidable. This belief fits into the larger Puritan doctrine, which puts heavy emphasis on the idea of original sin—the notion that all people are born sinners because of the initial transgressions of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. he is therefore using the prison building to represent the crime and the punishment which are aspect of civilized lifeWhat is the implication of the description of the roses?The rosebush symbolizes the ability of nature to endure and outlast man's activities. The narrator suggests that roses offer a reminder of Nature's kindness to the condemned; for his tale, he says, it will provide either a “sweet moral blossom” or else some relief in the face of unrelenting sorrow and gloom.2.Describe the appearance of Hester Prynne and the attitude of the people towards her.The second paragraph on page 30.The crowd in front of the jail is a mixture of men and women, all maintaining severe looks of disapproval. Several of the women begin to discuss Hester Prynne, and they soon vow that Hester would not have received such a light sentence for her crime if they had been the judges. One woman, the ugliest of the group, goes so far as to advocate death for Hester. 3.What has happened to Hester?As a young woman, Hester married an elderly scholar, Chillingworth, who sent her ahead to America to live.While waiting for him, she had an affair with a Puritan minister named Dimmesdale, after which she gave birth to Pearl.The scarlet letter is her punishment for her sin and her secrecy.Why does she make the embroidery of the letter A so elaborate?It seems to declare that she is proud, rather than ashamed, of her sin. In reality, however, Hester simply accepts the “sin” and its symbol as part of herself, just as she accepts her child. And although she can hardly believe her present “realities,” she takes the m as they are rather than resisting them or trying to atone for them.How does this tell us about her character?Throughout The Scarlet Letter Hester is portrayed as an intelligent, capable. It is the extraordinary circumstances shaping her that make her such an important figure.Unit 5 Herman Melville1. What are the stories Ismael tells about Moby Dick?Ishmael compares the legend of Moby Dick to his experience of the whale.He notes that sperm whale attacks have increased recently and that superstitious sailors have come to regard these attacks as having an intelligent, even supernatural origin.In particular, wild rumors about Moby Dick circulate among whalemen, suggesting that he can be in more than one place at the same time and that he is immortal. Ishmael remarks that even the wildest of rumors usually contains some truth.Whales, for instance, have been known to travel with remarkable speed from the Atlantic to the Pacific; thus, it is possible for a whale to be caught in the Pacific with the harpoons of a Greenland ship in it.Moby Dick, who has defied capture numerous times, exhibits an “intelligent malignity”（狠毒）in his attacks on men2. Why does Ahab react so violently against the white whale?First, he lost one of his legs because of the white whale.Second,He considers Moby Dick the embodiment of evil in the world, and he pursues the White Whale，because he believes it his inescapable fate to destroy this evil.Ishmael suggests that Ahab is “crazy”and call him “a raving lunatic.” Do you agree with him? Why or why not?Ishmael describes Ahab as mad in his narration, and it does indeed seem mad to try to fight the forces of nature or God.3. What narrative features can you find in the selected chapter?In the selected charpter, Melville employed the technique of multiple view of his narrative to portray Moby Dick to achieve the effect of ambiguity and let readers judge the meaning.Lecture 6 Herman Melville1.Where indeed did Thoreau live, both at a physical level and at a spiritual level?He lived in a cabin on Walden Pond, which belonged to Emerson’s property.2.Had Thoreau ever bought a farm? Why did he enjoy the act of buying?No, he hadn’t.He avoided purchasing a farm because it would inevitably tie him down financially and complicate his life.Thoreau didn’t see the acquisition of wealth as the goal for human existence, he saw the goal of life to be an exploration of the mind and of the magnificent world around us.He regarded the places as an existence free of obligations and full of leisure.3.Is it significant that Thoreau mentioned the Fourth of July as the day on which he began to stay in the woods? Why?Yes, it is.Because The Fourth of July is known as Independence Day,the birthday ot the United States.Here Thoreau uses the day to express his beginning of regeneration at Walden.It also means a symbol of his conquest of being.4.How could you answer the question Thoreau asked at the end of this selection?Unit 7 19th Century American Poets1. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow(1)I Shot an Arrow…1. Why did the speaker lose sight of his arrow and song?The arrow flies too swiftly and too far away to be seen by the speaker; whereas the song is naturally invisible.2. In what circumstances did he find them again?He finds them unexpectedly years later from the trunk of a tree and the heart of a friend.3. What do arrow and song stand for in this poem?The images of arrow and song here may stand for friendship.(2)A Psalm of Life1. What kind of person is the speaker of this poem?The speaker is a man of action, always optimistic and cheerful, trying to achieve as much as possible in the short span of life.2. According to the poem, how should our lives be led to overcome the fact that each day brings us nearer to death?We should work harder and live happier.3. Interpret the metaphor of "Footprints on the sand of time" (line 28).The metaphor refers to human deeds in real life.2. Walt Whitman(1)One's Self I Sing1. What is the significance of singing about one's self?It is an exaltation of the individual spirit, which is typical of American people.2. What is the difference between physiology and physiognomy?Physiology is a science that deals with the functions and life process of human beings, whereas physiognomy refers to an art of judging character from contours of face itself or the appearance of a person.3. What does Whitman mean by the term of "the Modern Man"?He means that a man should be free from any prejudice and pride, totally different from the traditional one, that is full of bias.(3)O Captain! My Captain!1. Why is the word "Captain" capitalized throughout the poem?In this poem the word “Captain” specially refers to Abraham Lincoln, president of the United States.2. What overall metaphor does the poet employ in this poem?Life is a journey.3. Why do people on the shores exult and bells ring, while the speaker remains so sad?They welcome the ship returning from its hard trip, whereas the speaker is sad because the captain fails to receive his own honor.3.Emily Dickinson(1) To Make a Prairie …1. What things are needed to "make" a prairie? In what sense can one really do it?Some grass and insects and small animals. People can make a prairie with their imagination.2. How can "revery alone" create a prairie?The prairie stays in one's mind.(2) Success Is Counted Sweetest1. Why is success "counted sweetest by those who ne'er succeed"?Those who have tasted the bitterness of failure would have a keener desire for success.2. Who are "the purple host"?The so-called successful people in the world.3. Who is "he" in the last stanza?Anyone who is pursuing his success.(3) I'm Nobody!1. Who are the "pair of us" and "they" in this poem?The "pair of us" refers to the speaker in the poem and the reader, and "they" refers to the public, especially those in power.2. What does "an admiring bog" really mean?" (line 28).It Implies the vain and empty common people, who are always admiring and pursuing the celebrities.3. What is the theme of this poem?The real admirable life is a secluded and common one.4. Do you want to be "nobody" or "somebody"? Explain your reasons.Different persons would have different answers to this question. Personally, I prefer to be nobody.Unit 17 20th-Century American Poets1. Ezra PoundIn A Station of the Metro1. Why does the poet call the faces of pedestrians "apparition"?These pedestrians are all walking in a hurry amidst the drizzling rain.2. What do "petals" and "bough" stand for?Petals refer to the faces while the bough stands for the floating crowd.2. Wallace StevensAnecdote of the Jar1. What does the jar in poem symbolize? Why does the speaker place it on top of a hill?The jar here symbolizes a certain perspective on looking at this world. If the perspective of the viewing is creative and unique, it will change the conventional order of the old world. When a new perspective comes out, it will certainly hold attention from the rest.2. The jar is "round" and "of a port in air," meaning that it has a stately importance. What effect does it have on surroundings when placed on the ground?Maybe the round jar assumes the air of a domineering figure, which helps to form a certain order out of the disordered surrounding.3. How did the wilderness of Tennessee characterized? What words or phrases does the poet use to describe it?Tennessee seems to a place full of life and energy. “Slovenly,” “sprawl” and “wild” are some of the words used to describe th e place. (See Anecdote of the Jar )4.Robert Frost(1)Fire and Ice1. What are the symbolic meanings of fire in this poem?Fire symbolizes natural disaster, human passion, as well as war.2. Why does the speaker say that ice is also great for destruction? Explain what ice stands for here.Ice, oppose to fire, is also a dreadful natural disaster in this world, and ice is always related to indifference, coldness, hatred, and the other negative sentiments of human beings.3. What is your opinion about fire and ice? Which one is more destructive?Both fire and ice can destroy this beautiful world if they are beyond control of human beings. Therefore we should be open-minded and reduce our prejudice and pride so as to keep this world in peace.(2)Stopping By Woods On a Snowy Evening1. In your opinion, what was the reason that made the speaker stop by the woods on a snowy evening?The poet was deeply attracted by the natural beauty of the scene at that very moment.2. Why did the horse give the harness bell a shake?The horse grew impatient by stopping in the middle of the dark, cold woods at midnight. It was eager to go home.3. Why couldn't the speaker stay longer by the woods to appreciate its mysterious beauty?He realized that it was late at night and he would have to hurry home to get some food and sleep, because the next morning he would have a lot of work to do.4. What is the effect of repetition in the last two lines?The refrain-like repetition in the last two lines reminds the reader a simple fact of life: whatever happens, one must go forward in the journey of his or her life.(3) The Road Not Taken1. What is the speaker's initial response to the divergence of the two roads?The speaker is at a loss which road he should choose, and he feels sorry that he cannot explore both roads at the same time.2. Describe the similarities and differences of these two roads. Which one does the speaker take?Two roads are similar except one of them is more “grassy,” which implies that it is less traveled by people. Th e speaker prefers the less traveled one, because he likes adventure.3. What might the two roads stand for in the speaker's mind?One road stands for the traditional one and the other is unconventional one and full of challenges and difficulties. To follow other people's footsteps or to open a new road for himself is really not an easy decision for us to make in our lives.（范文素材和资料部分来自网络，供参考。

当代英美散文名篇选读（下册）练习答案方健壮广东外语外贸大学Unit 1 Why Don't We Complain?Key to Exercise II1. unctuously2. mortification3. discreet4. rectify5. ostentatiously6. bellicose7. deferentially8. reproofs9. virile 10. apathy 11. plenipotentiary 12. impervious 13. unobtrusive 14. doleful 15. fortified 16. telltale17. raring 18. whisked 19. notorious 20. resignation 21. primed 22. moaned 23. nonchalantly 24. visualize25. head-on 26. showdown 27. presumption 28. irksome29. intimated 30. complianceKey to Exercise III1. basis2. examples3. sticks4. rocks5. something6. outside7. comfort8. hand9. case 10. missiles 11. best 12. dust13. tools 14. craft 15. intriguing 16. aid17. tasty 18. though 19. items 20. measure21. serve 22. from 23. length 24. of25. section 26. somewhat 27. other 28. the29. by 30. fashion 31. use 32. They33. the 34. location 35. other 36. witness37. come 38. mirror 39. them 40. is41. though 42. is 43. while 44. did45. design 46. different 47. local 48. Since49. this 50. certainlyKey to Exercise IVAs the 20th-century nears its end, only a handfulamong China's writers can be clearly seen as to 1 ✓have had a creative center ∧ strong that they could 2 so overcome challenges and forging a united and enduring 3 forgebody of true rich and original work. Among 4 trulythem is Shen Congwen. Shen was born in the western 5 ✓part of Hunan in 1902 ∧ a family with military traditions 6 togoing back to several generations. The 7 toregion in which he grew up was in an area of wild 8 inrivers, hills and forests, a place ∧ little influence 9 where from the east coast urban centers had penetrated. 10 ✓after a brief stint in an armed academy, Shen was 11 military assigned at 15 to a regiment stationing in a Hunan 12 stationedcountry town: there he mainly acted clerical work. 13 performed The regiment supposed task was to keep the peace 14 regiment'sand cleanse the surrounding areas off bandits, but 15 ofmilitary action was more sporadic, and Shen had 16 moreample time to observe at the minutiae of military 17 atlife, as well as the soldiers' responses to the 18 ✓civilians nearby. He also noticed carefully the 19 notedrhythms of the life of the Tujia and Miao tribal 20 thepeoples who armed, fished and hunted in the surrounding 21 farmed countryside. In 1922 he settled to Beijing, 22 indecided to be a writer. By 1935 he had completed 23 determined35 volumes of works: short stories, essays, 24 worked novels and translations of folk songs and rural 25 transcriptions tales.Shen is unusual for Chinese writers in his refusal 26 amongto be political. If politics impinges ∧ all on 27 athis work, it is only to set the scenery, and the 28 scenedetails are always left in hazy. What absorbs him 29 inis humane dignity and genuine emotion - the ways 30 humanthat men and women ∧ capable of responding to each 31 areother, and the ways that those response relate to 32 responsestheir culture's past and present. Shen is ∧ expert 33 anon loss. This can be seen in many ∧ his finest stories, 34 ofsuch as "The Husband", "Guishen" and "Sansan".Key to Exercise V1. We must complete the damming of the river before the rainy season sets in.2. You will get on to genetic engineering if you keep on working at it.3. On hearing his false accusations she was so carried away that she packed up her things and left him forever.4. I have been jobless for two long years, so I'll settle for any kind of work.5. He is completely tied up these days. Could you come again next week?6. The battle was raging fiercely. Suddenly we ran out of ammunition.7. His likes and dislikes asserted themselves not only in everyday life but also in his work.8. The VIP was so addicted to smoking and drinking that his private doctor found it very hard to prevail upon him to change such habits.9. Marshal Peng's manuscripts survived the cultural revolution because his niece had them stashed away somewhere in Hunan province.10. It would be a big mistake on your part to cover up the scandal for your friend.11. You must know it is now or never. What are you still hesitating for?12. Summoning up his last ounce of strength, the soldier pushed the drowning child ashore.Unit 2 College PressuresKey to Exercise II1. scribbled2. authentic3. unswervingly4. savored5. venerated6. induce7. intangible8. dimension9. visualize 10. sampled 11. exhilarated 12. accrue13. exhorted 14. tenacity 15. pay-off 16. synthesize17. vacillated 18. furtively 19. symptomatic 20. perceive21. contagious 22. reverse 23. juggled 24. nurture 25. circuitous 26. potent 27. positively 28. intertwined29. steer 30. drabKey to Exercise III1. jets2. job3. ever4. Indeed5. catered6. accused7. volume8. Too9. quality 10. matter 11. right 12. need13. low 14. more 15. no 16. specializing 17. viable 18. traffic 19. jostling 20. created21. result 22. some 23. hovering 24. background 25. business 26. invested 27. apart 28. list29. time 30. In-flight 31. attention 32. lure33. accent 34. Regular 35. room 36. offered37. it 38. snatch 39. proved 40. aircraft41. improve 42. are 43. inevitable 44. bearable45. there 46. to 47. process 48. passengers 49. attract 50. themselves 51. change 52. traveller53. flight 54. practice 55. businessmen 56. one57. thwart 58. passengers 59. But 60. airKey to Exercise IVA lot of the mental anguish of decision making 1 ✓comes because we often worry in ∧ factual vacuum. An 2 a endless number of stewing can be avoided if we do 3 amount what all good executives ∧ with a problem that can't 4 dobe settled: return it back for more data. A famous 5 send university dean once said, "If I have a problem ∧ has 6 thatto be faced at 3 o'clock next Tuesday, I refuse to 7 ✓make a decision about it when Tuesday arrives. In the 8 until meantime I concentrate on getting all the facts 9 ✓that bear ∧ the problem. And by Tuesday, if I've got 10 onall the facts, the problem usually solves by itself. 