🔥The Influence of the Crime Writer Agatha Christie: Đề thi thật IELTS READING (IELTS Reading Recent Actual Test) - Kèm đáp án + Giải thích từ vựng

The Influence of the Crime Writer Agatha Christie

Crime fiction books, in which detectives hunt for the perpetrators of crimes, have been popular with readers for many decades – so popular, in fact, that at a recent London Book Fair sales of the genre overtook general fiction for the first time ever, a development that had been widely anticipated. Commercial success, of course, does not impress everyone and there are those who believe crime fiction should not be held in such high regard. Prominent in this group is Sebastian Franklin, who has argued that most crime fiction books better resemble crossword puzzles than literature. His view is shared by other literary critics. However, increasingly this is a minority opinion as crime fiction has become recognized around the world as a rich and dynamic literary genre in its own right.

Crime writing really came to prominence in the 1920s and 30s with the books of the British author Agatha Christie and to a slightly lesser extent the American James M. Cain. Agatha Christie was a prolific writer, publishing more than 60 detective novels over a 50 year period, beginning in 1920. However, the majority of the general public have never picked up one of her books and are more familiar with Christie from the numerous adaptations of her work for films. The colourful locations around the world where Christie set many of her stories were not fictional depictions but were informed by her extensive travels, on the Orient Express train, to Cairo and the River Nile, and elsewhere. Her memoir, Come, Tell Me How You Live, published in 1946, is a non-fiction account of these real-life travels, so is unique among Christie’s publications. Success brought Christie considerable wealth and international fame, though she never lost her appetite for work, continuing writing and publishing until shortly before her death in 1976.

Without a doubt, there are certain elements that tend to be repeated in Christie’s books. The stories generally revolve around a well-off if not aristocratic circle of people, whose privileged lives are thrown into chaos by an unexplained crime. What’s more, the location is often a confined space of some sort: a train, an island, a boat, an isolated house, or a village. This is quite different, for example, to the world of the fictional detective Sherlock Holmes, who often has as his hunting ground the entire city of London. But the influence of Christie’s sheltered, secluded locations has been immense, for they have been used in countless television series ever since.>> Form đăng kí giải đề thi thật IELTS 4 kĩ năng kèm bài giải bộ đề 100 đề PART 2 IELTS SPEAKING quý đang thi (update hàng tuần) từ IELTS TUTOR

The writer Michael Utley argues that Christie’s characters lack depth and are not convincing people we can believe in. This is not an infrequent complaint, but it is quite untrue. Christie was a perceptive observer of human nature and psychology and she put the traits of people she knew into many of her fictional characters. Part of the reason her appeal has been so widespread is that she wrote about human relationships in a way so many of us can relate to. Her very first book, The Mysterious Affair at Styles, features the amateur detective Hercule Poirot. Poirot and Miss Marple are Christie’s two best-known and most frequently imitated characters precisely because they are so well-drawn and believable. Further evidence of Christie’s ability at characterization was provided by a recent survey. The survey asked readers to identify the villain revealed in the final pages of Christie’s sixteenth book, Murder on the Orient Express. Most readers could not recall, because for them the really important aspect of the book had been the interplay between the characters, not the outcome. The truth is that Christie’s characters were one of her greatest achievements as a writer.

The books are also action-packed, no less so than today’s most popular thrillers. Christie mastered the art of the page-turner: events unfold so quickly and unpredictably that we keep reading to find out what happens next. The most significant consequence is that it is so simple to overlook vital clues. It is worth reading a Christie book a second time just to notice how carefully she hides crucial information about the criminal’s identity. It was there all along, but we just fail to see it because she has created such tension and so many exciting distractions.

