练习：

1. What does 'that hope' in the first paragraph refer to?

  A) The hope that America would be discovered.

  B) The hope to start a new life.

  C) The hope to see the mysteries of the New World.

  D) The hope to find poverty here.

2. When did American literature begin?

  A) Before the American natives lived there.

  B) When Columbus and other explorers sent reports back home

  C) When the Northmen found America in about 1,000.

  D) Long before the year 1,000.

3. What can we learn from the literature of the tribes¹ of the native Americans?

  A) About the everyday life of the native Americans.

  B) About the arrival of Columbus.

  C) About the experience of the first European settlers.

  D) About the experience of those who died in the New England wilderness².

4. The main purpose of the last paragraph is to tell the readers that

  A) in the early days most American writers were from Great Britain.

  B) people with rich life experiences became writers.

C) there were many writers in the early days of American history.

D) early-day experience provided the foundation for American literature

5. According to the last paragraph, which of the following statements is true about American literature? ~

  A) Some British writers started American literature.考试论坛

  B) Early-day American literature is a reflection of the boring life then.

  C) Some British writers had doubts about the future of American literature.

  D) Some British writers had great confidence in the future of American literature.

答案与题解：

1. B　这里的that hope 就是指上一句中的a genuine hope 0f a new lifewww.ＥxamdＡ.CＯM

2. D　答案在第二段的第二句。早在1000年前北欧人声称发现了美洲大陆之前，这块土地上就有美洲印第安人居住，每周文学早在那时就已经产生。

3. A　答案在第二段的第三句话。从美洲土著部落的文学中，我们可以找到他们日常生活的写照。

4. D　这一段的第一句是本段的主题句，而D则是该主题句的释义。

5. D　本题答案的依据是下面这句话：They included Jonathan Edwards and William Byrd,who thought of themselves as British subjects, never suspecting a revolution that would create a United States of America with a literature of its own.这两位自认为是大英帝国臣民的英国作家对一场将会创造出一个拥有自己文学的美利坚合众国的革命从来没有任何怀疑。