2017年武汉大学考博英语真题2

Reading Comprehension 2

Winston Churchill was one of the central statesmen of the 20 th century and,almost 50 years after his death,remains a subject of enduring fascination.Part of the current interest in this venerable figure can be attributed to two superb biographies written in the 1980s by historian William Manchester:"The Last Lion:Visions of Glory"and"The Last Lion:Alone."These two books examined the first two-thirds of Churchill's life.

Unfortunately,after completing the second volume,Manchester's health declined and the rest of the project stalled.So great was public interest in the long-delayed final volume that it was the subject of a front page story in The New York Times.

Eventually,in 2003,Manchester asked his friend Paul Reid to complete the trilogy.Now,nearly a decade later,Reid has published The Last Lion,the final piece of this monumental undertaking.Reid starts when Churchill was appointed prime minister in May 1940 and follows him through his death in While most of this volume is appropriately devoted to World War II,it also includes the vast expansion of the British welfare state following the war,the start of the Cold War and the enormous dangers it carried,and the loss of the British Empire.

Reid has written a thorough and complete analysis of these years,and it is a worthy finale to the first two volumes.Exhaustively researched and carefully written,it draws on a full range of primary and secondary materials.This book will be essential reading for those who enjoyed the first two volumes and those with a deep interest in understanding this seminal figure and his place in history.

Reid does a wonderful job of capturing Churchill in all his complexity.He gives Churchill great praise for his personal courage and inspirational leadership during the dark days whenBritain stood alone,but he is equally clear about Churchill's poor strategic judgments,such as the efforts to defend Greece andCrete,the Allied assault on Anzio,and the decision to send the battleshipPrince of Walesand battle cruiser Repulse to theSouth China Seawithout adequate air cover where they were promptly sunk by the Japanese.

He highlights Churchill's naivetéin dealing with Soviet Premier Stalin in the early years of the war,but praises his prescience in anticipating Stalin's land grab in Eastern Europeat the end of the conflict.Reid also gives welcome attention to aspects of the war―such as Churchill's fear that the United Statesmight decide to put its primary emphasis on defeating Japan regardless of the"Germany first"understanding he shared with Roosevelt that have received little attention in other books.

5．What can be known about the two biographies of Churchill?

A．They were written in an interesting style.

B．They were written prior to Churchill's death.

C．They are mainly written from a historical point of view.

D．They have helped intrigue the readers over a long period.

6．Why did the biography once become a front page story in The New York Times?

A．People were looking forward to the publication of the final volume.

B．Readers were angry with the author for the delay of the final volume.

C．The publication of the final volume was then a heatedly discussed issue.

D．Readers wanted to know who would be the new author of the final volume.

7．Why does the third volume prove to be worthy?

A．It is widely read and welcomed by readers.

B．It involves enough details in Churchill's life.

C．It is based on thorough and reliable research.

D．It offers a unique understanding of Churchill.

8．What can we know about Churchill through the third volume?

A．He is a man with complexity.

B．He pulled Britain through WWII.

C．He made many strategic mistakes.

D．He is courageous and inspirational.

【参考翻译】

温斯顿·丘吉尔是20世纪最重要的政治家之一，在他去世将近50年后，他仍然是一个令人着迷的话题。目前人们对这个令人尊敬的人物的兴趣部分可以归功于历史学家威廉·曼彻斯特(William Manchester)在上世纪80年代写的两本杰出传记：《最后的狮子：荣耀的愿景》(the Last Lion:Visions of Glory)和《最后的狮子：孤独》(the Last Lion:Alone)。这两本书审视了丘吉尔前三分之二的人生。

不幸的是，在完成了第二卷之后，曼彻斯特的健康状况开始下降，其余的项目也停滞不前。公众对这部拖延已久的最终作品的兴趣如此浓厚，以至于它成了《纽约时报》(New York Times)头版新闻的主题。

最终，在2003年，曼彻斯特邀请他的朋友保罗·里德来完成三部曲。近十年后的今天，里德出版了《最后的狮子》，这是这一不朽事业的最后一篇。里德开始当丘吉尔在1940年5月被任命为总理,他通过他的死虽然大多数的体积是适当地致力于世界大战,还包括之后的英国福利的巨大扩张战争,冷战的开始,它携带的巨大危险,大英帝国的损失。

里德写了一篇详尽的分析这些年来，这是一个有价值的结局前两卷。经过详尽的研究和认真的写作，它采用了全面的初级和二级材料。对于那些喜欢前两卷的人以及那些对了解这位开创性人物及其在历史上的地位有浓厚兴趣的人来说，这本书将是必不可少的读物。

里德出色地抓住了丘吉尔的全部复杂性。他给丘吉尔伟大的赞美对他个人的勇气和鼓舞人心的领导在黑暗的日子里whenBritain独自站在那里,但他也同样清楚丘吉尔的可怜的战略判断,比如努力捍卫希腊andCrete,盟军袭击安齐奥,决定把battleshipPrince Walesand巡洋战舰击退theSouth中国Seawithout足够的空中掩护，他们立即被日本击沉。

他强调了丘吉尔在战争初期与苏联总理斯大林的交往中表现出的天真，但赞扬了他的先见之明，即在冲突结束时预见到斯大林将占领东欧的土地。里德还对战争的各个方面给予了可喜的关注，比如丘吉尔担心美国可能会将其主要重点放在打败日本上，而不管他与罗斯福的“德国第一”共识在其他书中没有得到多少关注。

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