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。

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 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。

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 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 comin g.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 sugge sts 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 life 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” s pecially 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 narratio n 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 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 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.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 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 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. Both of them symbolize an uninvolved spectator god. They watch a ll 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 onl y 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 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.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 enumeratio ns”. 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 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。

当代xx散文名篇选读上册课后答案1 Unit One How to Grow Old Key to Exercise II 1. related 2.melancholy 3. inquire 4. dismal 5. recipe 6. wholesome 7. callous 8.philanthropic 9. justification 10. undue 11. abject 12. contain 13.reced 14. absorption 15. ignoble 16. decay 17. known 18.indifferent 19. weariness 20. contemplative Intensive temperament contradict Key to Exercise III 1. sustained 2. life 3. retire 4. immerse5. activity6. physically7. at8. not9. prolong 10. forms 11.8. latter 9. former 10. fool 11. actually 12. in 13. cheap 14. persuade15. leaves 16. nigh 17. also 18. longer 19. done 20. prepares 21.evacuates 22. into 23. transport 24. this 25. that 26. autumnal 27.promoter 28. for 29. invigorates 30. leave 31. inserted 32. workhorse33. idea 34. switched 35. leaf 36. message 37. keep 38. off 39. way40. enough 41. stayed 42. trial 43. yellow 44. plants 45. use 46. such53. plants 54. to 55. Fruitful Key to Exercise IV Interfere with Basedon Hindu scriptures the system of 8 arranged marriage in India was well established during the Vedic period 4000-1000 B.C. and has been adhered∧by the vast majority of the population. The practice of arranged marriage cuts cross all caste lines and regionalenvironment. Love is∧viewed as an important element in mate selection nor is courtship thought to be necessary as testing the relationship. In fact love 1. to 2. √ 3. across 4. thus 5. rather 6. In 7.together 8. as 9. not 10. √ 11. for 12. a ctually 13. with 14. Then 15. √16. to 17. selection 18. for 19. Critical 20. made 21. reflecting 9 isactually regarded as an uncontrollable emotion which interferes in the use of reason and logicin decision making. Then love is thought to be a disruptive element since it implies a transference of loyalty from the family of orientation through another individual. Thus mate selected by self- choice is seen as endangering for the stability of opposed to the entire joint family. Critically life decisions such as mate selection are decided by responsible members of the family or kin group thus reflect the cultural emphasis on familism as oppose to freedom of the individual.∧It is anticipated that close ties and feelings of affection will develop between the couple following a marriage. Indian 22. opposed 23. However 24. √ 25. a 10 marriages based on romantic love occur among less than 1 of the population.Key to Exercise V for reference only 1. He didnt believe he was cut out for the law but he proved to be a good lawyer. 2. Our son needs a good rest the college entrance examination has taken a great deal out of him. 3. The boss dished out a stream of abuse to the workers even though it was his own mismanagement that had caused a drop in production. 4. The cadre-turned student found it difficult to keep up with the rest of the class in physics. 5. Going against the tide of the world that country has conducted five nuclear tests in succession.The international society will not let it get away with it. 6. Although he said something wrong on certain occasions nothing could take away from his achievements as a historian and a writer. 7. It will be little short of scandalous if a government official visits 11 such a place. 8. The coach rounded off his farewell speech by thanking his players for their close co-operation. 9. After an early breakfast we youth volunteers set to work and dug two drinking wells for the herdsmen. 10. It was fortunate that I kept some money in the bank before the accident. Now I have something to fall back on.。

