Question

When it was announced that Patrick Modiano had won the Nobel Prize in Literature on Oct.9, the Swedish Academy had not yet managed to reach the writer himself to tell him the news. as the Telegraph put it, “It was a curious case of missing personhood in an author whose career had been spent in searching others, within the confines (界限) of a single city.”

Though the 69-year-old French author has had a successful writing career, only six of his books have been translated into English. One reason for this might be that “Modiano’s storylines are as slim as the books themselves”, said the BBC.

While most of Modiano’s works don’t run for hundreds of pages, they explore serious subjects. The author’s signature themes are Germany’s occupation during World War II and the evolution of Paris over the past century.

Modiano’s life has been greatly affected by Nazi Germany’s occupation during the war, and his family’s connections to it. According to New York-based newspaper Forward, his father survived the war dishonorably. When Paris’s Jews were rounded up for deportation(驱逐)to concentration camps, the businessman did not join them but spent the time making money from deals with Nazis on the black market.

“The novelist has a duty to record the traces of the people who were made to disappear,” French writer Clemence Boulouque, also an expert in Jewish Studies, told The New York  magazine.

In his more than three dozen novels, Modiano has returned again and to the same themes: Jewishness, the Nazi occupation, and loss of identity.

Paris is another recurring(重复的)theme in Modiano’s works .Most of his novels are set in the city , from the rich parts of downtown Paris to more remote suburbs where the characters try to live anonymous protect lives.

Anne Ghisoli, the director of  Librairie Gallimard, a bookstore in Paris, concluded, “Modiano is a master of writing on memory and occupation, which haunt(萦绕)and inform his works. He is a chronicler(年代记录者)of  Paris ,its streets, and its present.”

1.According to the article, Patrick Modiano ____________.

A. likes to involve his his memories in his writing

B. usually writes stories with disappearing people

C. is so popular that post of his works are on sale

D. didn’t suffer much during World War II thanks to his father

2.The underline word “slim” in Paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to ____.

A. thin    B. hard

C. simple    D. dull

3.Which of the following can be the best title?

A. French Author’s Surprise

B. Modiano’s Life and His Books

C. World War II and the Nazis

D. Memory Author Wins the Nobel

Answer

1.A

2.C

3.D

【解析】本文是一篇记叙文。主要讲述了法国作家Patrick Modiano，2014年获得诺贝尔文学奖， 获奖原因为帕特里克·莫迪亚诺的作品“唤起了对最不可捉摸的人类命运的记忆” 。莫迪亚诺的作品探索和研究当今人的存在及其与周围环境、现实的关系。前期小说大都以神秘的父亲和二次大战的环境为主题，运用大量的回忆、想象，把现实和虚构结合起来，描写并未经历过的故事。

1.细节理解题。根据“Modiano is a master of writing on memory and occupation, which haunt(萦绕)and inform his works. He is a chronicler(年代记录者)of Paris ,its streets, and its present.”可知，Modiano喜欢将自己的记忆融入自己的写作中。故选A。

2.词义推测题。根据“While most of Modiano’s works don’t run for hundreds of pages”，Modiano的作品都比较薄，可推知，“Modiano’s storylines are as slim as the books themselves”书中的故事情节和薄薄的书一样简单。故选C。

3.主旨大意题。浏览全文，都在讲述有关Modiano的作品，根据“Modiano is a master of writing on memory and occupation, which haunt(萦绕)and inform his works. He is a chronicler(年代记录者)of Paris ,its streets, and its present.”故选D。