Frankenstein was a book by Mary Shelley — it’s been adapted for the screen dozens of times.The story of Frankenstein is told through a series of letters written by Captain Robert Walton to his sister, as he leads an expedition to the North Pole.On the way, he meets Victor Frankenstein, who tells Walton the story of his life.Frankenstein is the surname of the guy who creates the monster.The monster doesn’t actually have a name.Anyway,Victor is a scientist who’s desperate to discover the secret of life.After years of study, he makes an enormous creature out of human remains and brings it to life.Victor intends it to be beautiful.Unfortunately, the creature turns out really hideous, and Victor runs away in terror.Although the monster is good and kind, humans are scared of it.When they mistreat it, the monster becomes angry and evil.Wanting revenge on its creator, the monster murders Dr.Frankenstein’s brother, his wife, and his best friend.When Victor figures out the monster is behind all the deaths, he swears to track it down and kill it.
This book was written in 1816, right after a period called the Enlightenment.The Enlightenment emphasized the pursuit of knowledge and reason, and gave rise to the scientific method.Mary Shelley criticized the Enlightenment through the character of Victor Frankenstein, “He is a negative example of an Enlightenment scientist — he pursues knowledge at any cost, and his addiction to discovering the secret of life destroys him, as well as his friends and family.” Some Enlightenment thinkers might have seen such a loss as necessary for the advancement of science, but not Mary Shelley.She and her husband, poet Percy Shelley, were part of the Romantic Movement in art and literature.Romanticism was something against the Enlightenment’s embrace of rationality (合理性) and reason.The Romantics emphasized emotion over rationality, and thought people should feel awe and terror in regard to nature.Frankenstein incorporates (包含) all these ideas.To Shelley, Frankenstein doesn’t fear and respect the world of nature enough — she says that by going against nature, he brings about complete disaster.Frankenstein is not just a great romantic novel.It’s also considered one of the first major works of science fiction.It influences a whole generation of writers, and the monster has become one of the most recognizable figures in Western culture.
1.Which of the following is closest in meaning to the underlined word “hideous” in Paragraph 1?
A.Charming. B.Engaging.
C.Unattractive. D.Handsome.
2.What is Victor Frankenstein’s fatal weakness?
A.His lack of respect for nature. B.His rejection of his own creation.
C.His love of science. D.His inability to form human relationship.
3.How was the Romantic era different from the Enlightenment?
A.The Romantic era emphasized poetry; the Enlightenment emphasized prose (散文).
B.The Romantic era occurred during the 20th century; the Enlightenment occurred during the 19th century.
C.The Romantic era emphasized emotion; the Enlightenment emphasized reason.
D.The Romantic era saw major scientific discoveries; the Enlightenment was an era of literary discovery.
4.What effect did “Frankenstein” have on later works of fiction ?
A.It inspired books about the Enlightenment.
B.It inspired science-fiction writing.
C.It inspired books of poetry.
D.It inspired technical writing.
语篇解读:本文介绍了Frankenstein 这本书的内容和背景及对科幻创作的影响。
答案及剖析:
1.C 词义猜测题。根据第一段中的“Victor intends it to be beautiful.Unfortunately, the creature turns out really hideous, and Victor runs away in terror.Although the monster is good and kind, humans are scared of it.”可推知,这个生物应该是不美丽、不讨人喜欢的,故选C。
2.A 细节理解题。根据句子“Frankenstein doesn’t fear and respect the world of nature enough—she says that by going against nature, he brings about complete disaster.”可知,缺乏对自然的尊重是他的致命弱点。所以答案选A。
3.C 细节理解题。根据句子“Romanticism was something against the Enlightenment’s embrace of rationality (合理性) and reason.The Romantics emphasized emotion over rationality, and thought people should feel awe and terror in regard to nature”可知,答案选C项。
4.B 推理判断题。由Frankenstein is not just a great romantic novel.It’s also considered one of the first major works of science fiction.It influences a whole generation of writers, and the monster has become one of the most recognizable figures in Western culture.可知,《弗兰肯斯坦》被认为是首批科幻小说的主要作品之一。它影响了整整一代作家。由此可推知答案选B项。
