1 . Family: Poems — by Mr. Keith Keenan
Kindle $0.00; Hardcover $12.50; Paperback $7.00.
The poet describes personal thoughts and feelings in a lyrical journey to understand and celebrate his family. “Family” looks at living honestly in places, not illusions. Figurative (形象的) language, a love of metaphor and sharp images all make the poems work.
Time to Heal — by Aleandra Vasiliu
Kindle $9.99; Hardcover $21.94; Paperback $12.64.
From the bestselling author comes an inspirational poetry book about love, healing, and growth. It is a reminder to strive to change for the better. Featuring more than 130 uplifting poems and black-and-white illustrations, it’s a great companion when you need to embrace self-love and personal transformation.
Seeds from a Birch Tree — by Clark Strand
Kindle $9.99; Hardcover $26.80; Paperback $16.95.
Seeds from a Birch Tree makes nature into a spiritual path. Its message was simple: Haiku teaches us to return to nature by following the seasons — seventeen syllables at a time. With its mix of poetry and memoir (回忆录), the book guides us to the joy hidden in plain sight, leading us to get into a good state of body and mind.
A Poem for Every Day — by Allie Esiri
Kindle $9.99; Hardcover $28.05; Audio CD $18.05.
This audio book is a collection of 366 poems which link to events on key dates—funny for April Fools’ Day, festive for Christmas. This is the perfect gift for poetry lovers of all ages. These poems are informative, peaceful, and energetic!
There are a large number of poetry collections on Amazon. More information, please click here.
1. How much will you pay if you are to buy a hardcover edition of a book on haiku?| A．$12.50. | B．$21.94. | C．$26.80. | D．$28.05. |
| A．Family: Poems features plain language. |
| B．Time to Heal features colorful illustrations. |
| C．Seeds from a Birch Tree focuses on human nature. |
| D．A Poem for Every Day focuses on festive celebrations. |
| A．A marketing website. | B．A literature magazine. |
| C．A book review. | D．A news report. |
2 . Richard Feynman was arguably the second best known physicist after Einstein. But she is not the only distinguished scientist in the Feynman family.
Born in 1927, Joan Feynman grew up in Queens, New York, alongside her older brother Richard. He would become Joan’s first teacher and someone who helped develop her curious nature, believing her capable of learning all the math and science he could teach her. She would try to solve math problems for the unique reward of getting to pull her brother’s hair and serving as his “lab assistant” at the age of five. For her fourteenth birthday, Richard gave Feynman a copy of Astronomy by Rebecca Horace Baker, a college-level physics text, which both taught her about physics and what was possible. Feynman credited it for proving to her that women could indeed have a career doing science.
Feynman would go on to receive a bachelor’s degree from Oberlin College, before she attended Syracuse University, studying condensed matter theory and earning a PhD in 1958. By 1960, Feynman was married with two children and she decided to take a break from physics to take on the role of homemaker.
The break was short-lived, as Feynman grew depressed from keeping a home and caring for two small children. In 1962, at the advice of a psychologist, she went in search of employment, securing three job offers at multiple institutes. At Lamont, where she worked part-time, Feynman began her research into Earth’s magnetosphere, identifying its shape.
Over the course of her career, Feynman made many breakthroughs in furthering the understanding of solar wind and its interaction with the Earth’s magnetosphere. As author or co-author of more than 185 papers, Feynman’s research accomplishments range from discovering the shape of the Earth’s magnetosphere to identifying the origin of auroras. In 1974, she would become the first woman ever elected as an officer of the American Geophysical Union, and in 2000 she was awarded NASA’s Exceptional Scientific Achievement Medal.
“Joan Feynman leaves a wealth of scientific accomplishments, having made important contributions,” said APS CEO Kate Kirby. “Despite being discouraged to pursue science by social expectations, she persevered, and her accomplishments serve as an inspiration to women who wish to pursue a career in science.”
