2 . What’s the effect of poetry on our brain? Scientists have been investigating the neuronal (神经元的) connections and brain circuits that can work in the reading of poetry for some time. And, even though the research has only just begun, the results are already fascinating.

Poetry has the oldest recorded texts in literature. Although it’s impossible to say exactly when it began to be used in the oral tradition, we dare to say that it’s accompanied humanity forever. This gives us an idea of the impact that poetic language can have on our emotional and cognitive state. The emotional response to literature in general shares areas of activation with music. However, more areas of the right hemisphere (半球) seem to be related to poetry. The researchers measured the goosebumps resulting from the tingling (强烈感受) sensation in reading poetry. This type of sensation has also been proven to result from music. However, the tingling sensations produced by poetry activate different areas of the brain compared to those activated by music.

Dr. Eugen Wassiliwizky’s team collected data on behavioral responses in people reading or listening to poetry. They proved that poetry is capable of causing emotional responses and rich emotional experiences. In addition, a poem expresses the poet’s ideas. From a psychological view, poetry is a game of language that manages to group words in a surprising way. We could compare this with how a chef combines ingredients that seem impossible to combine, producing extraordinary results. Poetry is based on rules of construction. It sets up a rhythm, which then breaks, before finally returning to it. The play on the meanings of words, sometimes several meanings in just one word, is extremely intellectually inspiring. We can read a poem a thousand times, and still find its new meanings.

Generally, our passage through the wonderful world of poetry is cut short by a rather reduced exposure during childhood and the overly analytical approach of this literary genre (类型), which is given in most schools. Although, the studies that experts have conducted on poetry get a lot of interesting results, poetry still holds a mystery that science hasn’t yet been able to investigate. For example, why a perfect cadence (抑扬顿挫) and rhythm can lift the spirit of people is the new challenge for the research.

1. What is the main difference between poetry and music?

A．Music causes fewer goosebumps.

B．Poetry creates more tingling sensations.

C．They work on different parts of the brain.

D．They are processed in different parts of the brain.

2. What does the author probably think of poetry?

A．It expresses something about the poet.

B．It is vague in its meaning but rich in emotional experience.

C．It combines ingredients and extraordinary results.

D．It’s a pure game of language that only surprises readers.

3. What might be the problem when we learn poetry at school?

A．We make children more exposed to it.	B．We haven’t read a poem a thousand times.
C．We rely too much on our teachers.	D．We analyze this literary genre too much.

4. Where can you read the passage?

A．In a paper on geography.	B．In a newspaper.
C．In a biography.	D．In a magazine on wildlife.

3 . In an effort to keep a little poetry in my life long after National Poetry Month passed, I decide to read at least one poem a day after scanning the newspaper over breakfast. Thanks to the free online poetry-in-your-inbox services, it’s been an easy resolution（解决办法）to keep.

Poem-a-Day was started during National Poetry Month in 2016, and it focuses on new and previously unpublished poems by contemporary poets on weekdays and classic poems on weekends.

Ted Kooser offers a similar service through his American Life in Poetry Series, though it’s a weekly, rather than a daily. Kooser briefly introduces each week’s poem, offering a little bit of information about the selection, the writer, and books where readers can turn to if they want more work from the featured poet.

Reading at least one poem a day has been like an intellectual vitamin, giving me a small dose（剂量）of literature even on busy days when I can’t get to the novels and non-fiction on my desk beside the bed. Another benefit has been connecting with a lot of talented poets I wouldn’t otherwise know about. Poetry being what it is, even the best talents in the style can work in relative obscurity（朦胧）. Maybe the biggest benefit of reading a poem every morning has been the chance to see the familiar in new ways.

Last April, I wondered if I could remind myself to read a poem each morning. Now, deep in summer, I wonder if I could ever do without it.

The author intends to read a poem every morning by means of ________.

