The grandfather of Nell Trent owns a shop of odds and ends. He wants to make sure his grandfather is provided for when he dies. His memory of his daughter’s suffering and early death gives him a fear of poverty. Gambling(赌博) bees an addiction for Nell’s grandfather, which results in his financial and physical ruin. Nell and her grandfather flee from their home and begin a journey that has no destination. For Nell, all she wants is a peaceful existence with enough to live on.
They e across many interesting people on their travels and often meet with the kindness of strangers. Yet, in a colorful world, they also face the reality of the Industrial Revolution. From simple villages and fields of flowers, they go into a dirty city full of mass unemployment and plague (瘟疫) victims --- where children die of starvation and many are abandoned.
The story isn’t only about Nell and her grandfather, but also the people who are connected to them directly or indirectly. There is Richard Swiveller, a careless young man who is a friend of Nell’s older brother, who wants Swiveller to marry Nell for the fortune he thinks she has. Daniel Quilp is a cruel moneylender, who manages to fool the grandfather into borrowing large sums of money from him. There is honest Kit, a boy employed at the shop, who bees a victim even though he never harms other people. Kit desires to help Nell, whom he considers an angel that has always inspired the best in him. The mysterious Bevis Marks, who is a generous customer to some people and an enemy to others, also has his own reasons for looking after Nell and her grandfather.
Unlike Dickens’ other works, The Old Curiosity Shop is a book of contrasts: the purity of Nell pared to the dishonesty of Quilp, fresh air and scenic villages to the polluted, stone-covered city, etc. Even people’s reaction to the book presented a cruel contrast. At first, Nell Trent was praised and considered Dickens’ best character. Later, she was criticized by many well-known people like Oscar Wilde. While characters in Dickens’ other books are moving towards a better future, Nell and her grandfather are fleeing for their life and their story is moving towards a sad ending.
【小题1】We can infer from the first two paragraphs that .A．Nell’s mother died young because of povertyB．Nell’s grandfather made a fortune by gamblingC．Nell died of starvation during her journeyD．Nell had no one to turn to on her travels【小题2】What’s the third paragraph mainly about?A．The plot (情节) of the story.B．The characters in the story.C．The background of the story.D．The inspiration behind the story.【小题3】The Old Curiosity Shop is different from Dickens’ other works because it .A．is full of contrastsB．has a surprise endingC．reflects Dickens’ own lifeD．is set in the Industrial RevolutionA
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(答案→)A
解析：文章介绍了英国著名作家狄更斯的作品《古玩店》。小说描述了一个衰败的老古玩店店主和他善良美丽的外孙女Nell的悲惨故事。
【小题1】根据“Gambling(赌博) bees an addiction for Nell’s grandfather, which results in his financial and physical ruin.”可知，Nell的外公没有因赌博而发财，排除B；where children die of starvation and many are abandoned那里有很多孩子饿死，而不是Nell饿死，排除C；根据“They e across many interesting people on their travels and often meet with the kindness of strangers.”可知，他们经常得到好心人的帮助，排除D；根据第一段“His memory of his daughter’s suffering and early death gives him a fear of poverty.”可知，Nell的妈妈早年死于病痛，故选A。
【小题2】根据“There is Richard Swiveller, a careless young man...Daniel Quilp is a cruel moneylender...There is honest Kit...The mysterious Bevis Marks”可知，第三段主要讲的是主要人物的性格特点，故选B。
【小题3】根据“Unlike Dickens’ other works, The Old Curiosity Shop is a book of contrasts”可知，《古玩店》不像狄更斯的其它作品，它里面充满了鲜明的对比。故选A。