1. How did Richard influence Joan?| A．By preparing her for subjects in college. |
| B．By introducing her to the world of science. |
| C．By teaching her the importance of astronomy. |
| D．By offering her a job serving as his lab assistant. |
| A．All women scientists have benefited from Joan’s inspiration. |
| B．In Joan’s time women were encouraged to become scientists. |
| C．Pursuing scientific goals contributed to Joan’s psychological well-being. |
| D．As her first teacher, Richard designed Joan’s career path as an astronomer. |
| A．Successful and wealthy. | B．Optimistic and hardworking. |
| C．Popular and ambitious. | D．Productive and acknowledged. |
| A．Joan Feynman: Survivor of Depression |
| B．Joan Feynman: Sister of Richard Feynman |
| C．Joan Feynman: The Lesser-known Feynman |
| D．Joan Feynman: The Most Successful Woman Scientist |
认真阅读短文，在表格的空中填入恰当的单词，每空仅限一词，注意正确形式。
When a thought has found words
Poetry is the forgotten child of literature. Few people read it for pleasure. In Western high schools, poetry is seldom taught because it is considered to be out of date and have little to do with the life of today’s students.
However, compared with the situation in the West, poetry is still an important part of the curriculum (课程) in China. Recently, the Ministry of Education has increased the number of ancient Chinese poems for students to memorize and recite, from 14 to 72. Why is it important to learn poems?
First of all, poetry is a necessary part of learning traditional Chinese culture. It is a path to understanding your history and your society. It is also the key to understanding the thoughts and feelings that are common to everyone but that we may be unable to express, the joy of Li Bai dancing with the moon, for example. Everyone has feelings of joy, love, loneliness, sadness and even anger, and a good poem can put those feelings into words and bring us self-understanding.
Poems can also express beauty. In a few short lines, even something common can become beautiful. Here is a poem called Fog by Carl Sandberg: The fog comes/on silent haunches (弓腰) /and then moves on. Yes, a fog does move smoothly, silently and like a cat, and Sandberg catches that feeling and image, and makes it beautiful.
Of course, to really enjoy poetry, it has to be read aloud. After all, a poem is really just a song without music. Most ancient poems, like Homer’s Epics (《荷马史诗》) and China’s Book of Songs, were spoken for hundreds of years before they were written.
The American poet Robert Frost said, “Poetry is when an emotion has found its thought and the thought has found words.” You are lucky that you now have seventy-two poems to learn!
Title: When a thought has found words | |
| Outline | Detailed information |
In the West, poetry is considered to be | |
In China, poetry remains an important part of the curriculum. | |
| ◇Poems help you ◇Poems help express your personal thoughts and feelings. ◇Poems can express beauty of common things with very few lines. | |
| A | |
4 . Philo Taylor Farnsworth invented the current system of television transmission (传输) and reception in 1928, and it was considered one of the great scientific inventions of the 20th century. It was remarkable because the young inventor had just celebrated his 22nd birthday.
Farnsworth had desired to be an inventor since the age of six. Farnsworth was just 14 when he had the idea of television. On August 26, 1930, about a decade after first having the idea that was the basis of his invention, he received the patent (专利) on the electronic television system. By the end of his life, he had held more than 300 patents.
Farnsworth wasn’t the first person to dream up television, but he was the first person to find a way to make it work without a mechanical aspect. The biggest problem that inventors faced was how to transmit image data. Farnsworth’s central innovation was to imagine a way of doing it that relied on electronic technology alone, and so wouldn’t be slowed down by the abilities of a mechanical image-transmitting system.
Farnsworth dreamed up his idea while he was driving a horse-drawn harrow (耙) on the family’s new farm in Idaho. As he was plowing (犁) a potato field in straight, parallel (平行的) lines, he saw television. He imagined a system that would break an image into horizontal (水平的) lines and put those lines back together into a picture at the other end. In 1927, Philo and his wife Elma watched as he made the first transmission: A horizontal line was transmitted to a receiver in the next room. Two years after that first transmission, Farnsworth sent an image of Elma and her brother, making her the first woman on TV.
