Mark Twain is someone Americans are taught to love. Older relatives, English teachers and the media always praise (表扬) him. But when you actually take the time to read The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, you find that his work is more wonderful than you could ever imagine.
The novel describes a young boy named Tom Sawyer growing up in a small town along the Mississippi River. He explores the countryside on a riverboat with his friends, falls in love with girls, starts secret clubs and searches for treasure. Twain’s idea of childhood is magical – a time of imagination, wonder and, of course, adventure.
More importantly, through the eyes of Tom Sawyer, Twain cleverly makes fun of US culture. For example, Tom hates going to church, and Twain uses scenes of Tom there to mock religion and its old traditions.
Twain’s writing is full of these kinds of critical (批判的) points about culture and politics. That’s why he is so loved in the US – he wasn’t afraid to state his opinions, and he did so clearly.
He also believed strongly in women’s right to vote in elections and gave a famous speech on the subject, called “Votes for Women”, in 1901.
“Tom was a great hero once more – the pet of the old, the envy of the young,” Twain writes in Tom Sawyer. But he could just as well be describing himself.
小题1:According to the writer, after reading The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, you are likely to think__________.
A．it’s not worth all the praise
B．it’s as wonderful as you imagined
C．it’s better to read it with teachers
D．it’s even better than you imagined小题2:What is Paragraph 2 mainly about?
A．A brief description of the novel.
B．Where Twain’s idea of childhood comes from.
C．How naughty and adventurous Tom Sawyer is.
D．What makes Tom Sawyer’s adventures so wonderful.小题3:What does the underlined word “mock” mean?
A．make changes to
B．make fun of
C．give reasons for
D．give examples of小题4:Why is Twain so loved in the US according to the article?
A．He supported women’s right to vote.
B．He wrote bad things about US wars abroad.
C．He criticized American culture and society clearly and cleverly.
D．He showed readers a magical childhood that everyone would love.
