2011年12月英语六级听力精练第5套：短文理解

　　Section B
　　Directions: In this section, you will hear 3 short passages. At the end of each passage, you will hear some questions. Both the passage and the questions will be spoken only once. After you hear a question, you must choose the best answer from the four choice marked A) B) C) and D). Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the centre.
　　Passage One
　　Questions 26 to 29 are based on the passage you have just heard.
　　26. A) His father caught a serious disease.
　　B) His mother passed away.
　　C) His mother left him to marry a rich businessman.
　　D) His father took to drinking.
　　27. A) He disliked being disciplined.
　　B) He couldn’t pay his gambling debts.
　　C) He was expelled by the university.
　　D) He enjoyed working for a magazine.
　　28. A) His poems are heavily influenced by French writers.
　　B) His stories are mainly set in the State of Virginia.
　　C) His work difficult to read.
　　D) Hid language is not refined.
　　29. A) He grieved to death over the loss of his wife.
　　B) He committed suicide for unknown reasons.
　　C) He was shot dead at the age of 40.
　　D) He died of heavy drinking.
　　答案：
　　26. B) His mother passed away.
　　27. C) He was expelled by the university.
　　28. C) His work difficult to read.
　　29. D) He died of heavy drinking.
　　原文：
　　Passage one
　　Edgar Poe, an American writer, was born in 1809. His parents were actors. Edgar was a baby when his father left the family. He was two years old when his mother died. He was taken into the home of a wealthy business man named John Allen. He then received his real name, Edgar Allen Poe. As a young man, Poe attended the University of Virginia. He was a good student, but he liked to drink alcohol and play card games for money. As an unskilled game player, he often lost money. Since he couldn’t pay off his gambling money, he left university and began working for magazines. He worked hard, yet he was not well paid, or well known. At the age of 27, he got married. For a time it seemed that Poe would find happiness, but his wife was sick for most of their marriage, and died in 1847. Through all his crises, Poe produced many stories and poems which appeared in different publications, yet he didn’t become famous until 1845, when his poem, The Raven, was published. There is a question, however, about Poe’s importance in American Literature. Some critics say that Poe was one of America’s best writers, and even influenced many French writers, but others disagree. They say that Poe’s work is difficult to understand and most of his writing describes many unpleasant situations and events. Edgar Allen Poe died in 1849 when he was 40 years old. It is said that he was found dead after days of heavy drinking.
　　Questions 26-29 are based on the passage you have just heard.
　　26. What happened to Edgar Allen Poe’s family, when he was only two years old?
　　27. Why did Edgar Allen Poe leave the University of Virginia?
　　28. What do some critics say about Edgar Allen Poe?
　　29. How did Edgar Allen Poe’s life come to an end?