Question

The Great Gatsby is a 1925 novel written by American author F. Scott Fitzgerald that follows a cast of characters living in the fictional town of West Egg on Long Island in the summer of 1922.

Nick Carraway rents a small house in West Egg on Long Island, next door to the expensive house of Jay Gatsby, a mysterious millionaire who often holds extravagant（奢侈的）parties. Nick’s cousin, Daisy, and her husband, Tom, a college classmate of Nick’s, live in East Egg across the bay.

Nick later learns that Gatsby knew and fell in love with Daisy in 1917 and is still deeply in love with her. He spends many nights staring at her house across the bay from his house, hoping to recover their lost relationship one day. Gatsby’s extravagant lifestyle and wild parties are an attempt to impress Daisy in the hope that she will one day appear again at Gatsby’s doorstep. With the help of Nick, Gatsby and Daisy get in touch again. But after a short time, Tom forces the group to drive into New York City, saying that he and Daisy have a history that Gatsby could never understand. In addition, he announces that Gatsby is a criminal whose fortune comes from illegal activities. Daisy realizes that her allegiance（忠心）is to Tom, and Tom sends her back to East Egg with Gatsby, attempting to prove that Gatsby cannot hurt him.

When Nick and Tom drive home, they discover that Gatsby’s car has struck and killed Myrtle. Nick later learns from Gatsby that Daisy, not Gatsby himself, was driving the car at the time of the accident but Gatsby intends to take the blame anyway. Myrtle’s husband, George, arrives at Gatsby’s house and fatally（致命地）shoots both Gatsby and then himself.

Nick stages a small funeral for Gatsby with few coming to mourn the passing of his romantic dream. After that, Nick moves back to the Midwest, disillusioned（幻灭）with the Eastern lifestyle.

At first glance, the novel appears to be a simple love story, but further examination shows Fitzgerald’s masterful observation of American society during the 1920s and the corruption（堕落）of the American dream.

1. Gatsby often holds extravagant parties in order to ____________.

A. show off his wealth

B. enjoy life with his neighbors

C. attract Daisy’s attention

D. memorize his love with Daisy

2.The friend circle of Gatsby before and after his death tells ____________.

A. how powerful George is

B. what an honest cousin Nick is

C. what people care most in a world of money

D. how ugly the couple of George and Myrtle are

3.What do we know about Gatsby from the passage?

A. He loves Daisy so deeply that he chooses to sacrifice for her.

B. He falls in love with Daisy when she attends his wild parties.

C. He is a criminal who attempts to hurt Tom from time to time.

D. He is a mysterious millionaire who likes to stare at others’ houses.

4. The last paragraph of the passage is to show ____________.

A. the influence of The Great Gatsby on later novels

B. the wonderful writing skills of F. Scott Fitzgerald

C. the outstanding and unique theme of The Great Gatsby

D. the status of The Great Gatsby in American literature

Answer 1

1.C

2.C

3.A

4.C

【解析】

试题分析：本文主要介绍了美国作家弗·斯科特·菲茨杰拉德所著小说《了不起的盖茨比》，文章主要介绍了这部小说的具体内容以及这部小说想要表达的主题。

1.C 细节理解题。根据文章第三段的Gatsby’s extravagant lifestyle and wild parties are an attempt to impress Daisy in the hope that she will one day appear again at Gatsby’s doorstep.可知，选择C，想获得Daisy的注意。

2.C 推理判断题。在Gatsby 死之前，他朋友众多，经常举办聚会，而在他死后Nick stages a small funeral for Gatsby with few coming to mourn the passing of his romantic dream.，由此可以推断出选择C，在金钱世界里人们最关心的到底是什么。

3.A 推理判断题。根据文章第四段Nick later learns from Gatsby that Daisy, not Gatsby himself, was driving the car at the time of the accident but Gatsby intends to take the blame anyway.可知，开车撞死Myrtle的是Daisy而非Gatsby，由此推断出Gatsby非常爱Daisy以至于可以为了她而牺牲自己。故选择A。

4.推理判断题。根据最后一段的but further examination shows Fitzgerald’s masterful observation of American society during the 1920s and the corruption（堕落）of the American dream.可知，这部小说展示了Fitzgerald对于美国社会二十世纪二十年代的美国梦的堕落的大师级的洞察力。故选C，指这部小说的杰出和主题。

考点：考查说明文阅读