Farnsworth thought his invention had realistic prospects. “If we were able to see people in other countries and learn about our differences, why would there be any misunderstandings?” he asked. “War would be a thing of the past.”
1. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage ?| A．Farnsworth had the idea of inventing the television since he was six. |
| B．Elma and her brother were on TV together in 1929. |
| C．Farnsworth was the first person to dream up television. |
| D．The first television invented by Farnsworth appeared in 1930. |
| A．How to recognize the picture. |
| B．How to make the picture clearer. |
| C．How to transmit image data using electronic technology. |
| D．How to improve the abilities of the mechanical image-transmitting system. |
| A．Practice makes perfect. | B．Failure is the mother of success. |
| C．Nature is an endless source of inspiration. | D．Actions speak louder than words. |
| A．It inspired people to live a comfortable life. |
| B．It helped clear up misunderstandings between people in different countries. |
| C．It enabled people to understand wars deeply. |
| D．It encouraged us to be curious about the outside world. |
5 . Looking for a new poetry book to read? I’ve got you! We’re going to explore some of my favorite poetry collections, which range from the traditional all the way to the totally experimental. And though they differ in terms of tone and subject matter, they’ve got all we call “good parts”.
Night Sky with Exit Wounds by Ocean Vuong
It is the first poetry collection from Ocean Vuong. Vuong’s style is well-suited to the heavy subjects he pursues, particularly when he reflects on the loss of his father and his experiences as a wartime refugee. There’s a certain wonderful quality to his writing.
Lunch Poems by Frank O’Hara
If you like a conversational style, Lunch Poems might be the poetry book for you. Personal, funny, and easy, the collection perfectly shows the casual voice of Frank O’Hara, an outstanding figure of the New School Movement in late 1950s’ New York. As the name suggests, most of the poems were written during his lunch break at work, bringing a realistic image by the writing.
100 Selected Poems by E.E. Cummings
It’s a shame that more people don’t take EE Cummings seriously. Yes, his poetry is sometimes experimental. Unconcerned with “rules”, Cummings tried to capture emotion in its own form.
The Complete Poems by Elizabeth Bishop
In my opinion, any kind of fantastic poetry books must include Elizabeth Bishop. Highly skilled and highly influential, Bishop was one of the most powerful voices of the 20th century. She mostly worked within traditional forms, but the forms led to surprising effects, mixing classic styles with modern ones.
1. Who enjoys writing in a free way?| A．Ocean Vuong. | B．Frank O’Hara. |
| C．E.E. Cummings. | D．Elizabeth Bishop. |
| A．Lunch Poems. | B．100 Selected Poems. |
| C．The Complete Poems. | D．Night Sky with Exit Wounds. |
| A．It is powerful. | B．It is abstract. |
| C．It is excellent. | D．It is surprising. |
6 . 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.
1. The passage indicates that analyzing a poem is ________.| A．not essential at all |
| B．a preparation for appreciating it |
| C．an approach to understanding it |
| D．optional in class sometimes |
| A．is the best way to understand it |
| B．easily arouses some discussion among the students |
| C．helps the teacher to analyze it |
| D．can not take the place of the poet reading it |
| A．The most important teaching goal is to have students read and recite every poem they learn. |
| B．Poetry is the foundation of all languages and literature courses. |
| C．The teaching of poetry should have been much more stressed. |
| D．Every English teacher is supposed to convey their love of poetry to their students. |
7 . Everyone has a story to tell. Tell yours by creating a LifeBook, an autobiography (自传) that will last for generations.
LifeBook is a personalized autobiography service that uses professional ghostwriters (代笔者) and interviewers to allow people of all ages to tell their own story in their own voice and in their own words.
Each LifeBook author has personal reasons for creating a written story of their life: for some, a LifeBook might be a way of recording a world that’s all but disappeared; for others, it might be the chance to tell others about their youth. However, the one thing that LifeBook authors have in common is a wish to share their thoughts and experiences with those closest to them.