莎士比亚，简奥斯丁，伍尔夫第一课Question 1♦Heroic Couplet（英雄双韵体）♦It refers to lines of iambic pentameter which rhyme in pairs: aa, bb, cc, and so on.♦The adjective “heroic” was applied in the later seventeenth century because of the frequent use of such couplets in heroic poems and dramas♦This verse form was introduced into English poetry by Geoffrey Chaucer.♦From the age of John Dryden through that of Samuel Johnson, the heroic couplet was the predominant English measure for all the poetic kinds; some poets, including Alexander Pope, used it almost to the exclusion of other metersQuestion 2♦The Knight has the qualities that knights are expected to have, namely, courage, honor, courtesy, loyalty, devotion to the weak and helpless, to the service of women.♦He has taken part in many famous battles and won one victory after another.♦He sits at table in the chair of honor above all nations.♦He fights for his faith.♦Although he is so distinguished and wise, he looks like a maid, modest, meek, not gaily dressed, never saying a vulgar word.Question 3♦Chaucer uses the rhyming couplet, which he introduced from France, in writing his major poems. He is the first great writer to use the dialect of London in writing.♦Chaucer is credited by some scholars as being被一些学者认为是the first author to demonstrate the artistic legitimacy of the vernacular English language英语方言作为文学语言在艺术上的合法性, rather than French or Latin♦Chaucer‟s language is close to modern English. Modern English is descended from Chaucer‟s English.Chaucer raised the language to a higher literary level by writing it with polish and ease.♦Chaucer‟s language is vivid and exact. His poetry is full of vigor and swiftness. His style is flexible. His prose is easy and informal. He uses mild satire when he deals with people‟s foibles and weaknesses第二课bacon♦ 1 According to Bacon, the general counsels, and the plots and marshaling of affairs, come best from those that are learned.♦That is to say, right decisions and judgments over important matters require comprehensive knowledge which is acquired by studies.♦Without a wide range of knowledge, a person cannot digest information, analyze information and take timely measures accordingly.♦2Studies serve for delight, for ornament, and for abilities. But the general counsels, and the plots and marshaling of affairs, come best from those that are learned.♦Studies perfect nature, and is perfected by experience♦There is no stond or impediment in the wit but may be wrought out by fit studies.Studies can train (shape) a person‟s character and make up a person‟s deficiencies. Every defect of the mind may have a special receipt.3This essay analyzes what studies chiefly serve for, the different ways adopted by different people to pursue studies, and how studies exert influence over human character.4The essay is peculiar for its clearness, brevity, and force of expression. The sentences are short, pointed, incisive, and of balanced structures.Conciseness of expression and simplicity of diction are two chief distinguishing features of the prose style of Bacon who was among the earliest of English essayists.MiltonQuestion 1♦To lose the battle does not lose all. They still have the unconquerable will, eagerness for revenge, immortal hate, and courage never to submit or yield.♦With all this, they can overcome all other thingsQuestion 2♦He is defeated in the battle against God, but he does not lose heart.♦He will not bow down to God.♦Instead, he is advising the serpent and followers to rise up again and fight another battle.Question 3♦To bow and sue for grace with suppliant knee and deify his power. To give in to God, to fall down on one‟s knees to beg for mercy submissively, worship God‟s power, become scared for God‟s authority and power, lose confidence.Question 4♦real hero, dare to revolt against the despot, persevering but not discouraged after the failure (Republicans including Milton)ShakespearQuestion 1♦In this soliloquy he compares death to sleep. If the many kinds of sufferings that naturally come to a human being disappear in the “sleep”, then death is what is wished for.♦But there may be dreams in the sleep. That is to say, the worldly sufferings may still occur in the dreams.That is the point at which doubt arises.Question 2♦People would rather bear all the suffering of the world instead o f choosing death to get rid of them because they do not know what the next life would be like. No traveler returns from boundary of the undiscovered country. The unknown sufferings may be more unbearable and more terrible.♦It would be better to bear those ills they have than to fly to others that they know not of.Question 3♦Serious thinking makes people lose their determination.♦Faced with the evil force, Hamlet can neither act in cahoots with it nor overturn and destroy it. He is isolated and helpless. Even if opportunities come, he cannot take them because of his indecisiveness.Here the shortcomings of the newly-arising bourgeoisie are shown. They think too much but do not act or act slowly第三课ben jonson♦1) A kiss in the cup♦2) The lovers express their love between eyes. The cup with a kiss has become a divine drink. The poet would not give his wine in exchange for Jove‟s nectar sup. In the eyes of the poet, the drink brewed with love is the most delicious in the world. Nothing can be compared with the wine♦3) The wreath is a symbol of love. The purpose of sending his lover a rosy wreath is not only to express his love, but to hope that the rose will never fade with the lover‟s love. The l over breathes to the rosy wreath and sends back to the poet. Then a miracle appears: It grows, and smells, but not naturally. It seems that the rosy wreath has produced a magic powerDonneQuestion 1♦The woman doesn‟t reject the flea entrée to her body, y et she denies the advancements of the speaker.The speaker shows the similarities between their lovemaking and the mingling of their blood within the flea. “It sucked me first, and now sucks thee, And in this flea our two bloods mingled be.”♦This argument shows the woman that the same physical exchange, which takes place between her and a flea, is the same type of union that he has in mind. Their act could not be considered a sin because a fleabite isn‟t considered one. This act could not be considered a l oss of innocence because it is so common that if it were to be true, nearly everyone would have lost his or her innocence. Therefore this lady should not be troubled about giving herself to him委身于他before they marry, because their only act is the mixing of their blood.Question 2♦Lines 14 and 15 of stanza 2, “Though parents grudge, and you, we are met, and cloistered in these living walls of jet,” describes how her parents do not accept that what he says is marriage. Her parents are against such a marriage.Question 3♦Three lives refer to you, me and the flea (implying our baby). The speaker argues that if she kills the flee she would be committing murder. She would kill the symbolic marriage realm and the baby.♦In addition to those murders, she would be killing herself.♦When the flea is killed, the speaker purposefully turns to another argument.♦The killing has done no harm to them.♦Likewise, their secret union will do no harm to them.♦They should not worry about their union. Their fears are unnecessary.第四课DefoeQuestion 1♦To think about securing himself against savages or wild beasts.♦To choose a proper place: He consulted four things before pitching his tent: health and fresh water, shelter from the heat of the sun, security from ravenous, a view to the sea.♦To set up a tent and dig a cave♦To avoid the blast of the power by lightning: He made bags and boxes to separate the power.♦To kill goats for food.Question 2To make his sounds reasonable and convincingQuestion 3♦From the creation of the image of Robinson Crusoe by the author, we can see that Defoe took positive attitude towards colonialism.♦His bourgeois outlook manifests itself in the fact that he does not condemn Negro-slavery in his book. Robinson Crusoe stands for a typical 18th-century English middle-class man, with a great capacity for work, inexhaustible energy, courage, patience and persistence in overcoming obstacles, in struggling against the hostile natural environment. He is the very prototype of the empire builder, the pioneer co lonistFielding♦ 1. It serves as the title of chapter 8, which shows how the story is narrated. The narration of the story will follow the classical form of epic.♦ 2. Fielding depicts the combat and villagers in the Homerican style. (See the above)♦ 3. He does not strictly follow the classical form of epic. He uses a mock epic style.♦He tried to retain the grand epical form of the classical works but at the same time keeps faithful to his realistic presentation of common life as it is.♦Throughout, the ordinary and usually ridiculous life of the common people, from the middle-class to the underworld, is his major concern.♦Fielding treats Tom as a complicated, round character. Tom‟s nature is impulsive, but genuine. He showsgreat honor in the way he respects Molly, but he does give into her lust.♦This behavior would be shocking for Fielding's audience, and yet he continues to treat Tom with due deference, noting both his faults and virtues.♦When Tom sends a servant for a side saddle for the disheveled 零乱的Molly, it reveals his respect for people of all classes and positions♦Further, in protecting Molly from her attackers, Tom reveals another element of his character: an intense passion.♦The distinction between appearance (a libertine here) and inward character (a boy defined by respect and virtue) is most important in understanding the book's hero.♦Consider how Molly wears the dress of a lady to hide her pregnancy - it suggests that what we see is not what we get.♦Ironically, she is attacked not for her immoral pregnancy, but for attempting to dress as a lady.♦Fielding…s cynicism is time and again tempered调节，缓和only by his humor and delight in broadly comic and dramatic scenes.♦The fight outside the church is described in detail, with the individuals named to create realism in the scene, almost as a piece of drama.♦ 4. The narrator‟s direct address to the reader breaks the suspension of disbelief in the narrative. He refers to the construction of his text as a story with “sundry similes, descriptions and oth er kind of poetical embellishments润色,” reminding the reader that the novel is an artificial construct. By calling attention to the novel's form, Fielding is able to both explicitly extrapolate its ideas and have fun with its conventions第七课♦Mr. Bennet is an English gentleman with his ove rbearing wife. The Bennets‟ five daughters: the beautiful Jane, the clever Elizabeth, the bookish Mary, the immature Kitty and the wild Lydia.Unfortunately for the Bennets, if Mr. Bennet dies, their house will be inherited by a distant cousin whom they have never met.The family‟s future, happiness and security is dependent on the daughters‟ making good marriages. The main plot is about the five daughters, especially the main character Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy as they deal with matters of upbringing, marriage, moral rightness and education in her aristocratic societyWhat do you think about the characters of Mr. Bennet and Mrs Bennet?♦Mr. Bennet is a cynical person while Mrs Bennet is a philistine and shallow woman. She is a beautiful but empty-headed, snobbish and vulgar woman whose only goal in life is to marry her five daughters to rich, handsome young men. She is often teased by her husbandHow do you understand the first sentence?♦“In want of” and “fortune” are key words in the first sentence. “In want of” refers to “need” instead of “desire”. In another word, it implies objectivity rather than subjectivity. The truth of “a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife” is tested through the Bennet family.♦Another key wor d is “fortune”, suggestive of the primary importance of cash nexus（现金交易关系）in love and marriage. The opening sentence serves as an excellent start for the development of the plot.It is probably one of the most famous first sentences found in fiction.What does the first chapter describe?♦The first chapter describes the parents of the Bennet girls.♦Mr. and Mrs. Bennet are busy considering the prospects of their daughters‟ marriage, shortly after hearing of the arrival of a rich, unmarried young man as their neighbor.♦Mild satire may be found here in the author‟s seeming ly matter-of-fact description of a very ordinary, practical family conversation, though unmistakable sympathy is given to both Mrs. and Mr. Bennet What is the style of the chapter?♦The style is lucid and graceful with touches of humor and mild satire. The conversations are interesting and amusing, and immediately bring the characters to life. The author only inserts her observations occasionallyWhat is the theme of the novel?