北京航空航天大学2013年硕士研究生入学考试试题

英语语言文学专业

文学部分（150分）

Ⅰ.Define and exemplify the following terms.（20 points）

1.Point of view

2.Allegory

3.Gothic

4.Flashback

5.Didactic

Ⅱ.Essay questions and literary analysis.（30 points）

1.English Renaissance playwright Christopher Marlowe successfully depicts“over-reachers”of one kind or another.In his masterpiece The Tragical History of Dr.Fautus，Dr.Faustus perishes out of his unquenchable thirst for yet more power through knowledge.Please make a comment on this tragedy，together with a comment on the relationship between knowledge and morality.

2.Please analyze Charlotte Bronte（1816–1855）’s Jane Eyre from the perspective of“the madwoman in the attic.”

3.How do you interpret the death of Willy Lowman in Arthur Miller’s famous play Death of a Salesman？Please discuss the factors that contribute to Willy’s death.

Ⅲ.Literary translation.（40 points）

1.Translate the following English into Chinese.

Regular all-over bathing，elaborated in ancient Greece and Rome and celebrated in luxurious contemporary ensuite bathrooms，was distrusted for about 400 years in the second millennium.Water was thought to carry disease into the skin；pores nicely clogged with dirt were a means to block it out.In the 17th century the European aristocracy，who washed little，wore linen shirts in order to draw out dirt from the skin instead，and heavy perfumes and oils to mask bad smells.

2.Translate the following Chinese into English.

我对人充满信心，我相信纯洁无瑕的人性。我愿意倾听人们的心声，帮助他们实现自己的愿望、获取所需的东西。当然，也有人行同禽兽，他们残杀无辜、行骗撒谎、破坏成性。但不相信人对人类未来丧失信心就会对未来绝望，哀叹今不如昔。我认为每个人都必须有自己遵循的人生哲学。有些人的人生哲学是怀疑一切。他们宣称世界上没有真理，美德不过是自私的巧妙伪装。他们认为人生苦短，生于痛苦，又终将走向坟墓。

Ⅳ.Literary Selections and Analysis.（60 points）

1.It made me shiver.And I about made up my mind to pray，and see if I couldn’t try to quit being the kind of a boy I was and be better.So I kneeled down.But the words wouldn’t come.Why wouldn’t they？It warn’t no use to try and hide it from Him.Nor from ME，neither.I knowed very well why they wouldn’t come.It was because my heart warn’t right；it was because I warn’t square；it was because I was playing double.I was letting On to give up sin，but away inside of me I was holding on to the biggest one of all.I was trying to make my mouth SAY I would do the right thing and the clean thing，and go and write to that nigger’s owner and tell where he was；but deep down in me I knowed it was a lie，and He knowed it.You can’t pray a lie—I found that out.

So I was full of trouble，full as I could be；and didn’t know what to do.At last I had an idea；and I says，I’ll go and write the letter—and then see if I can pray.Why，it was astonishing，the way I felt as light as a feather right straight off，and my troubles all gone.So I got a piece of paper and a pencil，all glad and excited，and set down and wrote：

Miss Watson，your runaway nigger Jim is down here two mile below

PiKesville，and Mr.Phelps has got him and he will give him up for the reward if you send.

HUCK FINN.

I felt good and all washed clean of sin for the first time I had ever felt so in my life，and I knowed I could pray now.But I didn’t do it straight off，but laid the paper down and set there thinking—thinking how good it was all this happened so，and how near I come to being lost and going to hell.And went on thinking.And got to thinking over our trip down the river；and I see Jim before me all the time：in the day and in the night-time，sometimes moonlight，sometimes storms，and we afloating along，talking and singing and laughing.But somehow I couldn’t seem to strike no places to harden me against him，but only the other kind，I’d see him standing my watch on top of his‘n，’stead of calling me，so I could go on sleeping；and see him how glad he was when I come back out of the fog；and when I come to him again in the swamp，up there where the feud was；and such-like times；and would always call me honey，and pet me and do everything he could think of for me，and how good he always was；and at last I struck the time I saved him by telling the men we had small-pox aboard，and he was so grateful，and said I was the best friend old Jim ever had in the world，and the ONLY one he’s got now；and then I happened to look around and see that paper.

