If Johnny can’t write, one of the reasons may be a conditioning based on spe

游客2024-03-08 37

问题 If Johnny can’t write, one of the reasons may be a conditioning based on speed rather than respect for the creative process. Speed is neither a valid test of nor a proper preparation for competence in writing. It makes for vagueness, insincerity, and disorganization. It takes the beauty out of the language. It rules our respect for the reflective thought that should precede expression. It runs counter to be finely knit.
This is not to minimize the value of genuine facility. With years of practice, a man may be able to put down words swiftly and expertly. But it is the same kind of swiftness that enables a cellist, after having invested years of efforts, to negotiate an intricate passage from Haydn. Speed writing is for stenographers (速记员) and court reporters, not for anyone who wants to use a language with precision and distinction.
Thomas Mann was not ashamed to admit that he would often take a full day to write 500 words, and another day to edit them, out of respect for the most difficult art in the world. Flaubert would ponder a paragraph for hours. Did it say what he wanted it to say—not approximately but exactly? Did the words turn into one another with proper rhythm and grace? Were they artistically and securely fitted together? Were they briskly alive, or were they full of fuzzy and ragged edges? Were they likely to make things happen inside the mind of the reader, igniting the imagination and touching off all sorts of new anticipations? These questions are relevant not only for the established novelist but for any one who attaches value to words as a medium of expression and communication.
E. B. White, whose respect for the environment of good writing is exceeded by no word-artist of our time, would rather have his fingers cut off than to be guilty of handling words lightly. No sculptor chipping away at a granite (花岩岗) block in order to produce a delicate curve or feature has labored more painstakingly than White in fashioning a short paragraph. Obviously, we can’t expect our schools to make every Johnny into a White or a Flaubert or a Mann, but it is not unreasonable to expect more of them to provide the conditions that promote clear, careful and competent expression. Certainly the cumulative effort of the school experience should have to be undone in later years. [br] In describing White as a "word-artist", the author means that White________.

选项 A、was colorful in his descriptions
B、illustrated his stories
C、had artistic background
D、was a great writer

答案 D

解析由题干中的White和word-artist定位到第四段第一句。推理判断题。由定位句可知，word-artist的字面意思是“文字艺术家”，而文章讨论的是写作问题，所以怀特应该是作家，故选D)“一位伟大的作家”。

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