OneofthemostpopularliteraryfiguresinAmericanliteratureisawomanwhospentalmosthalfofherlifeinChina,acountryonacontinentthousandsofmilesfromtheUnitedStates.Inherlifetimesheearnedhercountry’smosthighlyacclaimed
OneofthemostpopularliteraryfiguresinAmericanliteratureisawomanwhospentalmosthalfofherlifeinChina,acountryonacontinentthousandsofmilesfromtheUnitedStates.Inherlifetimesheearnedhercountry’smosthighlyacclaimedliteraryaward,thePulitzerPrize,andalsothemostprestigiousformofliteraryrecognitionintheworld,theNobelPrizeforLiterature.
PearlS.Buckwasalmostahouseholdwordthroughoutmuchofherlifetimebecauseofherprolificoutput,whichconsistedofsomeeighty-fivepublishedworks,includingseveraldozennovels,sixcollectionsofshortstories,fourteenbooksforchildren,andmorethanadozenworksofnonfiction.Whenshewaseightyyearsold,sometwenty-fivevolumeswereawaitingpublication.ManyofthosebooksweresetinChina,thelandinwhichshespentsomuchofherlife.
HerbooksandherlifeservedasabridgebetweentheculturesoftheEastandtheWest.Astheproductofthosetwoculturesshebecame,asshedescribedherself,“mentallybifocal”.Heruniquebackgroundmadeherintoanunusuallyinterestingandversatilehumanbeing.AsweexaminethelifeofPearlBuck,wecannothelpbutbeawarethatweareinfactmeetingthreeseparatepeople:awifeandmother,aninternationallyfamouswriter,andahumanitarianandphilanthropist.OnecannotreallygettoknowPearlBuckwithoutlearningabouteachofthethree.ThoughhonoredinherlifetimewiththeWilliamDeanHowellMedaloftheAmericanAcademyofArtsandLettersinadditiontotheNobelandPulitzerPrizes,PearlBuckasatotalhumanbeing,notonlyafamousauthor,isacaptivatingsubjectofstudy.
26.Whatistheauthor’smainpurposeinwritingthepassage?
A.ToofferacriticismoftheworksofPearlBuck.
B.ToillustratePearlBuck’sviewsonChineseliterature.
C.ToillustratethebackgroundanddiverseinterestsofPearlBuck.
D.TodiscussPearlBuck’sinfluenceontheculturesoftheEastandtheWest.
27Accordingtothepassage,PearlBuckwasanunusualfigureinAmericanliteratureinthatshe______.
A.wroteextensivelyaboutaverydifferentculture
B.publishedhalfofherbooksabroad
C.wonmoreawardsthananyotherwomanofhertime
D.achievedherfirst