21、阅读材料，回答21-40题。
Washington Irving was America’s first man of letters to beknown internationally. His works were received enthusiastically both in Englandand in the United States. He was, in fact; one of the most successful writersof his time in the country, and at the same time winning the admiration offellow writers like Scott in Britain and Poe and Hawthorne in the UnitedStates. The respect in which he was held partly owing to the man himself, withhis warm friendliness, his good sense, his urbanity, his gay spirits, hisartistic integrity, his love of both the Old World and the New. Thackeray describedIrving as "a gentleman, who, though himself born in no very high sphere, wasmost finished, polished, witty; socially the equal of the most refinedEuropeans. " In England be was granted an honorary degree from Oxford anunusual honor for a citizen of a young, uncultured nation and he received themedal of the Royal Society of Literature. America made him ambassador to Spain.
Irving’s background provides little to explain his literaryachievements. A gifted but delicate child, he had little schooling. He studiedlaw, but without zeal, and never did practice seriously. He was immune to hisslrict Presbyterian home environment, frequenting both social gatherings and thetheater.
The main point of the first paragraph is that WashingtonIrving was________
A．America’s first man of letters
B．a writer who had great success both in and outside his owncountry
C．a man who was able to move from literature to politics
D．a man whose personal charm enabled him to get by withbasically inferior work


22、 What is implied by the mention of Scott, Poe and Hawthorne?
A．Irving enjoyed great popular admiration.
B．Scott, Poe and Hawthorne were primarily responsible forIrving’s success.
C．Irving’s work was not only popular, but also of highliterary quality.
D．More Americans than Britons admired Irving.


23、 Which of the following best describes the effect of Irving ‘sPresbyterian background on his life?
A．It fostered his love for the theater.
B．It developed his skill in business.
C．It prompted his interest in law.
D．It had almost no effect on his life.


24、 Which of the following best describes the effect of Irving’spersonal qualities on his literary success?
A．His personal qualities were entirely responsible for hisliterary success.
B．His personal qualities were primarily responsible for hisliterary success.
C．His personal qualities had some effects on his literarysuccess.
D．His personal qualities had no effects on his literarysuccess.


25、 Why might Irving’s literary ability have been surprising tothe English?
A．They feared competition from American writers.
B．They did not expect the United States to produce goodwriters.
C．They disapproved of the language American writers used.
D．They thought of the United States as a purely commercialpower.


26、阅读材料，回答26-45题。
It was not much fun to travel on one of the old sailing ships. Life was hard for both passengers and crew. 17th century sailing ships were small and rolled heavily in rough seas, so most of the passengers were seasick.
There were no toilets, and the spaces below deck where passengers had to stay during gales were often not more than 5 foot high. Water was scarce and the little water they got was brown and smelt terrible.
Food was a problem, too there was only salted meat, ship' s biscuits and cheese, but the cheese was so hard that sailors often made buttons out of it for their jackets and trousers. There were no vegetables or fruit, so the people on board often fell ill.
The sailors, however, were a bit better off than the passengers. They each had a bottle of beer a day, and they needed. The work they had to do was hard and dangerous. Courage was needed, for the heavy sails had to be set and taken down in all kinds of weather, and quite often sailors were swept overboard in a gale. Almost the worst thing about the voyages was the time they took up to 70 days for the journey across the Atlantic. Not surprisingly, everybody was overjoyed when they at last approached land and stepped ashore. But some ships never arrived.
In the 17th century________
A．life on old sailing ships was enjoyable
B．people enjoyed sailing old ships in rough seas
C．most of the passengers felt comfortable when the ship was rolling
D．it was very painful for both passengers and crew during the voyage


27、 The passengers_______when the ship was heavily rolling.
A．slept well
B．could drink a lot of water
C．had to stay below deck
D．had a big room of more than 5 foot high


28、 Which of the following statements is true about food?
A．Passengers had a lot of vegetables, but no fruit.
B．The sailors had four tins of beer a day.
C．The people on the ship often fell ill because of the lack of food.
D．The food for the passengers was more and better than that for the crew.


29、 The working condition of the sailors was very hard.
A．They often had to set the sails in bad weather.
B．So they had less courage
C．They were happy to be swept overboard in a strong wind
D．A 70-day-journey across the Atlantic was their happiest thing


30、 When the people saw the land, _______
A．only passengers were glad
B．the sailors had to swim ashore
C．they were surprised at the news that some ships never arrived
D．all of them were excited