It was a close place.I took it up，and held it in my hand.I was a-trembling，because I’d got to decide，forever，betwixt two things，and I knowed it.I studied a minute，sort of holding my breath，any say to myself：“All right，then.I’ll GO to hell”—and tore it up.

（1）Identify the author and the work from which the passage is selected.

（2）Define the literary school/trend to which the author belongs？

（3）Common on the selections.

2.‘Disgusting！The porridge is burnt again！’

‘Silence！’ejaculated a voice；not that of Miss Miller，but one of the upper teachers，a little and dark personage，smartly dressed，but of somewhat morose aspect，who installed herself at the top of one table，while a more buxom lady presided at the other.I looked in vain for her I had first seen the night before；she was not visible；Miss Miller occupied the foot of the table where I sat，and a strange，foreign-looking，elderly lady，the French teacher，as I afterwards found，took the corresponding seat at the other hoard.A long grace was said and a hymn sung；then a servant brought in some tea for the teachers，and the meal began.

Ravenous，and now very faint，I devoured a spoonful or two of my portion without thinking of its taste；but the first edge of hunger blunted，I perceived I had got in hand a nauseous mess；burnt porridge is almost as；famine itself soon sickens over it.The spoons as bad as rotten potatoes；famine itself soon sickens over it.The spoons were moved slowly；I saw each girl taste her food and try to swallow it；but in most cases the effort was soon relinquished.Breakfast was over，and none had breakfasted.Thanks being returned for what we had not got，and a second hymn chanted，the refectory was evacuated for the schoolroom.I was one of the last to go out，and in passing the tables，I saw one teacher take a basin of the porridge and taste it；she looked at the others；all their countenances expressed displeasure，and one of them，the stout one，whispered—

‘Abominable stuff！How shameful！’

...

The only marked event of the afternoon was，that I saw the girl with whom I had conversed in the verandah dismissed in disgrace by Miss Scatcherd from a history lass，and sent to stand in the middle of the large schoolroom.The punishment seemed to me in a high degree ignominious，especially for so great a girl—she looked thirteen or upwards，I expected she would show signs of great distress and shame；but to my surprise she neither wept nor blushed：composed，though grave，she stood，the central mark of all eyes.‘How can she bear it so quietly—so firmly？I asked of myself.Were I in her place，it seems to me I should wish the earth to open and swallow me up.She looks as if she were thinking of something beyond her punishment—beyond her situation：of something not round her nor before her.I have heard of day-dreams—is she in a day-dream now？Her eyes are fixed on the floor，but I am sure they do not see it—her sight seems turned in，gone down into her heart：she is looking at what she can remember，I believe；not at what is really present.I wonder what sort of a girl she is—whether good or naughty.’

Soon after five P.M.we had another meal，consisting of a small mug of coffee，and half a slice of brown bread.I devoured my bread and drank my coffee with relish，but I should have been glad of as much more—I was still hungry.Half an hour’s recreation succeeded，then study；then the glass of water and the piece of oat-cake，prayers，and bed.Such was my first day at Lowood.

（1）Identify the author and the work from which the passage is selected.

（2）Comment on the selected paragraphs.

（3）Why the book is regarded as a great novel？

Continuous as the stars that shine

And twinkle on the milky way，

They stretched in never-ending line

Along the margin of a bay：

Ten thousand saw I at a glance，

Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

...

For oft，when on my couch I lie

In vacant or in pensive mood，

They flash upon that inward eye

Which is the bliss of solitude；

And then my heart with pleasure fills，

And dances with the daffodils.

（1）Identify the author and the work from which the passage is selected.

（2）Define the poet’s theory of poetry with the analysis of the quoted passage.

Wild spirit，which art moving everywhere；

Destroyer an preserver；hear，O Near！

...

Drive my dead thoughts over the universe

Like withered leaves to quicken a new birth！

And，by the incantation of this verse，

Scatter，as from an unextinguished hearth

Ashes and sparks，my words among mankind！

Be through my lips to unawakened earth

The trumpet of a prophecy！O，Wind

If Winter comes，can Spring be far behind？

（1）Identify the author and the work from which the passage is selected.

