There is substantial evidence that by 1926, with the publication of The Weary Blues萎靡的蓝调, Langston Hughes had broken with打破 two well-established确立已久的 traditions in African American literature. In The Weary Blues, Hughes chose to modify the traditions that decreed规定 that African American literature must promote racial acceptance and integration融合, and that, in order to do so, it must reflect an understanding and mastery 掌握of Western European literary techniques and styles. Necessarily excluded 排除by this decree规定, linguistically and thematically, was the vast amount of secular 长期的folk material in the oral tradition that had been created by Black people in the years of slavery and after. It might be pointed out that even the spirituals 圣歌or “sorrow悲痛的 songs” of the slaves—as distinct from their secular songs and stories—had been Europeanized to make them acceptable within these African American traditions after the Civil War. In 1862 northern White writers had commented favorably on the unique and provocative激励人心的 melodies of these “sorrow songs” when they first heard them sung by slaves in the Carolina sea islands. But by 1916, ten years before the publication of The Weary Blues, Hurry T. Burleigh, the Black baritone男中音 soloist独唱歌手 at New York’s ultrafashionable非常流行的 Saint George’s Episcopal 主教的Church圣公会, had published Jubilee大赦年 Songs of the United States, with every spiritual圣歌 arranged 编排so that a concert singer could sing it “in the manner 方式of an art song.” Clearly, the artistic work of Black people could be used to promote racial acceptance and integration only on the condition that it became Europeanized.

Even more than比起…更 his rebellion反抗 against this restrictive tradition in African American art, Hughes’s expression of the vibrant充满活力的 folk culture of Black people established his writing as a landmark in the history of African American literature. Most of his folk poems have the distinctive鲜明的 marks of this folk culture’s oral tradition: they contain many instances of naming and enumeration, considerable hyperbole夸张 and understatement春秋笔法, and a strong infusion注入 of street-talk rhyming押韵. There is a deceptive 欺诈性的veil 面纱of artlessness 淳朴in these poems. Hughes prided himself on being an impromptu即兴的 and impressionistic印象派的 writer of poetry. His, he insisted, was not an artfully 精巧的constructed构建 poetry. Yet an analysis of his dramatic 戏剧monologues 独白and other poems reveals that his poetry was carefully and artfully crafted. In his folk poetry we find features common to all folk literature, such as dramatic ellipsis省略, narrative叙事性的 compression压缩, rhythmic repetition重复, and monosyllabic单音节的 emphasis. The peculiar特殊的 mixture of irony讽刺 and humor we find in his writing is a distinguishing feature of his folk poetry. Together, these aspects of Hughes’s writing helped to modify校正 the previous restrictions on the techniques and subject matter of Black writers and consequently to broaden the linguistic and thematic range of African American literature.
1. The author mentions which one of the following as an example of the influence of Black folk culture on Hughes’s poetry? c (A) his exploitation开发 of ambiguous含义不清的 and deceptive 迷惑性的meanings (B) his care and craft in composing 写作poems (C) his use of naming and enumeration (D) his use of first-person narrative (E) his strong religious beliefs 2. The author suggests that the “deceptive veil” (line 42) in Hughes’s poetry obscures b (A) evidence of his use of oral techniques in his poetry (B) evidence of his thoughtful deliberation考虑 in composing his poems (C) his scrupulous小心的 concern for representative details in his poetry (D) his incorporation融入 of Western European literary techniques in his poetry (E) his engagement with social and political issues rather than aesthetic 美学的ones 3. With which one of the following statements regarding Jubilee Songs of the United States would the author be most likely to agree? d (A) Its publication marked an advance in the intrinsic内在的 quality of African American art. (B) It paved the way for铺路 publication of Hughes’s The Weary Blues by making African American art fashionable. (C) It was an authentic真实的 replication 反映of African American spirituals and “sorrow songs”. (D) It demonstrated the extent to which spirituals were adapted in order to make them more broadly accepted. (E) It was to the spiritual what Hughes’s The Weary Blues was to secular songs and stories.
It was to a song what a song was to a song 4. The author most probably mentions the reactions of northern White writers to non-Europeanized “sorrow songs” in order to b (A) indicate that modes of expression acceptable in the context of slavery in the South were acceptable only to a small number of White writers in the North after the Civil War (B) contrast White writers earlier appreciation of these songs with the growing tendency after the Civil War to regard Europeanized versions of the songs as more acceptable (C) show that the requirement that such songs be Europeanized was internal to the African American tradition and was unrelated to the literary standards or attitudes of White writers (D) demonstrate that such songs in their non-Europeanized form were more imaginative (E) suggest that White writers benefited more from exposure to African American art forms than Black writers did from exposure to European art forms 5. The passage suggests that the author would be most likely to agree with which one of the following statements about the requirement that Black writers employ Western European literary techniques? a (A) The requirement was imposed more for social than for aesthetic reasons. (B) The requirement was a relatively unimportant aspect of the African American tradition. (C) The requirement was the chief reason for Hughes’s success as a writer. (D) The requirement was appropriate for some forms of expression but not for others. (E) The requirement was never as strong as it may have appeared to be. 6. Which one of the following aspects of Hughes’s poetry does the author appear to value most highly? (A) its novelty 新奇compared to other works of African American literature (B) its subtle精巧的 understatement 春秋笔法compared to that of other kinds of folk literature (C) its virtuosity 精湛in adapting 应用musical forms to language (D) its expression of the folk culture of Black people (E) its universality广泛 of appeal achieved through the adoption采纳 of colloquial 口语化的expressions 参考答案：1-6 CBDBAD