♦This book tells us a great deal about different attitudes toward marriage in Au sten‟s time.♦Austin satires and criticizes the marriage arranged by the parents of both sides or the marriiages built upon money or wealth.♦Elizabeth‟s attitude, which is not built upon wealth and money, but on spiritual understanding of each other, is praised by the writer.第八课dickens♦Noah Claypole‟s relationship with Oliver illustrates Victorian England‟s obsession with class distinctions.♦The son of destitute parents, Noah is accustomed to the disdain of those who are better off than he.♦Thus, he is relieved to have Oliver nearby, since, as an orphan, Oliver is even worse off than he is.♦Dickens shows that class snobbery is a universal quality, characteristic of the lowest as well as the highest strata of society.♦Moreover, snobbish behavior seems a component of class insecurity.♦The poor mercilessly taunt those who are poorer than they, out of anxious desire to distinguish themselves from those who are even worse off in life♦In protesting the parish‟s treatment of Oliver, Dickens criticizes th e Victorian characterization of the poor as naturally immoral, criminal, and filthy.♦His principal character, Oliver, after all, is virtuous, good, and innocent.♦Although we might expect a criticism of the popular conception of the lower classes to descr ibe many lower-class characters who are essentially good, honest, and hardworking, Dickens does not paint such a simplistic picture.♦The character of Noah, for example, exhibits the same stereotypes that Dickens satirizes in the first several chapters.♦Noah, the son of a drunkard, seems to have inherited all of the unpleasant traits that his father presumably has. Big, greedy, cowardly, ugly, and dirty, Noah is the quintessential Victorian stereotype of the good-for-nothing poor man.♦Oliver‟s attack on No ah is an important moment in the development of his character.♦Most of the time, he is portrayed as sweet, -docile, innocent, and naïve—sometimes to the point of seeming somewhat dim.♦Indeed, it might seem that Dickens, in his fervent desire to exact his Victorian audience‟s sympathy for the poor orphan, exaggerates by making Oliver angelic.♦Oliver‟s fit of rage, however, makes him seem more passionate and human, like an ordinary child.♦Oliver, raised in the workhouse, has never seen a functioning family except for the Sowerberrys, who are childless.♦His sense of familial love and duty is strong enough to compel him to violently come to his mother‟s defense.♦Dickens implies that loyalty to kin, and the desire for the love of a family, is an impulse with which children are born, not one that needs to be learned and nurtured第九课Dover Beach♦What is the tone of the poem?♦What is the theme of the poem?♦Do you think the view of human life presented here is applicable to today‟s world? Why or why not?♦Feelings of isolated loneliness, and fear of the future are the major tone of the poem♦The central theme is that the poet mourns the loss of faith in God, who provided security and meaningfor people in the past, and compares the passing of faith to the ebb of the tide.♦In Arnold‟s world, the pillar of faith supporting society was perceived as crumbling under the weight of scientific development.♦Consequently, the existence of God and the whole Christian scheme of things were cast in doubt.♦Arnold, who was deeply religious, lamented the dying of the light of faith.♦It is rather difficult to say it is true or not for today‟s world. With a positive viewpoint, we can perceive today‟s world as a prosperous and peaceful one. With a negative and critical eye, the wor ld today is full of misery, torture and disbelief, and is as a messy chaos as described in the poemMeeting at nightHow does the poem show the frame of mind 心情of the hero and the heroine? Meeting at night ♦The hero was sailing a boat on the gray sea. The little waves were startled and leaped in fiery ringlets under the moonlight. This image reflects the happy mood of the hero.♦When the boat landed the cove, it slowed down and got stranded on the sand. This suggests the swiftness of the boat and the eagerness of the hero.♦The repetition of the sounds “s” and “sh” produced the sound effect.♦The last four lines form an image of their meeting. It can be seen that the person inside had been waiting with the same eagerness.♦“Scratch” and “spurt” are onomatopoeias, which produced the sound effect of peace and quietude late at night.♦Their joy reached the climax in the last line. They were hugging each other tightly.How do you understand the poem? 早上的分别♦This poem describes the parting of the two after the meeting late at night.♦In the above poem the hero thinks that the joy of love is everlasting, but now he admits that this joy is transient. Love and comfort are not everything for a man. He has a lot of things to do. He should commit himself to his own cause.♦The sunlight travels in a straight line. Compared with the sunlight, the road of his cause is uneven and full of curves.丁尼生What is expressed in the poem?♦This short lyric was written in memory of the poet‟s very dear friend Arthur Hallam whose death was felt very keenly by Tennyson throughout his life. In the poem Tennyson contrasts his own feelings of sadness over the loss of a dear friend first with th e innocent joys of a fisherman‟s boy and of a sailor lad and then with the unfeeling waves of the sea that break upon the shore and with the insensate ships that enter into a harbor. The whole effect is one of genuine personal grief revealed through simple imagery and very musical language.What does stanza 2 describe? How does the poet feel?♦Stanza 2 describes the fisherman‟s boy shouting with sister at play and the sailor lad singing. The gaiety of the people in the setting is in contrast with the poet‟s gloomy feeling. The boy, the girl, and the lad are enjoying themselves despite the inner pains of the poet. The enjoyable setting intensifies the poet‟s mood. He feels more lonely and is plunged into deeper sorrow over the loss of his friend.What is the effect of the repetition of “Break, break, break”?♦“Break, break, break” appears in the first lines in the first and last stanzas. “Break” is a one-syllable word. It is read with much feeling and poignancy. The word easily fills the normal tempo of a metrical foot. “Break, break, break” is repeated for more that has not been mentioned above to be conveyed more clearly. We can see the following lines touch the memory of the experience in which the poet was with his friend.第10课萧伯纳Question 1♦He is afraid to betray his origin.♦He is the son of a Clerkenwell watchmakerQuestion 2♦In this play and in British society at large, language is closely tied with class.♦From a person's accent, one can determine where the person comes from and usually what the person's socioeconomic background is.♦She speaks English so well that they are curious about her and eager to know her identity.♦They stop talking to look at her, admiring her dress, her jewels, and her strangely attractive self.♦Some of the younger ones at the back stand on their chairs to see.♦According to the hostess, there has been nothing like her in London since people stood on their chairs to look at Mrs. Langtry (English actress).Question 3♦Class Distinction. The social hierarchy is an unavoidable reality in Britain,.♦Shaw includes members of all social classes from the lowest (Liza) to the servant class (Mrs. Pearce) to the middle class (Doolittle after his inheritance) to the genteel poor (the Eynsford Hills) to the upper class (Pickering and the Higginses).♦The general sense is that class structures are rigid and should not be tampered with改动, so the example of Liza's class mobility is most shocking.♦The issue of language is tied up in class quite closely; the fact that Higgins is able to identify where people were born by their accents is telling有力的说明.♦British class and identity are very much tied up in their land and their birthplace, so it becomes hard to be socially mobile if your accent marks you as coming from a certain location♦Here Higgins, and through him Shaw, shows that this great difference between human beings can be destroyed. And when this disappears, the class distinction it represents also largely disappears. The flower girl does not have to stay on the curbstone with her basket all her life. To re-make human speech is a method of re-making modern society.第11课WoolfWhat is the function of Big Ben?♦Big Ben is a bell in a clock at the Palace of Westminster. It chimes the hours.♦In the novel, Big Ben suggests the fear of death.♦Thoughts of death lurk constantly beneath the surface of everyday life in Mrs. Dalloway, especially for Clarissa, Septimus, and Peter, and this awareness makes even mundane 平凡的events and interactions meaningful, sometimes even threatening.What is the function of Big Ben?♦Big Ben is a bell in a clock at the Palace of Westminster. It chimes the hours.♦In the novel, Big Ben suggests the fear of death.♦Thoughts of death lurk constantly beneath the surface of everyday life in Mrs. Dalloway, especially for Clarissa, Septimus, and Peter, and this awareness makes even mundane 平凡的events and interactions meaningful, sometimes even threatening.♦Middle-aged Clarissa has experienced the deaths of her father, mother, and sister and has lived through the calamity of war, and she has grown to believe that living even one day is dangerous.♦Death is very naturally in her thoughts, and the line from Cymbeline, along with Septimus‟s suicidal embrace of death, ultimately helps her to be at peace with her own mortality.♦Peter Walsh, so insecure in his identity, grows frantic at the idea of death and follows an anonymous young woman through London to forget about it.♦Septimus faces death most directly. Though he fears it, he finally chooses it over what seems to him a direr alternative—living another day.How is the novel related to the disillusionment of the British Empire?♦English citizens lost much of their faith in the empire after the war. No longer could England claim to be invulnerable and all-powerful. Citizens were less inclined to willingly adhere to the rigid constraints imposed by England‟s class system,which benefited only a small margin of society but which all classes had fought to preserve.♦In 1923, when Mrs. Dalloway takes place, the old establishment and its oppressive values are nearing their end. English citizens, including Clarissa, Peter, and Septimus, feel the failure of the empire as strongly as they feel their own personal failures. The old empire faces an imminent demise, and the loss of the traditional and familiar social order leaves the English at loose ends.What can we see about Englis h Society from Clarissa‟s preparation for the party?♦Woolf strived to illustrate the vain artificiality of Clarissa‟s life and her involvement in it.♦The detail given and thought provoked in one day of a woman…s preparation for a party, a simple social event, exposes the flimsy没有价值的lifestyle of England's upper classes at the time of the novel. How is the stream of consciousness technique used in Mrs. Dallay?♦In literary criticism, stream of consciousness is a narrative mode that seeks to portray an i ndividual‟s point of view by giving the written equivalent of the character's thought processes, either in a loose interior monologue, or in connection to his or her actions♦Stream of Consciousness is an innovative narration technique in the twentieth century to reflect the inner world of the characters and expose the social reality.Virginia Woolf's novel Mrs.Dalloway,which is the sign of maturity of Stream of Consciousness, is the best works of her.Through the use of stream of consciousness, which mainly includes montage, inner monologue and free association, the novel expresses the inner world of the protagonist directly.The story of the novel is of Clarissa Dalloway‟s preparations for a party of which she is to be hostess. She goes around London in the morning, getting ready to host a party that evening. The nice day reminds her of her youth at Bourton and makes her wonder about her choice of husband; she married the reliable Richard Dalloway instead of the enigmatic and demanding Peter Walsh, who will pay her a visit in the evening.♦Clarissa‟s party in the evening is a slow success. It is attended by most of the characters she has met in the book, including people from her past.♦At the party she hears about the suicide of a World War I veteran Septimus, who suffers from “shell shock”, and gradually comes to admire the act of this stranger, which she considers an effort to preserve the purity of his happiness♦With the interior perspective of the novel, the story travels forwards and back in time and in a nd out of the characters‟ minds to construct an image of Clarissa‟s life and of the inter-war social structure。

