Question

Dear Reader,

I receive many letters from children and can’t answer them all—there wouldn’t be time enough in a day．That is why I am sending you this printed reply to your letter．I’ll try to answer some of the questions that are commonly asked.

Where did I get the idea for Stuart Little and for Charlotte’s Web? Well, many years ago I went to bed one night in a railway sleeping car, and during the night I dreamed about a tiny boy who acted rather like a mouse．That’s how the story of Stuart Little got started.

As for Charlotte’s Web, I like animals and my barn（谷倉）is a very pleasant place to be, at all hours．One day when I was on my way to feed the pig, I began feeling sorry for the pig because, like most pigs, he was doomed to die．This made me sad．So I started thinking of ways to save a pig’s life．I had been watching a big grey spider at her work and was impressed by how clever she was at weaving．Gradually I worked the spider into the story that you know, a story of friendship and salvation（拯救）on a farm．Three years after I started writing it, it was published．（I am not a fast worker, as you can see.）

Sometimes I’m asked how old I was when I started to write, and what made me want to write．I started early—as soon as I could spell．In fact, I can’t remember any time in my life when I wasn’t busy writing．I don’t know what caused me to do it, or why I enjoyed it, but I think children often find pleasure and satisfaction in trying to set their thoughts down on paper, either in words or in pictures．I was no good at drawing, so I used words instead．As I grew older, I found that writing can be a way of earning a living.

Some of my readers want me to visit their school．Some want me to send a picture, or an autograph, or a book．And some ask questions about my family and my animals and my pets．Much as I’d like to, I can’t go visiting．I can’t send books, either—you can find them in a bookstore or a library．Many children assume that a writer owns （or even makes） his own books．This is not true—books are made by the publisher．If a writer wants a copy, he must buy it．That’s why I can’t send books．And I do not send signatures—I leave that to the movie stars．I live most of the year in the country, in New England．From our windows we can look out at the sea and the mountains．I live near my married son and three grandchildren.

Are my stories true, you ask? No, they are imaginary tales, containing fantastic characters and events．In real life, a family doesn’t have a child who looks like a mouse; in real life, a spider doesn’t spin words in her web．In real life, a swan doesn’t blow a trumpet．But real life is only one kind of life—there is also the life of the imagination．And although my stories are imaginary, I like to think that there is some truth in them, too—truth about the way people and animals feel and think and act.

Yours sincerely：E.B．White

1.The author wrote the letter because _________.

A．he is not a fast worker

B．he was invited to answer the questions

C．he didn’t have enough time to answer all the letters

D．he felt sorry for not being able to send books to his readers

2.What probably caused the writer to get interested in writing children’s book?

A．Writing can be a way to earn his living．

B．The fact that he was not good at drawing．

C．His mother influence on his childhood.

D．The instinct of children.

3.From Para.5, we can learn that ＿＿＿＿.

A．many famous people like to visit schools

B．movie stars will send autographs to readers

C．many people think authors have copies of their own books

D．the author lives with his married son and three grandchildren

4.In the last paragraph, the author is trying to tell us ____ .

A．we only have one kind of life

B．there is no truth in imaginary tales

C．imaginary tales are based on our true life

D．fantastic characters and events only exist in imaginary tales

Answer 1

1.C

2.D

3.C

4.C

【解析】

試題分析：本文講述作者給讀者的一封信，信中闡述了作者的小說《精靈鼠小弟》以及《夏洛特的網(wǎng)》的來源，作者寫童話故事的原因以及告訴讀者想象出來的故事都是基于真實的生活。

1.I receive many letters from children and can’t answer them all—there wouldn’t be time enough in a day．That is why I am sending you this printed reply to your letter．我收到許多孩子們的來信不能全部回復(fù)，因為沒有足夠的時間，那就是我為什么用打印的回復(fù)來回復(fù)你的信，可知作者寫著這封信是因為沒有足夠的時間回復(fù)所有的信，故選C

2.I don’t know what caused me to do it, or why I enjoyed it, but I think children often find pleasure and satisfaction in trying to set their thoughts down on paper,我不知道是什么使我寫書，或為什么我喜歡寫書，但我認(rèn)為孩子們經(jīng)常在嘗試把他們的想法呈現(xiàn)在紙上時發(fā)現(xiàn)愉悅和滿足，可知是因為孩子的本能使作者寫童話書，故選D

3.Many children assume that a writer owns （or even makes） his own books．This is not true—books are made by the publisher．許多孩子認(rèn)為作者擁有他自己的書。那不是真的，書是出版商制作的，可知許多人認(rèn)為作者擁有自己的書的復(fù)制版本，可知選C

4.And although my stories are imaginary, I like to think that there is some truth in them, too—truth about the way people and animals feel and think and act.盡管我的的故事都是想象的，這其中也有事實，事實就是人與動物感覺思考以及行為的方式，可知最后一段作者告訴我們想象的故事基于真實生活，故選C

考點：考查書信閱讀