Historians generally agree that, of the great modern innovations, the railroad had the most far-reaching impact on major events in the United States in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, particularly on the Industrial Revolution. There is, however, considerable disagreement among cultural historians regarding public attitudes toward the railroad, both at its inception in the 1830s and during the half century between 1880 and 1930, when the national rail system was completed and reached the zenith of its popularity in the United States. In a recent book, John Stilgoe has addressed this issue by arguing that the “romantic-era distrust” of the railroad that he claims was present during the 1830s vanished in the decades after 1880. But the argument he provides in support of this position is unconvincing.

What Stilgoe calls “romantic-era distrust” was in fact the reaction of a minority of writers, artistes, and intellectuals who distrusted the railroad not so much for what it was as for what it signified. Thoreau and Hawthorne appreciated, even admired, an improved means of moving things and people from one place to another. What these writers and others were concerned about was not the new machinery as such, but the new kind of economy, social order, and culture that it prefigured. In addition, Stilgoe is wrong to imply that the critical attitude of these writers was typical of the period: their distrust was largely a reaction against the prevailing attitude in the 1830s that the railroad was an unqualified improvement.

Stilgoe’s assertion that the ambivalence toward the railroad exhibited by writers like Hawthorne and Thoreau disappeared after the 1880s is also misleading. In support of this thesis, Stilgoe has unearthed an impressive volume of material, the work of hitherto unknown illustrators, journalists, and novelists, all devotees of the railroad; but it is not clear what this new material proves except perhaps that the works of popular culture greatly expanded at the time. The volume of the material proves nothing if Stilgoe’s point is that the earlier distrust of a minority of intellectuals did not endure beyond the 1880s, and, oddly, much of Stilgoe’s other evidence indicates that it did. When he glances at the treatment of railroads by writers like Henry James, Sinclair Lewis, or F. Scott Fitzgerald, what comes through in spite of Stilgoe’s analysis is remarkably like Thoreau’s feeling of contrariety and ambivalence. (Had he looked at the work of Frank Norris, Eugene O’Neill, or Henry Adams, Stilgoe’s case would have been much stronger.) The point is that the sharp contrast between the enthusiastic supporters of the railroad in the 1830s and the minority of intellectual dissenters during that period extended into the 1880s and beyond.