（2）Explain the meaning of“Destroyer and Preserver”in terms of the theme.

（3）Define the literary trend to which the poet belongs.

But all this part of it seemed remote and unessential.I[Nick]found myself on Gatsby’s side，and alone.From the moment I telephoned news of the catastrophe to West Egg Village，every surmise about him，and every practical question，was referred to me.

（1）Identify the author and the work from which the passage is selected.

（2）How do you understand the word“great”，which is used to describe the titular hero？Is he really great？

（3）What is the theme of the work？

Laura：Little articles of it，they’re ornaments mostly！Most of them are little animals made out of glass，the tiniest little animals in the world.[...]Oh，be careful—if you breathe，it breaks.

Jim：I’d better no take it.I’m pretty clumsy with things.

Laura：Go on，I trust you with him！[She places the piece in his palm.]There now—you’re holding him gently！Hold him over the light，he loves the light！You see how the light shines through him？

Jim：It sure does shine！

Laura：I shouldn’t be partial，but he is my favorite one.

Jim：What kind of a thing is this one supposed to be？

Laura：Haven’t you noticed the single horn on his forehead？

Jim：A unicorn，huh？

Laura：Mmmm-hmmm！

Jim：Unicorns—aren’t they extinct in the modern world？

Laura：I know！

Jim：Poor little fellow，he must feel sort of lonesome.

Laura：Well，if he does，he doesn’t complain about it.He stays on a shelf with some horses that hasn’t have horns and all or them seem to get along nicely together.

（1）Identify the author and the work from which the passage is selected.

（2）Do you see any connection between Laura’s personality and the unicorn？

（3）What is the theme of the work？

参考答案与解析

Ⅰ.Define and exemplify the following terms.（20 points）

1.Point of view

It is the vantage point from which a narrative is told.There are two basic points of view：first-person and third-person.

2.Allegory

Allegory is a narrative that serves as an extended metaphor.Allegories are written in the form of fables，parables，poems，stories and almost any other style or genre.The main purpose of an allegory is to tell a story that has characters，a setting，as well as other types of symbols that have both literal and figurative meanings.

3.Gothic

Gothic literature emphasizes the grotesque，the mysterious，and the desolate.Gothic，originally in the sense“medieval，not classical，”was applied by Horace Walpole to his novel The Castle of Otranto published in 1765.Popular in the 18th century，Gothic literature is an ancestor of the modern mystery story，fantasy and science fiction.The typical Gothic novel has a medieval setting，tantalizing plot of revenge and terrifying scenes and endings.

4.Flashback

Flashback is an interjected scene that takes the narrative back in time from the current point the story has reached.Flashbacks are often used to recount events that happened before the story’s primary sequence of events to fill in crucial back-story.The method is used to create suspense in a story，develop a character or structure the narration.

5.Didactic

Didactic literature is an instructional literature in artistic form.Didactic literature presents philosophical，religious，moral，and scientific knowledge and ideas in various imaginative literary genres.In the period when there was no ideological separation between science and art，Didactic literature was a vital，naively integral form of contemplation and could be realized poetically.But as the specialized forms of scientific and philosophical exposition are distinguished，particularly in modern times，the artistic form of Didactic literature become，in Hegel’s words，simply“ornamentation，”lending a“cheerful aspect to dry，serious instruction.”

Ⅱ.Essay questions and literary analysis.（30 points）

The play is famous both for its thematic and formal features.Thematically，the image of Faustus is historically significant as a“photo”record of the new man，the modern man，the Renaissance humanist，who steps into modern light with all the glitter of reformation and renaissance.Faustus，the medieval man，has already had everything including knowledge and power to make him happy，but he is not happy.Insatiability is his name.He sees the world as one of infinite power and profit.He wants to be a superman and a virtual god figure，and he becomes one though he has to pay an exorbitant price.Thus Faustus represents the archetypal Renaissance humanist of the 16th century and a supreme specimen of everyman for all time.This play marks a new phase in human epistemology，the one in which man emerges from his initial total submission to external forces and awakens to his own importance and power and begins to assert himself.As he is human，his potential is circumscribed and he often ends up overreaching himself，but the striving endows his life with meaning and purpose and makes it worth living.

