Ma Baoli is a pilot with the Dalian branch of China Southern Airlines, in Northeast China’s Liaoning Province. He has won the name “poetic captain” for his passion for poems.
While flying over the Yellow River, he thinks of this verse (诗) :“① Do you not see the Yellow River come from the sky, rush into the sea, and never come back?” Above the Yangtze River, he recites (吟诵) : “② Wave after wave, the Yangtze River roars east, sweeping away with it all our heroes.”
If conditions permit, he shares the poems with passengers via captains’ announcements. “It’s amazing! The poets of ancient China could not have flown to such heights, and yet they wrote poems that perfectly described the beauty of nature, ” says Ma. In early February, 2023, the 35-year-old won first place in the Chinese Poetry Conference, a popular poetry-themed quiz show. This is the second time he has taken part in the show as a contestant since 2019.
For Ma, classical poetry, which has accompanied him since his childhood, is the most beautiful language in the world. “I like reading poetry in my spare time. Once I pick up a book of poetry. I can’t put it down—it’s a bit like those who can’t stop watching short videos on social media these days, ” says Ma.
Ma was born in 1988 in a village in Pizhou, East China’s Jiangsu Province. His father, who worked hard to feed the family through farming and fishing, used to paint on the white walls of their house and write poems to match the paintings. “I enjoyed watching my father do these things and listening to him recite poems. The poems encouraged me to chase (追逐) the dream of reading ‘ten thousand books and traveling ten thousand miles’ ,” Ma recalls.
5. Which of the following are the most suitable titles for the underlined poems ① and ②?
A.①《将进酒》;②《早发白帝城》 | B.①《将进酒》;②《临江仙》 |
C.①《临江仙》;②《早发白帝城》 | D.①《将进酒》;②《登鹳雀楼》 |
6. What can we learn from Paragraph 3?
A.Ma reads poems while he drives the plane. |
B.Ma is surprised at ancient poets’ flying so high. |
C.Ma praised the poems written by the ancients. |
D.Ma wrote poems to describe the beauty of nature |
7. What do you know about Ma Baoli?
1 He likes watching short videos.
2 He enjoys reading poems when he is free.
3 He began to love poetry when he was child.
4 He took part in the Chinese Poetry Conference twice.
8. What’s the writer’s purpose in writing the last two paragraphs?
A.To discuss how to write and enjoy poetry. |
B.To tell the reasons why Ma enjoys poetry. |
C.To show how hard-working Ma’s father was. |
D.To describe how Ma worked hard at his lessons. |