Question

Pride and Prejudice for the Modern Woman

Let us imagine how Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen's most famous work, might be updated, 200 years on.

Austen's popularity is rooted in her intelligence. But today she would certainly have had a very different life, as would her characters. Here's my own suggestion. . .

It is a truth finally and universally acknowledged that a single woman with brains deserves to have equal opportunities to men, however disadvantaged she may feel by sexism.

" My dear husband," said his hopeful wife one day, " have you heard that the local store, standing empty for so long, is taken over by a bright young businesswoman?"

Her dull and indifferent (漠不關心的) husband replied that he had not. "But it is, it is," she replied excitedly. Mr Dull-Husband made no reply.

"Don't you want to know her plans?" she cried with some impatience.

"Well, clearly you think it matters to your silly little head. .. so I'd better listen. "

"Well, my dear, the rumour (傳言) is that she has already set up a string of successful businesses in northern England, though how a woman can know anything about that is beyond me. She will move in herself next month. " "What is her name?" "Bingley. "

"Is she married or single?"

"What a question! And none of your business. But her coming will be a fine thing for our five boys. " "How so? How can it possibly affect them? "

"My dear love; those lazy boys need something to wake them up. There are bound to be jobs going. "

" Is that her point in settling here? Surely as a woman she has simply taken a fancy to the place. "

" Nonsense, my love, how little you've noticed the world has changed. She's got a first-rate degree and some sort of business qualification, I'm told. She surely needs one of our boys! Perhaps you might give her a call. "

" Me? No. Perhaps you can take an interest. You still have your looks, after all. She may even offer you a job. " "Oh, that's not likely. These new chances belong to the younger generation. But now you mention it, I think I'll go along all the same. "

And Mrs Bennet went along. That was 10 years ago. She is now managing director of a FTSE-listed company.

... It would remain the case, of course, that Mrs Bennet would be one of very few women on the company board, that her salary would be lower than her male colleagues, her bonus of a more "female" dimension and her lifespan (年限) among the city's business leaders shorter than theirs. Still, she'd no doubt have enjoyed Davos—and might even have hobnobbed (攀談) with influential figures.

1.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A．Austen was born 200 years ago.

B．Austen rewrote Pride and Prejudice.

C．Austen's success lies in her wisdom.

D．Austen's updated work gains popularity.

2.The underlined part in the passage suggests that Mrs Bennet ____.

A．had mixed feelings of admiration and surprise about Bingley

B．felt kind of worried and doubtful about Bingley

C．was extremely anxious to meet Bingley

D．had a great curiosity about Bingley

3.In the eyes of Mrs Bennet, Bingley surely needed one of their boys to ____.

A．get married to                          B．work for her

C．help her move in                        D．take over her store

4.What does the writer intend to tell us?

A．Women with brains can also be as successful as men.

B．Women have to pay a high price for success.

C．A judgment must be made free from prejudice.

D．Sex discrimination still exists nowadays.

 

Answer 1

【答案】

1.C

2.A

3.B

4.D

【解析】

【主旨大意】D篇文章巧妙套用世界名著《傲慢與偏見》章節(jié)，獨辟蹊徑夾敘夾議，深刻評述性別歧視依然存在的這一社會現實。

1.考查細節(jié)題。從文章的第二段的句子：Austen’s popularity is rooted in her intelligence�？芍獖W斯丁的成功在于她的智慧。選C。A項錯誤，因為這本書是200年前寫的，不是奧斯丁是200年前出生的。B項是根據文章的第一句話，可知是人們想象的《傲慢與偏見》更新版，不是奧斯丁重寫的。D項錯誤因為文章沒有說更新作品收到歡迎。選C

2.考查句意理解題。這句話的理解關鍵是beyond me的解釋，這個詞組是“超出我的理解”，我不能理解一個女性是怎么知道這些東西的，說明Mrs Bennet對Bingley既敬佩又驚訝。選A

3.推理題。從文章的句子：There are bound to be jobs going。和倒數第二段的句子：You still have your looks, after all. She may even offer you a job.可以推斷出，Mrs Bennet認為Bingley會需要她的兒子工作。選B。

4.推理題。從文章的最后一段的內容：Mrs Bennet would be one of very few women on the company board, that her salary would be lower than her male colleagues,可知公司委員會的女性還是很少，Mrs Bennet的獎金還是比男性同事要少。可知性別歧視還是存在。選D。