2.Please analyze Charlotte Bronte（1816–1855）’s Jane Eyre from the perspective of“the madwoman in the attic.”

In Jane Eyre，Bertha Mason serves as an ominous representation of uncontrollable passion and madness.Her marriage to Rochester serves as the primary conflict of the novel，and it is only after her death that Jane is able to achieve personal happiness by marrying Mr.Rochester.However，Bertha’s position as“the madwoman in the attic”also speaks to larger social questions of femininity and authorship during the Victorian period.

According to the writers of“the madwoman in the attic”，all female characters can be categorized as either the“angel”or the“monster.”The“angel”character is pure，dispassionate，and submissive，in other words，the ideal female figure in a male-dominated society.While the“monster”female character is sensual，passionate，rebellious，and decidedly uncontrollable.

However，Charlotte Bronte did not limit her characterizations to this strict dichotomy.Jane Eyre possesses many of the qualities of the so-called angel：she is pure，moral，and controlled in her behavior；yet，at the same time，she is extremely passionate，independent，and courageous.As for the characters of Bertha Mason，the readers may only see the mad state of her.Yet，Bertha’s position as the obstacle to Jane’s happiness with Mr.Rochester，as well as her state of complete imprisonment，suggests that her madness may have been partially manufactured by the male-dominated society that forces her to give up her wealth in marriage to Mr.Rochester.Moreover，the similarities between Bertha’s behavior in the attic and Jane’s actions as a child in the redroom suggest that the character is neither full angel nor full monster but a combination of the two.

Although Bertha does serve as one of the seeming villains of the novel，she should be seen more as a critique of the society where passionate women are viewed as monsters or madwomen.Charlotte Bronte’s act of writing a novel was no doubt equally threatening to the men of her time.

3.How do you interpret the death of Willy Lowman in Arthur Miller’s famous play Death of a Salesman？Please discuss the factors that contribute to Willy’s death.

Death of a Salesman，addresses the painful conflicts within one family，but it also tackles larger issues regarding American national values.The play examines the cost of blind faith in the American Dream.Miller charges America with selling a false myth constructed around a capitalist materialism nurtured by the postwar economy，a materialism that obscured the personal truth and moral vision of the original American Dream described by the country’s founders.

Many factors contribute to Willy’s death.The dreaminess of Willy is surely a symptom of the insanity which is fast overtaking him.The mind of Willy is falling apart under a pressure too much for him to bear.As he cannot think of himself in terms other than of worldly success，he is not mentally prepared for the tragedy which is befalling him.In the meantime，in addition to the social milieu of the 1930s and 1940s，the real reason may be found in his split personality.He loves both the city lifestyle and nature and the wilderness.If he had loved only one of these and focused on it，he would probably have been successful.He has made the terrible mistake of falling in between.His death thus is a foregone conclusion.

Ⅲ.Literary translation.（40 points）

1.Translate the following English into Chinese.

古希腊和古罗马竭力倡导定期全身洗浴，洗浴通常在当时豪华的浴室套间中进行，但在第二个千年的400年间，人们却对这种洗浴持怀疑态度，人们认为水会将疾病带至皮肤，而污垢堵塞毛孔可以防止疾病入侵。17世纪的欧洲贵族几乎不怎么洗澡，而是穿亚麻衬衫除去皮肤上的灰尘，并使用味道浓重的香水和精油来掩盖糟糕的体味。

2.Translate the following Chinese into English.

I confirmedly believe in people，and in sheer，unadulterated humanity.I am willing to listen to what people say and to help them to achieve the things that they want and need.Naturally，there are people who behave like beasts，who kill，cheat，lie and destroy.But a man，when he does not believe in people and has lost confidence in humans’future，will be despairing，lamenting the life which is not what it used to be.I believe that each of us should observe a philosophy by which we can live.There are people whose philosophy is believing in nothing.They declare that there is no truth，and that goodness is simply artful camouflage of one’s own selfishness.They say that life is simply the short gap in between an unpleasant birth and an inevitable death.