英美报刊选读考到的课本问题及答案Lesson ElevenIs America’s new declinism for real1. What is the difference between the latest global trends report and the one issued four years ago?The latest report foresees world in which the US plays a prominent role in global events，butthe US is seen as one among many global actors". The report issued four years ago had projected "continuing US dominance".2. What does "new declinism" mean?It means that Americans，especially theintellectuals，think that America is in decline. They have lost the aggressive confidence of the Bush years and the "unipolar moment". It is new because there were times in US history when people had similar thoughts.3. What are the reasons of the new declinism?There are three reasons：First，the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have made it clear that US military supremacy does not automatically translate into political victory. Second，the rise of China and India suggests that America’s days as the world’s largest economy are numbered. Third, the financial crisis has fed the notion that the US is living beyond its means and that something is badly wrong with the American model.4. What does William Wohlforth of Dartmouth College think of the new declinism?He pointed out that America may recover from the new declinism just like before and there may be a resurgence of American confidence.5. Why does the writer think that the new declinism may bemore soundly based than the previous ones?Because he thinks that China may pose more challenge to the US than the Soviet Union and Japan since it has a large size and a record of sustained and dynamic economic growth..6. What do you think of America’s decline? And China’s rise?OpenLesson FifteenLibby Defense Portrays Client as a Scapegoat1. For what was I. Lewis Libby charged?Mr. Libby was charged for perjury and obstruction of justice because he was considered to have lied to investigators. He was charged with five felony accounts of lying to the grand jury and to officials of the Federal Bureau of Investigation who were investigating the leak of Ms. Wilson's name to Mr. Novak.2. How did Libby defend himself on the charges of perjury and obstruction of justice?Mr. Libby said that he believed he first learned about Ms. Wilson in a conversation with Tim Russert of NBC. He also told the grand jury that he had been taken aback by Mr. Russert’s information. He had testified that he did not discuss Ms. Wilson’s identity with Judith Miller，a former reporter for The Times,or with Matthew Cooper of Time magazine.3. How did Mr. Wells defend Mr. Libby?Trying to present the case as hopelessly complicated as possible, Mr. Wells spoke for nearly two and a half hours to leave the jurors in doubt about the validity of the charges. And he asserted that Mr. Libby had become enmeshed in legal difficulty because of White House efforts to protect Mr. Rove.4. Why did the White House intend to protect Mr. Rove?Because Mr. Rove was Mr. Bush’s right-hand man and "was most responsible for seeing the Republican Party stayed in office.”And he had a major role in guiding Mr. Bush's re-election campaign.5. Do you think the Bush administration had distorted intelligence about Iraqi efforts to obtain uranium? Why or why not?Yes，I think so. Because the weapons of mass destruction have not been found up to now.6. How do you understand Mr. Cheney’s words that "Not going to protect one staffer and sacrifice the guy who was asked to stick his neck in the meat grinder because of the incompetence of others?"Mr. Cheney means that he is not going to sacrifice Libby just for the purpose of protecting Mr. Rove.Mr. Cheney means that he is not going tosacrifice Libby just for the purpose ofprotecting Mr. Rove.Lesson EighteenA Race We Can All Win1. What are the different views between the author and some other American politicians on China? Why does he think so?Many American politicians have played tovoters’ economic insecurities by scapegoating China，while the author believes that China is not a threat to America，but an incredible opportunity. Since the author has worked 35 years in the private sector, and has run the nation's largest city for 6 years.2. What does the author see behind the growing Chinese economy?Although China emerges as an economic dynamo，theauthor has also seen the frailties underpinning its system. The increasingly congested roads and polluted air choke its economy and its people. The growth of cities is also exposing other fundamental long-term economic challenges，for instance，the education system is simply not producing enough skilled workers--- engineers，doctors，scientists and mangers. At the same time，health-care costs are skyrocketing.3. What common problems do both China and America meet? Give an example to illustrate how China is solving these problems.Both China and America have congestion，pollution，education, and rising health-care costs.4. Compared with China，what are the advantages for America to solve these problems? Do you agree with the author?The author advocates that America has a system of government that is far less corrupt and far more stable，owing to American democratic politics，free press and open, transparent markets.5. In the author's opinion, how can America meet the challenge?The Americans should prevent themselves from slowing down, which means overcoming the political inertia that has stopped them from investing in the 21st-century infrastructure that they need.6. Do you agree with the author’s opinions about China and the US? Please illustrate your own views with some examples.Open.Lesson NineteenWhy the Monarchy Must Stay1.What was Mr. Churchill’s view on Britain’s system of government? Do you agree withhim?a.he thought it was the best that man had yet devisedthough it was imperfect.b. Open.2. What role does Queen Elizabeth II play? Can she play a better role than an American president in a sense? Explain.a. she, as head of state, carries out ceremonial duties, and takes the political accountability while remaining above politics and taking no sides in any political debate.b. In the author’s view, she can. An American president is also the leader of a political party, so he can’t remain above politics.3. What power does Queen Elizabeth II have/ does Her Majesty have the real power to choose a prime minister? Why or why not?a. she can choose a prime minister, dissolve Parliament and declare war.b. No. she is a figurehead bound by the tradition, constitution and laws of the nation. She does it on the advice of Parliament.4. If the monarchy were abolished, what would things in Britain be like?The government, Parliament, nation, and Commonwealth would be turned upside down. Every nut and bolt of every one of Britain’s major institutions would have to be altered to make way for change.5. Do you know any scandals about some members of the royal family? Be specific.There are a couple of scandals involving the Queen’s sister and children. Apart from Camillagate 卡米拉门and Squidgygate鱿鱼门事件, it was reported that Princess Michael ofKent had an affair with oil tycoon John Ward Hunt, a relative of the fabulously wealthy Bunker Hunt of Houston, U. S. A.6. Why must the monarchy stay? Can it keep a politician from holding all the powers? Do you think the monarchy must go? State the reasons.a. In the author’s view , it has served both the British Empire and the Commonwealth with great distinction. Besides, it is legitimate and accords with traditions.b. Yes, it can, but it is not the monarchy but the parliamentary democracy that can keep a politician from holding all the powers and becoming a dictator.c. It depends. It is the British people that can decide its future.Lesson TwentyThe Coming Conflict in the Arctic1.What issues would the two heads of states discuss at the Lobster Summit atKennebunkport?Putin and Bush spent most of their time at the “lobster summit” discussing how to prevent the growing tensions between their two countries caused by missile defense in Europe and the final status of Kosovo.2. What’s the real purpose of Russia’s claim to the vast area of the ice covered Arctic seabed?The claim is not really about territory, but rather about the huge hydrocarbon reserves that are hidden on the seabed under the Arctic ice cap. Since these newly discovered energy reserves will play a crucial role in the global energy balance as the existing reserves of oil and gas will be depleted over the next 20 years. And the Russian government wants to secure Russia’s long-term dominance over global energy markets.3. Why are the Arctic reserves so attractive to Arctic-rim countries?Because the whole world is in danger of depleting natural resources, and scientists estimate that the Arctic territory contains more than 10 billion tons of gas and oil deposits. That’s why the Arctic reserves will be of such crucial importance to the world’s energy future, though they are still largely unexplored.4. Why doesn’t international Law recognize Russia’s right to the entire Arctic seabed north of the Russian coastline?The U.S. government has b een jealous of Russia’s attempts to project its dominance in the energy sector and has sought to limit opportunities for Russia to control export routes and energy deposits outside Russia’s territory. As a result, it refused to recognize Russia’s claim to the entire Arctic seabed and blocked the anticipated Russian bid.5. What is the viable scientific evidence supporting Russia's claim? What has boosted Russia's claim over the oil- and gas-rich triangle?After a group of Russian geologists taking a six-week voyage to the Lomonosov Ridge, they claimed the ridge was linked to Russian Federation territory. Their research boosted Russia’s claim over the oil-and gas-rich triangle. The latest findings are likely to prompt Russia to lodge another bid at the UN to secure its rights over the Arctic sea shelf.6. What is the US government’s attitude to the Russian claim? Why did President Bush urge the Senate to ratify the Law of the Sea Convention?The US government refused to recognize Russia’s claim and blocks the bid. President Bush urge the Senate to ratify the Lawof the Sea Convention because , if the Senate ratified the Law of the Sea Convention, U. S. would have the same right to claim a 12 mile zone for territorial waters and a larger 200 mile economic zone in the Arctic territory.7. Why did the author say that it promises to be a tough fight?If the Russian government wants to get its Arctic claim approved, it should have a tough diplomatic fight with other countries, especially the U. S. government.。