Attempts to retell Christie’s stories in contemporary times have largely been unsuccessful; they work best in their original early twentieth-century settings and cannot accommodate mobile phones, computers, and DNA analysis. But that does not mean her influence has come to an end. Indeed, a new generation of global crime writers is emerging in nations as diverse as Brazil, Singapore, South Korea, India, and Nigeria, to name but five. And though each new writer adds something of their own, they all employ conventions first established by Christie. If we take just one of her books, The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, we find near-perfect examples of conventions that are still used today: tight plotting, clever sub-plots, unexpected twists, perceptive characterization. Perhaps this is why Christie herself is believed to have ranked The Murder of Roger Ackroyd above all her other work. Certainly, the digital revolution has transformed, crime-fighting. But a survey of contemporary crime writing shows that Agatha Christie’s legacy is more important now than at any time previously, at the very point when crime writing has become the most popular of all book genres.

Questions 27-32

In boxes 27-32 on your answer sheet, write:

• YES if the statement agrees with the claims of the writer
• NO if the statement contradicts the claims of the writer
• NOT GIVEN if it is impossible to say what the writer thinks about this

27. Sales of crime fiction were surprisingly high at a recent London Book Fair.

28. Literary critics such as Sebastian Franklin think that crime fiction is overrated.

29. Agatha Christie and James M. Cain admired each other’s writing.

30. Most people know about Christie from films rather than books.

31. Christie’s descriptions of international locations were based on her own experience.

32. Christie enjoyed the wealth and fame she achieved through writing.

Questions 33-36

Choose the correct letter, A, B, C, or D.

33. What is the writer doing in the third paragraph?

• A. discussing one weakness of Christie’s style
• B. identifying a writer who influenced Christie
• C. contrasting different techniques Christie used
• D. listing some features of a typical Christie story

34. The writer refers to Michael Utley in order to:

• A. reject a common criticism of Christie’s books.
• B. compare two of Christie’s better-known books.
• C. explain the conclusion of one of Christie’s books.
• D. suggest that each of Christie’s books was different.

35. What point does the writer make about Christie’s writing style in the fifth paragraph?

• A. Occasionally, the stories do not make sense.
• B. Little happens compared to modern stories.
• C. Important evidence is very easy to miss.
• D. Some unnecessary details are included.

36. What does the writer conclude about Christie in the final paragraph?

• A. Her influence is slowly beginning to decrease.
• B. She is more influential today than ever before.
• C. One book was more influential than the others.
• D. She has only influenced writers in certain countries.

Questions 37-40

Write the correct letter, A-F, in boxes 37-40 on your answer sheet.

• A. is an example of a book disliked by many critics.
• B. has sold more copies than her other books.
• C. has illustrated the fact that readers cannot remember the ending.
• D. was Christie’s own favourite from among her books for good reasons.
• E. is different from all of her other books.
• F. introduced one of her most famous and most often copied characters.

37. Christie’s book Come, Tell Me How You Live

38. Christie’s first book, The Mysterious Affair at Styles

39. Christie’s sixteenth book, Murder on the Orient Express

40. The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, published in 1926

1. Genre

• Meaning: A category of literature, art, or music distinguished by a particular style, form, or content.
• Vietnamese: Thể loại
• IELTS TUTOR xét ví dụ từ bài đọc: "Crime fiction books, in which detectives hunt for the perpetrators of crimes, have been popular with readers for many decades – so popular, in fact, that at a recent London Book Fair sales of the genre overtook general fiction for the first time ever."

2. Perpetrator

• Meaning: A person who commits a crime or harmful act.
• Vietnamese: Thủ phạm
• IELTS TUTOR xét ví dụ từ bài đọc: "Crime fiction books, in which detectives hunt for the perpetrators of crimes, have been popular with readers for many decades."

3. Anticipated

• Meaning: Expected or predicted.
• Vietnamese: Được mong đợi
• IELTS TUTOR xét ví dụ từ bài đọc: "...a development that had been widely anticipated."

4. Commercial success

• Meaning: Financial achievement due to widespread sales or popularity.>> IELTS  TUTOR  hướng  dẫn PHÂN TÍCH ĐỀ THI 30/5/2020 IELTS WRITING TASK 2 (kèm bài sửa HS đạt 6.5)
• Vietnamese: Thành công thương mại
• IELTS TUTOR xét ví dụ từ bài đọc: "Commercial success, of course, does not impress everyone..."