Ⅳ.Literary selections and analysis.（60 points）

（1）Identify the author and the work from which the passage is selected.

Mark Twain；The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.

（2）Define the literary school/trend to which the author belongs？

Local Colorism refers to a fiction or a poetry that focuses on the characters，dialect，customs，topography，and other features particular to a specific region.Influenced by southwestern and down east humor，between the Civil War and the end of the nineteenth century this mode of writing became dominant in American literature.In local-color literature，one finds the dual influence of romanticism and realism，since the author frequently looks away from ordinary life to distant lands，strange customs，or exotic scenes，but retains through minute detail a sense of fidelity and accuracy of description.Its weaknesses may include nostalgia or sentimentality.Its customary form is the sketch or a short story.

（3）Comment on the selection.

The words used in this selection are mostly Anglo-Saxon in origin，and are short，concrete and direct in effect.Most of the sentence structures are simple or compound，with a series of“ands”and“thens”which serve as connectives.The repetition of some easy words such as“got，”“took”and“was”leaves the impression that Mark Twain depended solely on the concrete object and action for the body and movement of his prose.What is more，there are a lot of ungrammatical elements which give the final finish to his style.The whole book approximates the actual speech habit of an uneducated boy from the American South of the mid-nineteenth century.

2.（1）Identify the author and the work from which the passage is selected.

Charlotte Bronte；Jane Eyre.

（2）Comment on the selected paragraphs.

These paragraphs tell of the experiences Jane Eyre had when she is in Lowood where she proves her way to success.The whole story，told chronologically，reads like an enchanting five-act play with the different phases of Jane’s life well presented in five places.This excerpt is about the hardship she undergoes in Lowood and it is there that her undefeatable spirit got nourished.What is also notable is the way how these paragraphs are narrated—-the first person narrative which exhibits the intimacy between the writer and the reader.

（3）Why the book is regarded as a great novel？

The power of the story stems from its basic features：its characterization and description of the intensity of the human passion.First，the portrayal of Jane possesses an eternal appeal.The resilience of the human spirit and its indomitable nature as Jane exhibits break through the pages and keep its incredible hold in the imagination of the readers for all time.Second，Jane’s warm and genuine passion touches the human heart in a peculiar way.The mutual attraction between she and Rochester is not so much romantic as it is based on the unique strength of character that they share.The book’s formal features merit attention as well.The first-person narrative endears the story to the readers.Then the nature of Jane’s emotional dilemma is always charming.Third，the symbolism of the novel.The whole story reads like a Cinderella tale.And the story is immense enriched by its apt use of symbols.All in all，Jane Eyre is a great book whose virtues and qualities，including society，family，morality，love and responsibility are of its age and beyond its age.

3.（1）Identify the author and the work from which the passage is selected.

William Wordsworth；I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud.

（2）Define the poet’s theory of poetry with the analysis of the quoted passage.

Wordsworth holds that poetry comes from emotions，not from reason；it deals with feelings，attitudes，emotions—“the heart，”not understanding or common sense.Another basic belief of his is that the subject of poetry should come from the“incidents and situations from common life”；poetic diction and the coloring of the imagination should enable people to see the incidents in a new light，enable them to see the primary laws of human nature，and show them how to see，understand and enjoy their lives and judge them.

I Wandered lonely as a Cloud fits well into his poetic theory.The imagery of nature together with the peacefulness created therein is accomplished through the metaphors，similes，and descriptive language that he uses.This fusion of scenery and feelings is masterfully represented in this poem.As Wordsworth notes：“Poetry is the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings recollected in tranquility.”To Wordsworth，a poet has unique emotional vitality that makes it possible for him to detect psychological and moral truths underlying all existences.The perception of natural objects like the daffodils will，upon later recollection，produce human and universal significance.

4.（1）Identify the author and the work from which the passage is selected.

Percy Bysshe Shelly；Ode to the West Wind.

