Herta Müller, the Romanian-born German writer, has won the 2009 Nobel Prize for Literature．The award was announced in Stockholm on Thursday．
Ms．Müller, 56, immigrated to Germany from Romania in 1987．She is the first German writer to win the Nobel in literature since Günter Grass in 1999 and the 13th winner writing in German since the prize was first given in 1901．She is the 12th woman to win the literature prize．But unlike previous winners like Doris Lessing and V．S．Naipaul, Ms．Müller is relatively unknown outside of literary circles in Germany．
“I am very surprised and still cannot believe it,” Ms．Muller said in a statement delivered by her publisher in Germany．“I can’t say anything more at the moment．”
She has written some 20 books, but just 5 have been translated into English, including the novels “The Land of Green Plums” and “The Appointment．”
At the news conference on Thursday at the German Publishers & Booksellers Association in Berlin, where she lives, Ms．Müller, wearing all black and sitting on a leopard-print chair, appeared nervous with all the cameras flashing on her．
When asked what it meant that her name would now be mentioned in the same breath as German greats like Thomas Mann and Heinrich Böll, Ms．Müller remained philosophical．“I am now nothing better and I’m nothing worse,” she said, adding: “My inner thing is writing．That’s what I can hold on to．”
Earlier in the day, at a news conference in Stockholm, Peter Englund, secretary of the Swedish Academy, said Ms．Müller was honored for her “very, very distinct special language” and because “she has really a story to tell about cruelty and repression in a village much like the one Müller grew up in．”
The awards ceremony is planned for Dec．10 in Stockholm．As the winner, Ms．Müller will receive about $1．4 million．
36．According to the passage, all of the following statements are wrong EXCEPT that______．
A．she moved to Germany from Romania when she was 40
B．most of her works are very popular outside Germany
C．she is the first German writer that has won the Nobel Prize in literature
D．so far there are 13 winners whose works are written in German
37．Ms．Müller was surprised at the news about her winning the award because ______．
A．she was born a Romanian and became a famous German writer
B．she had missed a lot of chances to win the prize
C．she had expected to win the prize eagerly for long
D．she thought she was just an unknown writer in this field
38．By saying “I am now nothing better and I’m nothing worse”, Ms．Müller meant that _____．
A．she thought highly of herself B．she thought nothing of herself
C．she was very modest D．she was no worse than the other German writers
39．We can infer from the passage that ______．
A．Müller’s honored works are based on her own experience
B．most of Ms．Müller’s novels are unsuccessful works
C．Ms．Müller is feeling much better after she becomes the award winner
D．Ms．Müller wins the prize because she’s described the Germans’ life vividly
40．What’s the best title of the passage?
A．The Biography of Herta Müller
B．Herta Müller Wins Literature Nobel Prize
C．Herta Müller, a Great Successful Romanian Writer
D．The Great Awards Ceremony for Herta Müller