7. The passage provides information to answer all of the following questions EXCEPT: (A) During what period did the railroad reach the zenith of its popularity in the United States? (B) How extensive was the impact of the railroad on the Industrial Revolution in the United States, relative to that of other modern innovations? (C) Who are some of the writers of the 1830s who expressed ambivalence toward the railroad? (D) In what way could Stilgoe have strengthened his argument regarding intellectuals’ attitudes toward the railroad in the years after the 1880s? (E) What arguments did the writers after the 1880s, as cited by Stilgoe, offer to justify their support for the railroad?

8. According to the author of the passage, Stilgoe uses the phrase “romantic-era distrust” (line 13) to imply that the view he is referring to was (A) the attitude of a minority of intellectuals toward technological innovation that began after 1830 (B) a commonly held attitude toward the railroad during the 1830s (C) an ambivalent view of the railroad expressed by many poets and novelists between 1880 and 1930 (D) a critique of social and economic developments during the 1830s by a minority of intellectuals (E) an attitude toward the railroad that was disseminated by works of popular culture after 1880

9. According to the author, the attitude toward the railroad that was reflected in writings of Henry James, Sinclair Lewis, and F. Scott Fitzgerald was (A) influenced by the writings of Frank Norris, Eugene O’Neill, and Henry Adams (B) similar to that of the minority of writers who had expressed ambivalence toward the railroad prior to the 1880s (C) consistent with the public attitudes toward the railroad that were reflected in works of popular culture after the 1880s (D) largely a reaction to the works of writers who had been severely critical of the railroad in the 1830s (E) consistent with the prevailing attitude toward the railroad during the 1830s

10. It can be inferred from the passage that the author uses the phrase “works of popular culture” (line 41) primarily to refer to the (A) work of a large group of writers that was published between 1880 and 1930 and that in Stilgoe’s view was highly critical of the railroad (B) work of writers who were heavily influenced by Hawthorne and Thoreau (C) large volume of writing produced by Henry Adams, Sinclair Lewis, and Eugene O’Neill (D) work of journalists, novelists, and illustrators who were responsible for creating enthusiasm for the railroad during the 1830s (E) work of journalists, novelists, and illustrators that was published after 1880 and that has received little attention from scholars other than Stilgoe

11. Which one of the following can be inferred from the passage regarding the work of Frank Norris, Eugene O’Neill, and Henry Adams? (A) Their work never achieved broad popular appeal. (B) Their ideas were disseminated to a large audience by the popular culture of the early 1800s. (C) Their work expressed a more positive attitude toward the railroad than did that of Henry James, Sinclair Lewis, and F. Scott Fitzgerald. (D) Although they were primarily novelists, some of their work could be classified as journalism. (E) Although they were influenced by Thoreau, their attitude toward the railroad was significantly different from his.

12. It can be inferred from the passage that Stilgoe would be most likely to agree with which one of the following statements regarding the study of cultural history? (A) It is impossible to know exactly what period historians are referring to when they use the term “romantic era.” (B) The writing of intellectuals often anticipates ideas and movements that are later embraced by popular culture. (C) Writers who were not popular in their own time tell us little about the age in which they lived. (D) The works of popular culture can serve as a reliable indicator of public attitudes toward modern innovations like the railroad. (E) The best source of information concerning the impact of an event as large as the Industrial Revolution is the private letters and journals of individuals.

13. The primary purpose of the passage is to (A) evaluate one scholar’s view of public attitudes toward the railroad in the United States from the early nineteenth to the early twentieth century (B) review the treatment of the railroad in American literature of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries (C) survey the views of cultural historians regarding the railroad’s impact on major events in United States history (D) explore the origins of the public support for the railroad that existed after the completion of a national rail system in the United States (E) define what historians mean when they refer to the “romantic-era distrust” of the railroad 参考答案：7-13 EBBECDA