1 . One early morning, I went into the living room to find my mother reading a thick book called Best Loved Poems to Read Again and Again. I became immediately interested because of the word “Poems” that appeared in big, hot pink letters.

“Is it good?” I asked her.

“Yeah,” she answered. “There’s one I really like and you’ll like it, too.” I leaned forward.

“Patty Poem,” she read the title. Who is Patty? I wondered. The poem began:

She never puts her toys away, Just leaves them scattered① where they lay, …

①       散乱的

The poem was just three short sections. The final one came quickly:

When she grows and gathers poise, ② I’ll miss her harum-scarum③ noise, And look in vain④ for scattered toys.

②       稳重 ③       莽撞的 ④       徒劳的

And I’ll be sad.

A terrible sadness washed over me. Whoever Patty was, she was a mean girl. Then, the shock.

“It’s you, honey,” my mother said sadly.

To my mother, the poem described a parent’s feeling when her child grows up and leaves. To me, the “she” in the poem was terrible. It was my mama who would be sad. It was so terrible that I began crying.

“What’s wrong?” my mother asked.

“Oh Mama,” I cried. “I don’t want to grow up ever!”

She smiled. “Honey, it’s okay. You’re not growing up anytime soon. And when you do, I’ll still love you, okay?”

“Okay,” I was still crying. My fear had gone. But I could not help thinking about that silly poem. After what seemed like a safe amount of time, I read the poem again and was confused. It all fit so well together, like a puzzle. The language was simple, so simple that I could plainly understand its meaning, yet it was still beautiful. I was now crazy about the idea of poetry (诗歌), words that had the power to make or break a person’s world.

I have since fallen in love with other poems, but “Patty Poem” remains my poem. After all, “Patty Poem” gave me my love for poetry not because it was the poem that lifted my spirits, but because it was the one that hurt me the most.

1. Why was the writer attracted by the book Best Loved Poems to Read Again and Again?

A．It has a meaningful title.

B．It was a thick enough book.

C．Something on its cover caught her eye.

D．Her mother was reading it with interest.

2. The writer’s mother liked to read “Patty Poem” probably because ______.

A．it was a sign of her own childhood

B．it was written in simple language

C．it was written by a famous poet

D．it made her think of what would happen

3. What does the underlined word probably mean?

A．Easily.

B．Hardly.

C．Nearly.

D．Narrowly.

4. It can be known from the passage that “Patty Poem” leads the writer to ______.

A．discover the power of poetry	B．recognize her love for puzzles
C．find her wishing to grow up	D．experience great homesickness

3 . We all like fantasy stories, and grow up reading and listening to fantasies. These tales fuel our imaginations, and satisfy our longings for adventures. The most interesting thing about fantasies is that their plots involve magical beasts and heroes，animal creatures talking like humans，and other things we can’t see in real life. Also, fantasies have a distinguished writing style, with freedom of expression.

Toy Fantasy

In toy fantasy stories, narrators(叙述者)bring their beloved toys to life that can live, talk, think，breathe and behave like human beings. You would see modern toy fantasies in a picture book format. Representative works are A. A. Milne’s Winnie the Pooh and Carlo Collodi’s The Adventures of Pinocchio.

Animal Fantasy

The animal fantasy tells tales about animals behaving like human beings, experiencing emotions, and having the ability to talk. However, animals in fantasies hold their various animal characteristics, too. Examples include The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame, Charlotte's Web by E. B. White, and The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter which influences children around the world.

Magical Fantasy

In a magical fantasy, you see a character having magical powers, or a strange magical object becomes the subject of the story. Stories of this type began widely spreading long ago, including Roald Dahl's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and William Steig’s Sylvester and the Magic Pebble.

Modern Folktales

Modern folktales are types of fantasy that narrators tell in a traditional tale accompanying some typical parts, such as strong conflict, little description of characters, and sometimes magical elements. These tales come before all others and are popular, as authors throughout history, have written them. Hans Christian Andersen has written several tales of this category including The Nightingale, The Emperor’s New Clothes and Thumbelina.

1. What is the common feature of the fantasies?

A．Their characters are highly popular.

B．Their events occur in the unreal world.

C．Their writing styles show desires for freedom.

D．Their plots encourage people to have adventures.

2. Who made a great contribution to the animal fantasy?

A．Carlo Collodi.	B．Beatrix Potter.
C．William Steig.	D．Hans Christian Andersen.

3. Which type of fantasy has the longest history?

A．The toy fantasy.	B．The animal fantasy.
C．The magical fantasy.	D．The modern folktales.