英语散文选读amodestproposal课后答案1、3．—Will you buy the black car?No, I won't. I will buya(n) ________ one because I don't have enough money. [单选题] *A．cheap(正确答案)B．expensiveC．highD．low2、24．Kitty’s father ______ a policeman since 2 He loves helping people. [单选题] *A．isB．wasC．has been (正确答案)D．have been3、One thousand dollars a month is not a fortune but at least can help cover my living（）. [单选题] *A. billsB. expenses(正确答案)C. pricesD. charges4、_____ the plan carefully,he rejected it. [单选题] *A. To have consideredB.To considerC. Having considered(正确答案)D. Considering5、You can borrow my book, _____ you promise to give it back to me by the end of this month. [单选题] *A.even ifB. as long as(正确答案)C. in caseD. even though6、I don’t like playing chess. It is _______. [单选题] *A. interestingB. interestedC. boring(正确答案)D. bored7、John had planned to leave but he decided to stay in the hotel for _____ two days because of the heavy rain. [单选题] *A. otherB. another(正确答案)C. the otherD. others8、How many subjects are you _______ this year? [单选题] *A. takesB. takeC. taking(正确答案)D. took9、73．The moonlight goes ____ the window and makes the room bright. [单选题] * A．acrossB．through(正确答案)C．overD．in10、What lovely weather,（）? [单选题] *A.is itB. isnt it(正确答案)C. does itD.doesn’t it11、The blue shirt looks _______ better on you than the red one. [单选题] *A. quiteB. moreC. much(正确答案)D. most12、In order to find the missing child, villagers _______ all they can over the past five hours. [单选题] *A. didB. doC. had doneD. have been doing(正确答案)13、Jeanne's necklace was _____ 500 francs at most. [单选题] *A. worthyB. costC. worth(正确答案)D. valuable14、Miss Smith is a friend of _____. [单选题] *A. Jack’s sister’s(正确答案)B. Jack’s sisterC. Jack sister’sD. Jack sister15、45．—Let's make a cake ________ our mother ________ Mother's Day.—Good idea. [单选题] *A．with; forB．for; on(正确答案)C．to; onD．for; in16、There are trees on both sides of the broad street. [单选题] *A. 干净的B. 狭窄的C. 宽阔的(正确答案)D. 宁静的17、—I can’t always get good grades. What should I do?—The more ______ you are under,the worse grades you may get. So take it easy!（）[单选题] *A. wasteB. interestC. stress(正确答案)D. fairness18、36．This kind of bread is terrible. I don't want to eat it ______. [单选题] *A．any more(正确答案)B．some moreC．no longerD．some longer19、95．-Dad, can we walk? ? ? ? ? ? ?the road now?-No,we? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? . We have to wait until the light turns green. [单选题] *A．across, needn’tB．across, mustn’t(正确答案)C．though, can’tD．through, mustn't20、The reason why I didn't attend the lecture was simply（）I got a bad cold that day. [单选题] *A. becauseB. asC. that(正确答案)D. for21、Tony wants _______ a job as a language teacher in China. [单选题] *A. findB. findingC. to find(正确答案)D. to be found22、——Have you（）your friend Bill recently? ———No, he doesnt often write to me. [单选题] *A. heard aboutB. heard ofC. heard from (正确答案)D. received from23、--Jenny, what’s your favorite _______?--I like potatoes best. [单选题] *A. fruitB. vegetable(正确答案)C. drinkD. meat24、Sometimes Americans are said to be _____. [单选题] *A superficially friendB superficial friendC. superficial friendlyD. superficially friendly(正确答案)25、He runs so fast that no one can _______ him. [单选题] *A. keep upB. keep awayC. keep up with(正确答案)D. keep on26、Grandfather lives with us. We all _______ him when he gets ill. [单选题] *A. look after(正确答案)B. look atC. look forD. look like27、If people _____ overanxious about remembering something, they will forget it. [单选题] *A. will beB. would beC. wereD. are(正确答案)28、( )He gave us____ on how to keep fit. [单选题] *A. some advicesB. some advice(正确答案)C. an adviceD. a advice29、Bill Gates is often thought to be the richest man in the world. _____, his personal life seems not luxury. [单选题] *A. MoreoverB. ThereforeC. However(正确答案)D. Besides30、I shall never forget the days（）we worked on the farm. [单选题] *A. when(正确答案)B. whatC. whichD. on that。

