C
Arthur Miller was born in New York City in 1915. He died in 2005 at his home in Roxbury, Connecticut. For sixty years, he created one dramatic work after another. Miller won many awards for his plays. Among them were a Pulitzer Prize, New York Drama Critics’ Circle Prizes and Tony Awards. In 1984, the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. honored him for his lifetime work in drama.
Arthur Miller grew up in New York. His father, Isidore Miller, made clothing and operated a store. But the father lost his money in the great economic depression in the 1930s. So Arthur worked at many jobs to earn money for college. Miller won an award for writing plays while at school.
Miller returned home to New York after completing his studies. In 1944, Arthur Miller’s first major play was performed on Broadway. It was called The Man Who Had All the Luck. However, the play did not bring him good luck. It had only four performances. But his second Broadway play, All My Sons, was a major success. It won several awards in 1947.
Miller ‘s great play, Death of a Salesman, opened on Broadway in 1949. He was thirty-three years old when he wrote it. The play tells the story of the failure of a salesman, Willy Loman. The action opens on the last day of Willy’s life. He has been dismissed from his jobs as a traveling salesman. He also recognizes that he has failed as a father. He kills himself before the play is over. Death of a Salesman had a big influence on the American public. Many people saw their own lives in Willy Loman, the victim of broken dreams. It has been translated into about thirty languages and performed around the world.
Arthur Miller once wrote that when he was young he imagined that with the possible exception of a doctor saving a life, “Writing a worthy play was the most important thing a human being could do.” Theater owners on Broadway agreed. On the day after he died, the lights of Broadway theatres darkened for a minute in honor of him.
63. Miller began to show his talent in writing plays _______ .
A. in his teens B. when he was at school
C. after his marriage D. in New York
64. Which of the following is TRUE about Arthur Miller?
A. When he was young, Arthur Miller worked hard to be a doctor.
B. The Man Who Had All the Luck brought Arthur Miller neither fame nor fortune.
C. All My Sons was the first major work of Arthur Miller ever performed on Broadway. D. The John F, Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts honored Arthur Miller for his great play, Death of a Salesman.
65. The play Death of a Salesman ________.
A. won several awards in 1947 B. made the public know Miller first
C. is thought highly of D. made Miller rich
66. Death of a Salesman’s success lies in that______.
A. it has been translated into about thirty languages
B. it has been performed around the world
C. although not all Americans are salesmen, most of them share Willy’s dream
D. theater owners on Broadway respected Arthur Miller
