A Tale of Scottish Rural Life

　　Lewis Grassic Gibbons Sunset Song was voted the best Scottish novel of all timeby Scottishs reading public in 20051 Once considered shocking for its frank description of aspects of the lives of Scotlands poor rural farmers，it has been adapted for stage，film，TV and radio in recent decades.

　　Grassic Gibbon gives us the most detailed and intimate account of the life of his heroine.We watch her grow through a childhood dominated by her cruel but hard-working father;experience tragedy ;and learn about her feelings as she grows into woman.We see her marry，lose her husband，then marry again.Chris has seemed so convincing a figure to some female readers that they cannot believe that she is the creation of a man2.

　　The story itself is amazingly full of characters and incidents.It is told from Chris point of view but also from that of the gossiping community，a community where everybody knows everybody elses business and nothing is ever forgotten.

　　If the novel is about the end of one way of life it also looks ahead.It is a Sunset Songbut is concerned too with the new Kinraddie，indeed of the new European world.Grassic Gibbon went on to publish two other novels about the place that continue its story.

　　amazinglyadv.令人吃驚地

　　1.　Lewis Grassic Gibbons Sunset Songwas votedthe best Scottish novel of all timeby Scottishs reading public in 2005.Lewis Grassic Gibbon的《日落歌》在2005年被蘇格蘭讀書界投票為所有時代中的最佳的小說。

　　練習：

　　A)The First World War.

　　C)The new European world.

　　2.　Which statement is NOT true of Chris?

　　B)She had a miserable childhood.

　　D)She married only once.

　　A)The climate of Kinraddie.

　　C)The geography of Kinraddie.

　　4.　Who are responsible for Evans death，according to Chris?

　　B)The French army.

　　D)The Russian soldiers.

　　A)the end of the heroines life.

　　C)the end of traditional life.

　　答案與題解：

　　2.　D 問題問：哪個陳述對Chris是不符的?選項A說的是：她是《日落歌》中的女主人公。選項B說的是：她的童年很苦。選項C說的是：她是由一個男人創作出來的。選項D說的是：她只結過一次婚。D不對。第三段有這么一句話：We see her malty，lose her husband，then marry again.我們看見她結婚，失去丈夫，后來又結婚。

　　4.　A 問題問的是：根據Chris，誰殺死了Evan?選項A說的是：德國人。選項B說的是：法國軍隊。選項C說的是：英國部隊。選項D說的是：俄羅斯士兵。B是正確的。倒數第二段有這么兩句話：The war finally kills Ewan，but not in the way his widow is told.In fact，the Germans arent responsible for his death，but his own side.戰爭最后殺死了Ewan，但不是他的寡婦說的那樣。事實上，德國人沒有殺他，是他自己一邊的人殺的。

　　A Tale of Scottish Rural Life

　　Lewis Grassic Gibbons Sunset Song was voted the best Scottish novel of all timeby Scottishs reading public in 20051 Once considered shocking for its frank description of aspects of the lives of Scotlands poor rural farmers，it has been adapted for stage，film，TV and radio in recent decades.

　　Grassic Gibbon gives us the most detailed and intimate account of the life of his heroine.We watch her grow through a childhood dominated by her cruel but hard-working father;experience tragedy ;and learn about her feelings as she grows into woman.We see her marry，lose her husband，then marry again.Chris has seemed so convincing a figure to some female readers that they cannot believe that she is the creation of a man2.

　　The story itself is amazingly full of characters and incidents.It is told from Chris point of view but also from that of the gossiping community，a community where everybody knows everybody elses business and nothing is ever forgotten.

　　If the novel is about the end of one way of life it also looks ahead.It is a Sunset Songbut is concerned too with the new Kinraddie，indeed of the new European world.Grassic Gibbon went on to publish two other novels about the place that continue its story.

　　amazinglyadv.令人吃驚地

　　1.　Lewis Grassic Gibbons Sunset Songwas votedthe best Scottish novel of all timeby Scottishs reading public in 2005.Lewis Grassic Gibbon的《日落歌》在2005年被蘇格蘭讀書界投票為所有時代中的最佳的小說。

　　練習：

　　A)The First World War.

　　C)The new European world.

　　2.　Which statement is NOT true of Chris?

　　B)She had a miserable childhood.

　　D)She married only once.

　　A)The climate of Kinraddie.

　　C)The geography of Kinraddie.

　　4.　Who are responsible for Evans death，according to Chris?

　　B)The French army.

　　D)The Russian soldiers.

　　A)the end of the heroines life.

　　C)the end of traditional life.

　　答案與題解：

　　2.　D 問題問：哪個陳述對Chris是不符的?選項A說的是：她是《日落歌》中的女主人公。選項B說的是：她的童年很苦。選項C說的是：她是由一個男人創作出來的。選項D說的是：她只結過一次婚。D不對。第三段有這么一句話：We see her malty，lose her husband，then marry again.我們看見她結婚，失去丈夫，后來又結婚。

　　4.　A 問題問的是：根據Chris，誰殺死了Evan?選項A說的是：德國人。選項B說的是：法國軍隊。選項C說的是：英國部隊。選項D說的是：俄羅斯士兵。B是正確的。倒數第二段有這么兩句話：The war finally kills Ewan，but not in the way his widow is told.In fact，the Germans arent responsible for his death，but his own side.戰爭最后殺死了Ewan，但不是他的寡婦說的那樣。事實上，德國人沒有殺他，是他自己一邊的人殺的。