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 abouthis life, he is taking his one week vacation in the English countryside to record his past. He also says that he hasenjoyed his life and would like to repeat it2.What made Franklin decide to leave the brother to whomhe had been apprenticed?His brother was passionate, and had often beaten him. The aversion to arbitrary power that has stuck to him throughhis whole life .After a brush with the law, Franklin lefthis brother.3.How did he arrive in Philadephia?First he set out in a boat for Amboy, the boat dropped himoff 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 eightor 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, andconcision(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 wantedto 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 hebelieves to be a cask of Amontillado a rare and valuablesherry 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 andFortunato as contrasts?Poe uses color imagery to characterize them. Montresor face is covered in a black silk mask, In contrast, Fortunatodresses the motley-colored costume of the court fool, whogets literally and tragically fooled by Montresor's masked motives.The color schemes here represent the irony of Fortunato'sdeath sentence.Through the acts, words, and thoughts of??Fortunato,weknow He is greedy, he was lured into the dark and sombervaults 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 andfailed 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 i mpulse 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 wascoming.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 p eople tremble.Under his rich appearance was the dirty soul and despicable character.We c ouldn’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 maybe, 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, whichputs 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. heis therefore using the prison building to represent thecrime and the punishment which are aspect of civilized life What 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 attitudeof the people towards her.The second paragraph on page 30.The crowd in front of the jail is a mixture of men a nd women, all maintaining severe looks of disapproval.Several of the women begin to discuss Hester Prynne, andthey soon vow that Hester would not have received such alight sentence for her crime if they had been the judges.One woman, the ugliest of the group, goes so far as toadvocate 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 Puritanminister named Dimmesdale, after which she gave birth toPearl.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 symbol as part of herself, just as she accepts herchild.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 importantfigure.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 recentlyand that superstitious sailors have come to regard theseattacks 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 remarksthat 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 i n his narration, and it does indeed seem mad t o try to fight the forces of nature or God.3. What narrative features can you find in the selectedchapter?In the selected charpter, Melville employed the technique of multiple view of his narrative to portray Moby Dick toachieve the effect of ambiguity and let readers judge the meaning.Unit 6 Henry David Thoreau1.Where indeed did Thoreau live, both at a physical leveland 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 inevitablytie him down financially and complicate his life.Thoreau didn’t see the acquisition of wealth as the goalfor human existence, he saw the goal of life to be anexploration 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 ofJuly 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 theend 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 bythe 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 ofa 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 a s possible in the short span of life.2. According to the poem, how should our lives be led toovercome 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 oftime" (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 istypical of American people.2. What is the difference between physiology and physiognomy?Physiology is a science that deals with the functions andlife process of human beings, whereas physiognomy refersto an art of judging character from contours of face itselfor 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 thepoem?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 d o 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 toreceive his own honor.3.Emily Dickinson(1) To Make a Prairie …　1. What things are needed to "make" a prairie? In whatsense 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 havea 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 a nd 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 a re 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 thisquestion. Personally, I prefer to be nobody.Unit 8 Mark Twain1: Why do you think Mr.Wheeler is so eager to tell thesestories?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 i nto a corner and blockaded me w ith his chair, and then sat down and reeled off the narrative”. And during the process of telling his stories, he never paid anyattention to others'response to his story and just went on telling what amused him. At last when the listener feltboring and wanted to leave, Mr.Wheeler even didn't noticeit and still asked him to sit there listening to him.2: Does his audience share his enthusiasm in telling thestories? No. the audience does not show any interest inMr.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 todo with his preoccupation. As an educated man, the listener couldn't understand the way of laborers for joy, and hewould never bother himself to understand it. So after thelong 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 suspectedthe presence of humor.During the intercourse,the narrator went vigorously on his monotonous narrative "wihout a little smiling" talking about the animals and the thingslike ,while the listener felt rather puzzled or botheredby his stories.It seemed to be kind of coarse things. Sothe two different scenes go on separately without a intersection.And their interaction was a complete failure accordingtoour common sense about communication.But it in this sense produced the effect of humor which can be tasted by ourreaders 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 Gatsbydeserves 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 doanything to get Daisy back: he did shady business to earnmoney a nd social position; he threw luxurious parties just to draw Daisy’s attention; he could take the blame for adeath that he did not cause.（2）In this respect, he is much ―greater‖ than his contemporaries. For another thing, Gatsby never realizedthat Daisy wasn’t the girl he loved anymore. Gatsby wasso innocent that he staked everything on his dreams, notrealizing 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 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 t o 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, themiracle 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 thatinnocent Gatsby looked forward to the future, but alsomeans 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 inpursuit of his goal—to be an upper-class man.（2）On one hand, we can know that he is persistent inpursuing his American Dream-- to attain wealth and happiness through his struggle. On the other hand, he istoo idealistic and naive.（3）He tries his best to make money and learns everything required to be an upper-class man s o 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 asvulgar and superficial as others in her circle, she isunable to meets Gatsby’s romantic fantasy. So his dreamis destined to shatter, which indicates the disillusion of American Dream.4.When you read the line “He (the man w ith owl-eyed glasses) took off his glasses and wiped them again, outside andin ,” what image s does it create in your mind, given thenovel’s numerous references to the strikingly strangescene of the spectacled eyes?（1）From this line , superficially, owl-eyes is a personwith thick and blurry glasses who can not see clearly allthe things in the world. However, we know he is actuallyan 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 f eels 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 uninvolvedspectator god. They watch all the activities of the humans. Owl-eyes is the avatar of the sightless Dr. Eckleburg.Unit 16 Ernest Hemingway1. How d o you interpret the irony of the title after reading the story?（1）The title ―A Clean Well-Lighted Place‖ refers to the café in the text. The café was very clean and well- lighted. From the literary meaning, we may feel this place was very warm a nd 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. Itwas the only place he could go and could find some comfort.（2）However, the younger waiter was very selfish. As hiswife was waiting him on the bed, he wanted to go home e arly. Therefore, he refused to offer the old man another cup ofwine by the excuse that the business was finished. In fact, there was still an hour from closing time. The youngerthought an hour was more important to him than to the oldman. The old man needed to leave the only place where hecould get far away from nada/ nothing. This café should be warm but the younger waiter forced the lonely and deafto leave without any sympathy. This is the irony of thetitle.2. Do you think youth and confidence can help one withstand the metaphorical darkWhy 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 nevermade f ull use of them. As we can see, he didn’t understand the old man’s suicide and excessive drinking, and failedto 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 withstandinghis metaphorical dark.（3）I think that, nowadays, youth and confidence do canhelp to withstand the metaphorical dark, for one can bravely face the reality and overcome the nada with youthand confidence. But they only serve as two main factors.In fact, we need some o ther factors such as courage, dignityand 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 thefollowing 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 oldman. From the article, we k now 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 e arly so that he finished the business one hour earlier and forced the old man t o 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 andwanted 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 loveand work, he only care about himself and was reluctant totake others into consideration. He even never thought ofhis future.（4）Finally, they have different attitudestowards nada. The older waiter had realized that it isimpossible to avoid nada in one’s whole life. The onlything he can do is to keep a kind of clearness in his ownmind. So he was willing to work late for the lonely old man and was pleased to help those who are suffering nada. Butout 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 thedrizzling rain.2. What do "petals" and "bough" stand for? Petals referto the faces while the bough stands for the floating crowd.2. Wallace Stevens Anecdote of the Jar1. What does the jar in poem s ymbolize? Why d oes the speaker place it on top of a hill? The jar here symbolizes acertain 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 attentionfrom the rest.2. The jar is "round" and "of a port in air," meaning thatit has a stately importance. What effect does it have on surroundings when placed on the ground? Maybe the roundjar assumes the air of a domineering figure, which helpsto form a certain order out of the disordered surrounding.3. How d id 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? F ire symbolizes natural disaster, human p assion, as well as war.2. Why does the speaker say that ice is also great fordestruction? 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 b eings.3. What is your opinion about fire and ice? Which one ismore destructive? Both fire and ice can destroy this beautiful world if they are beyond control of human b eings. Therefore we s hould 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 thespeaker stop by the woods on a snowy evening? The poet wasdeeply attracted by the natural beauty of the scene at that very moment.2. Why did the horse give the harness bell a shake? Thehorse 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 toappreciate its mysterious beauty? He realized that it was late at night and he would have to hurry home to get somefood and sleep, because the next morning he would have alot 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 remindsthe 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 heshould choose, and he feels sorry that he cannot exploreboth roads at the same time.2. Describe the similarities and differences of these tworoads. Which one does the speaker take? Two roads aresimilar except one of them is more “grassy,”　which implies that it is less traveled by people. The speakerprefers 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 roadfor himself is really not an easy decision for us to makein our lives.Unit22 Allen GinsbergAll through the poem, the speaker is addressing to WaltWhitman. Is this poem about Walt Whitman or about modern America?-----from Allen Ginsberg A Supermarket in CaliforniaThe author in this poem w anted 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 inAmerican literature can be seen in the first publicationof Leaves of Grass in 1855. His po etry is “free verse”　in that the lack of meter and rhyme is known as his majortechnical innovation. Allen Ginsberg had a highly praiseon him. As the movement of Beat Generation, Allen Ginsberg used poetry as weapon to express his own understanding ofBeat---beatific and beat down.In this poem, the author wrote the sentence “shopping for images”. What he wanted to buy is the things which werelisted by Walt Whitman many years ago. What is in the supermarket? The fresh fruits on the shelf fit the needsof customers and the families. We across a strange statement: shopping for images. How c an we shop for images? What he refers to us is still the pure image---“dreaming of your enumerations”. The things on the shelf are theimages 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 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。