LifeBook authors come from all walks of life and from all backgrounds. LifeBook believes everyone has a story to tell, and this is borne out by authors who pass on varied and interesting stories of what’s actually modern social history in the making.
Common topics include growing up in the Second World War, employment and business in what was a very different kind of workplace, or bringing up children in the past.
But perhaps what makes the LifeBook experience so special is the pleasure authors say they feel in simply remembering and talking about their lives and achievements as they relive, over a series of face-to-face interviews, the events and relationships that have shaped them as people.
At the end of a LifeBook project, each author receives five beautiful books containing the stories and photos they have chosen for the enjoyment of not only their family and friends, but also of generations to come.
Why not spring into action right now and start writing your life story for your family today? To discover more about the LifeBook experience, call 0800 999 2280.
1. LifeBook is probably a(n) .| A．book | B．service | C．organization | D．story |
| A．They are pioneers in modern history. |
| B．They hope to help people learn history. |
| C．They want to share something with people. |
| D．They try to show their personal achievements. |
| A．What common LifeBook topics are. |
| B．How children grew up in wars. |
| C．What business is like in different workplaces. |
| D．How people brought up children in the past. |
| A．It delights the authors. |
| B．Interviews are included in the book. |
| C．Family members are required to tell stories. |
| D．It helps the authors improve their writing skills. |
| A．To encourage people to write their life story. |
| B．To advertise professional autobiographies. |
| C．To invite people to read a LifeBook. |
| D．To present some interesting stories. |
8 . I was 68 when I first stepped on stage as a standup comedian in 2003. I’d never set foot in a comedy club before. I’ve always been a performer-I’ve worked as a singer, actor and musician-but all that came to an end after I found people around didn’t want to go out and entertain themselves.
It was then that I started to think about comedy. I realized people needed to laugh, to enjoy themselves again, and thought that with a little training I could do it. I took a few classes, tried to work out a routine, and finally plucked up the courage to get up on stage. That first time was terrifying. I had no idea what the audience would make of me.
In New York, comedians are typically young men with beards. It’s hard enough to break through, even harder as someone old enough to be their grandmother. As I stepped on stage that first time, people laughed nervously. But by the time I tried my first joke , people were properly laughing. 1 was enchanted (陶醉) by the charm and power of comedy.
Now, 1 might be on stage for 10 minutes in front of a dozen people, or my one-woman show is a full hour in front of a crowd of 100. After a show, people young and old come up to me, saying what an inspiration I am.
They say they want to be as active as me when they reach my age. I’m pleased 1 can show that as an old person you don’t need to take a back seat in life.
Last year, I was recognized as the oldest female standup comedian in the world. My friends think I’m mad. They don’t understand why I wouldn’t choose to take it easy. But I like engaging with the world and you’ve got to be in touch to be funny. I’ve no intention of stopping comedy. I’m trying to stay alive, and I hope to still be performing when I’m 100.My goal is to still be up there making people laugh. It’s hard work, but it stops me being bored.
1. Why did the author want to be a comedian?| A．She was tired of her previous job. |
| B．She wanted to explore new territory. |
| C．She was interested in performing training. |
| D．She wanted to make people laugh. |
| A．Humorous and humble. | B．Brilliant and confident. |
| C．Determined and adventurous. | D．Calm and cautious. |
| A．Her family doesn’t understand her. |
| B．She often feels bored in daily life. |
| C．She likes traveling around the world. |
| D．She will continue her comedy career. |
| A．In a history book. | B．In a newspaper. |
| C．In a science magazine. | D．In a biography. |
9 . Book Express
About the translator (翻译家)
Xu Yuanchong (1921—2021) was a professor of literary translation at Peking University. In 1994, British publishing company Penguin published his 300 Tang Poems.
Drinking Wine
Tao Qian, more widely known for his other name Tao Yuanming (陶渊明), was a Chinese poet (诗人) of the Eastern Jin Dynasty (东晋) (317—420). The poet lived a peaceful life, and is known to have enjoyed country life, farming, reading and drinking wine.
