Question

Vampires (吸血鬼)

Vampire stories go back thousands of years. The acts we now associate with vampires,such as rising from the grave and drinking blood, were popularized by eastern European stories.

Most early cultures created stories to explain things they didn’t understand. For example, hair and nails continue to grow after people die, which has already been proved possible by modern science.

These facts were unknown to most people in the 19th century, however. As a result, the legends surrounding such mysteries were kept alive.

Count Dracula .In 1897, Irish writer Bram Stoker’s novel Dracula was published, spreading the vampire stories to a mass audience. In the novel, the Count Dracula of Transylvania, a 500-year-old vampire, has drunk his country dry and must move to England in search of new victims. Dracula means “son of the dragon” or “son of the devil” in Romania.

Werewolf .The story of a half-man, half-wolf beast is as old as that of vampires, and almost as varied. In most werewolf stories, however, a beast would silently enter settlements at night and steal a young child or an animal. The most common explanation of werewolf stories is that the beast was usually an ordinary wolf. The genetic disorder, which causes too much body hair, may also have helped to popularize the story.

Frankenstein .This is a fictional scientist created by British writer Mary Shelly in 1818. Dr Frankenstein lives in a castle and is so addicted to making living beings from parts of dead bodies that he refuses to marry.

The story of Frankenstein may have been planted in Shelly’s mind since she visited Castle Frankenstein in Germany, where an alchemist(炼金术士) tried to do experiments with the aim of making people live longer.

The Invisible Man . In HG Wells’ 1897 story, a young scientist called Griffin, manages to make himself invisible. But he cannot find a way to become visible again. He then wants to make use of his super power but finally has gone mad. Wells’ tale owes a great debt to Greek philosopher Plato’s book Republic.

36. The best title for this passage should be ________.

A. Origins of Ghosts   B. Tales of Horror       C. Exciting Stories       D. Science Fictions

37. The people in the 19th century did NOT know _________.

A. why vampires drank blood

B. why dead people rose from the grave

C. that vampires always kept their nails

D. that hair could continue to grow after people died

38. What do most of the werewolf stories have in common according to the passage?

A. The beast often silently entered settlements at night and stole a little child.

B. The werewolf was in genetic disorder and so had a lot of body hair.

C. An ordinary wolf would enter settlements at night and steal a child.

D. The beast was sometimes a half-man and sometimes a half-wolf.

Answer 1

BDA