美国文学选读课后题答案1.Do you think Gatsby deserves to be called “the great”? Why?-------from F.Scoot.Fitzgerald The Great GatsbyGatsby pursuit ―a universe of ineffable gorgeous‖ in his young age. In fact, Gatsby from West Egg insists his Platonic fantasy. He fell in love with the blonde and his ineffable gorgeous ideal is combined with Daisy’s breathing and desire. Daisy becomes the image of ideal in his mind; though she marries Tom and may does not love him, though he can realize her soul full of money and desire, he cannot change his mind which back his love and be together as before. Maybe that is the shining and great part of his soul. Maybe that is the American dream which can show to us. But through the novel, we can have the clear idea that Daisy’s desire was not hi s dream, it is not Daisy’s fault but his dream has giant vitality and energy. His dream is far behind Daisy and everything exists. He does his best to build the perfect world and aim in his mind. So his spirit which pursuits on ideal and dedication is also far behind secular frolicking in the bed. For realizing his dream, he donated himself to mud of money in New York; he showed no interests in wealth itself and the life of debauchery. Just like the lotus lives in the pound around with mud but not be polluted. His soul no doubt is suffering in the social life but without any complain.3.What do “petals” and “bough” stands for?-----from Ezra Pound In A Station of the Metro.First of all, this poem stands the points of economy by Imagism. Every word in this poem has its own unique meaning. For example, the color of black in this poem may represent thetrain’s color, the railway’s color, the pillar’s color or the dim light of the metro station. Ezra Pound was very sensitive to the color and usually used the ir different meanings in his poetry. He used the skill of painting in his process of creating the poem. In this poem, every word is used as the pigment. Petals stand for the mean ing of color from their unique image. The word ―wet‖ brings the feeling of fre sh and bright to the people. And the word ―apparition‖ gives the dim color of pale and weak to the ―faces‖ and ―petals‖. And the author put the petals and faces together let the faces have the feeling of tender and red. Several pretty faces appear in the metro station from the dimly lit, and they become the shining petals in the black bough which was wet by the rain. This transformation is based on our vision, but it also shows that the same point between the quiet nature scenery and the noisy industrial environment. Ezra Pound wants tell us that we can find the beauty everywhere in our daily life. And it also shows the metaphor of Imagism.1.Do you think Gatsby deserves to be cal led “the great”? Why?（1）I think it is too complicated to simply say Gatsby des erves 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 contemporarie s. 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 areunwort hy 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 Eg g dock and barely visible from West Egg lawn represents Gatsby’s un attainable 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 r eal, 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.Wha t 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 lovesis as vulgar and superficial as others in her circle, she is unable to meets Gatsby’s romantic fantasy. So his dream is dest ined to shatter, which indicates the disillusion of American Dream. 4.Whe n 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 numero us 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 sp ectacles 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.1. How do you interpret the irony of the title after reading the story?（1）The title ―A Clean Well-Lighted Place‖ refers to the café in the text. The café was 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 hereto 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 wo rk. 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 twodifferent 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 importantfactors for withstanding nada; however, he didn’t realize the nada in his heart at all. Then his youth and confidence became useless.1. What are the qualities that Granny possesses which helpher live successfully?（1）Granny Weatherall is hard-working and able. She cooks food, keeps a good house for her family. She stays up throughout the night to look after sick horses, sick children or sick black servants.（2）She has endurance and is tough. She is able to face downfalls and frustrations in life. She gets over the jilting by George, herhusband-to-be and later the death of her husband, John. She single-handedly brings up her children, works on the land and keeps a good farm.（3）She is rather proud and will not admit that she is old and weak. She rebukes Cornelia and Dr.Harry for taking care of her. She even gets over the idea of dying when she was 60 years old.2. Does Granny have any weaknesses? If so, what are they?Yes. Her weakness is that she refuses to face the fact that she is badly hurt when George jilts her by not appearing at the wedding. She represses her anger and tries hard to believe she has had a successful life. However, the anger is hidden deep at heart all her life and explodes as she is dying. In a way, she does not have a happy life.3. What intelligent advice and wisdom does Granny give her family?She gives advice to Lydia about how to bring up children, to Jimmy about how to do business, even how to move the furniture to Cornelia.4. Try to reorder the events told in the story as they would have happened in real lif e or as they flashed through Granny’s mind.(1)Sixty years ago, when Ellen Weatherall was young, she was to marry George. But he did not appear at the wedding.(2)She is later married to John, another young man.(3)She then has severalchildren with John—George, Jim, Cornelia, Lydia, and Hapsy.(4)John dies and she has to bring up the children and take care of the house and the land totally on her own.(5)At 60, she pays a farewell visit to each of her children because she thinks she is going to die soon.(6)Now she is 80 and is dying when the story opens.。

