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. |
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【推荐1】How many times have you found yourself in conversations with friends, family members or loved ones and discovered that you had completely tuned out to what they were saying? How much of our attention are we truly giving to the people who are supposed to be important to us?
According to research cited by Wright State University, while most people believe they are good listeners who don’t need to improve their listening skills, the average person only listens at about 25 percent efficiency.
So why aren’t we better listeners? As a society, we may be growing more narcissistic (自我陶醉的). A 2007 study found a rise in self-centeredness and narcissism among college students. If we, as a culture, are becoming more self-centered, how can we, as individuals, work to become more caring and compassionate communicators?
We can begin by changing our attitudes toward conversations. As Stephen R. Covey wrote in The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change, “Most people do not listen with the intent to understand but to reply.” A dialogue is an opportunity to learn, to see things from a new perspective, to open your eyes to new information and possibilities. Yet, too often we engage in conversation as if it’s a debate. We speak to hear our own voices — our own pre-existing opinions. In doing so, we tend to space out when spoken to. We wait, perhaps even patiently or politely, for the other person to finish, so we can say something we feel is of value.
Playwright Wilson Mizner said, “A good listener is not only popular everywhere, but after a while, he knows something.” Listening doesn’t just expand our knowledge on an intellectual level; it enables us to have a more personal, in-depth understanding of our closest friends. Relationships are truly enriched by an equal back-and-forth exchange in communication. When these dynamics become more one-sided, we tend to lose interest and create distance in our friendships, with less trust established, less honesty exchanged.
Thankfully, we can all improve our listening skills. Maybe we aren’t as good a listener as we believe. Do we tend to focus too much on ourselves — both in positive and negative ways? Do we get distracted by an inner coach, rather than living in the moment and really engaging in what’s being said? As we learn to quiet that inner voice in our minds, we can start to open ourselves up to others, becoming better listeners, thinkers, lovers and friends.
1. What is the author’s purpose in showing the social phenomena in Paragraph 1?| A．To show most people are confident about their listening skills. |
| B．To express his concerns about people’s lack of attention when talking. |
| C．To introduce the fact that people have low efficiency of listening in life. |
| D．To provide some information about how people behave in conversation. |
| A．To prove college students have become more self-cenfered and narcissistic over time. |
| B．To show the belief in people’s listening skills is outdated and needs to be updated. |
| C．To provide an example of how society’s narcissism affects personal relationships. |
| D．To support the argument that society is becoming more self-centered and narcissistic. |
| A．People should listen to learn and see things from a new perspective. |
| B．A good listener is popular but does not necessarily know everything. |
| C．Most people listen with the intention to understand, not to reply. |
| D．We should speak to hear our own voices and pre-existing opinions. |
| A．Become focused. | B．Feel confused. |
| C．Be absent-minded. | D．Remain anxious. |
| A．The Decline of Listening in Modern Society |
| B．Improving Listening Skills for Better Relationships |
| C．The Impact of Narcissism on Social Communication |
| D．Why We Should Listen More and Speak Less |
【推荐2】Instagram is a social networking app made for sharing photos and videos from a smartphone. However, some people argue that Instagram is harmful to teens.
Essena O’Neill seemed to have a perfect life --- at least online. The Australian teen had 500,000 Instagram followers. Her Internet fame led to a modeling contract. Companies paid her to show their clothing in her photos.
But in November 2015, Essena, then 18, shut down her Instagram account. She cut off more than 2000 photos. “I’ve spent the majority of my teenage life being attracted to social media,” she wrote. “ I’m leaving Instagram.”
Essena left a few photos online, and told the truth behind the photos she created. For example, she didn’t eat all day before taking a picture in a bikini(比基尼泳装). She took that photo 100 times to make sure her stomach looked perfect. “Social media is not real life!” she says now.
Seeing perfect-looking Instagram photos can make teens feel like they don’t meet the standard of beauty. And if your photos don’t get many “likes”, you might take it personally. Even Essena worried all the time about what others thought of her. Trying to appear perfect online made her feel alone. One day, she wrote, “I had never been more miserable.”
Not everyone thinks that Instagrem is harmful, though. Some people say it might even be good for teens. Why? Unlike many ads and magazines, Instagram includes photos of all different kinds of people. That means you’re more likely to see a photo of someone who looks like you.
Plus, studies show that many people who use social media feel more connected to friends. And social media users are more likely to know about big events in the lives of friends and family. So maybe it’s OK to love Instagram as long as you love yourself too.
