单选题 The biographer has to dance between two shaky positions with respect to the subject. Too close a relation, and the writer may lose objectivity. Not close enough, and the writer may lack the sympathy necessary to any effort to portray a mind, a soul — the quality of life. Who should write the biography of a family, for example? Because of their closeness to the subject, family members may have special information, but by the same token, they may not have the distance that would allow them to be fair. Similarly, a king's servant might not be the best one to write a biography of that king. But a foreigner might not have the knowledge and sympathy necessary to write the king's biography — not for a readership from within the kingdom, at any rate. There is no ideal position for such a task. The biographer has to work with the position he or she in the world, adjusting that position as necessary to deal with the subject. Every position has strengths and weakness to thrive, a writer must try to become aware of these, evaluate them in terms of the subject, and select a position accordingly. When their subjects are heroes or famous figures, biographies often reveal a democratic motive: they attempt to show that their subjects are only human, no better than anyone else. Other biographies are meant to change us, to invite us to become better than we are. The biographies of Jesus found in the Bible are in this class. Biographers may claim that their account is the "authentic" one. In advancing this claim, they are helped if the biography is "authorized" by the subject; this presumably allows the biographer special access to private information. "Unauthorized" biographies also have their appeal, however, since they can suggest an independence of mind in the biographer. In book promotions, the "unauthorized" characterization usually suggests the prospect of juicy gossip that the subject had hoped to suppress. A subject might have several biographies, even several "authentic" ones. We sense intuitively that no one is in a position to tell "the story of life, perhaps not even the subject", and this has been proved by the history of biography.

单选题 According to the author, an ideal biographer would be one who______.

【正确答案】 D

【答案解析】解析：根据文章第二段“There is no ideal position for such a task．The biographer has to work with theposition he or she in the world，adjusting that position as necessary to deal with the subject．Every positionhas strengths and weakneSS to thrive，a writer must try to become aware of these，evaluate them in terms ofthe subject，and select a position accordingly．”可知，对于写传记来说，作者没有完全理想的立场。传记作家必须处理好应持有的立场，根据传记主人公塑造的需要而调整立场。每一种立场都各有所长，也各有所短；传记作家必须意识到这一点，从传记主人公的角度评估它们并进而选择一个相应的立场。据此判断，答案是D。

单选题 The author cites the biographies of Jesus in the Bible in order to show that______.

【正确答案】 A

【答案解析】解析：根据文章第三段“When their subjects are heroes or famous figures…The biographies of Jesusfound in the Bible are in this class．”可知，当传记主人公是英雄或名人的时候，传记常常揭示一个民主化的动机：他们竭力表现传记主人公人性化的一面，指出他们并不比常人出众。有些传记还意图改变我们，吸引我们提升自己的精神境界。《圣经》中耶稣的传记就属于这一类。由此可见，不同的传记具有不同的目的。据此判断，答案是A。