11 by But just gathering the facts won't solve hard 12 the problems. "The problem in coming up to a firm and 13 upclear-sighted decision," said and old veteran infantry 14 old commander and now commandant of the National War 15 ✓College, "is not only ∧ take possession of facts, but 16 to∧ marshal them in good order. In the army, we train 17 toour leaders to draw up ∧ we call an Estimate of the 18 what Situation. At first, they must know their objective. 19 At Except you know what you want, you can't possibly 20 unless decide how to get it. Second, we teach them to consider 21 ✓alternate means of attaining that objective. 22 alternative Very rarely that a goal, military or any other, can 23 thatbe realized in only one way. Next we line up ∧ pros 24 theand cons of each alternative, as far as we can see ∧. 25 them Then we choose the cause that appears most likely to 26 course achieve the results we want. Furthermore that does 27 Furthermore not guarantee success. But at least it allows us to 28 ✓decide as intelligent as the situation permits. It 29 intelligently prevents us from going of on a half-baked hunch that 30 offmay turn out to be disastrous.Key to Exercise V1.I was really up the creek when I went into the department store and found that I had no money with me.2.Goods were piling up at the docks because the workers had gone on strike against terrible working conditions.3.As a member of the Secretariat of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party, Huang was privy to many top state secrets.4.People want their wages to catch up with the price hike.5.Dialectical materialism and historical materialism can help us see things in perspective.6. He asked the barber to thin out his thick hair.7.In accordance with the requirements of a market economy, the State Council cutback on the number of departments directly involved in economic management. 8.In his first speech at the Legislative Council the Chief Executive made much ofthe role of high technology in economic development.9.I cannot conceive of a blind man working as a radio sports commentator.10.He should have retired long ago. Why does he still hang on to power?Unit 3 The PoliticianKey to Exercise II1.merit2.rove3.upbraided4.doles5.incumbent6.remedy7.humane8.candid9.enchanted 10.intricate 11.virtues 12.enterprising 13.literally 14.intrinsically 15.sagacity 16.fraud17.oversight 18.derision 19.preposterous 20.plightKey to Exercise III1.economies2.If3.but4.firms5.free6.rich7.confusion8.economist9.advantage 10.in 11.differences 12.international 13.there 14.check 15.at 16.to17.low 18.country 19.because 20.emerging 21.productivity 22.link 23.value 24.want25.up 26.equalize 27.unit 28.demand 29.drive 30.demonstrates 31.sort 32.only33.Malaysia's 34.words 35.equal 36.costs37.than 38.acquire 39.soar 40.Yet41.rising 42.wages 43.seen 44.also45.most 46.narrowing 47.tend 48.still49.gaps 50.another 51.behind 52.goods53.those 54.gain 55.different 56.relative57.say 58.be 59.more 60.developing 61.America 62.exporters 63.test 64.in65.cases 66.across 67.alikeKey to Exercise IVThe story of our English language is typically one 1.✓of massively stealing from other languages. That 2.massive is why English today has an estimated diction of 3.vocabulary over one million words, while the other languages 4.the have far less. French, for example, has only about 5.fewer 75,000 words, ∧ that includes English expressions like 6.and snack bar and hit parade. ∧ French, however, do not 7.Thelike borrowing from foreign words because they think 8.fromit as corrupts their language. The government tries 9.asto outrule words from English and passes decrees 10.outlaw saying jumbo jet is not desired; so they invent a 11.desirableword, gros porteur. French kids are supposed to talk 12.say balladeur instead of walkman - but they don't. Walkman13.✓is fascinated because it isn't even English. Strictly 14.fascinating speaking, it ∧ invented by the Japanese manufacturers 15.was who put two simple English words together to name on 16.on their product. That doesn't bother to us, but it does 17.to trouble the French. Such as is the glorious messiness 18.asof English. That happy tolerance, ∧ willingness to 19.that accept words from anywhere explains for the richness 20.forof English and why it has become, up to a very real 21.up extent, the first true global language. The English- 22.truly speaking peoples have defeated all effort to build 23.efforts fences round their language. Indeed, English isn't 24.✓the especial preserve of grammarians, teachers, 25.special writers or the intellectual elite. It is and alwayshas been the tongue of the common.Key to Exercise V1.They are looking to the new manager to bring the company back to profitability.2.He is itching for the meeting to end so that he can go and see the football match.3.The visitors politely refrained from saying what they really thought of our school.4.Though miracles seldom happen, she is still hoping against hope that her daughter and son-in-law would reconcile with each other.5.You should divest your booklet as much as possible of technicalities.6.He is bent on building up his health through exercise.7.He was only half in earnest when he promised not to interfere in her social activities.8.Should Taiwan proclaim independence, we would be compelled to resort to force.9.Suddenly he let off a joke and the tense atmosphere at once relaxed.10.You can't work off that tale on me. I know your tricks just too well.11.These right-wing newspapers are abusing us up hill and down dale, but we won't be toppled as a result.Unit 4 Portrait of an ActressKey to Exercise II1.congenial2.seasoned3.grated4.growled5.phantoms6.insubstantial7.scribble8.buffet9.stumbled 10.s ham 11.i ncongruous 12.d omesticity 13.f orsake 14.s olitude 15.s urging 16.o utrageous 17.c ontradicted 18.m inute 19.r ambling 20.d efy21.s tockKey to Exercise III1.as2.separate3.across4.else5.might6.taste7.sail8.at9.arrival 10.after 11.rather 12.auspicious 13.left 14.not ter 16.extensively 17.full 18.soldiers 19.rest 20.colonisation 21.integration 22.adopted 23.by 24.remoteness 25.invaders 26.hands 27.time 28.survived 29.either 30.literally 31.wealth 32.treasures 33.all 34.unearthed 35.discovered 36.around37.examples 38.dramatic 39.stretches 40.line41.Romans 42.beyond 43.his 44.remains 45.length 46.preserved 47.are 48.with49.locations 50.foot 51.contours 52.Romans eful 54.for 55.these 56.and57.still 58.blocks 59.offers 60.remainsKey to Exercise IVThat poor countries need high savings to growfast has become a dictum of development economics.The Asian miraculous economies provide a dramatic 1.✓_____ contrast with Latin America. Asian domestic saving 2.savings rates have often well over 30% of GDP. In most of 3.been Latin America (Chile except), they are closer to 15 4.exceptedpercent. Asian economies have been growing up at 5.up over 5% a year for the past decade. Latin America 6.✓has been barely grown at all. Economists have long 7.been suspected that low savings partly explain for this 8.for difference. But as capital poured ∧ in the early 9.in 1990s, it was an easy point to remember. In the 10.forget new global capital market, perhaps countries could 11.✓rely on flowins of foreign money to make up for 12.inflows what they failed to save at home. So Mexico’s crash 13.Then rudely reminded everyone of the risks involving in 14.involved such a strategy.The trouble is in that high savings seem to be 15.in both a cause and a consequence of highly growth. 16.high When economies grow faster, people get richer. 17.fast They can afford to save more ∧ their income without 18.of cutting current consumption. These high savings in 19.higher turn fuel more investment and high growth: a 20.higher virtuous circle. The difficulty is getting it to start.Key to Exercise V1.He fobbed me off with promises that he never intended to keep.2.There will be a good deal of rain next month; at any rate the weather forecasterssay so.3.Fear came upon her as the sudden ringing of the doorbell at midnight waked herup.4.There is no reason to believe that you will leave a stronger impression by talkingabove the heads of your audience.5.His earnings are out of proportion to his skills and ability.6.Your information may throw light on the cause of his death.7.Your parents were surely on the rack until they heard from you.8.Being in such a hurry, he took a suit from his wardrobe at a venture and rushedout.Unit 5 A Wagner MatineeKey to Exercise II1.legacy2.scourged3.fumbled4.upshot5.reverted6.doggedly7.haggard8.conjecture9.inert 10.trepidation 11.excruciatingly 12.matinees 13.drowsy 14.jocularity 15.deluge 16.interminably 17.seething 18.Myriad 19.infatuation 20.contour 21.slender 22.turmoil 23.gaunt 24.aloofness 25.perceiveKey to Exercise III1.about2.seen3.wealthy4.to5.children6.average7.of8.societyst rgely 11.into 12.Republican 13.being 14.eroded 15.help 16.growing 17.attention 18.grab 19.hear 20.quest21.issue 22.set 23.awarding 24.child25.acknowledgement 26.extra 27.quotas 28.incentives 29.much 30.downturn 31.aware 32.richer33.good 34.scapegoats 35.taking 36.hit37.expect 38.at 39.loudest 40.nomination 41.try 42.pick 43.Under 44.pander45.wants ed 47.funnily 48.altogether 49.hopefuls 50.places 51.simply 52.hand53.if 54.behind 55.friend 56.either57.selling 58.ordered 59.astonishment 60.less-qualified 61.having 62.in 63.the 64.person65.candidate 66.thinking 67.If 68.votes69.from 70.the 71.been 72.losers73.women 74.Even 75.Action 76.say77.don’t78.and 79.Angry 80.inKey to Exercise IVDesertification in the United States is flagrant.Underground groundwater supplies beneath vast areas 1.underground are dropping down precipitously. Whole river systems 2.down have dried ∧ ; others are choked with sediment washed 3.up from denuded land. Hundreds ∧ thousands of acres of 4.ofprevious irrigated crop land has been abandoned to 5.previously wind or weeds. Several millions acres of natural lion grassland are eroded at unnaturally high rates as a 7.eroding result of cultivation or overgrazing. All being told, 8.being about 225 million acres of land are undergoing through 9.through severe desertification. Federal subsidies encourage 10.✓the conservation of arid land resources. For example, 11.exploitation low interest loan for irrigation and ∧ water delivery 12.other systems encourage farmers and municipalities to mine 13.✓out groundwater. Federal disaster relief and commodity 14.out programs encourage arid-land farmers to plow out 15.up naturally grassland to plant crops such as wheat, ∧ especially, 16.and cotton. Federal grazing fees that are well above 17.below the free market price encourage overgrazing of the 18.✓commons. The market, too, reserved powerful incentives 19.provides to exploit arid land resources beyond their carry 20.carrying capacity. When commodity prices are highly relative to 21.highly the farmer’s operating cost, the benefit on a production- 22.return enhancing investment is always invariably greater 23.always that that on a conservation investment. If the United 24.✓States is good on its ways toward overdrawing the arid 25.well land resources, then the policy choice is simply topay now for the appropriate remedies or pay far morelater when productive benefits from these resourceshas been largely terminated.Key to Exercise V1.He was the only person who was not formally dressed at the banquet, so he feltout of place.2.The pollution was so serious that to all intents and purposes the lake was “dead”.3.Whether or not the task could be completed ahead of time depends on your goingabout the business in the right way.4.Let this lesson sink into our mind.5.The township head finally prevailed upon his superior to believe in his innocence.6.Why did you pick him as your secretary? He can’t so much as write a letter ofintroduction!7.In short, more research is needed before a definite decision can be made.8.If a country exports nothing but raw materials, it will be at the mercy of worldprices.9.He should have been removed from the leading position long ago since he onlycared for his own interests and was dead to others’ sufferings.Unit 6 Thinking as a HobbyKey to Exercise II1.norms2.marooned3.incomprehensible4.innocence5.plonked6.musing7.depravity8.exalted9.impediment 10.reeled 11.staggered 12.bulged 13.detested 14.pious 15.proposition 16.stampeded 17.conferred 18.portentous 19.deficiencies 20.bolstered 21.beamed 22.inscrutable 23.mingle 24.amiability 25.conceded 26.sordid 27.irreverent 28.delinquent 29.gregarious 30.revered 31.aweKey to Exercise III1.nestled2.where3.doing4.fall5.through6.wild7.about8.muted9.cat 10.vibrations 11.drum 12.darkness 13.bark 14.still 15.sounds 16.incessantly 17.shrill 18.chorus 19.spills 20.runs21.cascade 22.masks 23.day 24.trees25.desperate 26.testifies 27.I 28.Outside 29.and 30.atop 31.acacia 32.witness33.lumbering 34.plays 35.dry 36.forefeet 37.table 38.eventually 39.drink 40.graceful 41.rainless 42.itself 43.calls 44.setting45.discover 46.crown 47.sprinkle 48.water49.buds 50.midst 51.anticipation 52.on53.growth 54.maximum 55.Do 56.become 57.a 58.To 59.call 60.you61.if 62.within 63.yearn 64.do65.digs 66.sight 67.acaciaKey to Exercise IVIn many parts of the world Landmines aren’t markedwith alarming signs. They are marked with blood, 1.warning detonated by the foot of passing civilians. The 1980 2.feet UN Weapons Convention dictates that “parties of a 3.to conflict ∧ record the location all pre-planned 4.shall mine fields laid by them.” Wars dictate likewise. 5.otherwise In ∧ heat of battle landmines are scattered in huge 6.the numbers. Angola alone has over nine million buried 7.✓landmines. That’s one against every single member 8.forof the population. So they are also dropped with 9.So scant regard for their whereabout, fired from launchers, 10.whereabouts or dropped from helicopters ∧ planes. This means 11.and there’s much chance of mapping the weapons with any 12.little accuracy. When the trouble ends and the soldiers 13.✓disappear these weapons remain to wreak a havoc on 14. athe local population. In Poland people are yet being 15.still killed or injured at landmines 50 years after world 16.byWar II ended. But even if ∧ military had a rough idea 17.theon where they had left their landmines there is 18.on little chance they could remove ∧. Modern plastic mines 19.them are increditably difficult to detect, while other 20.incredibly varieties are merely too dangerous to try and defuse. 21.simply Huge tracts of Africa are “no-go” areas because of 22.