A
(2018·浙江高考)In 1812, the year Charles Dickens was born, there were 66 novels published in Britain. People had been writing novels for a century—most experts date the first novel to Robinson Crusoe in 1719—but nobody wanted to do it professionally. The steampowered printing press was still in its early stages; the literacy (识字) rate in England was under 50%. Many works of fiction appeared without the names of the authors, often with something like “By a lady.” Novels, for the most part, were looked upon as silly, immoral or just plain bad.
In 1870, when Dickens died, the world mourned him as its first professional writer and publisher, famous and beloved, who had led an explosion in both the publication of novels and their readership and whose characters—from Oliver Twist to Tiny Tim—were held up as moral touchstones. Today Dickens' greatness is unchallenged. Removing him from the pantheon (名人堂) of English literature would make about as much sense as the Louvre selling off the Mona Lisa.
How did Dickens get to the top? For all the feelings readers attach to stories, literature is a numbers game, and the test of time is extremely difficult to pass. Some 60,000 novels were published during the Victorian age, from 1837 to 1901; today a casual reader might be able to name a halfdozen of them. It's partly true that Dickens' style of writing attracted audiences from all walks of life. It's partly that his writings rode a wave of social, political and scientific progress. But it's also that he rewrote the culture of literature and put himself at the center. No one will ever know what mix of talent, ambition, energy and luck made Dickens such a distinguished writer. But as the 200th anniversary of his birth approaches, it is possible—and important for our own culture—to understand how he made himself a lasting one.
篇章导读：本文是一篇说明文。文章主要介绍了英国小说家狄更斯在文学上的成就。在他200周年诞辰之际，让我们永远记住这位对文学艺术作出巨大贡献的小说家。
1．Which of the following best describes British novels in the 18th century?
A．They were difficult to understand.
B．They were popular among the rich.
C．They were seen as nearly worthless.
D．They were written mostly by women.
答案：C 细节理解题。由题干中的18世纪可定位到第一段。由该段最后一句“Novels, for the most part, were looked upon as silly, immoral or just plain bad.”可知，在18世纪，英国的小说被认为几乎没有价值。故选C。
2．Dickens is compared with the Mona Lisa in the text to stress .
A．his reputation in France
B．his interest in modern art
C．his success in publication
D．his importance in literature
答案：D 细节理解题。由第二段最后两句可知，把他从英国文学殿堂中剔除的意义如同卢浮宫抛售《蒙娜·丽莎》。将狄更斯与《蒙娜·丽莎》进行比较是为了强调狄更斯在文学上的重要性。故选D。
3．What is the author's purpose in writing the text?
A．To remember a great writer.
B．To introduce an English novel.
C．To encourage studies on culture.
D．To promote values of the Victorian age.
答案：A 推理判断题。根据最后一段最后一句以及全文可知，文章主要介绍了狄更斯的伟大成就，旨在让人们永远记住这位伟大的作家。故选A。
【词汇积累】 ①immoral adj. 不道德的 ②anniversary n. 周年纪念日 ③all walks of life 各行各业
【佳句背诵】 Removing him from the pantheon (名人堂) of English literature would make about as much sense as the Louvre selling off the Mona Lisa.
把他从英国文学的名人堂中除名， 就跟卢浮宫卖掉《蒙娜·丽莎》的意义一样。
