内容预览
第一部分 章节题库（含名校考研真题）
第1章 殖民地时期的美国
I. Fill in the blanks.
1. Hard work, thrift,piety and sobriety, these were the _____ values that dominated much of theearly American writing.
【答案】Puritan查看答案
【解析】清教主义，起源于英国，在北美殖民地得以实践与发展。清教徒强调艰苦奋斗、勤俭节约、虔诚和淡泊。这些价值观也影响了早期的美国文学。
2. The most enduringshaping influence in American thought and American literature was _____.
【答案】American Puritanism查看答案
【解析】美国文化源于清教文化，由清教徒移民时传入北美。美国主流价值观都可以追溯到殖民地时期一统天下的清教主义，并且清教思想对美国文学有着根深蒂固的影响。
3. The term “Puritan”was applied to those settlers who originally were devout members of the Churchof _____.
【答案】England
【解析】清教徒（Puritan），是指要求清除英国国教Church of England中天主教残余的改革派。其字词于16世纪60年代开始使用，源于拉丁文的Purus，意为“清洁”。
4. Many Puritans wroteverse, but the works of two writers, Anne Bradstreet and _____, rose to thelevel of real poetry.
【答案】Edward Taylor查看答案
【解析】美国殖民时期最著名的诗人是安?布莱德斯特律和爱德华?泰勒。
5. The Tenth Muse Lately Sprung Up in America is a collection ofpoems composed by _____.
【答案】Anne Bradstreet查看答案
【解析】安·布莱德斯特律是美国殖民时期著名的诗人。其代表作是诗集《最近在北美出现的第十位缪斯》（The Tenth Muse Late Sprung up in America ）。
6. OnJanuary 10, 1776, Thomas Paine’s famous pamphlet _____ appeared.
【答案】Common Sense查看答案
【解析】1776年美国独立的风潮开始，托马斯·潘恩支持美国独立，反对英国的殖民专政，撰写了他的成名小册子《常识》，为美国从英国殖民中独立出来辩论，批评英国国王残暴无能，认为独立后的美国应该建立共和国。
7. Except Common Sense, Paine’s the other twofamous works were _____ and _____.
【答案】The Rights of Man，The Age of Reason查看答案
【解析】潘恩著名的作品包括，《常识》、《人的权利》、《理性的时代》。
8. Thomas Paine’ssecond most important work _____ was an impassioned plea against hereditarymonarchy.
【答案】The Rights of Man查看答案
【解析】1791年3月，托马斯·潘恩在伦敦出版《人权论》，激烈抨击埃德蒙·伯克（Edmund Burke，1729—1797）的《法国革命感言录》（Reflections on the Revolution in France）（1790）。《人权论》的可贵之处还在于，它冲破了当时笼罩于整个西方思想界对英国君主立宪政体的迷信，深入骨髓地批判了这一政体，给当时还处于摸索状态的法国革命指明了共和主义的崭新方向。
9. Thomas Paine，with his natural gift for pamphleteering andrebellion，was appropriately born into an ageof_____.
【答案】Revolution查看答案
【解析】潘恩是美国独立革命时期著名的作家之一。
10. Philip Freneau wasnoteworthy first because of the nature of his poems. They were truly Americanand very patriotic. In this respect, he reflected the spirit of his age.Therefore, he has been called the “_____ of American Poetry”.
【答案】Father查看答案
【解析】菲利普·弗瑞诺是开启美国民主主义的突出代表之一，他被称为“美国诗歌之父。”
11. From 1621 untilhis death, _____ probably possessed more power than any other colonialgovernor.
【答案】William Bradford查看答案
12. William Bradford’swork _____ consists of two books. The first book deals with the persecutions ofthe Separatists in Scrooby, England, andthe second book describes the signing of the “Compact”.
【答案】Mayflower查看答案
13. _____’sbest verse is to be found in a series called “Preparatory Meditations”.
【答案】Edward Taylor查看答案
14. In the book _____John Smith wrote that “here nature and liberty afford us that freely which in England wewant, or it costs us dearly.”
