The reasons why people write poetry are different and poets use many different forms of poetry to express     1     (them).

Some of     2     first poems a young child learns in English are nursery rhymes, which are usually the     3     (tradition) poems or folk songs. They have a strong rhythm and a lot of repetition. Despite the fact that some of them may not make sense and even seem contradictory, they are easy to learn and recite. List     4     (poem), one of the simplest kinds of poem, have a flexible line length and     5     (repeat) phrases which give both a pattern and a rhythm to the poem. Another simple form of poem is the cinquain,     6     is made up of five lines. This kind of poem can convey a strong picture in just a few words. Haiku is a Japanese form of poetry that consists     7     17 syllables and     8     (be) very popular with English writers. It is easy to write. English speakers like Tang poetry in particular. A lot of Tang poetry     9     (translate) into English already. With so many different forms of poetry     10     (choose) from, why not have a try and write poems of your own?

5 . No poem should ever be discussed or “analyzed”, until it has been read aloud by someone, teacher or student. Better still, perhaps, is the practice of reading it twice, once at the beginning of the discussion and once at the end, so the sound of the poem is the last thing one hears of it.

All discussions of poetry are, in fact, preparations for reading it aloud, and the reading of the poem is, finally, the most telling “interpretation” of it, suggesting tone, rhythm, and meaning all at once. Hearing a poet read the work in his or her own voice, on records or on film, is obviously a special reward. But even those aids to teaching cannot replace the student and teacher reading it or, best of all, reciting it.

I have come to think, in fact, that time spent reading a poem aloud is much more important than “analyzing” it, if there isn’t time for both. I think one of our goals as teachers of English is to have students love poetry. Poetry is “a criticism of life” “a heightening of life, enjoyment with others”. It is “an approach to the truth of feeling”, and it “can save your life”. It also deserves a place in the teaching of language and literature more central than it presently occupies.

I am not saying that every English teacher must teach poetry. Those who don’t like it should not be forced to put that dislike on anyone else. But those who do teach poetry must keep in mind a few things about its essential nature, about its sound as well as its sense, and they must make room in the classroom for hearing poetry as well as thinking about it.

The Book of Songs is the     1    (early) collection of Chinese poetry. It consists of 305 poems dating     2     the early years of the Western Zhou Dynasty to the middle stage of the Spring and Autumn Period. Nowadays, Confucius is generally believed to be the     3     (edit) of the book.

The Book of Songs is rich in content,     4     (reflect) love and labor, war and slavery, custom and marriage, ancestor worship and special events. It is a mirror of social life.

All the poems included in The Book of Songs fall into three sections—poems     5     come from villages belong to Feng; the poems       6     (write) to persuade or praise the rulers belong to Ya; those used at religious ceremonies belong to Song. Ya and Song are flowery and serious in language，    7     Feng is relatively inspiring and full of passion.

The opening poem of The Book of Songs, Cooing and Wooing (《关雎》), is about love, which     8     (read) ：

By riverside are cooing

A pair of turtledoves;

A good young man is wooing

A fair maiden he loves.

Through these lines, the poet expresses the man’s longing for       9     girl and his hope that one day he can win the girl’s heart.

As the beginning of ancient Chinese poetry, The Book of Songs enables people to have a better understanding of Chinese civilization. Moreover, it is also       10     (frequent) quoted in other Chinese texts and has always been referred to as moral truths and lessons.

The Confucian Analects or The Analects (论语) is a collection of the sayings and teachings of Confucius and his disciples (门徒). It     1     (make) in the early Warring States Period, over 70 years after the death of Confucius, from the notes that his disciples took according to the answers     2     their questions.

The present-day analects is based on the Lu version compiled during the Han Dynasty and contains     3     Confucian concept of ren or humanity or benevolence. Ren is rich in content, and varied in form. The core of the concept is “The benevolent love of others” or universal love,     4     is the basic virtue of a gentleman of noble character. Confucius believes that being benevolent does not mean     5     (be) without principles. One should be clear about what     6     (love) or hate. Ren comes from learning and self-cultivation: it can be seen from a person’s appearance. To be sure, li or rites and yue or music are important.     7    , ren is the No.1 principle of being a decent man. It is actually the essence of li and yue. Without ren, li or yue would be     8     (meaning).

Apart from ren, Confucius put forward another concept, which is yi or righteousness. Yi is the codes of conduct under the     9     (guide) of ren, “The virtuous man cherishes a respect for the law,    10     the vile (邪恶的) man cherishes generous treatment,.”