Passage 51【2020•长沙市】

On June 9th, 1870, Charles Dickens died at the age of 58. The next day, a headline in The New York Times read: “Death of the Great Novelist…Will Be Remembered by the People…”
The headline was not overstating （夸大） the popularity of Dickens. Even today, the British novelist is loved by readers all over the world. Dickens created some unforgettable characters. You must have heard of or even read some of his novels: Oliver Twist, A Christmas Carol and A Tale of Two Cities. A Tale of Two Cities has sold more than 200 million copies. Since 1897, there have been more than 300 film and TV adaptations（改编版本） of Dickens' works. A Christmas Carol alone has had nearly 50.
Natalie Mcknight is a literature professor（文学教投） who studies Dickens and his works. She explains why the novelist has remained so popular. One important reason, she says, is that Dickens wrote from his heart. He tried hard to produce emotional effects（情感效果） among his readers. In his works, he paid special attention to the "little man" at the bottom of society in the UK, which deeply mirrored the social reality at that time. A Christmas Carol, for example, was written to make every reader think about how they could make a difference to their society. People always enjoy works that make them laugh, cry and think. Many other 19th-century novelists wrote entertaining（娱乐的） works. However, few of them worked as hard as Dickens to touch the readers deeply.
Dickens wrote about situations and emotions that still interest people today. He used his pen to fight social inequality and gave voice to the poor. His works led to many important social changes. Readers always enjoy seeing poor people rise and succeed.
This year marks the 150thyear of Dickens' death. It's another chance to remember this great writer. Will you read or re-read some of his famous works?
26. What is Paragraph（段落）2 mainly about?
A. Personality of Dickens. B. Appearance of Dickens. C. Popularity of Dickens.
27. As a novelist, why has Dickens remained so popular?
A. He wrote for fun.
B. He wrote from his heart.
C. He mainly wrote for the upper class.
28. When people read Dickens novels, they could ________.
① meet the “little man” at the bottom of society in the UK
② know about the social reality at that time
③ not be influenced by the works at all
④ think about how to make a difference to their society
A. ①②③ B. ②③④ C. ①②④
29. What does the underlined word "inequality" mean in Paragraph 4?
A. 不平等 B. 不现实 C. 不稳定
30. The purpose of writing this text is probably to ________.
A. introduce Charles Dickens' life and death
B. encourage readers to read or re-read Charles Dickens' works
C. present the similarities between Charles Dickens and other writers
文章大意：本文主要讲了小说家查尔斯·狄更斯的受欢迎程度及其作品的影响力，恰逢狄更斯逝世150周年，鼓励人们阅读或重读狄更斯的著名作品。
【解析】段落大意题。第2段讲现今狄更斯也被世界各地的读者所喜爱，他创作了一些难忘的角色，段中列举了一些狄更斯的代表作并指出《双城记》销量惊人，他的作品被改编成电影和电视多于三百个版本。由此可知主要讲的是狄更斯的受欢迎程度。故选C。
【解析】细节理解题。根据第3段中“She explains why the novelist has remained so popular. One important reason, she says, is that Dickens wrote from his heart. ”可知狄更斯如此受欢迎的一个重要原因是他发自内心地写作。故选B。
【解析】细节理解题。根据第3段中“In his works, he paid special attention to the ‘little man’ at the bottom of society in the UK, which deeply mirrored the social reality at that time.”可知读狄更斯的小说能够见到英国社会底层的小人物，知道当时的社会现实，①②正确，再由第3段中“A Christmas Carol, for example, was written        to make every reader think about how they could make a difference to their society.”可知读狄更斯的小说能使读者思考如何改变他们的社会，④正确。故选C。
【解析】词义猜测题。根据画线词所在语境“He used his pen to fight social inequality and gave voice to the poor. ”讲到狄更斯为穷人发声，结合选项可知他是用笔和社会不平等战斗，inequality意为“不平等的”。故选A。
【解析】主旨大意题。根据最后一段中“Will you read or re-read some of his famous works?”可推出作者写这篇文章是为了鼓励读者去阅读或重读狄更斯的作品。故选B。