Telling Tales about People.docx

1、Telling Tales about PeopleTelling Tales about People One of the most common types of nonfiction, and one that many people enjoy reading, is stories about peoples lives. These stories fall into three general categories: autobiography, memoir, and biography.An autobiography is the story of a persons l

2、ife written by himself or herself. Often it begins with the persons earliest recollections and ends in the present. Autobiography writers may not be entirely objective in the way they present themselves. However, they offer the reader a good look at the way they are and what makes them that way. Peo

3、ple as diverse as Benjarmin Franklin and Helen Keller have written autobiographies. 1Other writers, such as James Joyce，have written thinly fictionalized accounts of their lives. These are not autobiographies，but they are very close to it.Memoirs, strictly speaking, are autobiographical accounts tha

4、t focus as much on the events of the times as on the life of the author. 2Memoir writers typically use these events as backdrops for their lives. They describe them in detail and discuss their importance. Recently，though，the term memoir seems to be becoming interchangeab1e with autobiography. A memo

5、ir nowadays may or may not deal with the outside world.Biographies are factual accounts of someone elses life. In many senses，these may be the hardest of the three types to write. Autobiography writers know the events they write about because they lived them. But biography writers have to gather inf

6、ormation from as many different sources as possible. Then they have to decide which facts to include. Their goal is to present a balanced picture of a person，not one that is overly positive or too critical. A fair well-presented biography may take years to research and write.词汇：backdrop /b k,dr?p/ n

7、. 背景 interchangeable /int? t?end?bl/ adj. 可转换的注释： 1. People as diverse as Benjamin Franklin and Helen Keller have written autobiographies. 就像本杰明 富兰克林和海伦 凯勒一样，各种各样的人们已经写了自传。2. Memoirs，strictly speaking，are autobiographical accounts that focus as much on the events of the times as on the life of the a

8、uthor. 严格意义上来讲，回忆录是既注重作者本身的生活经历，也注重其所处的时代所发生的事件的自传性的描述。练习： 1. This passage is mostly about _.A. the characteristics of autobiographies，memoirs，and biographiesB. famous autobiographiesC. why biography can be difficult to writeD. differences between autobiographies and memoirs2. Helen Keller wrote_.A.

9、 a memoirB. an autobiographyC. a work of fictionD. a biography3. Autobiography writers are not always objective because they_.A. feel they have to make up details to make their books sellB. constantly compete with biography writersC. want to present themselves in a good lightD. have trouble remember

10、ing the good times4. The writer introduces each category in the passage by_.A. defining itB. giving an exampleC. explaining why it is hard to writeD. telling when people first began writing it5. Diverse means_.A. able to swim in deep waterB. similar or alikeC. varied or differentD. enjoying poetry答案

11、与题解： 1. A 本题问的是：这篇文章主要是关于？文章第一句说到最普遍的非小说类文学作品类型之一就是一些来描述人们生活的故事，这些故事大致分为三类：自传回忆录和传记。然后通篇对这三种类型进行了介绍，因此A是正确答案。2. B 本题问的是：海伦 凯勒谢了什么？第二段第5句话写到：就像本明杰 富兰克林和 海伦 凯勒一样，各种各样的人们已经写了自传。因此B是正确答案。3. C本题问的是：自传作者通常不太客观，因为他们？第二段提到：他们给读者提供了一个途径来了解自己比较好的行事风格，因此答案是C，他们想展示自己好的一面。4. A本题问的是：本文的作者通过何种方式介绍每种类型的非小说文学作品？答案是A

12、，通过给每个类型进行定义。5. C本题问的是：diverse 的意思是？其汉语意思为“多种多样的”，因此C正确。The Changing Middle Class The United States perceives itself to be a middle-class nation. However，middle class is not a real designation，nor does it carry privileges.1 It is more of a perception，which probably was as true as it ever could be ri

13、ght after World War II. The economy was growing，more and more people owned their own homes，workers had solid contracts with the companies that employed them，and nearly everyone who wanted a higher education could have one. Successful people enjoyed upward social mobility. They may have started out p

14、oor，but they could become rich. Successful people also found that they had greater geographic mobility. In other words，they found themselves moving to and living in a variety of places.The middle class collectively holds several values and principles. One strong value is the need to earn enough mone

15、y to feel that one can determine ones own economic fate. In addition，middle class morality embraces principles of individual responsibility，importance of family, obligations to others，and believing in something outside oneself. 2But in the 1990s those in the middle class found that there was a price

16、 for success. A U. S.News & World Report survey in 1994 indicated that 75 percent of Americans believed that middle class families could no longer make ends meet 3. Both spouses now worked，as did some of the children; long commutes became routine; the need for child care put strains on4 the family;

17、and public schools were not as good as they once were. Members of the middle cIass were no longer financing their lifestyles through earnings but were using credit to stay afloat. The understanding of just what middle class meant was changing.词汇： designation /dezignei?n/ n. 称号 commute /k?mju:t/ n. 上

