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Hans Christian Andersen is a Danish writer famous for his fairy tales, many of which depict (描述) characters who gain happiness in life after suffering and conflict.
Andersen’s father was a poor shoemaker and his mother worked as a washerwoman. As a child he was highly emotional, suffering all kinds of fears and shame because of his unmanly interests. Encouraged by his parents, he composed his own fairy tales and arranged puppet (木偶) theater shows. At the age of 14, Andersen moved to Copenhagen to start a career as a singer—he had a beautiful voice. He succeeded in becoming associated with Royal Theater, but he had to leave it when his voice began to change. When casually referred to as a poet, he changed his plans and began to write plays, all of which were refused.
In 1822, Jonas Collin, the director of the Royal Theater, gave Andersen a grant to enter the grammar school at Slagelse. In 1827, Andersen gained admission to Copenhagen University, where he completed his education. In 1828 he wrote a shot story on travel, a fantastic tale in the style of the German Romantic writer, E. T. A. Hofmann. He traveled widely in Europe and remained a passionate traveler all his life.
As a novelist, Andersen made his breakthrough with The Improvisatore. The story described a poor boy’s integration (融合) into society, an Ugly Duckling theme of self-discovery. The book gained international success and remains the most widely read of all his works.
In his early collections, Andersen returned to the stories that he had heard as a child, but gradually he started to create his own tales. Most of Andersen’s works were original. Only 12 of his 156 known fairy stories drew on folktales.
The ugliness of the hero or heroine in his stories often conceals (隐藏) great beauty，which is revealed (揭示) after misfortune. Some of Andersen’s tales reveal a positive belief in the victory of the good, among them, The
Snow Queen and The Ugly Duckling, and some end unhappily, like the Little Match Girl. In The Little Mermaid the author expressed a longing for the ordinary life that he had never had. Andersen never married, and he died in his home in Rolighed in 1875.
1.Why did Andersen leave the Royal Theater?
A. He no longer had a beautiful voice.
B. He would rather become a poet than a singer.
C. He wanted to travel abroad instead.
D. He had to go to school to study.
2.Which of the following statements is TRUE about Andersen?
A. Most of his works came from folktales he had heard.
B. The early plays he wrote achieved great success.
C. He had an unhappy life in childhood.
D. His parents were against his effort to compose fairy tales.
3.What did Andersen try to express in The Little Mermaid?
A. Happiness gained after suffering and conflict.
B. The desire for an ordinary life.
C. The failure to fit into society.
D. Great beauty concealed by ugliness.
4.What is the text mainly about?
A. How Andersen led his childhood.
B. How Andersen’s works finally became well-known.
C. The excellent works of Andersen.
D. An introduction to Andersen’s life and works.
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Hans Christian Andersen was a poor boy who lived in Denmark. His father, a shoemaker, had died, and his mother had married again.
Andersen’s father liked to read better than to make shoes. In the evenings, he had read aloud from The Arabian Nights. His wife understood very little of the book, but the boy, pretending to sleep, understood every word.
By day Hans Christian Anderson went to a house where old women worked as weavers. There he listened to the tales that the women told. In those days, there were almost as many tales in Denmark as there were people to tell them.
Among the tales told in the town of Odense, where Andersen was born in 1805, was one about a fairy who brought death to those who danced with her. To this tale, Hans Christian later added a story from his own life.
Once, when his father was still alive, a young lady ordered a pair of red shoes. When she refused to pay for them, unhappiness filled the poor shoemaker’s house. From that small tragedy and the story of the dancing fairy, the shoemaker’s son years later wrote the story that millions of people now know as The Red Shoes.
As a little girl, Hans Christian’s mother was sent out on the streets to beg. She did not want to beg, so she hid under one of the city bridges. She warmed her cold feet in her hands, for she had no shoes. She was afraid to go home. Years later, her son, in his pity for her and his anger at the world, wrote the angry story She’s No Good and the famous tale The Little Match Girl.