✓landmines, while in countries with going-on conflicts, 23.on-going an area that it was sage one day can be mined the 24.it nest. That is why a worldwide ban of the production, 25.on export and use of anti-personnel landmines is calledfor by the International Committee of the Red Cross.Key to Exercise V1.It is high time you and I came to an understanding about our respective duties.2.International trade is one of the important issues, which must be faced bycountries that aspire to economic development.3.As it was to o wet to go outside, we had to be contented with playing indoors.’4.At the recent session of the Provincial People’s Congress the governor spoke atlength about Guangdong’s plan to catch up with and surpass the four little dragons of Asia.5.To complement eac h other’s advantages, Guagnzhou Foreign LanguageUniversity merged with Guangzhou Foreign Trade College in 1995. Many institutions of higher learning in China have followed suit in recent years.6.In order to do away with nuclear threat, it is necessary to completely prohibit andthoroughly destroy nuclear weapons.7.It goes without saying that the spread of the common speech makes for closernational unity.8.The new president is no better than his predecessor. He is, if anything, morecunning and more hypocritical.9.Not fully prepared, she left out an important detail in her account.10.That journalist is not welcome to our country; he is given to confusing right andwrong.11.We set out very early for the railway station lest we should be delayed by trafficjams.Unit 7 Once More to the Lake Key to Exercise IIKey to Exercise IIIKey to Exercise IVKey to Exercise III1.Looking out of the window, the spy saw a police car draw up opposite his hotel.2.The field of inquiry has now narrowed down to three people.3.Ou tside of the setter, all members on the US women’s volleyball team are over1.85 meters tall.4.The boss always left us to our own devices; he did not mind how the work wasdone as long as it was finished in time.5.Because some unexpected problems in the experiment have cropped up here, Iwon’t return home for supper tonight.6.The car hit a big tree and rolled over twice before coming to a stop.7.We had to turn away hundreds of people because all tickets had been sold out.8.The fog was so dense that we could not make out who was coming towards us.9.The prospect of a record-breaking economic growth had the government leaderslicking their chops.10.The city’s reporters were very troublesome, but the new mayor soon had themeating out of his hand.Unit 8 Inner RingKey to Exercise II1.imploringly2.spontaneous3.devoured4.senioritypromised6.sandwiched7.unscrupulous8.perverse9.unawares 10.consorting 11.propitiate 12.prompted 13.mainspring 14.makings 15.genial 16.esoteric17.prophecy 18.servitude 19.servility 20.pell-mell 21.hierarchy 22.probation 23.reprimands 24.evasion25.pining 26.lured 27.court 28.stales29.wakeful 30.trivialitiesKey to Exercise III1.boom2.exotic3.curiosity4.craze5.burst6.winner7.which8.taking9.owning 10.market 11.high-quality unched 13.as 14.minimum 15.investment 16.joined17.chick 18.breeder 19.rears 20.set21.guaranteed 22.For 23.by 24.show25.over 26.flock 27.earn 28.with29.mature 30.habit 31.operation 32.secure33.attracted 34.enticing 35.initial 36.produce37.claimed 38.livestock y 40.as41.a 42.eaten 43.ago 44.sales45.from 46.for 47.not 48.gone49.whether 50.point 51.like 52.content53.up 54.been 55.at 56.said57.and 58.flavor 59.if 60.theKey to Exercise IVWe believe that the optimum rate of population growthfor the United States ( ∧ for the world) is negative until 1.and such time like the scale of economic activity, 2.asand its environmental effects, ∧ reduced to a level that 3.is would be sustained indefinitely. We are convinced that 4.sustainable if present rates of population and economic growth was 5.are allowed to continue, the end final result, within the 6.final lifetimes of many of us, would inevitably be near to 7.to universal poverty in a hopeless polluted nation and 8.hopelessly world. We agree to Herman Daly who has pointed out 9.withthat the human economy is ∧ subset of the biosphere, and 10. athat the correct scale of economic activity related to 11.relative the biosphere is already far too large enough to be 12.enough sustainable indefinitely. We believe that calls upon 13.for merely slowing down rapid population growth are also 14.also totally inadequate. Such proposals, while presented as 15.✓a solution, fail to dress the central issue: how to 16.address create a national (and world) economy that will become 17.be sustainable indefinitely. At present or the even higher 18.at standards of population, neither the application of 19.levels science and technology, nor simplifying life-styles, or 20.nor any combination of ∧ two, can offer any hope of reducing 21.the our influence on the environment to a sustainable 22.impact level. We must reduce over consumption use (in the US e and other developed countries) by simple life-styles. 24.simplifying We must reduce resource depletion ∧ pollution per unit 25.andof consumption through more wasteful use of energy and 26.efficient materials. We must, above all others, reduce the size 27.other of our population by a negative rate of population ∧. We 28.growth urge upon Congress and President Clinton to set, as a 29.upon top priority national goal, ∧ achievement of a negative 30.the population growth rate until the scale of economicactivity reaches a sustainable level.Key to Exercise V1.It is good to know that they went of their own accord to a mountainous area towork at the grass-roots level.2.You ought to ask your uncle. Being a director of the firm, he is surely in the know.3.He is a clever boy but apt to get into mischief.4.It is impossible for me to do ample justice to such an important subject in a shortessay.5.We can now easily account for many things that were thought to be mysterious bythe ancients/.6.Sometimes the interests of private enterprises do not coincide with those of thenation. So it is necessary to give them correct guidance.7.When the effects of the drug wore off, the headache returned.8.It is no easy task to enable 80 million people to shake off poverty in a matter offive years.9.Since he lived in the feudal society, he could not be immune to feudal ideas.10.The central government requests all its departments and other regions to work uptheir support to the development of the western part of China.。

UNIT 1 Of Marri‎a g e and Singl‎e Life Franc‎is Bacon‎弗兰西斯。

培根1.What are the advan‎t ages‎ and disad‎v anta‎g es of a marri‎e d life accor‎d ing to Bacon‎?Advan‎t ages‎:1.Be respo‎nsibl‎e f or famil‎y and caref‎u l;2.Horta‎t ive, put men in mind of their‎wives‎and child‎r en ,for soldi‎e rs;3. A kind of disci‎p line‎of human‎ity , grave‎natur‎e s led by custo‎m are commo‎n ly lovin‎ghusba‎nds;4.Wives‎are young‎men’s mistr‎e ss , compa‎n ions‎for middl‎e age , and old men’s nurse‎s Disad‎v anta‎ges:1.givin‎g hosta‎ges to fortu‎ne2.imped‎iment‎s t o great‎enter‎p rise‎s3.an abata‎m ent of a man’s riche‎s and a famil‎y will bing a man bonds‎and shack‎lesUNIT 4 Lette‎r to Lord Chest‎e rfie‎ld Samue‎l Johns‎o n 塞缪尔。

约翰逊2.What is the impor‎t ance‎ of this lette‎r in the histo‎r y of Engli‎s h liter‎a ture‎?1.John’s lette‎r has been descr‎ibed as liter‎a ture‎’s “Decla‎r atio‎n of Indep‎e nden‎ce”;Indep‎e nden‎c e of write‎rs2. It’s a poor write‎r to the big man’s indic‎t ment‎-like , showi‎n g conte‎m pt for the write‎r ofthe elite‎.3. It has been the subje‎c t of criti‎c al comme‎n t over since‎in the liter‎a ry world‎.4.It repre‎s ents‎ the Engli‎s h new bourg‎e oisi‎e(资产阶级)’ resis‎t ance‎again‎s t feuda‎lism（封建主义）.5.It embod‎ies the autho‎r’s rebel‎lion.*6、事实上，此后英国文‎坛上的保护‎制度（Patro‎n age）在英国，在欧洲大陆‎逐渐消失了‎。

当代英美散文名篇选读（下）答案KeystoUnit2CollegePressuresUnit 2 College PressuresKey to Exercise II1. scribbled2. authentic3. unswervingly4. savored5. venerated6. induce7. intangible8. dimension9. visualize 10. sampled 11. exhilarated 12. accrue 13. exhorted 14. tenacity 15. pay-off 16. synthesize 17. vacillated 18. furtively 19. symptomatic 20. perceive 21. contagious 22. reverse 23. juggled 24. nurture 25. circuitous 26. potent 27. positively 28. intertwined 29. steer 30. drabKey to Exercise III1. jets2. job3. ever4. Indeed5. catered6. accused7. volume8. Too9. quality 10. matter 11. right 12. need13. low 14. more 15. no 16. specializing 17. viable 18. traffic 19. jostling 20. created21. result 22. some 23. hovering 24. background 25. business 26. invested 27. apart 28. list29. time 30. In-flight 31. attention 32. lure33. accent 34. Regular 35. room 36. offered37. it 38. snatch 39. proved 40. aircraft41. improve 42. are 43. inevitable 44. bearable45. there 46. to 47. process 48. passengers 49. attract 50. themselves 51. change 52. traveller53. flight 54. practice 55. businessmen 56. one57. thwart 58. passengers 59. But 60. airKey to Exercise IVA lot of the mental anguish of decision making 1 ?comes because we often worry in ∧ factual vacuum. An 2 a endless number of stewing can be avoided if we do 3 amount what all good executives ∧ with a problem that can't 4 dobe settled: return it back for more data. A famous 5 send university dean once said, "If I have a problem ∧ has 6 that to be faced at 3 o'clock next Tuesday, I refuse to 7 ?make a decision about it when Tuesday arrives. In the 8 until meantime I concentrate on getting all the facts 9 ?that bear ∧ the proble m. And by Tuesday, if I've got 10 on all the facts, the problem usually solves by itself. 11 by But just gathering the facts won't solve hard 12 the problems. "The problem in coming up to a firm and 13 upclear-sighted decision," said and old veteran infantry 14 old commander and now commandant of the National War 15 ?College, "is not only ∧ take possession of facts, but 16 to∧ marshal them in good order. In the army, we train 17 toour leaders to draw up ∧ we call an Estimate of the 18 what Situation. At first, they must know their objective. 19 At Exceptyou know what you want, you can't possibly 20 unless decide how to get it. Second, we teach them to consider 21 ?alternate means of attaining that objective. 22 alternative Very rarely that a goal, military or any other, can 23 thatbe realized in only one way. Next we line up ∧ pros 24 theand cons of each alternative, as far as we can see ∧. 25 them Then we choose the cause that appears most likely to 26 course achieve the results we want. Furthermore that does 27 Furthermore not guarantee success. But at least it allows us to 28 ?decide as intelligent as the situation permits. It 29 intelligently prevents us from going of on a half-baked hunch that 30 offmay turn out to be disastrous.Key to Exercise V1.I was really up the creek when I went into the department store and found that I had no money with me.2.Goods were piling up at the docks because the workers had gone on strike against terrible working conditions.3.As a member of the Secretariat of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party, Huang was privy to many top state secrets.4.People want their wages to catch up with the price hike.5.Dialectical materialism and historical materialism can help us see things in perspective.6. He asked the barber to thin out his thick hair.7.In accordance with the requirements of a market economy, the State Council cutback on the number of departments directly involved in economic management. 8.In his first speech at the Legislative Council the Chief Executive made much ofthe role of high technology in economic development.9.I cannot conceive of a blind man working as a radio sports commentator.10.He should have retired long ago. Why does he still hang on to power?。

作者作品搭配Geoffrey Chaucer 杰佛里.乔叟1.The Canterbury Tales <坎特伯雷故事集>2.The Book of the Duchess<公爵夫人之书>3.Troilus and Criseyde <特洛伊罗斯与克瑞西达>4.The Legend of Good Women <贞洁妇女的传说>5.The House of Fame <名誉之屋>6.The Parliament of Fowls 《百鸟议会》7.Romance of the Rose 《玫瑰传奇》William Shakespeare 威廉.莎士比亚1. A Mid-Summer Night’s Dream 仲夏夜之梦2.The Merchant of Venice 威尼斯商人3.As You Like It 皆大欢喜4.Twelfth Night 第十二夜5.Hamlet 哈姆雷特6.Othello 奥赛罗7.King Lear 李尔王8.Macbeth 麦克白9.Venus and Adonis 维纳斯和阿多尼斯10.The Rape of Lucrece 鲁克丽丝受辱记Francis Bacon 弗兰西斯.培根1.Advancement of Learning 学术的进展2.Novum Organum 新工具3.The New Atlantic 新大西洋岛4.Essays 随笔Daniel Defoe 丹尼尔.笛福1.Robinson Crusoe 鲁宾逊漂流记2.Caption Singleton 辛格顿船长3.Moll Flanders 莫尔.佛兰德斯4. A Journal of the Plague Year 大疫年日记William Blake 威廉.布莱克1.The Chimney Sweeper 扫烟囱的孩子2.Song of Innocence 天真之歌3.Song of Experience 经验之歌4.Poetical Sketches 素描诗集5.The French Revolution 法国革命6.The Marriage of Heaven Hell 天堂与地狱的婚姻7.America:A Prophecy 美国ton 弥尔顿Robert Burns 罗伯特.彭斯1. A Red, Red Rose 一朵红红的玫瑰2.Poems, Chiefly in the Scottish Dialect苏格兰方言诗集3.The Tree of Liberty 自由树4.Scots Wha Hae 苏格兰人5.The Two Dogs 两只狗6.Holy Willie’s Prayer 威利长老的祈祷7.My Heart’s in the highlands 我的心呀在高原8.John Anderson, My Jo 约翰.安徒生9. A Man’s a Man for All That 不管那些William Wordsworth 威廉.华兹华斯1.She Dwelt Among the Untroddrn Ways《Lucy Poems》露茜组诗2.The Solitary Reaper 刈麦女3.I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud 我好似一朵流云独自漫游4.Lyrical Ballads 抒情歌谣集5.An Evening Walk 黄昏漫步6.The Excurison 远足7.The Prelude 序曲George Gordon Byron 乔治.戈登.拜伦1.She Walks in Beauty2.Oriental Tales 东方叙事诗3.Don Juan 唐璜4.Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage 恰尔德.哈罗德游记5.The Prisoner of Chillon 锡雍的囚徒6.Manfred 曼弗雷德7.Cain 该隐8.The Vision of Judgment 审判的幻境9.The Age of Bronze 青铜世纪Edgar Allan Poe 埃德加.爱伦.坡1.To Helen 致海伦2.The Raven 乌鸦3.Annabel Lee 安娜贝尔.李4.The Bells 钟声5.The Fall of the House of Usher 厄舍古宅的倒塌Walt Whitman 瓦尔特.惠特曼1.O Caption！My Caption！A，船长！我的船长！Emily Dickinson 埃米莉.狄更生1.I Died for Beauty 为美而死2.Success 成功3.I’m Nobody 我是小人物Jane Austen 简.奥斯丁1.Pride and Prejudice 傲慢与偏见2.Sense and Sensibility 理智与情感3.Mansfield Park 曼斯菲尔德公园4.Emma 爱玛5.Northanger Abbey 诺森觉寺6.Persuasion 劝导Charlotte Bronte 夏洛蒂.勃朗特1.Jane Eyre 简.爱2.Shirley 雪莉3.The Professor 教授4.Villette 维莱特Washington Irving 华盛顿.欧文1.Rip Van Winkle 瑞普.凡.温克尔2.The Legend of Sleepy Hollow 睡谷传奇3. A History of New YorkNathaniel Hawthorne 纳撒尼尔.霍桑1.The Scarlet Letter 红字2.Mosses from an Old Manse 古宅青苔3.The House of the Seven Gables 七个尖角阁的房子4.The Marble Faun 大理石雕像5.The Blithedale Romance 福谷传奇William Butler Yeats 威廉.巴特勒.叶芝1.The Second Coming 第二次圣临2.The Lake Isle of Innisfree 茵尼斯弗利岛3.When You Are Old 当你老了4.Sailing to Byzantium 驶向拜占庭5.The Winding Stair 盘旋的楼梯William Faulkner 威廉.福克纳1. A Rose For Emily 献给埃米莉的玫瑰2.The Sound and the Fury 喧嚣与骚动3.As I Lay Dying 在我弥留之际4.Light in August 八月之光5.Absalom，Absalom！押沙龙,押沙龙诗歌翻译和赏析Sonnet 18 William Shakespeare 威廉.莎士比亚Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?Thou art more lovely and more temperate.Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,And summer's lease hath all too short a date.Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,And often is his gold complexion dimmed;And every fair from fair sometime declines,By chance or nature's changing course untrimmed;But thy eternal summer shall not fade,Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow'st;Nor shall Death brag thou wander'st in his shade,When in eternal lines to time thou grow'st.So long as men can breathe, or eyes can see,So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.译文我怎么能够将你比作夏天?你比夏天更美丽温婉。

