1 . On Feb. 19, the same day Harper Lee passed away, the world lost another literary giant. He was 84-year-old Umberto Eco, an Italian writer, whose masterpiece The Name of the Rose won him international fame when it was published in 1980. The novel sold more than 10 million copies in about 30 languages and was made into a movie in 1986 starring British actor Sean Connery.

A USA Today obituary (讣告) thus describes: “Eco was an author of books ranging from novels to scholarly books to essay collections; Eco was enthusiastic about the obscure as well as ordinary daily life; As a scholar, critic and novelist, he also did research on the mysterious theory of semiotics-the study of signs and symbols in language and the technical languages of the Internet.

The Name of the Rose can be seen as a much more complicated version of US writer Dan Brown’s popular novel The Da Vinci Code. The book is set in a 14th century Italian Monastery (修道院) where monks are being murdered one by one in terrible manners. Two monks who travel to the monastery try to solve the murders. The book’s mystery develops around a complex-designed library and a lost Aristotle’s book on comedy.

Although the novel is full of Latin phrases and devotes many pages to analysis of Christian beliefs and ancient philosophy, it’s a fascinating detective thriller.

Eco also wrote some harsh literary criticism. He once wrote that “books always speak of other books, and every story tells a story that has already been told”.

1. What can we learn about The Name of the Rose?

A．It earned Harper Lee worldwide reputation.

B．It featured the main character Sean Connery.

C．It was translated into no more than 30 versions.

D．It had its film adaptation following the book’s publication.

2. From the USA Today obituary, which of the following can be inferred?

A．Eco not only wrote novels but also some dramas.

B．Eco was merely interested in ordinary daily life.

C．Eco was an expert in the Internet.

D．Eco was more than a novelist.

3. What does the book The Name of the Rose describe?

A．A story copied from the novel The Da Vinci Code.

B．Chain murdering in an Italian Monastery.

C．A long-lost ownerless book.

D．A complex-designed library.

4. What does the underlined quote said by Eco imply?

A．Stories are far from reality.	B．Creativity is hard to come by.
C．Some books are well worth reading.	D．Writers need to polish their language.