Through his genius, he changed every early experience, even his father’s death, into a fairy tale. One cold day his father showed him a white, woman-like figure among the frost patterns. “That is the snow queen,” said the shoemaker. “Soon she will be coming for me.” A few months later he died. And years later, Andersen turned that sad experience into a fairy tale, The Snow Queen.
1.Which of the following is TRUE about Anderson when he was a boy?
A. His father had remarried before he died.
B. His mother was struck by The Arabian Night.
C. He enjoyed listening to stories very much.
D. He would help old weavers with their work.
2.What does the underlined sentence in Paragraph 3 imply?
A. Almost all tales from around the world once had their origin in Denmark.
B. The people in Denmark were very enthusiastic about telling tales.
C. The number of tales in Denmark was exactly equal to that of the people living there.
D. The people in Denmark loved doing nothing but tell stories to each other.
3.How many of Anderson’s fairy tales are mentioned in the passage?
A. 5. B. 6. C. 3. D. 4.
4.It can be inferred from the passage that ______.
A. The Red Shoes was based on a tragedy of Anderson’s family
B. Andersen’s genius as well as his early experience made him successful
C. Andersen was educated at home by his parents because of poverty
D. Anderson wrote The Snow Queen in memory of his parents
5.Which is the best title of the passage?
A. Hans Christian Andersen’s Own Fairy Tales.
B. Hans Christian Andersen’s Family.
C. Hans Christian Andersen’s Bitter Experiences.
D. Hans Christian Andersen’s Considerate Parents.
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Chinese writers seldom win a big prize in the world. One of those prizes is the Hans Christian Andersen Prize, the highest honor in the world that can be given to an author and an illustrator of children's books. No Chinese writer had ever won it, until April 4, 2016, when 62-year-old Cao Wenxuan received the prize. Cao received the honor at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair in Italy.
Patricia Aldana praised Cao’s “deeply humanistic” books. These novels admit that life can be sad for children.
Instilling children with good virtues for the sake of humankind is something that Cao stresses. He said, “It’s time for us to alter our understanding of reading. Books should bring not only joy to young readers, but also have their ideas about life.”
That feature of his works has touched many adults too. “The common choice of the judges, Cao writes beautifully about the lives of children facing great challenges,” said Aldana.
After his success, Cao praised good translation for bringing attention to his work. Chinese children's literature could get high honor in the world if it were correctly translated in a style that could be easily understood, he said.
Other writers, including Jin Bo, have also blamed poor translation as the reason why Chinese literature fails to get honor in the world. Jin was named for the Hans Christian Andersen Prize in 1992, but at that time, he had to translate, in a hurry, several paragraphs from his book to give to the judges. "On one hand, the jury has little knowledge of Chinese authors. On the other hand, it is we ourselves who didn't introduce our work and promote (促进) ourselves enough," he said in a class in 2013.
1.According to the passage, Cao was awarded, because ________.
A. the children in his books are poor
B. he wrote books for children
C. his books are about human kindness
D. he came to the Bologna Children’s Book Fair
2.According to Cao, reading should ________.
A. change the ideas of children on books
B. help kids kill time gladly
C. bring more joy to children
D. make children think actively about life
3.The last paragraph suggests that most Chinese writers ________.
A. poorly translate their books into English
B. failed to get to know the judges
C. didn’t try to introduce their books to foreigners
D. didn’t know how to introduce themselves
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短文填空，每空一词。
Once upon a time, there lived a young boy named Hans Christian Andersen. He was very poor and had a long, ugly nose. All the other children t1. him. But when little Hans grew up, he became an internationally recognized writer. All over the world people of v2. ages and backgrounds know his classic fairy tales.
Nearly 200 years ago, Hans was born in Odense, Denmark. His father was poor but he loved literature and the theater. He often took Hans to the theater with him.
When Hans was only 11 years old, his father died. Hans had to q3. school and work in a tailor’s shop to support his family.
Hans was a very lonely child. He did not play with the other children. When he wasn’t working, he stayed at home, reading books and writing his own stories and plays.
When he was 14 years old, Hans moved to Copenhagen to try to begin a c4. as a singer or actor. The next three years p5. to be very painful and unbearable. He nearly starved to death trying to make a living.