U n i t2E d g a r A l l a n P o e1) Who is the narrator? What wrong does he want to redress?It is Montresor. Fortunato has given Montresor thousands of injuries that he has to bear before he has this opportunity of taking revenge.2) What is the pretext Montresor uses to lure Fortunado to his wine cellar?He claims that he has just got a cask of Amontilado and stores it in the wine cellar before he may find a connoisseur to testify to its authenticity.3) What happens to Fortunado in the end?The deceived Fortunado is killed because of his inability of getting out of the catacomb.4) Describe briefly how Poe characterizes Mortresor and Fortunado as contrasts.Poe characterizes Mortresor and Fortunado as seemingly contrasting characters chiefly by presenting their identical habit in wine and their different manners towards each other, but actually he intends to show some similarly defective aspects in their nature. The similarity in their nature is also suggested by their names as synonyms in Italian: Mortresor means “fortune” while Fortunado “treasure”. Their defective nature is highlighted when the revenger Mortresor, who is fully prepared on psychological and operating levels, throws the hardly prepared but totally deceived wrong-doer Fortunado into the deep and damp catacomb and blocks up its entrance with huge rocks.Lecture 4 Nathaniel HawthorneQuestions :1.Why is the prison the setting of Chapter 1 ?No matter how optimistic the founders of new colonies may be, they are quick to establish a prison and a cemetery in their “Utopia,” for they know that misbehavior, ev il, and death are unavoidable. This belief fits into the larger Puritan doctrine, which puts heavy emphasis on the idea of original sin—the notion that all people are born sinners because of the initial transgressions of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. he is therefore using the prison building to represent the crime and the punishment which are aspect of civilized lifeWhat is the implication of the description of the roses?The rosebush symbolizes the ability of nature to endure and outlast man's activities. The narrator suggests that roses offer a reminder of Nature's kindness to the condemned; for his tale, he says, it will provide either a “sweet moral blossom” or else some relief in the face of unrelenting sorrow and gloom.2.Describe the appearance of Hester Prynne and the attitude of the people towards her.The second paragraph on page 30.The crowd in front of the jail is a mixture of men and women, all maintaining severe looks of disapproval. Several of the women begin to discuss Hester Prynne, and they soon vow that Hester would not have received such a light sentence for her crime if they had been the judges. One woman, the ugliest of the group, goes so far as to advocate death for Hester.3.What has happened to Hester?As a young woman, Hester married an elderly scholar, Chillingworth, who sent her ahead to America to live.While waiting for him, she had an affair with a Puritan minister named Dimmesdale, after which she gave birth to Pearl. The scarlet letter is her punishment for her sin and her secrecy.Why does she make the embroidery of the letter A so elaborate?It seems to declare that she is proud, rather than ashamed, of her sin. In reality, however, Hester simply accepts the “sin” and its symbol as part of herself, just as she accepts her child. And although she can hardly believe her present “realities,” she takes them as they are rather than resisting them or trying to atone for them.How does this tell us about her character?Throughout The Scarlet Letter Hester is portrayed as an intelligent, capable. It is the extraordinary circumstances shaping her that make her such an important figure.Unit 5 Herman Melville1. What are the stories Ismael tells about Moby Dick?2. Ishmael compares the legend of Moby Dick to his experience of the whale.3. He notes that sperm whale attacks have increased recently and that superstitious sailors have come to regard these attacks as having an intelligent, even supernatural origin.4. In particular, wild rumors about Moby Dick circulate among whalemen, suggesting that he can be in more than one place at the same time and that he is immortal. Ishmael remarks that even the wildest of rumors usually contains some truth.5. Whales, for instance, have been known to travel with remarkable speed from the Atlantic to the Pacific; thus, it is possible for a whale to be caught in the Pacific with the harpoons of a Greenland ship in it.6. Moby Dick, who has defied capture numerous times, exhibits an “intelligent malignity”（狠毒）in his attacks on men7. Why does Ahab react so violently against the white whale?8. First, he lost one of his legs because of the white whale.9. Second,He considers Moby Dick the embodiment of evil in the world, and he pursues the White Whale，because he believes it his inescapable fate to destroy this evil.10. Ishmael suggests that Ahab is “crazy”and call him “a raving lunatic.” Do you agree with him? Why or why not?11. Ishmael describes Ahab as mad in his narration, and it does indeed seem mad to try to fight the forces of nature or God.12. What narrative features can you find in the selected chapter?13. In the selected charpter, Melville employed the technique of multiple view of his narrative to portray Moby Dick to achieve the effect of ambiguity and let readers judge the meaning.Lecture 6 Herman Melville1.Where indeed did Thoreau live, both at a physical level and at a spiritual level?He lived in a cabin on Walden Pond, which belonged to Emerson’s property.2.Had Thoreau ever bought a farm? Why did he enjoy the act of buying?No, he hadn’t.He avoided purchasing a farm because it would inevitably tie him down financially and complicate his life.Thoreau didn’t see the acquisition of wealth as the goal for human existence, he saw the goal of life to be an exploration of the mind and of the magnificent world around us.He regarded the places as an existence free of obligations and full of leisure.3.Is it significant that Thoreau mentioned the Fourth of July as the day on which he began to stay in the woods? Why?Yes, it is.Because The Fourth of July is known as Independence Day,the birthday ot the United States.Here Thoreau uses the day to express his beginning of regeneration at Walden.It also means a symbol of his conquest of being.4.How could you answer the question Thoreau asked at the end of this selection?Unit 7 19th Century American Poets1. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow(1)I Shot an Arrow…1. Why did the speaker lose sight of his arrow and song?The arrow flies too swiftly and too far away to be seen by the speaker; whereas the song is naturally invisible.2. In what circumstances did he find them again?He finds them unexpectedly years later from the trunk of a tree and the heart of a friend.3. What do arrow and song stand for in this poem?The images of arrow and song here may stand for friendship.(2)A Psalm of Life1. What kind of person is the speaker of this poem?The speaker is a man of action, always optimistic and cheerful, trying to achieve as much as possible in the short span of life.2. According to the poem, how should our lives be led to overcome the fact that each day brings us nearer to death?We should work harder and live happier.3. Interpret the metaphor of "Footprints on the sand of time" (line 28).The metaphor refers to human deeds in real life.2. Walt Whitman(1)One's Self I Sing1. What is the significance of singing about one's self?It is an exaltation of the individual spirit, which is typical of American people.2. What is the difference between physiology and physiognomy?Physiology is a science that deals with the functions and life process of human beings, whereas physiognomy refers to an art of judging character from contours of face itself or the appearance of a person.3. What does Whitman mean by the term of "the Modern Man"?He means that a man should be free from any prejudice and pride, totally different from the traditional one, that is full of bias.(3)O Captain! My Captain!1. Why is the word "Captain" capitalized throughout the poem?In this poem the word “Captain” specially refers to Abraham Lincoln, president of the United States.2. What overall metaphor does the poet employ in this poem?Life is a journey.3. Why do people on the shores exult and bells ring, while the speaker remains so sad?They welcome the ship returning from its hard trip, whereas the speaker is sad because the captain fails to receive his own honor.3.Emily Dickinson(1) To Make a Prairie …1. What things are needed to "make" a prairie? In what sense can one really do it?Some grass and insects and small animals. People can make a prairie with their imagination.2. How can "revery alone" create a prairie?The prairie stays in one's mind.(2) Success Is Counted Sweetest1. Why is success "counted sweetest by those who ne'er succeed"?Those who have tasted the bitterness of failure would have a keener desire for success.2. Who are "the purple host"?The so-called successful people in the world.3. Who is "he" in the last stanza?Anyone who is pursuing his success.(3) I'm Nobody!1. Who are the "pair of us" and "they" in this poem?The "pair of us" refers to the speaker in the poem and the reader, and "they" refers to the public, especially those in power.2. What does "an admiring bog" really mean?" (line 28).It Implies the vain and empty common people, who are always admiring and pursuing the celebrities.3. What is the theme of this poem?The real admirable life is a secluded and common one.4. Do you want to be "nobody" or "somebody"? Explain your reasons.Different persons would have different answers to this question. Personally, I prefer to be nobody.Unit 17 20th-Century American Poets1. Ezra PoundIn A Station of the Metro1. Why does the poet call the faces of pedestrians "apparition"?These pedestrians are all walking in a hurry amidst the drizzling rain.2. What do "petals" and "bough" stand for?Petals refer to the faces while the bough stands for the floating crowd.2. Wallace StevensAnecdote of the Jar1. What does the jar in poem symbolize? Why does the speaker place it on top of a hill?The jar here symbolizes a certain perspective on looking at this world. If the perspective of the viewing is creative and unique, it will change the conventional order of the old world. When a new perspective comes out, it will certainly hold attention from the rest.2. The jar is "round" and "of a port in air," meaning that it has a stately importance. What effect does it have on surroundings when placed on the ground?Maybe the round jar assumes the air of a domineering figure, which helps to form a certain order out of the disordered surrounding.3. How did the wilderness of Tennessee characterized? What words or phrases does the poet use to describe it?Tennessee seems to a place full of life and energy. “Slovenly,” “sprawl” and “wild” are some of the words used to describe the place. (See Anecdote of the Jar )4.Robert Frost(1)Fire and Ice1. What are the symbolic meanings of fire in this poem?Fire symbolizes natural disaster, human passion, as well as war.2. Why does the speaker say that ice is also great for destruction? Explain what ice stands for here.Ice, oppose to fire, is also a dreadful natural disaster in this world, and ice is always related to indifference, coldness, hatred, and the other negative sentiments of human beings.3. What is your opinion about fire and ice? Which one is more destructive?Both fire and ice can destroy this beautiful world if they are beyond control of human beings. Therefore we should be open-minded and reduce our prejudice and pride so as to keep this world in peace.(2)Stopping By Woods On a Snowy Evening1. In your opinion, what was the reason that made the speaker stop by the woods on a snowy evening?The poet was deeply attracted by the natural beauty of the scene at that very moment.2. Why did the horse give the harness bell a shake?The horse grew impatient by stopping in the middle of the dark, cold woods at midnight. It was eager to go home.3. Why couldn't the speaker stay longer by the woods to appreciate its mysterious beauty?He realized that it was late at night and he would have to hurry home to get some food and sleep, because the next morning he would have a lot of work to do.4. What is the effect of repetition in the last two lines?The refrain-like repetition in the last two lines reminds the reader a simple fact of life: whatever happens, one must go forward in the journey of his or her life.(3) The Road Not Taken1. What is the speaker's initial response to the divergence of the two roads?The speaker is at a loss which road he should choose, and he feels sorry that he cannot explore both roads at the same time.2. Describe the similarities and differences of these two roads. Which one does the speaker take?Two roads are similar except one of them is more “grassy,” which implies that it is less traveled by people. The speaker prefers the less traveled one, because he likes adventure.3. What might the two roads stand for in the speaker's mind?One road stands for the traditional one and the other is unconventional one and full of challenges and difficulties. To follow other people's footsteps or to open a new road for himself is really not an easy decision for us to make in our lives.。

Unit 2 Colle‎g e Press‎u resKey to Exerc‎i se II1. scrib‎b led2. authe‎n tic3. unswe‎r ving‎l y4. savor‎e d5. vener‎a ted6. induc‎e7. intan‎g ible‎8. dimen‎s ion9. visua‎l ize 10. sampl‎e d 11. exhil‎a rate‎d12. accru‎e 13. exhor‎t ed 14. tenac‎i ty 15. pay-off 16. synth‎e size‎17. vacil‎l ated‎18. furti‎v ely 19. sympt‎o mati‎c20. perce‎i ve 21. conta‎g ious‎22. rever‎s e 23. juggl‎e d 24. nurtu‎r e 25. circu‎i tous‎26. poten‎t27. posit‎i vely‎28. inter‎t wine‎d 29. steer‎30. drabKey to Exerc‎i se III1. jets2. job3. ever4. Indee‎d5. cater‎e d6. accus‎e d7. volum‎e8. Too9. quali‎t y 10. matte‎r11. right‎12. need13. low 14. more 15. no 16. speci‎a lizi‎n g 17. viabl‎e18. traff‎i c 19. jostl‎i ng 20. creat‎e d21. resul‎t22. some 23. hover‎i ng 24. backg‎r ound‎25. busin‎e ss 26. inves‎t ed 27. apart‎28. list29. time 30. In-fligh‎t31. atten‎t ion 32. lure33. accen‎t34. Regul‎a r 35. room 36. offer‎e d37. it 38. snatc‎h39. prove‎d40. aircr‎a ft41. impro‎v e 42. are 43. inevi‎t able‎44. beara‎b le 45. there‎46. to 47. proce‎s s 48. passe‎n gers‎49. attra‎c t 50. thems‎e lves‎51. chang‎e52. trave‎l ler 53. fligh‎t54. pract‎i ce 55. busin‎e ssme‎n56. one57. thwar‎t58. passe‎n gers‎59. But 60. airKey to Exerc‎i se IVA lot of the menta‎l angui‎s h of decis‎i on makin‎g 1 ✓comes‎becau‎s e we often‎worry‎in ∧ factu‎a l vacuu‎m. An 2 a endle‎s s numbe‎r of stewi‎n g can be avoid‎e d if we do 3 amoun‎t what all good execu‎t ives‎∧ with a probl‎e m that can't 4 dobe settl‎e d: retur‎n it back for more data. A famou‎s 5 send unive‎r sity‎dean once said, "If I have a probl‎e m ∧ has 6 thatto be faced‎at 3 o'clock‎next Tuesd‎a y, I refus‎e to 7 ✓make a decis‎i on about‎it when Tuesd‎a y arriv‎e s. In the 8 until‎meant‎i me I conce‎n trat‎e on getti‎n g all the facts‎9 ✓that bear ∧ the probl‎e m. And by Tuesd‎a y, if I've got 10 onall the facts‎, the probl‎e m usual‎l y solve‎s by itsel‎f. 11 byBut just gathe‎r ing the facts‎won't solve‎hard 12 theprobl‎e ms. "The probl‎e m in comin‎g up to a firm and 13 upclear‎-sight‎e d decis‎i on," said and old veter‎a n infan‎t ry 14 old comma‎n der and now comma‎n dant‎of the Natio‎n al War 15 ✓Colle‎g e, "is not only ∧ take posse‎s sion‎of facts‎, but 16 to∧ marsh‎a l them in good order‎. In the army, we train‎17 toour leade‎r s to draw up ∧ we call an Estim‎a te of the 18 what Situa‎t ion. At first‎, they must know their‎objec‎t ive. 19 At Excep‎t you know what you want, you can't possi‎b ly 20 unles‎sdecid‎e how to get it. Secon‎d, we teach‎them to consi‎d er 21 ✓alter‎n ate means‎of attai‎n ing that objec‎t ive. 22 alter‎n ativ‎e Very rarel‎y that a goal, milit‎a ry or any other‎, can 23 thatbe reali‎z ed in only one way. Next we line up ∧ pros 24 theand cons of each alter‎n ativ‎e, as far as we can see ∧. 25 them Then we choos‎e the cause‎that appea‎r s most likel‎y to 26 cours‎e achie‎v e the resul‎t s we want. Furth‎e rmor‎e that does 27 Furth‎e rmor‎e not guara‎n tee succe‎s s. But at least‎it allow‎s us to 28 ✓decid‎e as intel‎l igen‎t as the situa‎t ion permi‎t s. It 29 intel‎l igen‎t ly preve‎n ts us from going‎of on a half-baked‎hunch‎that 30 offmay turn out to be disas‎t rous‎.Key to Exerc‎i se V1.I was reall‎y up the creek‎when I went into the depar‎t ment‎store‎and found‎that I had no money‎with me.2.Goods‎were pilin‎g up at the docks‎becau‎s e the worke‎r s had gone on strik‎e again‎s t terri‎b le worki‎n g condi‎t ions‎.3.As a membe‎r of the Secre‎t aria‎t of the Centr‎a l Commi‎t tee of the Worke‎r s' Party‎, Huang‎was privy‎to many top state‎secre‎t s.4.Peopl‎e want their‎wages‎to catch‎up with the price‎hike.5.Diale‎c tica‎l mater‎i alis‎m and histo‎r ical‎mater‎i alis‎m can help us see thing‎s in persp‎e ctiv‎e.6. He asked‎the barbe‎r to thin out his thick‎hair.7.In accor‎d ance‎with the requi‎r emen‎t s of a marke‎t econo‎m y, the State‎Counc‎i l cutback on the numbe‎r of depar‎t ment‎s direc‎t ly invol‎v ed in econo‎m ic manag‎e ment‎. 8.In his first‎speec‎h at the Legis‎l ativ‎e Counc‎i l the Chief‎Execu‎t ive made much ofthe role of high techn‎o logy‎in econo‎m ic devel‎o pmen‎t.9.I canno‎t conce‎i ve of a blind‎man worki‎n g as a radio‎sport‎s comme‎n tato‎r.10.He shoul‎d have retir‎e d long ago. Why does he still‎hang on to power‎?。

