TheVirginianestablishedaliteraryform,aformulapopularlyknownas"horseopera",whoseconventions,cliches,andvalueshavereappearedinnovelsandshortstories,inmoviesandtelevisionserials,eversince.Theromanticcowboyistheheroandgentleman,oneofthose"goodmeninthehumblerwalksoflife",whoseemsthroughshams,defendsjusticeandalady’shonor,shootsitoutwiththevillainandconquersevil.BecauseoftheVirginian,WistercreatedacharacterwhoistheoriginaltypefortheWesternfolkhero.HerepresentstheembodimentofcertainAmericanideals---amanwhoisequaltoalloccasions,whoshowsindependenceofaction,amanwhokeepshiswordwhois"abroad-guagefellowlivingamongnarrow-guagefolk".ButtheliterarydeviceandcowboycodewhichWisterestablisheddictatedthattheheromustkillthebadman.Thisnecessityforsanctioningmurderandromanticizingofthecowboyasagentlemanprohibited.TheVirginianandthegenreitcreatedfrombecomingseriousfiction,orevenanauthenticproductofthewesternexperience.Insteadofachievinghisambition,therefore,WistergaveusasortofAmericanfolkepic,thecowboystory.
46.OwenWisterbelieved___.
A.thewayoflifeintheWestin1885wasapassingphase
b.thecowboyin1885symbolizedthetypicalAmericanmale.
C.theWestwouldbealwaysisolatedfromtherestofthecountryby
itsmoralcode.
D.noneofthese.
47.ThereferencetoWisterasaself-envisionedTolstoiimpliesthat___.
A.TheVirginianisasgreatanovelasWarandPeace
B.Wisterunderestimatedhimselfasanauthor
C.Wisterwantedtobeawriteroflightnovels
D.asTolstoihadlaidbarethevirtuesandvicesofRussiansociety,so
WisterwoulddoforthesocietyoftheAmericanWest.
48.Stylistically,TheVirginianisnotedforthefactthatit___.
A.waswrittenaccordingtoapre-establishedformula.
B.establishedtheformulaknownas"horseopera".
C.followedtheliteraryconventionsoftheday.
D.abandonedAmericanconventionsinfavorofforeignones.
49.ThepopularitywhichwasaccordedTheVirginianindicatesthat
Wister___.
A.realizedhisstatedambition
B.gaveusanauthenticaccountofthewesternexperience
C.becametheAmericanTolstoi
D.hadwrittenanaccountofthecowboywhichappealedtoAmerican
aspirations
50.Theauthorofthearticlebelievesthat___.
A.TheVirginiandidnotdeservethesuccessitwon
B.WistermadeadefinitecontributiontoAmericanliterature
C.Wisterwasahack
B.cowboystoriesshouldbeconsideredseriousfiction

3
Deathcomesquicklyinthemountains.Eachwinterholidaymakersarecaughtunawaresastheyhappilyskiawayfromthefixedruns,littlerealizingthatasmallavalanchecansendthemcrashinginabone-breakingfalldowntheslopeandleavethemburiedundertonsofcrispwhitesnow.Therearelotsoftheoriesabouthowtoavoiddisasterwhenhitbyanavalanche.Practiceisnormallylesscheerful.
ThesnowintheSalzburgofAustriawherearecentdisastertookplacewastypicalavalanchematerial.ForseveraldaysbeforetheincidentIhadskiedlocally.Earlywintersnowwaswearingthinandcoveredwithice.Ontopofthatnew,warmerflakesweregentlyfallingtoproduceadangerouscarpet.Totheskierwhoenjoysunmarkedslopesitistemptingstuff,deepnewpowersnowonahardbase---theskiingthatdreamsaremadeof.Andsometimesnightmares.
Snowfallsinsectionslikeacake.Differentsectionshavedifferentdensitiesbecauseofthetemperaturesatthetimeofthefallandintheweeksafterwards.Problemscomewhenanyparticularsectionistoothickandnotstickingtothesectionbeneath.ThesnowofthepastfewweekshadbeenfallinginratherhighertemperaturesthanthoseofDecemberandearlyJanuary.Theresultoftheseconditionsisthatevenaslightincreaseinthetemperaturessendsathinstreamofwaterbetweenthenewsnowandtheold.Thenthenewsnowsimplyslidesoffthemountain.