1. How does Rose feel about Peter’s poetry?
A.Classic. | B.Unique. | C.Romantic. |
A.On Monday. | B.On Thursday. | C.On Tuesday. |
A.Love. | B.Friendship. | C.Nature. |
A.John Keats’. | B.Emily Dickinson’s. | C.William Wordsworth’s. |
2 . During a judging period for a recent short story contest, I started thinking a lot about dialogue tags. Because in many submissions characters didn’t “say” a thing. They shouted, they inquired, they assumed. Some characters screamed while others murmured. But no one “said” anything. And I started wondering why.
Why do we tell beginner writers to avoid creative dialogue tags in the first place? Why do we insist that characters should stick to “said,” “asked,” and the occasional “sighed?” And, if the advice is so of-repeated, why are writers still unable to resist the siren call of weep, scream, snap, or laugh?
The more I thought about it, the more I understood the temptation. We’re always encouraged to use strong, actionable verbs in our prose. Why walk when you can skip or wander? Why cry when you can sob or weep? Why wouldn’t we reach for exciting verbs instead of mild-boring dull-blah said? Why couldn’t each verb be a tiny sparkling gem in its own right?
The problem, I think, is that every jewel needs a setting to become something more than the sum of its parts. Without something to provide structure, a collection of the world’s most glorious diamonds would still only amount to a heap of rocks.
And a dialogue tag should never, ever be the diamond in any given sentence.
Dialogue is your diamond, friends. When we read your work, your dialogue should be so bright, so sparkling, so lifelike, so wonderfully realistic that our brains “hear” each line instead of merely reading it. We don’t need to be told a character is shouting — we can sense it in the way they spit out words, clench fists, or storm from the room.
A dialogue tag is a mere signpost along the narrative journey, gently indicating who said what. It’s part of a story’s experience, but it’s not part of the story itself, nor should it be treated as such. Dialogue tags are similar to lighting in a Broadway play: without it, the audience would have no idea what was going on, but it usually strives to shine without calling too much attention to itself.
What’s more, readers may not initially imagine a particular line being “sobbed.” When we reach the end of a sentence and find out our leading lady has actually sobbed instead of whispered, it pulls us right out of the story. We pause. We reread the line. We adjust our understanding and begin again. But that wonderful momentum when we’re fully immersed in the scene, holding our breath to find out what our heroine says next, is lost.
Creating a successful work of fiction is about giving the reader all the materials they need to build your fictional world in their mind and not a scrap more. Readers need believable dialogue. They need voices so compelling that they pop right off the page and into our ears. And if you’ve created dynamic characters who speak words we can really hear, you will never need to tell us how something was said.
Senior Editor
1. According to the Senior Editor, the beginner writers are tempted to ______.A.replace a dull “said” with exciting verbs |
B.omit what the character said in a dialogue |
C.resist the warning against strong emotions |
D.overuse the word “said” in their submissions |
A.glorious diamonds | B.heaps of rocks |
C.tiny, sparkling gems | D.Broadway play lighting |
A.Dialogue tags are said to be the most important aspect of storytelling. |
B.Without dialogue tags, readers have to reread to adjust understanding. |
C.Creative dialogue tags may interrupt readers’ wonderful reading flow. |
D.Effective dialogue tags should describe characters’ emotions directly. |
A.good works of fiction give as many materials as possible |
B.readers cannot imagine a line without the dialogue tags |
C.what was said should be prioritized over how it was said |
D.writers should choose powerful words for dialogue tags |
A.He enjoyed reading the novel. | B.He hasn’t started reading the novel yet. |
C.He doubts the woman will like the novel | D.He will lend the woman the novel |
4 . 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. |
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. |
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. |
A.In a paper on geography. | B.In a newspaper. |
C.In a biography. | D.In a magazine on wildlife. |
5 . 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 |
6 . A great poem makes you want to get out of your chair and pace around the room.
Read aloud and out loud
When reading a poem, it is important to remember that it is not just words on a page, but is meant to be heard or read aloud.
Approaching poetry with a perspective of finding connections between the poem and one’s own life can be a valuable tool for appreciating the poem more. Connecting to the emotions, memories and even the same life experiences can help to relate more to the poem and in turn, truly appreciate it. Through this connection to the poem, we can better understand the feelings, actions and words of the poem.
Create a dialogue
More often than not, a lot of hidden or “unsaid” messages are delivered in poetry.