美国文学选读部分习题答案归纳Unit2 Edgar Allan Poe1) Who is the narrator? What wrong does he want to redress?It is Montresor. Fortunato has given Montresor thousands of injuries that he has to bear before he has this opportunity of taking revenge.2) What is the pretext Montresor uses to lure Fortunado to his wine cellar?He claims that he has just got a cask of Amontilado and stores it in the wine cellar before he may find a connoisseur to testify to its authenticity.3) What happens to Fortunado in the end?The deceived Fortunado is killed because of his inability of getting out of the catacomb.4) Describe briefly how Poe characterizes Mortresor and Fortunado as contrasts.Poe characterizes Mortresor and Fortunado as seemingly contrasting characters chiefly by presenting their identical habit in wine and their different manners towards each other, but actually he intends to show some similarly defective aspects in their nature. The similarity in their nature is also suggested by their names as synonyms in Italian: Mortresor means “fortune” while Fortunado “treasure”. Their defective nature is highlighted when the revenger Mortresor, who is fully prepared on psychological and operating levels, throws the hardly prepared but totally deceived wrong-doer Fortunado into the deep and damp catacomb and blocks up its entrance with huge rocks.Lecture 4 Nathaniel HawthorneQuestions :1.Why is the prison the setting of Chapter 1 ?No matter how optimistic the founders of new colonies may be, they are quick to establish a prison and a cemetery in their “Utopia,” for they know that misbehavior, evil, and death are unavoidable. This belief fits into the larger Puritan doctrine, which puts heavy emphasis on the idea of original sin—the notion that all people are born sinners because of the initial transgressions of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. he is therefore using the prison building to represent the crime and the punishment which are aspect of civilized lifeWhat is the implication of the description of the roses?The rosebush symbolizes the ability of nature to endure and outlast man's activities. The narrator suggests that roses offer a reminder of Nature's kindness to the condemned; for his tale, he says, it will provide either a “sweet moral blossom” or else some relief in the face of unrelenting sorrow and gloom.2.Describe the appearance of Hester Prynne and the attitude of the people towards her.The second paragraph on page 30.The crowd in front of the jail is a mixture of men and women, all maintaining severe looks of disapproval. Several of the women begin to discuss Hester Prynne, and they soon vow that Hester would not have received such a light sentence for her crime if they had been the judges. One woman, the ugliest of the group, goes so far as to advocate death for Hester. 3.What has happened to Hester?As a young woman, Hester married an elderly scholar, Chillingworth, who sent her ahead to America to live.While waiting for him, she had an affair with a Puritan minister named Dimmesdale, after which she gave birth to Pearl.The scarlet letter is her punishment for her sin and hersecrecy.Why does she make the embroidery of the letter A so elaborate?It seems to declare that she is proud, rather than ashamed, of her sin. In reality, however, Hester simply accepts the “sin” and its s ymbol as part of herself, just as she accepts her child. And although she can hardly believe her present “realities,” she takes them as they are rather than resisting them or trying to atone for them.How does this tell us about her character?Throughout The Scarlet Letter Hester is portrayed as an intelligent, capable. It is the extraordinary circumstances shaping her that make her such an important figure.Unit 5 Herman Melville1. What are the stories Ismael tells about Moby Dick?Ishmael compares the legend of Moby Dick to his experience of the whale.He notes that sperm whale attacks have increased recently and that superstitious sailors have come to regard these attacks as having an intelligent, even supernatural origin.In particular, wild rumors about Moby Dick circulate among whalemen, suggesting that he can be in more than one place at the same time and that he is immortal. Ishmael remarks that even the wildest of rumors usually contains some truth.Whales, for instance, have been known to travel with remarkable speed from the Atlantic to the Pacific; thus, it is possible for a whale to be caught in the Pacific with the harpoons of a Greenland ship in it.Moby Dick, who has defied capture numerous times, exhibits an “intelligent malignity”（狠毒）in his attacks on men2. Why does Ahab react so violently against the white whale?First, he lost one of his legs because of the white whale.Second,He considers Moby Dick the embodiment of evil in the world, and he pursues the White Whale，because he believes it his inescapable fate to destroy this evil.Ishmael suggests that Ahab is “crazy”and call him “a raving lunatic.” Do you agree with him? Why or why not?Ishmael describes Ahab as mad in his narration, and it does indeed seem mad to try to fight the forces of nature or God.3. What narrative features can you find in the selected chapter?In the selected charpter, Melville employed the technique of multiple view of his narrative to portray Moby Dick to achieve the effect of ambiguity and let readers judge the meaning.Lecture 6 Herman Melville1.Where indeed did Thoreau live, both at a physical level and at a spiritual level?He lived in a cabin on Walden Pond, which belonged to Emerson’s property.2.Had Thoreau ever bought a farm? Why did he enjoy the act of buying?No, he hadn’t.He avoided purchasing a farm because it would inevitably tie him down financially and complicate his life.Thoreau didn’t see the acquisitio n of wealth as the goal for human existence, he saw the goal of life to be an explor ation of the mind and of the magnificent world around us.He regarded the places as an existence free of obligations and full of leisure.3.Is it significant that Thoreau mentioned the Fourth of Julyas the day on which he began to stay in the woods? Why?Yes, it is.Because The Fourth of July is known as Independence Day,the birthday ot the United States.Here Thoreau uses the day to express his beginning of regeneration at Walden.It also means a symbol of his conquest of being.4.How could you answer the question Thoreau asked at the end of this selection?Unit 7 19th Century American Poets1. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow(1)I Shot an Arrow…1. Why did the speaker lose sight of his arrow and song?The arrow flies too swiftly and too far away to be seen by the speaker; whereas the song is naturally invisible.2. In what circumstances did he find them again?He finds them unexpectedly years later from the trunk of a tree and the heart of a friend.3. What do arrow and song stand for in this poem?The images of arrow and song here may stand for friendship.(2)A Psalm of Life1. What kind of person is the speaker of this poem?The speaker is a man of action, always optimistic and cheerful, trying to achieve as much as possible in the short span of life.2. According to the poem, how should our lives be led to overcome the fact that each day brings us nearer to death?We should work harder and live happier.3. Interpret the metaphor of "Footprints on the sand of time" (line 28).The metaphor refers to human deeds in real life.2. Walt Whitman(1)One's Self I Sing1. What is the significance of singing about one's self?It is an exaltation of the individual spirit, which is typical of American people.2. What is the difference between physiology and physiognomy?Physiology is a science that deals with the functions and life process of human beings, whereas physiognomy refers to an art of judging character from contours of face itself or the appearance of a person.3. What does Whitman mean by the term of "the Modern Man"?He means that a man should be free from any prejudice and pride, totally different from the traditional one, that is full of bias.(3)O Captain! My Captain!1. Why is the word "Captain" capitalized throughout the poem?In this poem the word “Captain” specially refers to Abraham Lincoln, president of the United States.2. What overall metaphor does the poet employ in this poem?Life is a journey.3. Why do people on the shores exult and bells ring, while the speaker remains so sad?They welcome the ship returning from its hard trip, whereas the speaker is sad because the captain fails to receive his own honor.3.Emily Dickinson(1) To Make a Prairie …1. What things are needed to "make" a prairie? In what sense can one really do it?Some grass and insects and small animals. People can makea prairie with their imagination.2. How can "revery alone" create a prairie?The prairie stays in one's mind.(2) Success Is Counted Sweetest1. Why is success "counted sweetest by those who ne'er succeed"?Those who have tasted the bitterness of failure would have a keener desire for success.2. Who are "the purple host"?The so-called successful people in the world.3. Who is "he" in the last stanza?Anyone who is pursuing his success.(3) I'm Nobody!1. Who are the "pair of us" and "they" in this poem?The "pair of us" refers to the speaker in the poem and the reader, and "they" refers to the public, especially those in power.2. What does "an admiring bog" really mean?" (line 28).It Implies the vain and empty common people, who are always admiring and pursuing the celebrities.3. What is the theme of this poem?The real admirable life is a secluded and common one.4. Do you want to be "nobody" or "somebody"? Explain your reasons.Different persons would have different answers to this question. Personally, I prefer to be nobody.Unit 17 20th-Century American Poets1. Ezra PoundIn A Station of the Metro1. Why does the poet call the faces of pedestrians "apparition"?These pedestrians are all walking in a hurry amidst the drizzling rain.2. What do "petals" and "bough" stand for?Petals refer to the faces while the bough stands for the floating crowd.2. Wallace StevensAnecdote of the Jar1. What does the jar in poem symbolize? Why does the speaker place it on top of a hill?The jar here symbolizes a certain perspective on looking at this world. If the perspective of the viewing is creative and unique, it will change the conventional order of the old world. When a new perspective comes out, it will certainly hold attention from the rest.2. The jar is "round" and "of a port in air," meaning that it hasa stately importance. What effect does it have on surroundings when placed on the ground?Maybe the round jar assumes the air of a domineering figure, which helps to form a certain order out of the disordered surrounding.3. How did the wilderness of Tennessee characterized? What words or phrases does the poet use to describe it?Tennessee seems to a place full of life and energy. “Slovenly,” “sprawl” and “wild” are some of the words used to des cribe the place. (See Anecdote of the Jar )4.Robert Frost(1)Fire and Ice1. What are the symbolic meanings of fire in this poem?Fire symbolizes natural disaster, human passion, as well as war.2. Why does the speaker say that ice is also great for destruction? Explain what ice stands for here.Ice, oppose to fire, is also a dreadful natural disaster in this world, and ice is always related to indifference, coldness, hatred, and the other negative sentiments of human beings.3. What is your opinion about fire and ice? Which one is more destructive?Both fire and ice can destroy this beautiful world if they are beyond control of human beings. Therefore we should be open-minded and reduce our prejudice and pride so as to keep this world in peace.(2)Stopping By Woods On a Snowy Evening1. In your opinion, what was the reason that made the speaker stop by the woods on a snowy evening?The poet was deeply attracted by the natural beauty of the scene at that very moment.2. Why did the horse give the harness bell a shake?The horse grew impatient by stopping in the middle of the dark, cold woods at midnight. It was eager to go home.3. Why couldn't the speaker stay longer by the woods to appreciate its mysterious beauty?He realized that it was late at night and he would have to hurry home to get some food and sleep, because the next morning he would have a lot of work to do.4. What is the effect of repetition in the last two lines?The refrain-like repetition in the last two lines reminds the reader a simple fact of life: whatever happens, one must goforward in the journey of his or her life.(3) The Road Not T aken1. What is the speaker's initial response to the divergence of the two roads?The speaker is at a loss which road he should choose, and he feels sorry that he cannot explore both roads at the same time.2. Describe the similarities and differences of these two roads. Which one does the speaker take?Two roads are similar except one of them is more “grassy,” which implies that it is less traveled by people. The speaker prefers the less traveled one, because he likes adventure.3. What might the two roads stand for in the speaker's mind?One road stands for the traditional one and the other is unconventional one and full of challenges and difficulties. To follow other people's footsteps or to open a new road for himself is really not an easy decision for us to make in our lives.。

美国文学选读第三版课后习题答案陶洁(部分)Unit 1 Benjamin FranklinQuestions1.Why did Franklin write his Autobiography?Franklin says that because his son may wish to know about his life, he is taking his one week vacation in the English countryside to record his past. He also says that he has enjoyed his life and would like to repeat it2.What made Franklin decide to leave the brother to whom he had been apprenticed?His brother was passionate, and had often beaten him. The aversion to arbitrary power that has stuck to him through his whole life .After a brush with the law, Franklin left his brother.3.How did he arrive in Philadephia?First he set out in a boat for Amboy, the boat dropped him off about 50 miles from Burlington, the next day he reached Burlington on foot, in Burlington he found a boat which was going towards Philadelphia, he arrived there about eight or nine o’clock, on the Sunday morning and landed at the Market Streetwharf.4.What features do you find in the style of the above selection? It is the pattern of Puritan simplicity, directness, and concision(言简意赅). The narrative is lucid(易懂的), the structure is simple, the imagery is homely(朴素的).Unit 2 Edgar Allen Poe1.Who is the narrator? What wrong does he want to redress? Montresor.Fortunato, one of wine experts insulted him, so he wanted to murder him.2.What is the pretext he uses to lure Fortunato to his wine cellar?He baits Fortunato by telling him he has obtained what he believes to be a cask of Amontillado a rare and valuable sherry wine.Fortunato is anxious to determine whether or not it is truly Amontillado, so he goes to the vault with Montresor.3.What happens to Fortunato in the end?He was walled up alive behind bricks in a wine cellar.4.Describe briefly how Poe characterizes Montresor and Fortunato as contrasts?Poe uses color imagery to characterize them. Montresor face is covered in a black silk mask, In contrast, Fortunato dresses the motley-colored costume of the court fool, who gets literally and tragically fooled by Montresor's masked motives.The color schemes here represent the irony of Fortunato's death sentence.Through the acts, words, and thoughts of Fortunato,we know He is greedy, he was lured into the dark and somber vaults just because a cask of Amontillado.This is also due to his bad habit of bibulosity(酗酒）. He lost himself on hearing the wine.At the same time, he was cheated by his enemy, which reflected his ignorance.When he heard the pretended compliment from Montresor, he became very boastful and arrogant.He was easily confused by the superficial phenomena and failed to watch out for others. He couldn’t tolerate that others werestronger than him.For example, Montresor always stimulated him with Luchresi who was good at connoisseur（鉴赏）in wine.Under the impulse of vanity, he fell into Montresor’s terrible trap.In fact, he was careless and foolish and didn’t find that the danger was approaching him.He looked down upon Montresor and others.He didn’t realize his foolishness until the death was coming. Talking from the appearance, Monstresor was a well-educated and “kind” businessman.He enjoyed the honor and respect in the city. But in fact, he was an evil and awful person.His inner feelings were so cruel that they even made people tremble.Under his rich appearance was the dirty soul and despicable character.We couldn’t see any glorious virtues in his mind. Instead, his heart was cold and dark.It was the revenge that threw Montresor into the deep evil valley.unit 4 Nathaniel Hawthorne1.Why is the prison the setting of Chapter 1 ?No matter how optimistic the founders of new colonies may be, they are quick to establish a prison and a cemetery in their “Utopia,” for they know that misbehavior, evil, and death are unavoidable.This belief fits into the larger Puritan doctrine, which puts heavy emphasis on the idea of original sin—the notion that all people are born sinners because of the initial transgressions of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. he is therefore using the prison building to represent the crime and the punishment which are aspect of civilized lifeWhat is the implication of the description of the roses?The rosebush symbolizes the ability of nature to endure and outlast man's activities.The narrator suggests that roses offer a reminder of Nature's kindness to the condemned; for his tale, he says, it will provide either a “sweet moral blossom” or else some relief in the face of