2016江西省重点中学盟校第一次联考英语试题及答案(4)

D. it provides a better view of the scenery

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

A. On the Trip to Alaska National Parks， visitors spend the night in the luxurious dining car.

B. India Tour offers different attractions， varying from experiencing the cultural relic to doing some shopping.

C. On the Tales of Laos Tour， visitors can enjoy wonderful rice paddies and ride elephants.

D. The Cuzco to Machu Picchu Route starts in Cuzco and ends in Machu Picchu.

C

What does it mean to cry over a book？ “I’m a reader who did not weep，” Ruth Graham， a well-known critic， wrote. “Does this make me heartless？ Or does it make me a grown-up？”

Tears have played a surprisingly important part in the history of the novel. Readers have always asked about the role that emotion plays in reading： What does it mean to be deeply moved by a book？ Which books are worthy objects of our feelings？

In different times， people answered those questions in different ways. In the eighteenth century， when the novel was still a new form， crying was a sign of readers’ virtue. “Sentimental” novels， full of touching scenes， gave readers an occasion to exercise their “finer feelings.” Your tear proved your susceptibility（易感性）to the suffering of others.

At that time， sentimental novels were hugely popular， but also easy to attack. Tears， after all， had no necessary connection to actual virtue， and they could be fake. There could also be too many of them. As the critic John Mullan points out， by the end of the eighteenth century， the word “sentimental” had acquired a new meaning — “addicted to indulgence（沉溺）in superficial（肤浅的）emotion” — bringing it closer to the meaning that it has for us today.

In the nineteenth century， the meaning of tears evolved in two different directions. Some writers sought to waken “higher” feelings in their readers： Victorian sentimentalists wrote touching scenes in an effort to inspire social and political reform. However， the “sensation” novel， a different type of Victorian best-seller， showed that tears could be enjoyable in themselves. Sensation novels were the forerunners（先导）of the modern thriller and mystery. Heavy on secrets， and madness， they were known for creating physical “sensations” in their readers — trembling， a fast beating heart， and tears. But these were tears without moral purpose or effect.

Today’s debate about crying while reading looks back on all of this history. The debate， in fact， is about why books matter to us， and what reading is “for.” Talking about what makes us cry is a way of talking about ourselves.

28. What was people’s attitude towards crying over novels in the early 18th century？