【答案】A Description of New England查看答案
II. Multiple Choice
1.Early in _____, the English settlements in Virginiaand Massachusettsstarted the main stream of the American national history.（北二外2007研）
A. 14thcentury
B. 15thcentury
C. 17thcentury
D. 16thcentury
【答案】C 查看答案
【解析】17世纪初，英国人在弗吉尼亚和马萨诸塞定居，这也是美国历史的开端。
2. The first permanentEnglish settlement in North America was established at _____.（北二外2009研）
A. Jamestown
B. NewYork
C. Boston
D. Concord
【答案】A 查看答案
【解析】詹姆斯敦是英国人在北美的第一个永久定居地。
3. The first settlers who became the foundingfathers of the American nation were quite a few of them _____.（北二外2008研）
A.Quakers.
B. Anglicans
C. Catholics
D. Puritans.
【答案】D 查看答案
【解析】早期来到北美的殖民者有不少是清教徒，因而殖民时期的文学深受清教思想影响。
4. It is a critical commonplace now thatAmerican literature is based on a myth, that is, _____.（北二外2008研）
A. theancient Greek myth of Zeus
B. theBritish myth of the Saint Grail
C. theBiblical myth of the Garden of Eden
D. thelegend of the Sleepy Hollow
【答案】C 查看答案
【解析】由于深受清教主义的影响，美国文学——至少是美国的白人文学——是建立在《圣经》伊甸园神话基础上的文学。
5. Thecommon thread throughout American literature has been the emphasis on the _____.
A.Revolutionism
B. Reason
C. Individualism
D. Rationalism
【答案】C 查看答案
【解析】美国价值观的核心是个人主义，因而，个人主义也成为贯穿美国文学史的主线。
6. The ship “_____”carried about one hundred Pilgrims and took 66 days to beat its way across the Atlantic. In December of 1620, it put the Pilgrims ashoreat Plymouth, Massachusetts.
A.Sunflower
B. Armada
C. Mayflower
D. Titanic
【答案】C 查看答案
【解析】1920年100多名清教徒前辈乘坐“五月花”号船到达美国马萨诸塞州的普利茅斯。
7. The Englishcolonies in North America rose in arms againsttheir parent country and the Continental Congress adopted _____ in 1776.
A. theDeclaration of Independence
B. theSugar Act
C. theStamp Act
D. theMayflower Compact
【答案】A 查看答案
【解析】1776年13个英属北美殖民地奋起反击英国的殖民统治，并且1776年7月4日，大陆会议通过了一份由托马斯·杰弗逊起草的《独立宣言》（Declaration of Independence）。
8. What style did theseventeenth century American poets adapt to the subject matter confronted in astrangely new environment?
A. Thestyle of their own.
B. Thestyle mixed with English and American elements.
C. Thestyle mixed with native-American and British tradition.
D. Thestyle of established European poets.
【答案】D 查看答案
【解析】17世纪美国诗人大多沿袭英国诗歌的风格。
9. Anne Bradstreet wasa Puritan poet. Her poems made such a stir in Englandthat she became known as the _____ who appeared in America.
A. NinthMuse
B. TenthMuse
C. BestMuse
D. FirstMuse
【答案】B 查看答案
【解析】安·布拉德斯特里特被誉为“美国出现的第十个缪斯”。
10. It was not untilJanuary 1776 that a widely heard public voice demanded complete separation fromEngland.The voice was that of _____, whose pamphlet CommonSense, with its heated language, increased the growing demand forseparation.
A. Thomas Paine
B. Thomas Jefferson
C. George Washington
D. Patrick Henry
【答案】A 查看答案
【解析】潘恩的《常识》号召美国摆脱英国的统治。
11. Whichis not connected with Thomas Paine?
A. Common Sense.
B. The American Crisis.
C. The Rights of Man.
D. The Autobiography.
【答案】D 查看答案
【解析】《自传》是本杰明·富兰克林的代表作，其余三项都是潘恩的主要作品。
12. “These are thetimes that try men’s souls”，thesewords were once read to Washington’s troops and did much to spur excitement tofurther action with hope and confidence. Who is the author of these words?