1. According to the text, Instagram brought Essena ______.| A．a healthy lifestyle | B．fame and money |
| C．many true friends | D．a perfect teenage life |
| A．Because she was too busy. | B．Because her shape changed. |
| C．Because she faced great pressure. | D．Because her photos were deleted |
| A．Worried | B．Curious | C．Surprised | D．Supportive |
| A．Should you be on a diet to look perfect? |
| B．Should you make friends on social media? |
| C．Should you give others “likes” on Instagram? |
| D．Should you shut down your Instagram account? |
【推荐3】Nobody likes to fail. It makes people feel embarrassed and discouraged. What's worse, it may cause major professional or personal trouble and lead to negativity. Basically, failure is no fun for most people. However, a vast body of research tells us that failure provides us with a chance to grow and develop, increases adaptability, and helps protect against anxiety.
It's hard to change the mindset (心态) of a lifetime. But even if we still can't get over the broken marriage or the failed College Entrance Examination or the work presentation that went fearfully wrong, it might not be too late for our kids.
Christy Pennison, a professional consultant, says she works with an increasing number of kids and teens who show significant anxiety around a fear of failure. She said, "We want to protect our children, and we want them to live happy and meaningful lives, so we frequently tell them the harm of failure and ask them to avoid failure. The children experiencing internal and sometimes extenal pressure think they shouldn't fail. Meanwhile, we always have high expectations of them. So when they don't live up to a certain standard, or things don't go according to the plans, they will feel upset and anxious."
Pennison argues that failures, are often the hidden learning chances that can help people develop positive qualities, like persistence, focus, flexibility, patience, and positive self-image.
So what can parents do to help their children embrace (拥抱) failure instead of avoiding it at all costs? Pennison suggests directing praise towards the effort, not the result. "This allows children to build confidence in themselves, "she explains." Acknowledging the effort can give children permission to try new things without a fear of failure. And the bigger picture is that the development of the mindset —'I'd rather try and fail than not try at all.'—helps them keep a belief in themselves, and expands their world of possibilities." As Pennison points out, we all fail, but how we get up after we fail is what matters.
1. What aspect do most people focus on when thinking of failure?| A．The great courage to face it. |
| B．The efforts made to handle it. |
| C．Unexpected benefits it brings. |
| D．Unpleasant side effects it brings. |
| A．Bring up the main topic. |
| B．List the challenges in our life. |
| C．Add some background information. |
| D．Stress the importance of the mindset |
| A．The causes of children's anxiety. |
| B．Christy Pennison's comments on adolescents. |
| C．The consequences of overprotecting children. |
| D．Christy Pennison's experience in educating children. |
① Praise kids' every achievement.
② Make kids embrace a bright mindset.
③ Focus on the process of kids' effort
④ Expand kids' knowledge about the world.
⑤ Encourage kids to make new attempts.
| A．①②④ | B．②③④ | C．②③⑤ | D．①③⑤ |
【推荐1】One of the important subjects in contemporary poetry is identity — with an open-ended explanation of that word Poets, young and old are exploring what identity is, using their own lives as the background.
British poet Phoebe Power, in her first collection of poems, Shrines of Upper Austria, explores a different aspect of identity: a personal understanding of national identity the collection received the forward prize for Best First Collection and was on the final list for the t.s. Eliot Prize.
Power was born in Newcastle-on-Tyne and raised in Cumbria. She has taken part in a number of performance art and video art projects. She received a Northern Writers’ Award in 2014 and an Eric Gregory Award from the Society of Authors in 2012. Now she lives in York in northern England.
Power’s starting point is her grandmother. She came to England from Austria as a new bride (新娘) married to a British soldier in 1946, the first year after the end of World War Ⅱ. Imagine the reactions of her British neighbors, and her new British family. Imagine what she had left behind. The grandmother’s experiences influenced Power greatly.
In Shrines of Upper Austria, we walk with the poet to see her grandmother’s life before Britain. We can learn about the small town where she lived and where “many of the shopkeepers were Jews”, the bodies of water, and buildings that existed when her grandmother lived there power also added some prose (散文) to the book, which tells us some stories of her grandmother’s early life. For example, it tells the stories about how her grandmother was found as a baby and given to a farmer when she was two.
The poems in the collection are pieces of a life. We can no more walk in our grandparents’ shoes than they can walk in ours. However, we can study old family photographs. We can see pieces of their lives — where they lived perhaps; where they played as children; what lakes or rivers they swam in. Like Power, we are left with pieces. These pieces don’t all make sense, but collectively they show a life.