（2）Explain the meaning of“Destroyer and Preserver”in terms of the theme.

The west wind is considered as the“Destroyer”for driving the leaves from the trees；it is considered as the“Preserver”for scattering the seeds which will come to life in spring.Thematically，Shelly sees the storm of the natural world as an apt metaphor for revolution in the human world.The poet had been feeling depressed at the triumph of the reactionary Holy Alliance over Napoleon and the French Revolution and was empathic in his forecast that the storm of revolution would make a powerful comeback yet.The double role of the west wind，both destroyer and preserver，symbolizes the revolutionary force mentioned above.

（3）Define the literary trend to which the poet belongs.

Shelly belongs to Romanticism.Romanticism was a literary movement that originated in Europe towards the end of the 18th century and in most areas was at its peak in the approximate period from 1800 to 1850.Partly a reaction to the Industrial Revolution，it was also a revolt against aristocratic social and political norm of the Age of Enlightenment and a reaction against the scientific rationalization of nature.The movement validated strong emotion as an authentic source of aesthetic experience，placing new emphasis on such emotions as apprehension，horror and terror，and awe—especially that which is experienced in confronting the sublimity of untamed nature and its picturesque qualities.

5.（1）Identify the author and the work from which the passage is selected.

F.Scott Fitzgerald；The Great Gatsby.

（2）How do you understand the word“great”，which is used to describe the titular hero？Is he really great？

Gatsby’s personal experience approximates the whole of the American experience up to the first few decades of the 20th century.America had pandered to the last and greatest of all human dreams and promised something like“the orgiastic future”for humanity.Now the virgin forests have vanished and made way for a modern civilization.Here modern men live in sterility and meaninglessness and futility as best illustrated by Gatsby’s pointless parties.Gatsby is on one hand charmingly innocent enough to believe that the past can be recovered，but is on the other hand，corrupt，tragically convinced of the power of money，however it is made.Therefore，he，like other people in the novel contributes to the vanishing of the great expectations which the first settlement of the American continent had inspired.The hope is gone；despair and doom have set in.Thus Gatsby’s personal life has assumed a magnitude as a“cultural-historical allegory”for the nation.

（3）What is the theme of the work？

On the surface，The Great Gatsby is a story of the thwarted love between a man and a woman.The main theme of the novel，however，encompasses a much larger，less romantic scope.Though all of its action takes place over a mere few months during the summer of 1922 and is set in a circumscribed geographical area in the vicinity of Long Island，New York，The Great Gatsby is a highly symbolic meditation on 1920s America as a whole，in particular the disintegration of the American Dream in an era of unprecedented prosperity and material excess.

6.（1）Identify the author and the work from which the passage is selected.

Tennessee Williams；The Glass Menagerie.

（2）Do you see any connection between Laura’s personality and the unicorn？

The one-horned unicorn indeed symbolizes Laura in more than one way.First，Laura is slightly crippled while the unicorn is one-horned；second，Laura runs away from reality into the world of her collection of glass animals among which with the unicorn she identifies herself，all as fragile and vulnerable as herself，in which she perceives an ideal order of everyone seeming“to get along nicely together.”There is peace and harmony，but no discrimination against anything different，no competition，and no painful change.Like the unicorn，Laura completely withdraws into a world which she constructs to ward off the intrusion of a painful existence.

（3）What is the theme of the work？

The Glass Menagerie is set in the apartment of the Wingfield family.By description，it is a cramped，dinghy place，like a jail cell.The play successfully portrays life as prison in two ways：the world and the self.The escape from these two prisons is a significant theme throughout the play.What the play tries to tell us is that although people may escape and there may be different kinds of symbolic glass menageries for them to take temporary refuge in，so escapism is not the answer to their problems.Along with the escape，they have to“participate”，which is the major mode of human existence.Escape may offer temporary relief and make life less demanding and more tolerable，but people will have to come back and face life and work it out.

The Glass Menagerie is a typical Williams’play in that here is a lonely vulnerable woman living in her illusion，which is smashed to pieces by a male intruder，who is the embodiment of reality.The whole performance is pointed against modern civilization which blasts happiness out of human existence as well.