At age 17, he met Jonas Collin, director of the Royal Theater. Collin read one of Hans’ plays and recognized his talent in s6. of Hans’ poor spelling. He helped Hans by getting a scholarship from the king to continue the boy’s schooling.
When he was 23 years old, Hans began his university studies. In 1835, he began writing his famous fairy tales. A7. from the “The Ugly Duckling” and “The Emperor’s New Clothes”, there were still a lot more. His stories are often surprisingly clever and contain deep moral teachings, therefore making him a s8.storyteller all over the world.
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Li Ao, a famous Taiwan writer, TV commentator, historian and lawmaker, arrived in Beijing for his first visit to the mainland in 56 years.
Li, 70, said he was driven not by nostalgia(怀旧) but by curiosity, insisting he did not come to see the old China he had lived in, but rather “to see the new China”.
During a 12-day visit, he will speak to students at three top universities---Peking University tomorrow, Tsing Hua University on Friday and Shanghai’s Fudan University next Monday.
He will meet schoolmates of his former primary school in Beijing, visit the Palace Museum and participate in TV programmes and online chats.
Waving his new passport before departing Monday from Taipei, Li said he was eager to make his first trip since his family left the mainland in 1949.
After visiting Beijing, he will head to Shanghai, where he will give a lecture at Fudan University. After that he will visit Hong Kong and then return to Taiwan on September 30.
Last week, at a conference organized by Hong Kong-based Phoenix Satellite Television, Li said he hoped the trip would promote cultural exchanges across the Taiwan Straits.
Li was born in the city of Harbin in Northeast China and grew up in Beijing. At the age of 14, he moved with his family to Shanghai and from there to Taiwan in 1949.
He is well-known by mainland intellectuals(知识分子) for his satire, sharp commentaries and criticism.
He is also honored as a loyal advocate(拥护者)of China’s reunification(重新统一), which he believes is “irresistible”, and has maintained that the sooner reunification comes, the more beneficial it will be for Taiwan.
In a related development, Peking University authorities say Li will be permitted to read some ancient books, which are rarely shown to the public.
Beijing’s No. 4 Middle School, where Li once studied, also says it plans to give him his student card as a gift. Li published his autobiography(自传) in 2001. His novels include “Mountaintop Love”.
1.What’s the purpose of Li Ao’s visit to the mainland?
A.To drop in on his relatives and friends.
B.To come to see the old China he had lived in.
C.To have a peaceful talk with Chinese government.
D.To see the new China and promote cultural exchanges across the Taiwan Straits.
2.According to the passage, Li Ao will visit the following EXCEPT _______.
A.Nanjing University B.Fudan University
C.Tsinghua University D.Peking University
3.Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?
A.Li Ao moved to Taiwan at the age of 14 from Shanghai.
B.after visiting Shanghai. Li Ao will also visit Hong Kong.
C.Li Ao’s visit to Beijing begins on September 20.
D.Beijing’s No. 4 Middle School is Li Ao’s mother school.
4.Which is the best title for the passage?
A.Famous writer arrives on mainland B.Li Ao, a famous writer
C.Li Ao’s speech to the college students D.A peaceful trip to mainland
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Dr. Black is a professor of chemistry. _______, he is a famous writer.
A. In all B. In brief C. In fact D. In addition
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Messi is famous ________ a football player and he is famous ________ his wonderful skills.
| A．for; as | B．with; for | C．as; for | D．like; as |
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He is famous both _________a novelist and poet but he is more famous_________ his novels.
| A．for; as | B．with; for | C．as; for | D．like; as |
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He is famous both________a novelist and poet but he is more famous________his novels.
A. for; as B. with; for
C. as; for D. like; as
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He is known _____ a scientist and famous _____ his research on rice.
A. for; as B. for; for C. as; for D. as; as
Snow Queen and The Ugly Duckling, and some end unhappily, like the Little Match Girl. In The Little Mermaid the author expressed a longing for the ordinary life that he had never had. Andersen never married, and he died in his home in Rolighed in 1875.