5. Literary critics

• Meaning: People who analyze, interpret, and evaluate literature.
• Vietnamese: Nhà phê bình văn học
• IELTS TUTOR xét ví dụ từ bài đọc: "His view is shared by other literary critics."

6. Prolific

• Meaning: Producing a lot of works or results.
• Vietnamese: Sáng tác nhiều
• IELTS TUTOR xét ví dụ từ bài đọc: "Agatha Christie was a prolific writer, publishing more than 60 detective novels over a 50-year period, beginning in 1920."

7. Adaptation

• Meaning: A work (film, play, etc.) that has been changed from its original form into a new medium.
• Vietnamese: Sự chuyển thể
• IELTS TUTOR xét ví dụ từ bài đọc: "...and are more familiar with Christie from the numerous adaptations of her work for films."

8. Depiction

• Meaning: The way something is represented or shown.
• Vietnamese: Sự miêu tả
• IELTS TUTOR xét ví dụ từ bài đọc: "The colourful locations around the world where Christie set many of her stories were not fictional depictions but were informed by her extensive travels..."

9. Confined

• Meaning: Limited or restricted to a particular space or area.
• Vietnamese: Hạn chế
• IELTS TUTOR xét ví dụ từ bài đọc: "What’s more, the location is often a confined space of some sort: a train, an island, a boat, an isolated house, or a village."

10. Hunting ground

• Meaning: A place where someone operates or performs an activity.
• Vietnamese: Nơi hoạt động
• IELTS TUTOR xét ví dụ từ bài đọc: "...who often has as his hunting ground the entire city of London."

11. Perceptive

• Meaning: Having or showing insight and understanding.
• Vietnamese: Sâu sắc, nhạy bén
• IELTS TUTOR xét ví dụ từ bài đọc: "Christie was a perceptive observer of human nature and psychology..."

12. Interplay

• Meaning: The way in which two or more things interact or influence each other.
• Vietnamese: Sự tương tác
• IELTS TUTOR xét ví dụ từ bài đọc: "...because for them the really important aspect of the book had been the interplay between the characters, not the outcome."

13. Action-packed

• Meaning: Full of exciting events or activities.
• Vietnamese: Nhiều hành động gay cấn
• IELTS TUTOR xét ví dụ từ bài đọc: "The books are also action-packed, no less so than today’s most popular thrillers."

14. Page-turner

• Meaning: A book that is very exciting or interesting and makes you want to keep reading.
• Vietnamese: Cuốn sách lôi cuốn
• IELTS TUTOR xét ví dụ từ bài đọc: "Christie mastered the art of the page-turner..."

15. Vital clues

• Meaning: Extremely important pieces of evidence or information.
• Vietnamese: Manh mối quan trọng
• IELTS TUTOR xét ví dụ từ bài đọc: "...just to notice how carefully she hides crucial information about the criminal’s identity."

16. Tight plotting

• Meaning: A carefully constructed and precise storyline.
• Vietnamese: Cốt truyện chặt chẽ
• IELTS TUTOR xét ví dụ từ bài đọc: "...we find near-perfect examples of conventions that are still used today: tight plotting, clever sub-plots, unexpected twists..."

17. Sub-plot

• Meaning: A secondary storyline in a book or play.
• Vietnamese: Cốt truyện phụ
• IELTS TUTOR xét ví dụ từ bài đọc: "...tight plotting, clever sub-plots, unexpected twists, perceptive characterization."

18. Twists

• Meaning: Surprising changes in a storyline.
• Vietnamese: Tình tiết bất ngờ
• IELTS TUTOR xét ví dụ từ bài đọc: "...clever sub-plots, unexpected twists, perceptive characterization."

19. Legacy

• Meaning: Something that is passed down or remains from the past.
• Vietnamese: Di sản
• IELTS TUTOR xét ví dụ từ bài đọc: "...a survey of contemporary crime writing shows that Agatha Christie’s legacy is more important now than at any time previously."

ĐÁP ÁN:

27. NO 28. YES 29. NOT GIVEN 30. YES 31. YES 32. NOT GIVEN 33. D 34. A 35. C 36. B 37. E 38. F 39. C 40. D