江西省重点中学盟校第一次联考英语试题及答案(6)

　　C. On the Tales of Laos Tour， visitors can enjoy wonderful rice paddies and  ride elephants.

　　D. The Cuzco to Machu Picchu Route starts in Cuzco and ends in Machu  Picchu.

　　C

　　What does it mean to cry over a book？ “I’m a reader who did not weep，” Ruth  Graham， a well-known critic， wrote. “Does this make me heartless？ Or does it  make me a grown-up？”

　　Tears have played a surprisingly important part in the history of the novel.  Readers have always asked about the role that emotion plays in reading： What  does it mean to be deeply moved by a book？ Which books are worthy objects of our  feelings？

　　In different times， people answered those questions in different ways. In the  eighteenth century， when the novel was still a new form， crying was a sign of  readers’ virtue. “Sentimental” novels， full of touching scenes， gave readers an  occasion to exercise their “finer feelings.” Your tear proved your  susceptibility（易感性）to the suffering of others.

　　At that time， sentimental novels were hugely popular， but also easy to  attack. Tears， after all， had no necessary connection to actual virtue， and they  could be fake. There could also be too many of them. As the critic John Mullan  points out， by the end of the eighteenth century， the word “sentimental” had  acquired a new meaning — “addicted to indulgence（沉溺）in superficial（肤浅的）emotion”  — bringing it closer to the meaning that it has for us today.

　　In the nineteenth century， the meaning of tears evolved in two different  directions. Some writers sought to waken “higher” feelings in their readers：  Victorian sentimentalists wrote touching scenes in an effort to inspire social  and political reform. However， the “sensation” novel， a different type of  Victorian best-seller， showed that tears could be enjoyable in themselves.  Sensation novels were the forerunners（先导）of the modern thriller and mystery.  Heavy on secrets， and madness， they were known for creating physical  “sensations” in their readers — trembling， a fast beating heart， and tears. But  these were tears without moral purpose or effect.