Arthur Miller was born on October 17th, 1915 and died on February 10th, 2005.Over the course of seven decades(十年) of literature career(文学生涯), Arthur Miller created some of the most memorable stage plays(舞台剧) in American Literature. He is the author of
DeathofaSalesmanandTheCrucible. Born and raised in Manhattan, Miller went through the best and the worst of American society.
Arthur Miller's childhood：His father was a productive shopkeeper and clothing manufacturer(制造商) until the Great Depression(大萧条时期) dried up nearly all business opportunities.Yet, despite being faced with poverty, Miller made the best of his childhood. He was a very active young man, in love with such sports as football and baseball. When he wasn't playing outside, he enjoyed reading adventure stories. He was also kept busy by his many boyhood jobs. He often worked alongside his father. During other times in his life, he delivered bakery goods and worked as a clerk in a car parts warehouse.
College life: In 1934, Miller left the east coast to attend the University of Michigan. He was accepted into their school of journalism. His experiences during the Depression made him skeptical (怀疑的) about religion. Politically, he began leaning towards the "Left”.And since the theater was the cutting edge way for socioeconomic liberals (自由主义者) to express their views, he decided to enter the Hopwood Drama competition. His first play,
NoVillain, received an award from the university.It was an impressive beginning for the young playwright; he had never studied plays or playwriting, and he had written his play in just five days!
Miller's later years: In 1987, his autobiography was published. Many of his later plays dealt with personal experience. In particular, his final play,
FinishingthePicture mirrors the last days of his marriage to Marilyn Monroe.In 2005, Arthur Miller passed away at the age of 89.
小题1:What can we know about Arthur Miller from Paragraph 2?
| A．He was born into a poor family. |
| B．His father wasn't good at business. |
| C．He couldn't adjust himself to poverty. |
| D．He had to do lots of jobs to make a living. |
小题2:Arthur Miller began to write plays ________.
| A．when he was in college |
| B．when he was a small boy |
| C．because his father encouraged him to do so |
| D．because it was one of his school assignments(作业) |
小题3:We can infer from Paragraph 3 that ________.
| A．the University of Michigan is on the east coast of the USA |
| B．Miller's university education made him doubt religion |
| C．Miller learned playwriting all by himself |
| D．socioeconomic liberals were probably not politically "left” |
小题4:Which of the following plays tells the story of Arthur Miller and Marilyn Monroe?
| A．Death of a Salesman. |
| B．The Crucible. |
| C．No Villain. |
| D．Finishing the Picture. |
小题5:The passage is intended to________.
| A．introduce Arthur Miller's plays |
| B．tell us about Arthur Miller's childhood |
| C．explain how Arthur Miller started to write plays |
| D．give us a brief introduction to Arthur Miller's life |