A. Benjamin Franklin.
B. Thomas Paine.
C. Thomas Jefferson.
D. George Washington.
【答案】B 查看答案
【解析】“这是考验人的灵魂的时刻”，这句话选自潘恩的《美国危机》。
13. Whichwork is written by Freneau?
A. The Rights of Man.
B. The Wild Honey Suckle.
C. Poor Richard’s Almanac.
D. The Day of Doom.
【答案】B 查看答案
【解析】《野生的金银花》是弗瑞诺最具代表性的作品。
14. Theearly history of Colony was the history of _____ Bradford’s leadership.
A. Plymouth
B. Jamestown
C. New England
D. Mayflower
【答案】A 查看答案
Ⅲ.Explain the following term.
1.American Puritanism（南开大学2008研）
Key: The word Puritanism is originallyused to refer to the theology advocated by a party within the Church ofEngland. The term Puritanism is also used in a broader sense to refer to the attitudesand values considered characteristic of the Puritans. It has been employed todenote a rigid moralism, or the condemnation of innocent pleasure, or religiousnarrowness adhered by the early New England Puritans. The American Puritanismas a cultural heritage exerted great influence over American moral values. Andthis Puritan influence over American Romanticism was conspicuously noticeable.In addition, a preoccupation with the Calvinistic view of original sin and themystery of evil marked the works by such famous writers as Hawthorne andMelville.
2.Protestants（天津外国语2007研）
Key: Protestants refer tothose people who believe in Protestantism. Protestantism is one of the fourmajor divisions within Christianity. It is most closely tied to those groupsthat separated from the Roman Catholic Church in the 16th century ProtestantReformation. Protestant doctrine was also known in continental Europeantraditions as Evangelical doctrine. It typically holds that Scripture is thesource of revealed truth.
IV. Readthe following quotations and answer the questions.
Passage 1
I heard the merry grasshopper thensing,
The black-clad cricket bear asecond part;
They kept one tune and played onthe same string.
Seeming to glory in their littleart.
Small creatures abject thus theirvoices raise,
And in their kind resound theirMaker’s praise,
Whilst I, as mute, can warbleforth no higher lays?
Questions:
(1) This is the ninthof the “Contemplations” written by an early American woman writer. What is hername?
Key: Anne Bradstreet.
(2) Makea brief comment on this short poem.
Key: This short poem offers the readeran insight into the mentality of the early Puritan pioneering into a new world.When the poet, heard the grasshopper and the cricket sing, she thought of thisas their praising their reator and searched her own soul accordingly. It isevident that she saw something metaphysical inhering in the physical, a mode ofperception which was singularly Puritan.
Passage 2
Huswifery
Make me, O Lord, thy spinningwheel complete.
Thy holy word my distaff make forme.
Make mine affections thy swiftflyers neat,
And make my soul thy holy spool tobe.
My conversation make to be thyreel, and reel,
the yam thereon spun of thy wheel.
Questions:
(1)Identify the poet of this poem.
Key: Edward Taylor.
(2) Makea brief comment on this poem.
Key: The poem indicates that the poetsaw religious significance in a simple daily incident like a housewifespinning. The spinning wheel, the distaff, the flyers, the spool, the reel andthe yarn have all acquired a metaphorical significance in the symbolic, Puritaneyes of Edward Taylor.
Passage 3
These are the times that try men’ssouls: The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will in this crisis, shrinkfrom the service of their country; but he that stands it now deserves the loveand thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yetwe have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the moreglorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly: ‘Thisdearness only that gives everything its value. Heaven knows how to put a properprice upon its goods.
Questions:
(1) Whichbook is this passage taken from?
Key: The American Crisis
(2) Whois the author of this book?
Key: Thomas Paine
(3) Whomis the author praising? Whom is the author criticizing?
Key: Paine is praising those who stand“it”, it referring to “the service of their country”. In the meantime, Paine iscriticizing those who shrink from the service of their country in this crisis.
(4) Whatdo you think of the language used in the book?
