Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm were two young men from Germany who loved a good story. As university students, they became interested in folktales—traditional stories that people memorized and told again and again. They began to collect traditional folktales from storytellers all over Germany. Many were similar to stories told in France, Italy, Japan, and other countries. Between 1812 and 1814, the brothers published two books in German. These included stories like “Snow White” and “Little Red Riding Hood.” The collections became known in English as Grimm’s Fairy Tales.
Darkness and Magic
The Grimm brothers’ tales reflected traditional life and beliefs. For example, forests are everywhere to see in Germany, and this image often appears in the Grimms’ stories. In the past, many people believed forests were dangerous places. In the Grimms’ stories, a forest is the home of evil witches, talking animals, and other amazing things.
Children’s stories?
Most people today think of these stories as fairy tales for children, but the brothers first wrote them for adults. Many of their early tales were dark and a little scary. Later, the brothers changed the text of some of the original stories. They “softened” many of the tales and added drawings. This made them more fit for children. Like the early tales, though, each story still has a moral: work hard, be good, and listen to your parents.
27. Which of these is true about the Grimm brothers?
A.They invented the fairy tales in their books. | B.They wrote their books in different languages. |
C.They became interested in folktales as students. | D.They traveled to many countries to collect stories. |
28. How did the Grimm brothers make the original tales more suitable for children?
A.By making the stories darker and scarier. |
B.By adding more talking animals. |
C.By “softening” the tales and adding drawings. |
D.By keeping the stories exactly as they collected them. |
29. What does the underlined word “moral” mean?
A.Interest. | B.Text | C.Story. | D.Message. |
30. What is the main purpose (目的) of the reading?
A.To compare (比较) the Grimms’ stories to modern children’s stories. |
B.To explain why storytelling is important in Germany. |
C.To examine two of the Grimms’ fairy tales |
D.To give information about the Grimm brothers and their stories |