As one of the longest novels of all time, it is hard to summarize Les Mis廨ables in only a few sentences. The story centers around Jean Valjean, a former convict who changes his life to keep his promises.
The story begins in 1815 with Valjean being released from prison after 19 years. He is taken in by a bishop who helps him in exchange for promising to change his ways. Hesitant at first, Valjean steals from a chimney sweep. He quickly regrets his actions, but it is too late. The theft is reported, and if he is taken back to jail, it will be for the rest of his life. Valjean ducks the police for six years and in that time becomes Monsieur Madeleine, a wealthy factory owner. However, the town's Inspector Javert, who had been a guard while Valjean was in prison, notices similarities between Monsieur Madeleine and the former convict. During this time, Valjean becomes involved in the life of Fantine, one of his factory workers who was fired for having a daughter out of marriage. Valjean saves Fantine from prison and takes her to a hospital where she dies after telling him she had put her daughter in the care of cruel people without knowing it. Valjean promises to take care of her daughter but is then forced to reveal his true identity to save another man. Escaping near death, Valjean again rebuilds a life for himself and the daughter, but he does not reveal his past to her. As the story unfolds, the truth comes out, war rages in France, and Valjean and Javert have their final face-off. With so much action over a long period of time, it's no wonder Les Mis廨ables is considered one of the finest works of writing ever.
1. What is the main idea of the article?
(A) A thorough explanation of Hugo's shift in social opinions as he aged.
(B) Summaries of Hugo's greatest works and the public's reactions to them.
(C) A look at Hugo's life and details of one of his most famous works.
(D) Milestones in Hugo's life that eventually caused him to rebel against France.
2. Which is NOT mentioned as an influence on Hugo's writing?
(A) His mother's strong beliefs and religious practices.
(B) His wife, Adele, who was very opinionated for her time.
(C) His family's travels while he was a young boy.
(D) The inequality of social classes during Hugo's life.
3. Which sentence is NOT part of the summary of Les Mis廨ables?
(A) An opening scene of Valjean stealing for the first time in his youth.
(B) Javert suspecting Valjean of not being who he says he is.
(C) Valjean adopting a daughter and keeping his true identity from her.
(D) Valjean willingly giving himself up to help an innocent person.
4. What is the meaning of face-off as used in the next to last sentence of the article?
(A) A bloody battle in which someone's face is literally taken off.
(B) To completely change one's behavior and act oppositely.
(C) It is used to describe Valjean's constant need to change identities.
(D) A confrontation between two parties to determine who will be victorious.
《悲惨世界》是有史以来最长的小说之一，要用短短几句话来替它做总结是很困难的。它的故事内容环绕在 Jean Valjean 的身上，他之前曾经入狱，后来为了信守承诺而改变了自己的一生。
故事开始于 1815 年，Valjean 在被囚禁了 19 年后获释出狱。一位主教收容他，并对他伸出援手，代价是他要承诺改变他的行为。一开始 Valjean 有些迟疑，但他还是从一位扫烟囱工人身上偷了东西。他很快便对自己的行为感到后悔，但已经太迟了。这起偷窃事件被人告发，而如果他再被送回牢里，就得在那里度过余生了。Valjean躲避警方达 6 年之久，而这段时间他化身为一位名叫 Monsieur Madeleine 的工厂老板。然而，镇上的巡官 Javert 从 Valjean 在狱中时就担任狱警了，他注意到 Monsieur Madeleine 和这名前罪犯间有相似的地方。在这段时间，Valjean介入了 Fantine 的生活，她原本是 Valjean 工厂的工人，后来因为外遇生了女儿而被开除。Valjean将 Fantine 从狱中救了出来，并将她送往医院，后来她在医院过世，死前她告诉 Valjean 她在不知情的情况下将女儿交给残暴的人照顾。Valjean承诺会照顾她的女儿，但之后他为了要救另外一个人而被迫泄露他的真实身份。从鬼门关逃过一劫后，Valjean再次为了他自己和 Fantine 的女儿重新建立了新生活，但他并没有向她透露他的过去。随着故事被揭露，事实展现在众人面前，战争在法国爆发，而 Valjean 和 Javert 也展开了最终的对抗。有着这么多横跨长时间的情节，难怪《悲惨世界》被认为是有史以来写得最棒的一部作品之一。
答案： 1. C 2. B 3. A 4. D
文艺复兴（Renaissance）是一场发生在 14 世纪至 17 世纪的文化运动，在中世纪晚期发源于意大利的佛罗伦萨，后来扩展至欧洲各国。『文艺复兴』一词亦可粗略地代表这一历史时期，但由于欧洲各地因其而引发的变化并非完全一致，故『文艺复兴』只是对这一时期的通称。这场文化运动囊括了对古典文献的重新学习、在绘画方面直线透视法的发展以及逐步而广泛开展的教育变革。传统观点认为，这种知识上的转变让文艺复兴发挥了衔接中世纪和近代的作用。
（数据源：维基百科）
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