British writer John Bunyan was born at Elstow, Bedfordshire, England, in November, 1628. H

British writer John Bunyan was born at Elstow, Bedfordshire, England, in November, 1628. His father was a maker and mender of pots and kettles, and the son followed the same trade. Though he is usually called a tinker, Bunyan had a settled home and place of business. He had little schooling, and he describes his early surroundings as poor and mean. He became much interested in religions, but it was only after a tremendous spiritual conflict, lasting three or four years, that he found peace. His struggles are related with extraordinary vividness and intensity in his “Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners.” His writing began with a controversy against the Quakers (教友派), and shows from the first the command of a homely but vigorous style.
Like most working men at the time, Bunyan had a deep hatred for the corrupted, hypocritical rich who accumulated their wealth “by hook and by crook.” As a stout Puritan(清教徒), he had made a conscientious study of the Bible and firmly believed in salvation (拯救) through spiritual struggle.
Bunyan’s style was modeled after that of the English Bible. With his concrete and living language and carefully observed and vividly presented details, he made it possible for the reader of the least education to share the pleasure of reading his novel and to relive the experience of his characters.
Bunyan’s works include Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners (1666), The Life and Death of Mr. Badman (1680), The Holy War (1682) and The Pilgrim’s Progress (1684).
The Pilgrim’s Progress is the most successful religious allegory (寓言) in the English language. Its purpose is to urge people to observe Christian doctrines and seek salvation through constant struggle with their own weaknesses and all kinds of social evils. It is not only about something spiritual but also bears much relevance to the time. Its predominant metaphor — life as a journey — is simple and familiar. The objects that Christian meets are homely and commonplace, and the scenes presented are typical English ones, but throughout the allegory a spiritual significance is added to the commonplace details. Here the strange is combined with the familiar and the trivial joined to the divine, and, a rich imagination and a natural talent for storytelling also contribute to the success of the work which is at once entertaining and morally instructive.
“The Vanity Fair,” is an excerpt from The Pilgrim’s Progress. The story starts with a dream in which the author sees Christian the Pilgrim, with a heavy burden on his back, reading the Bible. When he learns from the book that the city in which he and his family live shall be burnt down in a fire, Christian tries to convince his family and his neighbors of the oncoming disaster and asks them to go with him in search of salvation, but most of them simply ignore him. So he starts off with a friend, Pliable. Pliable turns back after they stumble into a pit, the Slough of Despond. Christian struggles on by himself. Then he is misled by Mr. Wordly Wiseman and is brought back onto the right road by Mr. Evangelist. There he joins Faithful, a neighbor who has set out later but has made better progress. The two go on together through many adventures, including the great struggle with Apollyon, who claims them to be his subjects and refuse to accept their allegiance to God. After many other adventures they come to the Vanity Fair where both are arrested as alien agitators. They are tried and Faithful is condemned to death. Christian, however manages to escape and goes on his way, assisted by a new friend, Hopeful. Tired of the hard journey, they are tempted to take pleasant path and are then captured by Giant Despair. Finally they got away and reach the Celestial City, where they enjoy eternal life in the fellowship of the blessed.
【小题1】According to the passage, Bunyan hated the rich people mainly because .A．his father was making and mending pots and kettlesB．Bunyan had poor and mean early surroundings C．the rich usually got their wealth in dishonest waysD．Bunyan studied the Bible to save the human souls【小题2】What are the main characteristics of Bunyan’s works?
① The languages are concrete and living.
② The stories are carefully and vividly described.
③ The plots are romantic and twisting.
④ The works are easy to understand. A．①②③B．②③④C．①③④D．①②④【小题3】John Bunyan wrote the book The Pilgrim’s Progress in order to .A．advise people to obey religious principles for salvationB．tell people that life is a simple and familiar journeyC．add spiritual significance to the commonplace detailsD．to combine the strange things with the familiar things【小题4】What moral does the story of the last paragraph convey to us?A．Any imaginable things might happen in a pilgrim’s dream.B．Christian the Pilgrim likes reading the Bible with a burden.C．People can struggle against weaknesses and evils for salvationD．People can enjoy eternal life in the fellowship of the blessed.C

(答案→)C 解析：文章介绍了英国作家John Bunyan的生平，他的写作风格和他的作品的梗概。【小题1】细节题：根据第二段的句子：Like most working men at the time, Bunyan had a deep hatred for the corrupted, hypocritical rich who accumulated their wealth “by hook and by crook.” 可知Bunyan憎恨有钱人主要是因为有钱人通常是用不诚实的方法获得财富，选 C。【小题2】细节题：根据文章第三段的句子：With his concrete and living language and carefully observed and vividly presented details, he made it possible for the reader of the least education to share the pleasure of reading his novel and to relive the experience of his characters.可知Bunyan 的作品的特点是：语言具体生动，故事描写很仔细生动，作品很容易理解，所以选D【小题3】细节题：根据文章第五段的句子：The Pilgrim’s Progress is the most successful religious allegory (寓言) in the English language. Its purpose is to urge people to observe Christian doctrines and seek salvation through constant struggle with their own weaknesses and all kinds of social evils.可知John Bunyan 写The Pilgrim’s Progress 主要是为了说服人们为了拯救遵守宗教原则，选A。【小题4】细节题：根据最后一段的句子：Finally they got away and reach the Celestial City, where they enjoy eternal life in the fellowship of the blessed.可知这段提到的故事“The Vanity Fair,”的寓意是人们可以为了拯救和虚弱和邪恶作斗争，选C。

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