1. Why could Power’s book of poems win influential prizes?| A．It was a collective work of the Society of Authors. |
| B．It specially focused on national identity. |
| C．It clearly explained the meaning of identity. |
| D．It was about powers’real life. |
| A．The poems by power’s grandmother. |
| B．The life and culture in Austria. |
| C．The stories of Power’s early life. |
| D．The bodies of water in York. |
| A．Meaningful. | B．Shocking. | C．Heartbreaking. | D．Outdated. |
【推荐2】Many people quote the phrase from Jane Jacobs that “there must be eyes on the street” to emphasize the relationship between urban safety and design. Jacobs’ views on urban safety were, in truth, far more complex than this phrase suggests. Her book The Death and Life of Great American Cities has become the basis of a worldwide movement to foster safer cities.
Jacobs made an important contribution to our understanding of cities by linking the fear of crime and urban design. In a successful city district a person must feel personally safe on the street among all these strangers. It doesn’t take many incidents of violence on a city street to make people fear the street. And as they fear them, they use them less, which makes the streets still more unsafe.
For Jacobs, eyes on the street came from stores and public places, including bars and restaurants along the sidewalks, street vendors and pedestrians. She recommended the installation of bright street lights to “sharpen every pair of eyes”.
Jacobs widened her attention to urban safety in general, including parks and public housing projects. While most planners focus on the green benefits of parks, she argued against underused or dangerous parks. She observed that parks are successful when they encourage a range of activities and users.
She emphasized design and management policies to encourage interaction at public housing sites. She suggest ed integrating public housing communities into existing street patterns and cultivating street activity by including businesses in the buildings. She opposed fencing and security guards, creating a sense of territory and isolating public housing residents from the wider community.
Jacobs wrote about her experience of daily life in the city and urged planners to pay attention to how ordinary people actually use urban space. From her experience as a wife, mother, and resident in New York, she arrived at a more human vision of the city than the experts of the day did. Her concern about urban safety was visionary (有远见的), and her manner of looking at the city still offers a critical viewpoint for evaluating crime prevention and community safety strategies today.
1. Why does the writer mention the phrase quoted from Jane Jacobs in the first paragraph?| A．To call readers’ attention to the phrase. | B．To introduce Jane Jacobs’ book. |
| C．To prove the popularity of Jane Jacobs’ book. | D．To make the phrase better known. |
| A．Warning people of violence in streets. | B．Encouraging different activities in parks. |
| C．Employing security guards in the buildings. | D．Introducing safety policies at public housing sites. |
| A．A book review. | B．A guidebook. | C．An advertisement. | D．A biography. |
【推荐3】Two hundred years ago the English poet William Wordsworth wrote “I wander ‘d Lonely as a Cloud”, a poem that expresses a basic spirit of early English Romanticism.
What makes this poem an example of Romantic thinking? It isn’t just that Wordsworth chooses to write about natural scene：it is the way he describes the scene as if it had human emotions. For him, nature is not only a neutral (无感情色彩的) mixture of scenery, colours, plants, rocks, soil, water and air. It is a living force that feels joy and sadness, shares human pain and even tries to educate us human beings by showing us the beauty of life.
Wordsworth’s home, Dove Cottage, is now one of the most popular destinations in the Lake District. You can go on a tour of the garden which William planted with wild flowers and which survived in his backyard even after they disappeared from the area “He always said that if he hadn’t been a poet, he would have been a wonderful scenery gardener,” says Allan King of the Wordsworth Trust.
The place near Ullswater, where Wordsworth saw the daffodils(水仙花), is at the southernmost end of the lake. The lake is wide and calm at this turning point. There’s a bay where the trees have had their soil eroded(侵蚀)by lake water so that their roots are shockingly exposed. You walk along from tree to tree, hardly daring to breathe, because you are walking in the footprints of William from two centuries ago. The first group of daffodils appear, but they aren’t tall yellow trumpets(小号状的花)proudly swinging in the gentle wind. They’re tiny wild daffodils, most of them still green and unopened, in groups of six or seven. They’re grouped around individual trees rather than collecting together.
But as you look north, from beside a huge ancient oak, you realize this is what delighted Wordsworth:group after group of the things, spread out to left and right but coming together in your sight so that they form a beautiful, pale-yellow carpet. What you’re seeing at last is nature transformed by human sight and imagination.
1. What was Wordsworth’s attitude to nature?| A．Nature had a character of its own. | B．Nature could talk to people. |
| C．Man could influence nature. | D．Nature was human-like. |
| A．has gardens designed by a scenery gardener | B．has a wide range of flowers in its garden |
| C．receives a lot of visitors every year | D．is famous for an actor |
| A．The daffodils are fewer and smaller. | B．All the daffodils are green and small. |
| C．There are no daffodils around trees. | D．There are no daffodils by the lake. |
| A．exactly what Wordsworth saw in detail |
| B．the effect the daffodils had on Wordsworth |
| C．what Wordsworth saw around an ancient oak |
| D．groups of daffodils on the left and on the right |