Key: The language is plain, impressiveand forceful. Paine himself once said that his purpose as a writer was to useplain language to make those who can scarcely read understand.
Passage 4
From morning suns and evening dews
At first thy little being came:
If nothing once，you nothing lose,
For when you die you are the same:
The space between，is but an hour,
The frail duration of a flower.
Questions:
(1) Whois the writer of these verses?
Key: Philip Freneau.
(2) Whatis the title of this poem?
Key: “The Wild Honey suckle”.
(3) Givea brief comment on this poem.
Key: Here Freneau offers a version ofan abundant America with potential for providing a good life for all. The poemis also an indication of his dedication to American subject matter as heexamined peculiarly American characteristics of the countryside.
V. Short answer questions
1. Whowas Anne Bradstreet? What were her literary achievements?
Key: Anne Bradstreet (1612～1672) is one of the most important figures inthe history of American Literature. She is considered by many to be the firstAmerican poet, and her first collection of poems, The Tenth Muse LatelySprung Up in America, By aGentlewoman of Those Parts, was the first book written by a woman to bepublished in the United States. Mrs. Bradstreet’s works also servesas a document of the struggles of a Puritan wife against the hardships of New England colonial life.
2. Whatare the basic Calvinist tenets? （国际关系学院2007研）
Key: Calvinist theology is sometimesidentified with the five points of Calvinism, also called the doctrines ofgrace. In English, The five points are sometimes referred to by the acronymTULIP, which means Total Inherited Depravity, Unconditional Election, LimitedAtonement, Irresistible Grace and Perseverance of the Saints England coloniallife.
3.Write an analysis of The American Crisis.
Key: ①The American Crisis is Thomas Paine’sseries of pamphlets came out at one of the darkest moments of the revolutionwhen Washington troops had just suffered one of the worst defeats in the warand were in the process of retreating. When Washington had it read to the troops, itproved a heartening stimulus, a spurring excitement to further action with hopeand confidence.
②In short, The American Crisisis an Enlightenment, Deist document. Man relies on reason and indomitableoptimism, not salvation, for deliverance from travail. However much thesoldier, the scholar, the common man struggling for victory wants the support ofGod, he must rely on his devotion to his cause and to his fellow man first andforemost.
VI. Essay question
1. Whatis the significance of American Puritanism in American literature?
Key: The settlement of the NorthAmerican continent by the English began in the early part of the 17th century.The first settlers who became the founding fathers of the American nation werequite a few of the Puritans. They carried with them to America a code of values whichbecame what is now popularly known as American Puritanism. It was one of themost enduring shaping influences in American literature. To some extent, it hasbecome a state of mind, a part of national cultural atmosphere that theAmericans breathe.
The American Puritans were idealists,believing that the Church should be restored to the “Purity” and religion was amatter of primary importance. They accepted the doctrine of predestination,original sin, total depravity and limited atonement. It has been a criticalcommonplace that the American literature—or Anglo-American literature—is basedon a myth, that is, the Biblical myth of the Garden of Eden. Fired with such asense of mission, the Puritans looked at even the worst of life in the facewith a tremendous amount of optimism. All this went, in due time, into themaking of American literature. The spirits of optimism burst out of the pagesof so many American authors, such as, Emerson, Whitman, etc.
Furthermore, the American Puritan’s metaphorical mode of perceptionwas chiefly instrumental in calling into being a literary symbolism which isdistinctly American. Puritan doctrine and literary practice contributed greatlyto the development of an indigenous symbolism. The ever symbolizing processbecame, in time, part of the intellectual tradition. To Hawthorne, Melville,Howells and many others, symbolism as a technique has become a common practice.This peculiar mode of perception was an essential part of their upbringing.
With regard to technique, simplicitycharacterizes the Puritan style of writing. The style is fresh, simple anddirect; the rhetoric is plain and honest, without a touch of nobility oftentraceable to the direct influence of the Bible.All this has left an indelible imprint on American writing. Thus AmericanPuritanism has been, by and large, a healthy legacy to the Americans.