A．scanning the newspaper over breakfast

B．the free online poetry-in-your-inbox services

C．starting Poem-a-Day during National Poetry Month

D．focusing on new poems and contemporary poets on weekdays

5 . 听下面一段独白，完成填空

Angel

Spend all your time waiting for that second chance
For     1     that would make it okay
There’s always some reason to feel not good enough
And it’s hard at the end of the day
I need some     2     or beautiful release
Memories seep from my veins
Let me be empty and weightless
And maybe I’ll find some peace tonight
In the arms of an angel
    3     from here
From this dark cold hotel room
And the endlessness that you fear
You are pulled from the wreckage of your     4     reverie
You’re in the arms of the angel
    5    

7 . A FEW SIMPLE FORMS OF ENGLISH POEMS

There are various reasons why people compose poetry. Some poems tell a story or describe a certain image in the reader’s mind. Others try to convey certain feelings such as joy and sorrow. The distinctive characteristics of poetry often include economical use of words, descriptive and vivid language, integrated imagery, literary devices such as similes and metaphors, and arrangement of words, lines, rhymes, and rhythm. Poets use many different forms of poetry to express themselves. Now we will look at a few of the simpler forms.

Some of the first poems a young child learns in English are nursery rhymes. They are usually the traditional poems or folk songs. The language of these rhymes, like Poem A, is to the point but has a storyline. Many children enjoy nursery rhymes because they rhyme, have a strong rhythm, and often repeat the same words. The poems may not make sense and even seem contradictory, but they are easy to learn and recite. By playing with the words in nursery rhymes, children learn about language.

One of the simplest kinds of poem is the “list poem”, which contains a list of things, people, ideas, or descriptions that develop a particular theme. List poems have a flexible line length and repeated phrases which give both a pattern and a rhythm to the poem. Some rhyme (like B and C), while others do not. Another simple form of poem that amateurs can easily write is the cinquain, which is made up of five lines. With these, you can convey a strong picture or a certain mood in just a few words. Look at the example (D).

Haiku is a Japanese form of poetry that consists of 17 syllables. It has a format of three lines, containing 5, 7, and 5 syllables respectively. It is not a traditional form of English poetry, but is very popular with English writers. It is easy to write and, like the cinquain, can give a clear picture and create a special feeling using very few words. The haiku poem (E) on the right is a translation from Japanese, which shows a moment in the life of a delicate butterfly.

English speakers also enjoy poems from China, those from the Tang Dynasty in particular. A lot of Tang poetry has been translated into English, such as this one (F).

With so many different forms of poetry to choose from, you may eventually want to write poems of your own. Give it a try!

A	Hush, little baby, don’t say a word, Papa’s gonna buy you a mockingbird. If that mockingbird won’t sing, Papa’s gonna buy you a diamond ring. If that diamond ring turns to brass, Papa’s gonna buy you a looking glass. If that looking glass gets broke, Papa’s gonna buy you a billy goat. If that billy goat won’t pull, Papa’s gonna buy you a cart and bull.
B	Only One Mother Hundreds of stars in the pretty sky, Hundreds of shells on the shore together, Hundreds of birds that go singing by, Hundreds of lambs in the sunny weather. Hundreds of dewdrops to greet the dawn, Hundreds of bees in the purple clover, Hundreds of butterflies on the lawn, But only one mother the wide world over. George Cooper
C	LIFE Life can be good, Life can be bad, Life is mostly cheerful, but sometimes sad Life can be dreams, Life can be great thoughts Life can mean a person, Sitting in court.
D	Brother Beautiful, athletic Teasing, shouting, laughing Friend and enemy too Mine
E	A fallen blossom Is coming back to the branch. Look, a butterfly!
F	Where she awaits her husband On and on the river flows. Never looking back, Transformed into stone. Day by day upon the mountain top, wind and rain revolve. Should the traveller return, this stone would utter speech. Wang Jian

根据课文内容完成以下表格。

Type of poem	Characteristics	Example	Topics and poetic devices
Nursery rhyme	• concrete but creative language	A	• love between father and baby • rhymes, repetition
List poem		B
		C
Cinquain		D
Haiku		E
Tang poem		F