“The Art of Fiction” was written by_____

Which of the following is NOT the characteristic of Postmodernism？

A.It prefers a pastiche type of writing.

B.It attempts to acknowledge the meaning of life.

C.It turns away from modernist “high art” to mass culture, and often blurs the line between fiction and non-fiction.

D.It emphasizes confusion and the absurd nature of human existence.

A library is more than just a place where books are stored. A library is a source of information. The information may come from books (fiction , nonfiction, or reference book), from periodicals (newspapers, magazines, and journals), from audio-visual materials (records, cassettes, microfilms, video tapes, etc.), or even from a computer terminal.

Students go to libraries to study and write research papers. The periodicals room of a university library is where foreign students often find newspapers and magazines from their countries . In the reference room, they can find catalogs(目录) from many universities in the U.S. and other countries. If you are buying a used car, the reference librarian can show you the Blue Book which lists the prices of new and used cars. People who need information in a hurry can telephone the reference librarian at many libraries.

There are as many different library services as there are types of people who use them. Children’s libraries provide materials for young readers. They sometimes have storytellers who read stories to groups of children , and a few have computers for the children to play with. Music lovers can listen to recordings of their favorite musicians in music libraries . Some libraries have painting and sculpture exhibits, and most libraries offer special services for blind people, such as books in Braille, ―talking‖ books , and Kurzweil Reading Machines.

Libraries provide entertainment as well as information. Novels and short stories from a library’s fiction collection are a good source of enjoyable reading practice. Public libraries often sponsor lectures on topics of interest to member of the community, and a few even offer concerts and films. No matter what your interests are, you will find that a library can be a great place to enjoy yourself while you learn.

1.What is another name for a library？()

A.A bookstore.

B.The periodicals room.

C.A reference librarian.

D.The information place

2.In the reference room of the library you can find().

A. the fiction collection

B. newspapers and magazines

C. university catalogs

D. materials for young readers

3.Which of the following is NOT an example of a library service？()

A. Used cars.

B. Art exhibits.

C. Children’s storytellers.

D. Kurzweil Reading Machines

4."A library can be a great place to enjoy yourself while you learn." This means you can()in a library.

A. talk and laugh as much as you want

B. find entertainment and information

C. play with computers

D. enjoy yourself by doing everything you can

5.What is the main idea of the whole text？ Choose the BEST answer.()

A. There are many kinds of libraries.

B. There are many books stored in a library.

C. Libraries provide entertainment.

D. Libraries offer many different services.

An Organization that Supports the Arts

Aside from perpetuating itself, the sole purpose of the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters is to "foster, assist and sustain an interest" in literature, music, and art. This it does by enthusiastically handing out money. Annual cash awards are given to deserving artists in various categories of creativity: architecture, musical composition, theater, novels, serious poetry, light verse, painting, sculpture. One award subsidizes a promising American writer' s visit to Rome. There is even an award for a very good work of fiction that failed commercially--once won by the young John Updike for The Poorhouse Fair and, more recently, by Alice Walker for In Love and Trouble.

The awards and prizes are total about 750,000 a year, but most of them range in size from 5,000 to 12,500, a welcome sum to many young practitioners whose work may not bring in that much money in a year. One of the advantages of the awards is that many go to the struggling artists, rather than to those who are already successful. Members of the Academy and Institute are not eligible for any cash prizes. Another advantage is that, unlike the National Endowment for the Arts or similar institutions throughout the world, there is no government money involved.

Awards are made by committee. Each of the three departments----Literature (120 members), Art (83), Music (47)-----has a committee dealing with its own field. Committee membership rotates every year, so that new voices and opinions are constantly heard. The most financially rewarding of all the Academy - Institute awards are the Mildred and Harold Strauss Livings. Harold Strauss, a devoted editor at Alfred A. Knopf, the New York publishing house, and Mildred Strauss, his wife, were wealthy and childless. They left the Academy -Institute a unique bequest: for five consecutive years, two distinguished (and financially needy) writers would receive enough money so they could devote themselves entirely to "prose literature" (no plays, no poetry, and no paying job that might distract). In 1983, the first Strauss Livings of 35,000 a year went to short -story writer Raymond Carver and novelist- essayist Cynthia Ozick. By 1988, the fund had grown enough so that two winners, novelists Diane Johnson and Robert Stone, each got 50,000 a year for five years.

Which of the following can be inferred about Alice Walker' s book In love and Trouble？

A．It sold more copies than The Poorhouse Fair.

B．It described the author' s visit to Rome.

C．It was a commercial success.

D．It was published after The Poorhouse Fair.

A. Prose epic

B. Comic epic

C. Dramatic fiction

D. Poetic fiction

Fiction can be written in the style. of letter writings.()

A.听写

B.摩擦

C.小说

Anna was reading a piece of science fiction, completely ______ (lose)to the outside world.

A good___(write) of fiction always manages to have sympathy for all his characters.

Anna was reading a piece of science fiction, completely _______ to the outside world.

A) having been lost B) to be lost C) losing D) lost