单选题 With its common interest in lawbreaking but its immense range of subject matter and widely-varying methods of treatment, the crime novel could make a legitimate claim to be regarded as a separate branch of literature, or, at least, as a distinct, even though a slightly disreputable, offshoot of the traditional novel.
The detective story is probably the most respectable (at any rate in the narrow sense of the word) of the crime species. Its creation is often the relaxation of university teachers, literary economists, scientists or even poets. Fatalities may occur more frequently and mysteriously than might be expected in polite society, but the world in which they happen, the village, seaside resort, college or studio, is familiar to us, if not from our own experience, at least in the newspaper or the lives of friends. The characters, though normally realized superficially, are as recognizably human and consistent as our less intimate associates. A story set in a more remote environment, African jungle, or Australian bush, ancient China or gas-lit London, appeals to our interest ill geography or history, and most detective story writers are conscientious in providing a reasonably authentic background. The elaborate, carefully assembled plot, despised by the modern intellectual critics and creators of significant novels, has found refuge in the murder mystery, with its sprinkling of clues, its spicing with apparent impossibilities, all with appropriate solutions and explanations at the end. With the guilt of escapism from real life nagging gently, we secretly revel in the unmasking of evil by a vaguely super-human detective, who sees through and dispels the cloud of suspicion which has hovered so unjustly over the innocent.
Though its villain also receives his rightful deserts, the thriller presents a less comfortable and credible world. The sequence of fist fights, revolver duels, car crashes and escapes from gas-filled cellars exhausts the reader far more than the hero, who, suffering from at least two broken ribs, one black eye, uncountable bruises and a hangover, can still chase and overpower an armed villain with the physique of a wrestler. He moves dangerously through a world of ruthless gangs, brutality, a vicious lust for power and money and, in contrast to the detective tale, with a near-omniscient arch-criminal whose defeat seems almost accidental. Perhaps we miss in the thriller the security of being safely led by our imperturbable investigator past a score of red herrings and blind avenues to a final gathering of suspects when an unchallengeable elucidation of all that has bewildered us is given and justice and goodness prevail. All that we vainly hope for from life is granted vicariously.

单选题 The crime novel may be regarded as______.

【正确答案】 D

【答案解析】细节推理题，问对于犯罪小说的定位。根据题干中的关键词“crime novel”，首先就定位到文章的第一段，第一段实际上就是对犯罪小说(crime novel)的一个综述，通过理解，首先就可以排除掉B“根本不是小说”和C“与历史小说有某些关联”，这两点明显与第一段的内容无关，比较难判断的是在A“传统小说中某种不很高雅的(文学)形式”和D“—种独立发展的小说形式”，支持A的根据是句中的一个补语“even though a slightly disreputable尽管是有点不太光彩”，支持D的根据是“could make a legitimate claim be regarded as a separate branch of literature，or，at least, ..off shoot of the traditional novel或可理直气壮地要求被视为文学的一个独立分支，或者至少是传统小说中的一个支派”，但我们可以从D的根据中注意到作者建议(could)犯罪小说为“文学的一个独立分支”或“传统小说中的一个支派”，这与D完全川符，且同时否定了A中将犯罪小说完全划入传统小说的说法，所以最终选定D为正确答案。

单选题 The text suggests that intellectuals write detective stories because

【正确答案】 B

【答案解析】事实细节题，问知识分子们创作侦探小说的原因。题干中的第一个关键词detective stories可以定位到第二段，再根据第二个关键词intellectuals(知识分子们)定位到第二段的“university teachers，literary economists，scientists or even poets”这些人的共集就是“知识分子们”，找到这里后，题目就很好做了，因为文中说“Its (detective story’s) creation is often the relaxation of...(intellectuals)”其意是：侦探小说的创作是知识分子们放松和娱乐的结果。由此我们选定B“他们喜欢写这些故事”为正确答案。由其它选项都找不到相关依据。

单选题 What feature of the detective story is said to disqualify it from respectful consideration by intellectual critics?

【正确答案】 C

【答案解析】事实细节题，问侦探小说的哪一个特征使共丧火了文学评论家尊重和关注。定位方法与上题一样，根据大概念的关键词detective story定位于第二段，再根据具体的关键词intellectual critics定位到“The elaborate，carefully assembled plot，despised by the modern intellectual critics...为现代文学评论家们所轻视的、精心组织的情节……”这里的主语“精心组织的情节”与选项C“The existence of a neat closely-knit story”的同义替换，所以C为正解。

单选题 One of the most incredible characteristics of the hero of a thriller is ______.

【正确答案】 B

【答案解析】事实细节题，问惊悚小说中的主人公身上最令人难以置信的特征是什么。首先根据关键词thriller确实答案应在第三段，然后再根据关键词hero找到句子“hero, who，suffering from...cans still chase and overpower an armed villain主人公经受了(种种磨难)……依然能迫到并战胜武装的恶棍”，这符合B，“主人公不同一般的坚韧”的意思。而其它几个选项：A“刺激的生活”从文章中看不出来，C“从危险境地中逃脱的能力”和D“对付敌手的方式”都只是其某一方面的特征，但都不如B有特色，所以最终选定B为答案。

单选题 In what way are the detective story and thriller unlike?

【正确答案】 D

【答案解析】归纳理解题，问侦探小说和惊悚小说的差异。需要在理解第二段和第三段主要内容的基础上，归纳这两种小说的不同特点从而找出差异。解题进可以使用排除法：选项A“引导人接触暴行”不成立，因为本文介绍侦探小说时未交待这种类型小说中是否有“暴行”、如何描写的；B“给人兴奋和悬念”不对的原因是两种小说中都有这些内容，并不是差异；C“对读者智力上的好奇心有兴趣”也找不到根据；只有最后一项D“最终都有一个圆满的结果”能在文章的倒数第二句找出根据，原文是“Perhaps we miss in the thriller...也许在惊悚小说中我们找不到……”，而这些找不到的内容却正是侦探小说中有的，这正好是两者的差异所在，两者相比时，对miss一词要有一定的敏感度。