Golden Treasury of Chinese Poetry in Han, Wei and Six Dynasties/Translated by Xu Yuanchong/Published by China Intercontinental Press
Mooring by Maple Bridge at Night
Zhang Ji, a Chinese poet who was born during the Tang Dynasty (唐朝) (618—907). Zhang’s poem Mooring by Maple Bridge at Night was one of his most famous poems and is still known to many readers today.
300 Tang Poems/Translated by Xu Yuanchong/Published by China Intercontinental Press
On the Height
Du Fu, a Chinese poet of the Tang Dynasty. The poet was a good friend with another famous poet of the same time who was called Li Bai.
300 Tang Poems/Translated by Xu Yuanchong/Published by China Intercontinental Press
Lake Dongting Viewed from Afar
Liu Yuxi, a well-known Chinese poet during the Tang Dynasty. The poet was especially interested in writing poetry that reflected (反映) real social problems in common people’s everyday lives.
300 Tang Poems/Translated by Xu Yuanchong/Published by China Intercontinental Press
1. Who enjoyed the country life best?| A．Tao Qian. | B．Zhang Ji. | C．Du Fu. | D．Liu Yuxi. |
| A．Its poet was born in the Tang Dynasty. | B．It is unknown to young readers. |
| C．It was born earliest of the four poems. | D．It is the most popular in China. |
| A．Interesting. | B．Real. | C．Creative. | D．Relaxing. |
10 . George Shull was born in 1874 on a farm in Clark County, Ohio, and his knowledge of plants and hybrids came at an early age. Being needed on the farm, Shull received his early formal education off and on. However, it was supplemented (增补) by intense home study so that by 1892, he was teaching public school, and later attending Antioch College.
In 1901, he graduated from Antioch and went to the University of Chicago to do graduate work. With his knowledge of botany (植物学) and experience with farming practices, Shull passed a Civil Service exam, and was appointed as a botanical assistant at the U.S. National Herbarium. He also worked at the U. S. Bureau of Plant Industry as a botanical expert examining the plants and animals of Chesapeake Bay and Currituck Sound. The data he collected during this time was to comprise his Ph.D. thesis (论文). And in 1904 he was appointed to be in charge of plant work at the Station for Experimental Evolution.
He began working on corn in 1905. Following Gregor Mendel’s example, Shull obtained pure-bred ( 纯种的) lines of corn through self-pollination. The pure-bred lines were less healthy and productive, but when he crossed the pure-bred lines, the hybrid yields were better than any of the parents or those pollinated in the open fields. He immediately recognized the potential for using this strategy to improve crop yields.
In 1915, Shull accepted a professorship at Princeton University. With his encouragement, Princeton University Press began the publication of a new journal, Genetics. Shull was the managing editor for ten years. Genetics is still one of the top international science journals.
Shull retired in 1942. He and his wife spent most of their later years with their children and grandchildren.
1. What do we know about Shull before graduating from Antioch?| A．He had begun his work on corn. | B．He had examined the plants of Chesapeake Bay. |
| C．He had passed a Civil Service exam. | D．He had had some experience of teaching. |
① Shull was born in 1874 on a farm in Clark County, Ohio.
② Shull was appointed as a botanical assistant at the U.S. National Herbarium
③ Shull took charge of plant work at the Station for Experimental Evolution.
④ Shull graduated from Antioch college in 1901.
⑤ Shull obtained pure-bred ( 纯种的) lines of corn through self-pollination.
⑥ Shull accepted a professorship at Princeton University
| A．④②③① | B．①②⑥⑤ | C．④②③⑤ | D．①③⑥⑤ |
| A．It was first published in Genetics. | B．It completely relied on self-pollination. |
| C．It was mainly widely accepted in Ohio. | D．It focused on crossing pure-bred lines. |
| A．A biography. | B．A novel. | C．A book review. | D．A news report. |