Write your own poem
A.Find connections |
B.Pair poetry with other art forms |
C.Writing can be a great way to start your appreciation of a poem |
D.It makes you want to throw your hands up and show it to somebody |
E.Reading the poem aloud helps you understand the emotion of the poet fully |
F.Having a discussion around a poem allows readers to bring out these messages |
G.Possessing a critical eye allows readers to appreciate the art of poetry in a meaningful way |
7 . Poetry is a way of conveying our deepest feelings, desires, and emotions without having to state it clearly.
Know your aim.
Have a theme. A theme is more than just an idea. An idea with your personal opinion is what forms a theme, which will help your poem be more concise (简明的). We advise you to look through The Rime Of The Ancient Mariner Analysis.
A.Write down the random words and ideas. |
B.It may give you some fresh and novel ideas. |
C.For beginners, the art of poetry might seem difficult at first. |
D.Ensure you have used the right words to convey your message. |
E.As far as we know, these tips are not necessarily rules for writing poetry. |
F.Answering the question of the aim of poem helps you input the right elements. |
G.Before writing your poem, you must understand what you plan to achieve from the poem. |
8 . In the dim light of an early autumn evening, Alexander, a hunter: known as much for his solitude as for his skill, ventured into the untamed (原始的) heart of the jungle. Each step he took was measured and careful, a respect for the ancient wilderness where every breath was a story, and man was but a fleeting shadow.
For years, whispers of a tiger, not just any tiger but one whose fur caught the last rays of the sun, had reached Alexander. A creature so splendid and fearsome, it was said to be more myth than flesh. On this day, as the shadows lengthened and the jungle whispered its age-old secrets, Alexander sought not just the tiger, but a confrontation with the very essence of the wild itself. As dusk settled, painting the world in colors of gold and shadow, the boundary between predator and prey seemed to dissolve. The air was heavy with anticipation, the kind that precedes storms and stories.
Then, in a clearing where the jungle seemed to hold its breath, the tiger appeared. It was as if the sun had woven itself into the fabric of its being, its fur a blend of flame and night. For a moment, the world shrank to the space between the hunter named Alexander and the legend made flesh before him.
Their gazes locked, a silent understanding passing between man and beast. Here was Alexander, a man who had walked through shadows to stand in the light of a legend, and the tiger, an embodiment of the wild’s untouchable majesty. In that eternal moment, Alexander saw not a prey but a sovereign of nature, a being whose right to wander the dusk was as undeniable as the setting sun.
With a respect born of countless sunsets and the silent tales they told, Alexander slowly lowered his rifle (步枪). The act was not one of defeat but of profound respect-a recognition of the bond that ties every living thing to the pulse of the earth. The tiger, its gaze still locked with Alexander’s, seemed to acknowledge this unspoken pact. Then, it turned and melted into the shadows, leaving behind a trail of twilight.
Alexander left the jungle that night without a trophy (战利品), but his soul was alight with a tale of fire and twilight. He had sought a legend and found a truth far greater: in the wild’s heart, where shadows and light dance, there lies a respect so deep it transcends the hunt. This encounter, a dance with the untamed, would echo in Alexander’s heart long after the jungle’s whispers faded into the dawn.
1. What was Alexander’s primary reason for venturing into the jungle?A.To find a place to set up camp. |
B.To hunt a tiger rumored to have a fur like the setting sun. |
C.To escape from the challenges of modern life. |
D.To meet other hunters and share stories. |
A.He captures the tiger to prove its existence. |
B.He shoots the tiger to claim his trophy. |
C.He attempts to trap the tiger but fails |
D.He lowers his rifle, choosing not to shoot the tiger. |
A.complex language. | B.long sentences. |
C.straightforward storytelling. | D.supernatural focus. |
A.The thrill of the hunt is unparalleled. |
B.True courage is demonstrated through dominance over nature. |
C.There is a profound respect that exists between man and nature. |
D.Technology has distanced man from understanding the natural world. |
附:《静夜思》(Thoughts on a Tranquil Night)
李白(Li Bai)
床前明月光,(Before my bed a pool of light—)
疑是地上霜。(Can it be hoar-frost on the ground?)
举头望明月, (Looking up, I find the moon bright;)
低头思故乡。(Bowing, in homesickness I’m drowned.)
(许渊冲译)
注意:1.写作词数应为 80左右;
2.请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
Dear Mason,
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Yours,
Li Hua
Angel
Spend all your time waiting for that second chanceFor
There’s always some reason to feel not good enough
And it’s hard at the end of the day
I need some
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
From this dark cold hotel room
And the endlessness that you fear
You are pulled from the wreckage of your
You’re in the arms of the angel