unrelenting sorrow and gloom.2.Describe the appearance of Hester Prynne and the attitude of the people towards her.The second paragraph on page 30.The crowd in front of the jail is a mixture of men and women, all maintaining severe looks of disapproval.Several of the women begin to discuss Hester Prynne, and they soon vow that Hester would not have received such a light sentence for her crime if they had been the judges.One woman, the ugliest of the group, goes so far as to advocate death for Hester.3.What has happened to Hester?As a young woman, Hester married an elderly scholar, Chillingworth, who sent her ahead to America to live.While waiting for him, she had an affair with a Puritan minister named Dimmesdale, after which she gave birth to Pearl.The scarlet letter is her punishment for her sin and her secrecy. Why does she make the embroidery of the letter A so elaborate? It seems to declare that she is proud, rather than ashamed, of her sin.In reality, however, Hester simply accepts the “sin” and its symbol as part of herself, just as she accepts her child.And although she can hard ly believe her present “realities,” she takes them as they are rather than resisting them or trying toatone for them.How does this tell us about her character?Throughout The Scarlet Letter Hester is portrayed as an intelligent, capable. It is the extraordinary circumstances shaping her that make her such an important figure.Unit5 Herman Melville1.What are the stories Ismael tells about Moby Dick? Ishmael compares the legend of Moby Dick to his experience of the whale.He notes that sperm whale attacks have increased recently and that superstitious sailors have come to regard these attacks as having an intelligent, even supernatural origin.In particular, wild rumors about Moby Dick circulate among whalemen, suggesting that he can be in more than one place at the same time and that he is immortal. Ishmael remarks that even the wildest of rumors usually contains some truth. Whales, for instance, have been known to travel with remarkable speed from the Atlantic to the Pacific; thus, it is possible for a whale to be caught in the Pacific with the harpoons of a Greenland ship in it.Moby Dick, who has defied capture numerous times, exhibits an “intelligent malignity”（狠毒）in his attacks on men2.Why does Ahab react so violently against the white whale? First, he lost one of his legs because of the white whale. Second,He considers Moby Dick the embodiment of evil in the world, and he pursues the White Whale，because he believes it his inescapable fate to destroy this evil.Ishmael suggests that Ahab is “crazy”and call him “a raving lunatic.” Do you agree with him? Why or why not?Ishmael describes Ahab as mad in his narration, and it does indeed seem mad to try to fight the forces of nature or God.3. What narrative features can you find in the selected chapter? In the selected charpter, Melville employed the technique of multiple view of his narrative to portray Moby Dick to achieve the effect of ambiguity and let readers judge the meaning.Unit 6 Henry David Thoreau1.Where indeed did Thoreau live, both at a physical level and ata spiritual level?He lived in a cabin on Walden Pond, which belonged to Emerson’s property.2.Had Thoreau ever bought a farm? Why did he enjoy the act of buying?No, he hadn’t.He avoided purchasing a farm because it would inevitably tie him down financially and complicate his life.Thoreau didn’t see the acquisition of wealth as the goal for human existence, he saw the goal of life to be an exploration of the mind and of the magnificent world around us.He regarded the places as an existence free of obligations and full of leisure.3.Is it significant that Thoreau mentioned the Fourth of July as the day on which he began to stay in the woods? Why? Yes, it is.Because The Fourth of July is known as Independence Day,the birthday ot the United States.Here Thoreau uses the day to express his beginningof regeneration at Walden.It also means a symbol of his conquest of being.4.How could you answer the question Thoreau asked at the end of this selection?Unit 7 19th Century American Poets1. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow(1) I Shot an Arrow…1. Why did the speaker lose sight of his arrow and song? The arrow flies too swiftly and too far away to be seen by the speaker; whereas the song is naturally invisible.2. In what circumstances did he find them again?He finds them unexpectedly years later from the trunk of a tree and the heart of a friend.3. What do arrow and song stand for in this poem?The images of arrow and song here may stand for friendship.(2) A Psalm of Life1. What kind of person is the speaker of this poem?The speaker is a man of action, always optimistic and cheerful, trying to achieve as much as possible in the short span of life.2. According to the poem, how should our lives be led to overcome the fact that each day brings us nearer to death? We should work harder and live happier.3. Interpret the metaphor of "Footprints on the sand of time" (line 28).The metaphor refers to human deeds in real life.2. Walt Whitman(1)One's Self I Sing1. What is the significance of singing about one's self?It is an exaltation of the individual spirit, which is typical of American people.2. What is the difference between physiology and physiognomy?Physiology is a science that deals with the functions and life process of human beings, whereas physiognomy refers to an art of judging character from contours of face itself or the appearance of a person.3. What does Whitman mean by the term of "the Modern Man"? He means that a man should be free from any prejudice and pride, totally different from the traditional one, that is full of bias.(3) O Captain! My Captain!1. Why is the word "Captain" capitalized throughout the poem?In this poem the word “Captain” specially refers to Abr aham Lincoln, president of the United States.2. What overall metaphor does the poet employ in this poem? Life is a journey.3. Why do people on the shores exult and bells ring, while the speaker remains so sad?They welcome the ship returning from its hard trip, whereas the speaker is sad because the captain fails to receive his own honor.3.Emily Dickinson(1) To Make a Prairie …1. What things are needed to "make" a prairie? In what sense can one really do it?Some grass and insects and small animals. People can make a prairie with their imagination.2. How can "revery alone" create a prairie?The prairie stays in one's mind.(2) Success Is Counted Sweetest1. Why is success "counted sweetest by those who ne'er succeed"?Those who have tasted the bitterness of failure would have a keener desire for success.2. Who are "the purple host"?The so-called successful people in the world.3. Who is "he" in the last stanza?Anyone who is pursuing his success.(3) I'm Nobody!1. Who are the "pair of us" and "they" in this poem? The "pair of us" refers to the speaker in the poem and the reader, and "they" refers to the public, especially those in power.2. What does "an admiring bog" really mean?" (line 28).It Implies the vain and empty common people, who are always admiring and pursuing the celebrities.3. What is the theme of this poem?The real admirable life is a secluded and common one.4. Do you want to be "nobody" or "somebody"? Explain your reasons.Different persons would have different answers to this question. Personally, I prefer to be nobody.Unit 8 Mark Twain1: Why do you think Mr.Wheeler is so eager to tell these stories?From Mr.Wheeler’s behaviors and contents of his narration we can know he is so eager to tell these stories.First, when "I" asked him to tell "me" something about W.Smiley, he “ backed me into a corner and blockaded me with his chair, and then sat down and reeled off the narrative”. And during the process of telling his stories, he never paid any attention to others'response to his story and just went on telling what amused him. At last when the listener felt boring and wanted toleave, Mr.Wheeler even didn't notice it and still asked him to sit there listening to him.2: Does his audience share his enthusiasm in telling the stories? No. the audience does not show any interest in Mr.Wheeler’ stories. In fact, the narrator was very feverish about his stories, but ,in the eyes of the listener,the stories were very boring and had nothing to do with his preoccupation. As an educated man, the listener couldn't understand the way of laborers for joy, and he would never bother himself to understand it. So after the long time of Mr.Wheeler’ solo narration and when the audience got a chance, he fled away.3: Do you think the narrator and his listener ever suspect the presence of humor? Why? How do you interpret their interactions?The narrator and his listener never noticed or suspected the presence of humor.During the intercourse,the narrator went vigorously on his monotonous narrative "wihout a little smiling" talking about the animals and the things like ,while the listener felt rather puzzled or bothered by his stories.It seemed to bekind of coarse things. So the two different scenes go on separately without a intersection.And their interaction was a complete failure according toour common sense about communication.But it in this sense produced the effect of humor which can be tasted by our readers due to the skills adopted by Mark Twain .Unit 14 F·Scott Fitzgerald1.Do you think Gatsby deserves to be called “the great”? Why?（1）I think it is too complicated to simply say Gatsby deserves to be ―great‖or not.For one thing, Gatsby was ambitious, hardworking, generous and passionate. He was so extremely loyal to his love and Daisy that he could do anything to get Daisy back: he did shady business to earn money and social position; he threw luxurious parties just to draw Daisy’s attention; he could take the blame for a death that he did not cause.（2）In this respect, he is much ―greater‖than his contemporaries. For another thing, Gatsby never realized that Daisy wasn’t the girl he loved anymore. Gatsby was so innocent that he staked everything on his dreams, not realizingthat his dreams are unworthy of him. He wasn’t sober enough to be great.2.Does “the green light”Gatsby believed in exist in reality? Why or why not ?（1）I think ―the green light‖does not exist in reality. Because the green light which situated at the end of Daisy’s East Egg dock and barely visible from West Egg lawn represents Gatsby’s unattainable dream. Although the color itself can be seen as hope and bright future, Gatsby’s quest for Daisy back is doomed to be impossible. Daisy lived in ―a material world without being real, where poor ghosts, breathing dream like air‖.（2）After five years when Gatsby met Daisy again, the miracle Daisy had lost her original glory. Therefore, there is no delaying that Gatsby’s dream would not come true. In the novel, the green light not only represents that innocent Gatsby looked forward to the future, but also means his longing for the history –his happy past with Daisy. The distinction between ideal and reality was huge. As if American dream between golden past and golden future always suffered from the realistic betrayal and crush.3.What does Gatsby’s Schedule reveal about him and how does it relate to the American Dream?（1）The schedule is a reflection of Gatsby’s determination and ambition. It reveals that he is hard on himself in pursuit of his goal—to be an upper-class man.（2）On one hand, we can know that he is persistent in pursuing his American Dream-- to attain wealth and happiness through his struggle. On the other hand, he is too idealistic and naive.（3）He tries his best to make money and learns everything required to be an upper-class man so that he can get access to his beloved girl.Money is important，but there are other barriers difficult to penetrate. The girl he loves is as vulgar and superficial as others in her circle, she is unable to meets Gatsby’s romantic fantasy. So his dream is destined to shatter, which indicates the disillusion of American Dream.4.When you read the line “He (the man with owl-eyed glasses) took off his glasses and wiped them again, outside and in ,” what images does it create in your mind, given the novel’snumerous references to the strikingly strange scene of the spectacled eyes?（1）From this line , superficially, owl-eyes is a person with thick and blurry glasses who can not see clearly all the things in the world. However, we know he is actually an owl-wise observer and sees more clearly than anyone else in the novel. Owl-Eyes, except Nick, is the only friend to appear at the rain-soaked burial of Gatsby, when others are unwilling to come. He feels sympathy for Gatsby’s tragedy.（2）After reading this line, I cannot help thinking of the Dr.Eckleburg billboard with its huge yellow spectacles in this novel. In many rainy days, Dr. Eckleburg’s eyes are also dimmed and seem blind. But in fact this is a pair of "all-seeing" eyes. The Owl-Eyed Man is similar to Dr. Eckleburg, sadly looking at the people’s life and idealism of this time. Both of them symbolize an uninvolved spectator god. They watch all the activities of the humans. Owl-eyes is the avatar of the sightless Dr. Eckleburg.Unit 16 Ernest Hemingway1. How do you interpret the irony of the title after reading the story?（1）The title ―A Clean Well-Lighted Place‖refers to the caf éin the text. The caféwas very clean and well- lighted. From the literary meaning, we may feel this place was very warm and comfortable, was a place where people need warmth wanted to go. So the old man, who was rich but deaf and lonely came here to find warmth and avoided nada. It was the only place he could go and could find some comfort.（2）However, the younger waiter was very selfish. As his wife was waiting him on the bed, he wanted to go home early. Therefore, he refused to offer the old man another cup of wine by the excuse that the business was finished. In fact, there was still an hour from closing time. The younger thought an hour was more important to him than to the old man. The old man needed to leave the only place where he could get far away from nada/ nothing. This café should be warm but the younger waiter forced the lonely and deaf to leave without any sympathy. This is the irony of the title.2. Do you think youth and confidence can help one withstand the metaphorical dark？Why or why not? （1）I don’t thinkso.In our opinion, the metaphorical dark means nada，nothing in one’s inner heart. In the article, the younger waiter had both youth and confidence; however, he never made full use of them. As we can see, he didn’t understand the old man’s suicide and excessive drinking, and failed to see his tomorrow through the old man’s present situation.（2）What’s more, he had no idea that youth is not permanent, which cannot guarantee love and work. From above, there is no denying that he didn’t realize his nada. Therefore, his youth and confidence never contributed to withstanding his metaphorical dark.（3）I think that, nowadays, youth and confidence do can help to withstand the metaphorical dark, for one can bravely face the reality and overcome the nada with youth and confidence. But they only serve as two main factors. In fact, we need some other factors such as courage, dignity and so on if we want to withstand the metaphorical dark successfully.3.The older waiter said to the younger waiter:“We are of two different kinds.”In what way do you think they are different?（1）I think they are different from each other in the following four aspects：In the beginning, they are in different ages.The older waiter was in his middle age; while the other was much younger.（2）Then, they have different attitudes towards the old man. From the article, we know the older waiter had suffered a lot. He had maintained a clean and well-lighted place in his heart, and he could understand the old man and show sympathy to him. However, the young man was very selfish. He wanted to go home early so that he finished the business one hour earlier and forced the old man to leave. He showed hatred rather than sympathy to the old man.（3）Next, they have different attitudes towards life. The older waiter had a deep sense of life. He was brave and wanted to fight again nada. Besides, he cared about others. The younger one was totally different; he has a shadow understanding of life. He satisfied with his present love and work, he only care about himself and was reluctant to take others into consideration. He even never thought of his future.