作者：李德志

I

Born near Dublin in 1882, James Joyce was the eldest of the 10 surviving children of John and Mary Jane Joyce. His family slid into near poverty in the process of his growth. James' entire education came at the hands of the Jesuits, who did a better job with him than they may have intended. By the time the young Joyce graduated from University College, Dublin, in 1902, he had decided literature would be his worthy job and his attempt to be famous.

Late in 1904 Joyce departed Ireland with nearly all the narratives(敘述;故事) already stored in his memory. What remained for him to do was transform them into an art that could measure up to his own expectation.

He began writing Ulysses in 1914 and had it brought out on his 40th birthday. It was his most complete attempt yet to tell the difference between literature and life. First of all, Joyce gave up most of the narrative techniques found in 19th century fiction(小說). Ulysses has no clean plot(情節), no series of obstacles(阻礙) that a hero or heroine must overcome on the way to happy ending. The book offers no all-knowing narrator to guide the reader-describe the characters and settings, provide background information, summarize events and explain, from time to time, the story's moral significance. A first reading of Ulysses can thus be baffling and confusing experience.

Ulysses made Joyce famous. It became a source book for 20th century literature. It also expanded permissible subjects in fiction.

1. Based on the passage, which of the following statements is true?

A. James Joyce's mother gave birth to no more than 10 children.

B. Though poor, James Joyce's parents managed to pay for his schooling.

C. James Joyce's achievements came up to the expectations of the Jesuits.

D. When graduating from college, James Joyce was certain what career lay ahead of him.

2. How many years passed from Joyce's beginning writing Ulysses to the publication of the book?

A. 10. B. 8. C. 6. D. 4.

3. What makes Ulysses a great piece of work?

A. One can find in the book almost all the narrative skills in 19th century fiction.

B. It makes it possible for more subjects to be covered in writing fiction.

C. The idea that literature is one thing and life is another can strongly be sensed in this novel.

D. Its moral significance is well stated with the development of the plot.

II

The favorite destination in the United States is the malls, which used to be called "shopping centers". Today, for the people heading for the malls, shopping is the last thing they're thinking of.

There are more than 300 malls in the United States, and the largest one contains more than 200 different shops. Some tourists want to experience what is described as "consumer heaven", so they plan their vacations in the large malls. On the other hand, some malls are planning big entertainment centers to add to their attraction.

Large malls attract tourists, but the small malls in cities and towns are similarly fascinating to locals, especially to teens and seniors. Malls are becoming popular spots for older people to get together for their morning exercise, for they are safe places, protected from the weather, and they are quiet at 7:00 a.m. Also their favorite cafe in the mall provides a suitable place for breakfast. Socializing is also on the minds of teenagers. Kids meet their friends here, walking around and looking at what's on sale. They spend most of the afternoon sitting on the benches outside the food courts, just hanging out with their friends instead of spending a lot of money shopping in the malls.

Some claim that malls serve effective and useful functions(功能) to promote(促進) the economy; they provide chances of jobs and taxes for the government. But others criticize the traffic jams and the poorly-paid jobs in the malls. Still others complain that malls take business away from small stores and local family business. However, we cannot deny their advantages-convenience and lower prices. No wonder malls are a favorite destination for all throughout the Untied States.

4. According to the passage why do people go to malls?

A. They want to do shopping.

B. They go there for socializing.

C. They want to have an experience of shopping in"consumer heaven".

D. All the above.

5. The underlined words "hanging out" in the 3rd paragraph refer to______.

A. spending a lot of time in a particular place

B. doing shopping here

C. chatting with friends in the malls

D. eating out

6. Which of the following is the best title for this passage?

A. The History of Malls

B. Americans Have a Dream

C. It's a Mall World After All

D. The Disadvantages of Malls

[答案與解析]

1. D。本題為一道細節題。根據文章第一段最后一句可推出答案。

2. B。本題為一道計算題。

3. B。本題為一道歸納推理題。《尤里西斯》之所以能成為一部偉大的作品是因為該書促成更多主題涵蓋于小說的寫作中。

4. D。本題為一道歸納題。想買東西、為了社交而前往、想有在購物者天堂購物的經歷都是人們去商店街的原因。

5. A。本題為一道詞義理解題,根據上下文可推出詞意。

6. C。本題為一道主旨題。全文是以商店街為中心展開介紹的。

3

The way people hold to the belief that a fun-filled, pain free life equals happiness actually reduces their chances of ever attaining real happiness. If fun and pleasure are equal to happiness then pain must be equal to unhappiness. But in fact, the opposite is true: more often than not things that lead to happiness involve some pain.

As a result, many people avoid the very attempts that are the source of true happiness. They fear the pain inevitably brought by such things as marriage, raising children, professional achievement, religious commitment (承擔的義務), self-improvement.

Ask a bachelor (單身漢) why he resists marriage even though he finds dating to be more and more satisfying. If he is honest he will tell you that he is afraid of making a commitment. For commitment is in fact quite painful. The single life is filled with fun, adventure, excitement. Marriage has such moments, but they are not its most distinguishing features.

Couples with infant children are lucky to get a whole night's sleep or a three-day vacation. I don't know any parent who would choose the word "fun" to describe raising children. But couples who decide not to have children never know the joys of watching a child grow up or of playing with a grandchild.

Understanding and accepting that true happiness has nothing to do with fun is one of the most liberating realizations. It liberates time: now we can devote more hours to activities that can genuinely increase our happiness. It liberates money: buying that new car or those fancy clothes that will do nothing to increase our happiness now seems pointless. And it liberates us from envy: we now understand that all those who are always having so much fun actually may not be happy at all.

1. According to the author, a bachelor resists marriage chiefly because ________.

A. he is reluctant to take on family responsibilities

B. he believes that life will be more cheerful if he remains single

C. he finds more fun in dating than in marriage

D. he fears it will put an end to all his fun adventure and excitement

2. From the last paragraph, we learn that envy sometimes stems from ________.

A. hatred

B. misunderstanding

C. prejudice

D. ignorance

3. To understand what true happiness is one must ________.

A. have as much fun as possible during one's lifetime

B. make every effort to liberate oneself from pain

C. put up with pain under all circumstances

D. be able to distinguish happiness from fun

4. What is the author trying to tell us?

A. Happiness often goes hand in hand with pain.

B. One must know how to attain happiness.

C. It is important to make commitments.

D. It is pain that leads to happiness.

[答案與解析]

1. A。本題要求學生判斷單身漢拒絕結婚的主要原因。依據文章第三段第一、二句可知本題答案。

2. B。依據文章最后一句可推出嫉妒產生于我們的理解不當,即misunderstanding。

3. D。依據文章第一段第一句和文章最后一句可以看出要理解真正的幸福是什么就必須把fun和happiness區分開來。

4. A。作者的意圖出現在第一段最后一句。