同等学力英语阅读及翻译专项练习 6

John Grisham was born on February 2, 1955 , in Jonesboro , Arkansas , in the USA . His father was a construction worker and moved his family all around the southern states of America , stopping wherever he could find work. Eventually they settled in Mississippi . Graduating from law school in 1981, Grisham practiced law for nearly a decade in Southaven, specializing in criminal defense and personal injury litigation ( 诉讼 ). In 1983, he was elected to the state House of Representatives and served until 1990.

One day at the Dessoto County courthouse, Grisham heard the horrifying testimony of a 12-year-old rape victim. He decided to write a novel exploring what would have happened if the girl's father had murdered her attackers. He proceeded to get up every morning at 5 a .m. to work on the novel, called A Time to Kill , which was published in 1988. Grisham's next novel, The Firm , was one of the biggest hits of 1991, spending 47 weeks on The New York Times bestseller list. Grisham was then able to give up law and concentrate on writing. Grisham lives with his wife and two children, dividing their time between their Victorian home on a 67-acre farm in Mississippi and a 204-acre plantation near Charlottesville , Virginia .

When he's not writing, Grisham devotes time to charitable causes, including mission trips with his church group. As a child he dreamt of becoming a professional baseball player, and now serves as the local Little League commissioner. He has built six ball fields on his property and hosts children from 26 Little League teams.

1. John Grisham is ______ at present.

A. a writer B. a lawyer

C. a professional baseball player D. a congressman

2. What inspired Grisham to write his first novel?

A. A case of murder. B. A case of rape.

C. His father's experience. D. His life on the farm.

3. The story of the novel A Time to Kill would probably focus on ______.

A. how the girl was attacked B. the circumstances of the rape

C. how the girl's father took revenge D. how the case of rape was settled

4. Which of the following is NOT true of the novel The Firm ?

A. It was popular at the time of publication.

B. It earned Grisham great fame.

C. It brought Grisham wealth.

D. It was carried by The New York Times as a series.

5. It can be inferred from the passage that Grisham has built ball fields on his property ______.

A. to achieve his life's goal as a professional baseball player

B. to coach children in baseball

C. to see his childhood dream being realized in the children

D. to provide facilities of baseball training

约翰·格雷斯汉姆一九五五年二月二日出生于美国阿肯色州的琼斯伯勒。他父亲是一名建筑工人，带着他全家辗转于美国南部各州，在哪里能够找到工作，他们全家就在哪里停留。最后，他们定居在密西西比州。一九八一年从法学院毕业后，格雷斯汉姆在南阿旺社区从事了将近十年的法律工作，主要从事刑事辩护和个人伤害诉讼业务。一九八三年，他当选为密西西比州众议院议员，一直任职到一九九○年。

有一天，格雷斯汉姆在德索图县法院耳闻目睹了一名十二岁的强奸受害者令人震惊的证词。他决定写一部小说，以探讨受害者的父亲如果谋杀了强奸她的罪犯将会怎样。他开始每天早晨五点起床写作，小说名为《谋杀时刻》，于一九八八年出版。格雷斯汉姆随后出版的小说《公司》成为一九九一年最畅销的小说之一，连续四十七周名列《纽约时报》最畅销书籍排行榜。后来，格雷斯汉姆能够放弃法律工作而专门写作了。格雷斯汉姆与他的妻子和两个孩子住在一起，他们有时到他们位于密西西比州一个具有维多利亚时代风格的住宅休闲——位于一个占地六十七英亩的农场里，有时他们又到弗吉尼亚州夏洛茨维尔附近的一个占地二百零四英亩的种植园散心。

格雷斯汉姆不写作时便投身于慈善事业，包括与其教会群体参加传道旅行。他孩提时候的梦想是成为一名职业棒球选手，如今，他是地方棒球小联盟的专员。他在自己的地产上建造了六个棒球场地，供二十六支小棒球联盟的孩子们训练。

参考答案 ： 1 ． A 2 ． B 3 ． D 4 ． D 5 ． C