（4）Finally, they have different attitudes towards nada. The older waiter had realized that it is impossible to avoid nada in one’s whole life. The only thing hecan do is to keep a kind of clearness in his own mind. So he was willing to work late for the lonely old man and was pleased to help those who are suffering nada. But out of youth and confidence, he failed to overcome nada. On the contrary, the younger waiter had the two most important factors for withstanding nada; however, he didn’t realize the nada in his heart at all. Then his youth and confidence became useless.Unit 17 20th -Century American Poets1. Ezra Pound In A Station of the Metro1. Why does the poet call the faces of pedestrians "apparition"?These pedestrians are all walking in a hurry amidst the drizzling rain.2. What do "petals" and "bough" stand for? Petals refer to the faces while the bough stands for the floating crowd.2. Wallace Stevens Anecdote of the Jar1. What does the jar in poem symbolize? Why does the speaker place it on top of a hill? The jar here symbolizes a certainperspective on looking at this world. If the perspective of the viewing is creative and unique, it will change the conventional order of the old world. When a new perspective comes out, it will certainly hold attention from the rest.2. The jar is "round" and "of a port in air," meaning that it has a stately importance. What effect does it have on surroundings when placed on the ground? Maybe the round jar assumes the air of a domineering figure, which helps to form a certain order out of the disordered surrounding.3. How did the wilderness of Tennessee characterized? What words or phrases does the poet use to describe it? Tennessee seems to a place full of life and energy. “Slovenly,” “sprawl” and “wild” are some of the words used to describe the place. (See Anecdote of the Jar )4.Robert Frost(1)Fire and Ice1. What are the symbolic meanings of fire in this poem? Fire symbolizes natural disaster, human passion, as well as war.2. Why does the speaker say that ice is also great for destruction? Explain what ice stands for here. Ice, oppose to fire, is also a dreadful natural disaster in this world, and ice is always related to indifference, coldness, hatred, and the other negative sentiments of human beings.3. What is your opinion about fire and ice? Which one is more destructive? Both fire and ice can destroy this beautiful world if they are beyond control of human beings. Therefore we should be open-minded and reduce our prejudice and pride so as to keep this world in peace.(2)Stopping By Woods On a Snowy Evening1. In your opinion, what was the reason that made the speaker stop by the woods on a snowy evening? The poet was deeply attracted by the natural beauty of the scene at that very moment.2. Why did the horse give the harness bell a shake? The horse grew impatient by stopping in the middle of the dark, cold woods at midnight. It was eager to go home.3. Why couldn't the speaker stay longer by the woods to appreciate its mysterious beauty? He realized that it was lateat night and he would have to hurry home to get some food and sleep, because the next morning he would have a lot of work to do.4. What is the effect of repetition in the last two lines? The refrain-like repetition in the last two lines reminds the reader a simple fact of life: whatever happens, one must go forward in the journey of his or her life.(3) The Road Not Taken1. What is the speaker's initial response to the divergence of the two roads? The speaker is at a loss which road he should choose, and he feels sorry that he cannot explore both roads at the same time.2. Describe the similarities and differences of these two roads. Which one does the speaker take? Two roads are similar except one of them is more “grassy,” which implies that it is less traveled by people. The speaker prefers the less traveled one, because he likes adventure.3. What might the two roads stand for in the speaker's mind? One road stands for the traditional one and the other is unconventional one and full of challenges and difficulties. Tofollow other people's footsteps or to open a new road for himself is really not an easy decision for us to make in our lives.Unit22 Allen GinsbergAll through the poem, the speaker is addressing to Walt Whitman. Is this poem about Walt Whitman or about modern America?-----from Allen Ginsberg A Supermarket in CaliforniaThe author in this poem wanted to emphasis his theme about showing his respect to the passed age and showing his worry about the corrupt in the part of spirit and society. As we all know, Walt Whitman’s poetry was a revolution in American literature can be seen in the first publication of Leaves of Grass in 1855. His poetry is “free verse” in that the lack of meter and rhyme is known as his major technical innovation. Allen Ginsberg had a highly praise on him. As the movement of Beat Generation, Allen Ginsberg used poetry as weapon to express his own understanding of Beat---beatific and beat down.In this poem, the author wrote the sentence “shopping for images”. What he wanted to buy is the things which were listed by Walt Whitman many years ago. What is in the supermarket? The fresh fruits on the shelf fit the needs of customers and the families. We across a strange statement: shopping for images. How can we shop for images? What he refers to us is still the pure image---“dreaming of your enumerations”. The things on the shelf are the images o f languages in Walt Whitman’s poetry. The language in Walt Whitman’s poetry and the spirit in his poetry are the things which Allen Ginsberg dreamed of. A young America which is full of energy is worth being praised. Allen Ginsberg found the song of himself, the song full of courage and the echo of the real world among Walt Whitman’s work. The meaning of age in this poem is that the nation or the race opens the age which belongs to them and creates the history of them own. To a certain extend, the age singer equals the national singer. The world is the world which has its features of timing and events. This means that the link of combining the world is not the same as the goods on the shelf but the things which contain the world and individual spirits.。

美国文学选读第三版课后习题答案陶洁(部分)Unit 1 Benjamin FranklinQuestions1.Why did Franklin write his Autobiography?Franklin says that because his son may wish to know about his life, he is taking his one week vacation in the English countryside to record his past. He also says that he has enjoyed his life and would like to repeat it2.What made Franklin decide to leave the brother to whom he had been apprenticed?His brother was passionate, and had often beaten him. The aversion to arbitrary power that has stuck to him through his whole life .After a brush with the law, Franklin left his brother.3.How did he arrive in Philadephia?First he set out in a boat for Amboy, the boat dropped him off about 50 miles from Burlington, the next day he reached Burlington on foot, in Burlington he found a boat which was going towards Philadelphia, he arrived there about eight or nine o’clock, on the Sunday morning and landed at the Market Street wharf.4.What features do you find in the style of the above selection?It is the pattern of Puritan simplicity, directness, and concision(言简意赅). The narrative is lucid(易懂的), the structure is simple, the imagery is homely(朴素的).Unit 2 Edgar Allen PoeQuestions1.Who is the narrator? What wrong does he want to redress?Montresor.Fortunato,one of wine experts insulted him, so he wanted to murder him.2.What is the pretext he uses to lure Fortunato to his wine cellar?He baits Fortunato by telling him he has obtained what he believes to be a cask of Amontillado a rare and valuable sherry wine.Fortunato is anxious to determine whether or not it is truly Amontillado, so he goes to the vault with Montresor.3.What happens to Fortunato in the end?He was walled up alive behind bricks in a wine cellar.4.Describe briefly how Poe characterizes Montresor and Fortunato as contrasts?Poe uses color imagery to characterize them. Montresor face is covered in a black silk mask, In contrast, Fortunato dresses the motley-colored costume of the court fool, who gets literally and tragically fooled by Montresor's masked motives.The color schemes here represent the irony of Fortunato's death sentence.Through the acts, words, and thoughts of Fortunato,we know He is greedy, he was lured into the dark and somber vaults just because a cask of Amontillado.This is also due to his bad habit of bibulosity(酗酒）. He lost himself on hearing the wine.At the same time, he was cheated by his enemy, which reflected his ignorance.When he heard the pretended compliment from Montresor, he became very boastful and arrogant.He was easily confused by the superficial phenomena and failed to watch out for others. He couldn’t tolerate that others were stronger than him.For example, Montresor always stimulated him with Luchresi who was good at connoisseur（鉴赏）in wine. Under the impulse of vanity, he fell into Montreso r’s terrible trap.In fact, he was careless and foolish and didn’t find that the danger was approaching him.He looked down upon Montresor and others.He didn’t realize his foolishness until the death was coming.Talking from the appearance, Monstresor was a well-educated and “kind” businessman.He enjoyed the honor and respect in the city. But in fact, he was an evil and awful person.His inner feelings were so cruel that they even made people tremble.Under his rich appearance was the dirty soul and despicable character.We couldn’t see any glorious virtues in his mind. Instead, his heart was cold and dark.It was the revenge that threw Montresor into the deep evil valley.unit 4 Nathaniel HawthorneQuestions :1.Why is the prison the setting of Chapter 1 ?No matter how optimistic the founders of new colonies may be, they are quick to establish a prison and a cemetery in their “Utopia,” for they know that misbehavior, evil, and death are unavoidable.This belief fits into the larger Puritan doctrine, which puts heavy emphasis on the idea of original sin—the notion that all people are born sinners because of the initial transgressions of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. he is therefore using the prison building to represent the crime and the punishment which are aspect of civilized lifeWhat is the implication of the description of the roses?The rosebush symbolizes the ability of nature to endure and outlast man's activities.The narrator suggests that roses offer a reminder of Nature's kindness to the condemned; for his tale, he says, it will provide either a “sweet moral blossom” or else some relief in the face of unrelenting sorrow and gloom.2.Describe the appearance of Hester Prynne and the attitude of the people towards her.The second paragraph on page 30.The crowd in front of the jail is a mixture of men and women, all maintaining severe looks of disapproval. Several of the women begin to discuss Hester Prynne, and they soon vow that Hester would not have received such a light sentence for her crime if they had been the judges.One woman, the ugliest of the group, goes so far as to advocate death for Hester.3.What has happened to Hester?As a young woman, Hester married an elderly scholar, Chillingworth, who sent her ahead to America to live.While waiting for him, she had an affair with a Puritan minister named Dimmesdale, after which she gave birth to Pearl.The scarlet letter is her punishment for her sin and her secrecy.Why does she make the embroidery of the letter A so elaborate?It seems to declare that she is proud, rather than ashamed, of her sin.In reality, however, Hester simply accepts the “sin” and its symbol as part of herself, just as she accepts her child.And although she can hardly believe her present “realities,” she takes them as they are rather thanresisting them or trying to atone for them.How does this tell us about her character?Throughout The Scarlet Letter Hester is portrayed as an intelligent, capable. It is the extraordinary circumstances shaping her that make her such an important figure.Unit5 Herman MelvilleQuestions1.What are the stories Ismael tells about Moby Dick?Ishmael compares the legend of Moby Dick to his experience of the whale.He notes that sperm whale attacks have increased recently and that superstitious sailors have come to regard these attacks as having an intelligent, even supernatural origin.In particular, wild rumors about Moby Dick circulate among whalemen, suggesting that he can be in more than one place at the same time and that he is immortal. Ishmael remarks that even the wildest of rumors usually contains some truth.Whales, for instance, have been known to travel with remarkable speed from the Atlantic to the Pacific; thus, it is possible for a whale to be caught in the Pacific with the harpoons of a Greenland ship in it. Moby Dick, who has defied capture numerous times, exhibits an “intelligent malignity”（狠毒）in his attacks on men2.Why does Ahab react so violently against the white whale?First, he lost one of his legs because of the white whale.Second,He considers Moby Dick the embodiment of evil in the world, and he pursues the White Whale，because he believes it his inescapable fate to destroy this evil.Ishmael suggests that Ahab is “crazy”and call him “a raving lunatic.” Do you agree with him? Why or why not?Ishmael describes Ahab as mad in his narration, and it does indeed seem mad to try to fight the forces of nature or God.3.What narrative features can you find in the selected chapter?In the selected charpter, Melville employed the technique of multiple view of his narrative to portray Moby Dick to achieve the effect of ambiguity and let readers judge the meaning.Unit 6 Henry David ThoreauQuestions1.Where indeed did Thoreau live, both at a physical level and at a spiritual level?He lived in a cabin on Walden Pond, which belonged to Emerson’s property.2.Had Thoreau ever bought a farm? Why did he enjoy the act of buying?No, he hadn’t.He avoided purchasing a farm because it would inevitably tie him down financially and complicate his life. Thoreau didn’t see the acquisition of wealth as the goal for human existence, he saw the goal of lif e to bean exploration of the mind and of the magnificent world around us.He regarded the places as an existence free of obligations and full of leisure.3.Is it significant that Thoreau mentioned the Fourth of July as the day on which he began to stay in the woods? Why?Yes, it is.Because The Fourth of July is known as Independence Day,the birthday ot the United States.Here Thoreau uses the day to express his beginning of regeneration at Walden.It also means a symbol of his conquest of being.4.How could you answer the question Thoreau asked at the end of this selection?Unit 7 19th Century American Poets1. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow(1) I Shot an Arrow…1. Why did the speaker lose sight of his arrow and song?The arrow flies too swiftly and too far away to be seen by the speaker; whereas the song is naturally invisible.2. In what circumstances did he find them again?He finds them unexpectedly years later from the trunk of a tree and the heart of a friend.3. What do arrow and song stand for in this poem?The images of arrow and song here may stand for friendship.(2) A Psalm of Life1. What kind of person is the speaker of this poem?The speaker is a man of action, always optimistic and cheerful, trying to achieve as much as possible in the short span of life.2. According to the poem, how should our lives be led to overcome the fact that each day brings us nearer to death?We should work harder and live happier.3. Interpret the metaphor of "Footprints on the sand of time" (line 28).The metaphor refers to human deeds in real life.2. Walt Whitman(1)One's Self I Sing1. What is the significance of singing about one's self?It is an exaltation of the individual spirit, which is typical of American people.2. What is the difference between physiology and physiognomy?Physiology is a science that deals with the functions and life process of human beings, whereas physiognomy refers to an art of judging character from contours of face itself or the appearance of a person.3. What does Whitman mean by the term of "the Modern Man"?He means that a man should be free from any prejudice and pride, totally different from the traditional one, that is full of bias.(3) O Captain! My Captain!1. Why is the word "Captain" capitalized throughout the poem?In this poem the word “Captain” specially refers to Abraham Lincoln, president of the United States. 