英美文学选读中文翻译及重点习题答案美国文学(AMERICAN LITERATURE)第一章浪漫主义时期(The Romantic Period)一、背景知识(Background knowledge)1、历史背景(Historical background)（1）美国清教（2）美国西进运动（3）新英格兰超验主义运动2、主要特点(General characteristics)（1）衍生的美国浪漫主义作品(American Romantic writings as being derivative) （a）强调文学的想象力和情感特质（b）倡导情感的自由表达和人物心理状态的展示（c）颂扬普通人和作为个体的人（d）迷恋历史和异国情调（2）本土的美国浪漫主义作品(American Romantic writings on the native grounds) （a）全国性“西部拓荒”的体验（b）自然/美国山水风光的作用（c）清教道德（d）超验主义哲学二、本时期主要作家(Major writers of the period)A、华盛顿·欧文（Washington Irving,1783-1859）1、观点(Points of view)（1）社会保守主义(Social conservatism)总体上看，欧文是保守主义者。

他不喜欢疆土扩张以及当时席卷整个大陆的政治、文化的急剧变化。

因此通常欧文在故事中以正在不可避免地变化着的美国为背景，并对过去的荣耀和安宁的古老公社生活时时流露出哀惋叹息。

这种对人类万物皆无常，或人生苦短的伤感浸染了欧文的大多数作品。

然而，欧文并不是强求时间停止，或者逆转历史进程，而是暗示人类舍稳求变时丢掉了重要的价值观念。

（2）怀古的文学偏好(Literary preference for the past)在欧文看来，文学想象力应该孕育于有着丰富历史文化的土地之上，具体体现于岁月沉积而成的珍宝中，如破败的城堡、坍塌的塔楼、艺术的珍品、高度文明社会的精妙物件以及远古和当地风俗的古怪意趣。

Unit2 Edgar Allan Poe1)Who is the narrator What wrong does he want to redressIt 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 cellarHe 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 endThe 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 F ortunado “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 : is the prison the setting of Chapter 1No matter how optimistic the founders of new colonies may be, they are quick to establish a prison and a cemetery in their “Utopia,” f or 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 rosesThe 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.the appearance of Hester Prynne and the attitude of the people towards her.The second paragraph on page 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. has happened to HesterAs 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 elaborateIt 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 characterThroughout 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 DickIshmael 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 whaleFirst, 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 notIshmael 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 chapterIn 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 Melvilleindeed did Thoreau live, both at a physical level and at a spiritual levelHe lived in a cabin on Walden Pond, which belonged to Emerson’s property.Thoreau ever bought a farm Why did he enjoy the act of buyingNo, 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.it significant that Thoreau mentioned the Fourth of July as the day on which he began to stay in the woods WhyYes, 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.could you answer the question Thoreau asked at the end of this selectionUnit 7 19th Century American Poets1.Henry Wadsworth Longfellow(1)I Shot an Arrow…1. Why did the speaker lose sight of his arrow and songThe 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 againHe 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 poemThe images of arrow and song here may stand for friendship.(2)A Psalm of Life1. What kind of person is the speaker of this poemThe 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 deathWe 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 selfIt is an exaltation of the individual spirit, which is typical of American people.2. What is the difference between physiology and physiognomyPhysiology 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 poemIn 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 poemLife is a journey.3.Why do people on the shores exult and bells ring, while the speaker remains so sadThey welcome the ship returning from its hard trip, whereas the speaker is sad because the captain fails to receive his own honor.Dickinson(1) To Make a Prairie …1. What things are needed to "make" a prairie In what sense can one really do itSome grass and insects and small animals. People can make a prairie with their imagination.2. How can "revery alone" create a prairieThe 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 stanzaAnyone who is pursuing his success.(3) I'm Nobody!1. Who are the "pair of us" and "they" in this poemThe "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 poemThe 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 forPetals 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 hillThe 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 groundMaybe 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 itTennessee 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 )Frost(1)Fire and Ice1. What are the symbolic meanings of fire in this poemFire 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 destructiveBoth 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 eveningThe 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 shakeThe 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 beautyHe 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 linesThe 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 roadsThe 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 takeTwo 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 mindOne 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.。