18、下班路程mobility /m?ubil?ti/ n. 流动性注释： 1. However，middle c1ass is not a real designation，nor does it carry privileges. 然而，中产阶级既不是一个真实的称号，也不会带来特别待遇。2. In addition，middle-c1ass morality embraces principles of individual responsibility，importance of family，obligations to others，and believing in something o

19、utside oneslf. 另外，中产阶级的道德观包括个人的责任感、家庭的重要性、对他人的使命感以及相信自我以外的事物。3. make ends meet：收支相抵，维持生活4. put strains on：带来压力练习： 1. The information in this passage deals with_.A) an individualB) a social and economic groupC) a political organizationD) government2. A common middle class value is that_.A) people sho

20、uld always have funB) children should be seen and not heardC) debt is nothing to worry aboutD) the family is very important3. ln the years after World War II，the middle class could be defined as_.A) overburdened and in debtB) hard working and suspiciousC) prosperous and optimisticD) young and foolis

21、h4. The phrase “In other words in the first paragraph means that the following statement is_.A) an exception to the previous ideaB) a denial of the previous ideaC) a restatement of the previous ideaD) a contrasting idea5. The word collectively means_.A) as a groupB) hesitatinglyC) unknowinglyD) weak

22、ly答案与题解： 1. B 本题的问题是：本文的信息是关于？本文通篇讲述美国的中产阶级，指的是社会和经济群体，因此选择B。2. D本题的问题是：一个普遍的中产阶级价值观是？本篇第二段最后一句话讲到，“中产阶级的道德观包括个人的责任感、家庭的重要性、对他人的使命感以及相信自我以外的事物”。A、B、C三个选项不包括在内，因此正确答案是D。3. C 本题的问题是：在二战之后的几年，中产阶级可以被定义为，本篇第一段提到了当时美国经济不断增长并且人们生活水平有了提高，因此选择C选项，繁荣并且乐观。4. C 本题的问题是：第一段中的ln other words这个短语与下列说法一致的是，In other

23、words汉语意思是换句话来说，因此正确答案是C。5. A 本题的问题是：单词collectively的汉语意思是“相同地”，选择A。A Letter from Alan I have learnt of a plan to build three hundred houses on the land called Parsons Place by the football ground. Few people know about this new plan to increase the size of our town. For me，Parsons Place is special b

24、ecause it is a beautiful natural area where local people can relax - the small wood has many unusual trees and the stream is popular with fishermen and bird-watchers. Its very quiet because there are few houses or roads nearby. I think that losing this area will be terrible because we have no other

25、similar facilities in the neighbourhood.I am also against this plan because it will cause traffic problems. How will the people from the new houses travel to work? The motorway and the railway station are on the other side of town.Therefore，these people will have to drive through the town centre eve

26、ry time they go anywhere.The roads will always be full of traffic，there will be nowhere to park and the tourists who come to see our lovely old buildings will leave. Shops and hotels will lose business. If the town really needs more homes，the empty ground beside the railway station is a more suitabl

27、e place.No doubt the builders will make a lot of money by selling these houses. But，in my opinion，the average person will quickly be made poorer by this plan. As well as this，we will lose a veryspecial place and our town will be much less pleasant.I am going to the local government offices on Monday

28、 morning to protest about this plan and I hope that your readers will join me there. We must make them stop this plan before it is too late.词汇:facility /f?sil?ti/ n. 场所，设施 protest /pr?utest/ v. 抗议motorway / m?ut?wei / n. 高速公路注释: 1. For me，Parsons Place is special because it is a beautiful natural ar

29、ea where local people canrelaxthe small wood has many unusual trees and the stream is popular with fishermen and bird-watchers. 对我来说，帕森场是非常特别的，因为它是一个美丽的天然场地并且当地人可以在此放松休息。这片小树林里有许多独特的树木并且这里的小溪受到了渔夫和野鸟观察 者的欢迎。2. The roads will always be full of traffic，there will be nowhere to park and the tourists wh

30、o come to see our lovely old buildings will leave. 公路上将总是有很多车辆，却没有地方停车，并且来参观我们这儿可爱的老式建筑物的观光者将会离开这里。3. As well as this，we will lose a very special place and our town will be much less pleasant.不但如此，我们将失去一个非常特别的地方并且我们的城镇将会失去很多快乐。练习: 1. Why has Alan written this letter?A) To persuade the government to

31、build new houses.B) To protest about a new motorway near the town.C) To encourage more people in the town to use Parsons Place.D) To inform other people about the builders plans.2. Why is Parsons Place particularly important，in Alans opinion?A) Because it is near the football ground.B) Because lots of people live near it.C) Because it is a place near the town where people can enjoy nature.D) Because local people can get there easily by car from t