2. What overall metaphor does the poet employ in this poem?Life is a journey.3. Why do people on the shores exult and bells ring, while the speaker remains so sad?They welcome the ship returning from its hard trip, whereas the speaker is sad because the captain fails to receive his own honor.3.Emily Dickinson(1) To Make a Prairie …1. What things are needed to "make" a prairie? In what sense can one really do it?Some grass and insects and small animals. People can make a prairie with their imagination.2. How can "revery alone" create a prairie?The prairie stays in one's mind.(2) Success Is Counted Sweetest1. Why is success "counted sweetest by those who ne'er succeed"?Those who have tasted the bitterness of failure would have a keener desire for success.2. Who are "the purple host"?The so-called successful people in the world.3. Who is "he" in the last stanza?Anyone who is pursuing his success.(3) I'm Nobody!1. Who are the "pair of us" and "they" in this poem? The "pair of us" refers to the speaker in the poem and the reader, and "they" refers to the public, especially those in power.2. What does "an admiring bog" really mean?" (line 28).It Implies the vain and empty common people, who are always admiring and pursuing the celebrities.3. What is the theme of this poem?The real admirable life is a secluded and common one.4. Do you want to be "nobody" or "somebody"? Explain your reasons.Different persons would have different answers to this question. Personally, I prefer to be nobody. Unit 8 Mark TwainQuestions1: Why do you think Mr.Wheeler is so eager to tell these stories?From Mr.Wheeler’s behaviors and contents of his narration we can know he is so eager to tell these stories.First, when "I" asked him to tell "me" something about W.Smiley, he “ backed me into a corner and blockaded me with his chair, and then s at down and reeled off the narrative”. And during the process of telling his stories, he never paid any attention to others'response to his story and just went on telling what amused him. At last when the listener felt boring and wanted to leave, Mr.Wheeler even didn't notice it and still asked him to sit there listening to him.Question2: Does his audience share his enthusiasm in telling the stories? No. the audience does not show any interest in Mr.Wheeler’ stories. In fact, the narrator was very feveris h about his stories, but ,in the eyes of the listener,the stories were very boring and had nothing to do with his preoccupation. As an educated man, the listener couldn't understand the way of laborers for joy, and he would never bother himself to understa nd it. So after the long time of Mr.Wheeler’ solo narration and when the audience got a chance, he fled away.Question3: Do you think the narrator and his listener ever suspect the presence of humor? Why? How do you interpret their interactions? The narrator and his listener never noticed or suspected the presence of humor.During the intercourse,the narrator went vigorously on his monotonous narrative "wihout a little smiling" talking about the animals and the things like ,while the listener felt rather puzzled or bothered by his stories.It seemed to be kind of coarse things. So the two different scenes go on separately without a intersection.And their interaction was a complete failure according toour common sense about communication.But it in this sense produced the effect of humor which can be tasted by our readers due to the skills adopted by Mark Twain .Unit 14 F·Scott Fitzgerald1.Do you think Gatsby deserves to be called “the great”? Why?（1）I think it is too complicated to simply say Gatsby deserves to be ―great‖or not.For one thing, Gatsby was ambitious, hardworking, generous and passionate. He was so extremely loyal to his love and Daisy that he could do anything to get Daisy back: he did shady business to earn money and social position; he threw luxurious parties just to draw Daisy’s attention; he could take the blame for a death that he did not cause.（2）In this respect, he is much ―greater‖than his contemporaries. For another thing, Gatsby never realized that Daisy wasn’t the girl he loved anymore. Gatsby was so innocent that he staked everything on his dreams, not realizing that his dreams are unworthy of him. He wasn’t sober enough to be great.2.Does “the green light”Gatsby believed in exist in reality? Why or why not ?（1）I think ―the green light‖does not exist in reality. Because the green light which situated at the end of Daisy’s East Egg dock and barely vis ible from West Egg lawn represents Gatsby’s unattainable dream. Although the color itself can be seen as hope a nd bright future, Gatsby’s quest for Daisy back is doomed to be impossible. Daisy lived in ―a material world without being real, where poor ghost s, breathing dream like air‖.（2）After five years when Gatsby met Daisy again, the miracle Daisy had lost her original glory. Therefore, there is no delaying that Gatsby’s dream would not come true. In the novel, the green light not only represents that innocent Gatsby looked forward to the future, but also means his longing for the history –his happy past with Daisy. The distinction between ideal and reality was huge. As if American dream between golden past and golden future always suffered from the realistic betrayal and crush.3.What does Gatsby’s Schedule reveal about him and how does it relate to the American Dream?（1）The schedule is a reflection of Gatsby’s determination and ambition. It reveals that he is hard on himself in pursuit of his goal—to be an upper-class man.（2）On one hand, we can know that he is persistent in pursuing his American Dream-- to attain wealth and happiness through his struggle. On the other hand, he is too idealistic and naive.（3）He tries his best to make money and learns everything required to be an upper-class man so that he can get access to his beloved girl.Money is important，but there are other barriers difficult to penetrate. The girl he loves is as vulgar and superficial as others in her circle, she is unable to meets Gatsby’s romantic fantasy. So his dream is destined to shatter, which indicates the disillusion of American Dream.4.When you read the line “He (the man with owl-eyed glasses) took off his glasses and wiped them again, outside and in ,” what images does it create in your mind, given the novel’s numerous references to the strikingly strange scene of the spectacled eyes?（1）From this line , superficially, owl-eyes is a person with thick and blurry glasses who can not see clearly all the things in the world. However, we know he is actually an owl-wise observer and sees more clearly than anyone else in the novel. Owl-Eyes, except Nick, is the only friend to appear at the rain-soaked burial of Gatsby, when others are unwilling to come. He feels sympathy for Gatsby’s tragedy.（2）After reading this line, I cannot help thinking of the Dr.Eckleburg billboard with its huge yellow spectacles in this novel. In many rainy days, Dr. Eckleburg’s eyes are also dimmed and seem blind. But in fact this is a pair of "all-seeing" eyes. The Owl-Eyed Man is similar to Dr. Eckleburg, sadly looking at the people’s life and idealism of this time. B oth of them symbolize an uninvolved spectator god. They watch all the activities of the humans. Owl-eyes is the avatar of the sightless Dr. Eckleburg.Unit 16 Ernest Hemingway1. How do you interpret the irony of the title after reading the story?（1）The title ―A Clean Well-Lighted Place‖refers to the caféin the text. The caféwas very clean and well- lighted. From the literary meaning, we may feel this place was very warm and comfortable, was a place where people need warmth wanted to go. So the old man, who was rich but deaf and lonely came here to find warmth and avoided nada. It was the only place he could go and could find some comfort.（2）However, the younger waiter was very selfish. As his wife was waiting him on the bed, he wanted to go home early. Therefore, he refused to offer the old man another cup of wine by the excuse that the business was finished. In fact, there was still an hour from closing time. The younger thought an hour was more important to him than to the old man. The old man needed to leave the only place where he could get far away from nada/ nothing. This café should be warm but the younger waiter forced the lonely and deaf to leave without any sympathy. This is the irony of the title.2. Do you think youth and confidence can help one withstand the metaphorical dark？Why or why not? （1）I don’t think so.In our opinion, the metaphorical dark means nada，nothing in one’s inner heart. In the article, the younger waiter had both youth and confidence; however, he never made full use of them. As we can see, he didn’t understand the old man’s suicide and excessive drinking, and failed to see his tomorrow through the old man’s present situation.（2）What’s more, he had no idea that youth is not permanent, which cannot guarantee love and work. From above, there is no denying that he didn’t realize his nada. Therefore, his youth and confidence never contributed to withstanding his metaphorical dark.（3）I think that, nowadays, youth and confidence do can help to withstand the metaphorical dark, for one can bravely face the reality and overcome the nada with youth and confidence. But they only serve as two main factors. In fact, we need some other factors such as courage, dignity and so on if we want to withstand the metaphorical dark successfully.3.The older waiter said to the younger waiter:“We are of two different kinds.”In what way do you think they are different?（1）I think they are different from each other in the following four aspects：In the beginning, they are in different ages.The older waiter was in his middle age; while the other was much younger.（2）Then, they have different attitudes towards the old man. From the article, we know the older waiter had suffered a lot. He had maintained a clean and well-lighted place in his heart, and he could understand the old man and show sympathy to him. However, the young man was very selfish. He wanted to go home early so that he finished the business one hour earlier and forced the old man to leave. He showed hatred rather than sympathy to the old man.（3）Next, they have different attitudes towards life. The older waiter had a deep sense of life. He was brave and wanted to fight again nada. Besides, he cared about others. The younger one was totally different; he has a shadow understanding of life. He satisfied with his present love and work, he only care about himself and was reluctant to take others into consideration. He even never thought of his future.（4）Finally, they have different attitudes towards nada. The older waiter had realized that it is impossible to avoid nada in one’s whole life. The only thing he can do is to keep a kind of clearness in his own mind. So he was willing to work late for the lonely old man and was pleased to help those who are suffering nada. But out of youth and confidence, he failed to overcome nada. On the contrary, the younger waiter had the two most important factors for withstanding nada; however, he didn’t realize the nada in his heart at all. Then his youth and confidence became useless.Unit 17 20th -Century American Poets1. Ezra Pound In A Station of the Metro1. Why does the poet call the faces of pedestrians "apparition"?These pedestrians are all walking in a hurry amidst the drizzling rain.2. What do "petals" and "bough" stand for? Petals refer to the faces while the bough stands for the floating crowd.2. Wallace Stevens Anecdote of the Jar1. What does the jar in poem symbolize? Why does the speaker place it on top of a hill? The jar here symbolizes a certain perspective on looking at this world. If the perspective of the viewing is creative and unique, it will change the conventional order of the old world. When a new perspective comes out, it will certainly hold attention from the rest.2. The jar is "round" and "of a port in air," meaning that it has a stately importance. What effect does it have on surroundings when placed on the ground? Maybe the round jar assumes the air of a domineering figure, which helps to form a certain order out of the disordered surrounding.3. How did the wilderness of Tennessee characterized? What words or phrases does the poet use to describe it? Tennessee seems to a place full of life and energy. “Slovenly,” “sprawl” and “wild” are some of the words used to describe the place. (See Anecdote of the Jar )4.Robert Frost(1)Fire and Ice1. What are the symbolic meanings of fire in this poem? Fire symbolizes natural disaster, human passion, as well as war.2. Why does the speaker say that ice is also great for destruction? Explain what ice stands for here. Ice, oppose to fire, is also a dreadful natural disaster in this world, and ice is always related to indifference, coldness, hatred, and the other negative sentiments of human beings.3. What is your opinion about fire and ice? Which one is more destructive? Both fire and ice can destroy this beautiful world if they are beyond control of human beings. Therefore we should be open-minded and reduce our prejudice and pride so as to keep this world in peace.(2)Stopping By Woods On a Snowy Evening1. In your opinion, what was the reason that made the speaker stop by the woods on a snowy evening? The poet was deeply attracted by the natural beauty of the scene at that very moment.2. Why did the horse give the harness bell a shake? The horse grew impatient by stopping in the middle of the dark, cold woods at midnight. It was eager to go home.3. Why couldn't the speaker stay longer by the woods to appreciate its mysterious beauty? He realized that it was late at night and he would have to hurry home to get some food and sleep, because the next morning he would have a lot of work to do.4. What is the effect of repetition in the last two lines? The refrain-like repetition in the last two lines reminds the reader a simple fact of life: whatever happens, one must go forward in the journey of his or her life.(3) The Road Not Taken1. What is the speaker's initial response to the divergence of the two roads? The speaker is at a loss which road he should choose, and he feels sorry that he cannot explore both roads at the same time.2. Describe the similarities and differences of these two roads. Which one does the speaker take? Two roads are similar except one of them is more “grassy,” which implies that it is less traveled by pe ople. The speaker prefers the less traveled one, because he likes adventure.3. What might the two roads stand for in the speaker's mind? One road stands for the traditional one and the other is unconventional one and full of challenges and difficulties. To follow other people's footsteps or to open a new road for himself is really not an easy decision for us to make in our lives.Unit22 Allen GinsbergAll through the poem, the speaker is addressing to Walt Whitman. Is this poem about Walt Whitman or about modern America?-----from Allen Ginsberg A Supermarket in CaliforniaThe author in this poem wanted to emphasis his theme about showing his respect to the passed age and showing his worry about the corrupt in the part of spirit and society. As we all know, Walt Whitman’s poetry was a revolution in American literature can be seen in the first publication of Leaves of Grass in 1855. His poetry is “free verse” in that the lack of meter and rhyme is known as his major technical innovation. Allen Ginsberg had a highly praise on him. As the movement of Beat Generation, Allen Ginsberg used poetry as weapon to express his own understanding of Beat---beatific and beat down.In this poem, the author wrote the sentence “shopping for images”. What he wanted t o buy is the things which were listed by Walt Whitman many years ago. What is in the supermarket? The fresh fruits on the shelf fit the needs of customers and the families. We across a strange statement: shopping for images. How can we shop for images? What he refers to us is still the pure image---“dreaming of your enumerations”. The things on the shelf are the images of languages in Walt Whitman’s poetry. The language in Walt Whitman’s poetry and the spirit in his poetry are the things which Allen Ginsber g dreamed of. A young America which is full of energy is worth being praised. Allen Ginsberg found the song of himself, the song full of courage and the echo of the real world among Walt Whitman’s work. The meaning of age in this poem is that the nation or the race opens the age which belongs to them and。