Question

When people think of Hollywood, they think of the city where dreams come true. This did not apply to F. Scott Fitzgerald, a screenwriter who had his share of ups and downs in this land. Fitzgerald was not a successful Hollywood writer because he was not good at the career path he chose. He was an amazing novelist, but his efforts of turning them into screenplays ended in disappointment and confusion. It was because of a lack of potential for screenwriting as well as his addiction and desire to be famous.

Growing up as a boy, Fitzgerald went to movies a lot. He wanted to write stories that would eventually turn into movies. The problem was: just because Fitzgerald wanted to do something didn’t necessarily mean that he was good at it. He made his attempts, but most of these efforts ended in disappointment because he thought about the change from script（劇本）to screen too much. His plot was too detailed and complicated; his tone was too serious or his dialogue too sentimental（感傷的）.

Fitzgerald’s quick rise to fame also led to his fall. In life, things are not meant to happen all at once, all that the same time but it did for Fitzgerald. At his best time, three of his early stories were made into short films, including The Great Gatsby and Babylon Revisited. As the twenties approached, he was gradually forgotten by the reading public. He became drunk and constantly took pills both to sleep and wake up. His marriage was destroyed and his wife broke down mentally. He seemed unsure about his life.

Fitzgerald had another chance at success when many opportunities came his way, including revisions of Emlyn William’s play The Light of Heart and production of one of his own scripts, Cosmopolitan. However, these were all put aside and he was right back where he started, left behind and called a “ruined man”. Fitzgerald simply wanted too much in his life. He wanted “to be both a great novelist and a Hollywood success, to write songs like Cole Porter and poetry like John Keats”. His addiction to fame held him back and led to his failure as a Hollywood writer.

1.Which is a reason that Fitzgerald failed in screenwriting?

A. He was not talented in screenwriting.

B. He had a miserable family life.

C. He spent too much time watching movies.

D. He was greedy for money in his life.

2.Fitzgerald’s screenwriting was _____.

A. disappointing in ending

B. complex in plot

C. playful in tone

D. simple in dialogue

3.Which of the following was NOT written by Fitzgerald?

A. The Great Gatsby B. Babylon Revisited

C. The Light of Heart D. Cosmopolitan

4.When Fitzgerald had another chance at success, he ______.

A. took full advantage of it

B. went back home to start business

C. refused to make changes

D. started to write songs and poems

5.What is the best title of the passage?

A. Fallen for Fame Addiction: F. Scott Fitzgerald

B. An Inch into Fame: F. Scott Fitzgerald

C. F. Scott Fitzgerald: A Great Novelist

D. F. Scott Fitzgerald: A Great Screenwriter

Answer 1

1.A

2.B

3.C

4.C

5.A

【解析】

試題分析：F. Scott Fitzgerald是一名編劇，他沒有這方面的天賦，并成迷于名利，并最終導(dǎo)致他作為一名好萊塢作家的失敗。

1. was because of a lack of potential for screenwriting as well as his addiction and desire to be famous. 這是因為缺乏潛在的編劇，還有他的入迷和成名的欲望。可知選A。

2. plot was too detailed and complicated他的情節(jié)太繁雜。故選 B

3. revisions of Emlyn William’s play The Light of Heart and production of one of his own scripts, Cosmopolitan.從這里可知The Light of Heart是Emlyn William的作品。故選C。

4. had another chance at success when many opportunities came his way, 菲茨杰拉德有另一個成功機(jī)會--- ；根據(jù)最后一段第二句However, these were all put aside然而這些都被擱置在一邊，說明他拒絕了。故選C。

5. addiction to fame held him back and led to his failure as a Hollywood writer. 他沉迷于名利阻攔了他，并導(dǎo)致他作為一名好萊塢作家的失敗。從這里可知本文主題應(yīng)選A。

考點：考查人物傳記類閱讀。