1 . Mary Dickins had been a member of the audience at poetry nights before and knew “the poetry clap”. She made a polite tapping of fingers. But when she made her debut (首次演出) as a performer at the age of 62 at the legendary Bang Said the Gun night in south London, she said, “It was so wild — like nothing I had ever seen before.” The audience stamped their feet and shook shakers. “It felt transformative. I thought, ‘I’ve got to have more of this,’ ” Dickins said. Becoming a performance poet has given her a place on a stage of her own making.
All her life she has written, mostly without being seen or heard. Her mother died when she was nine, and, after she went into a care home at 13, Dickins’ writing stayed in notebooks. Really, she says, a lot of her adult life has been about getting over childhood shyness. At university — she studied education — she met her husband of 40 years, but in three years of seminars she did not say a word. Some of this results from her years at the children’s home. She says, “It gave me a sense of what it’s like to be excluded. I never fitted in anywhere.”
After she graduated, she discovered that she loved working with people with learning disabilities. She became an expert in inclusive education. “That was my niche (称心的职业),” she says. She published books and returned to the University of North London as a senior lecturer in early childhood studies.
Dickins now sees that in adulthood she has been giving herself permission to be silly. “The sillier I allow myself to be, the better the writing is,” she says. Her observations are humorous.
“Putting things into words and giving shape to your emotions is an important part of coming to terms with the things that happen in life,” she says.
Does she still feel like an outsider?
“I think I’ve made it into a virtue. I celebrate the fact that I don’t fit into a box. Finally! You have to wait till you’re 62 to feel confident!” she says. “But I have a sense of who I am and I'm proud of it. I wouldn’t be anyone else now — and it took me a long time to say that.”
1. How did Dickins feel about her debut?| A．Calm. | B．Awkward. | C．Stressed. | D．Encouraged. |
| A．Her immature writing style. | B．Her experience at the care home. |
| C．Her struggle with her university studies. | D．Her difficult relationship with her husband. |
| A．It makes her land a good job. | B．It sharpens her sense of humor. |
| C．It enables her to get on well with her life. | D．It helps her overcome her learning disabilities. |
| A．Mary Dickins’ New Start after 60 | B．Mary Dickins’ First Performance |
| C．Mary Dickins’ Troubled Writing Career | D．Mary Dickins’ Impact on Performance Poets |
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1. What do we know about typing.com?| A．It charges very little. | B．It is suitable for every student. |
| C．It helps to improve writing skills. | D．It can automatically correct typing errors. |
| A．Managers. | B．Salesmen. | C．Athletes. | D．Teachers. |
| A．To promote a typing website. | B．To share typing experience. |
| C．To correct typing mistakes. | D．To teach typing skills. |
I had run away from home after finishing high school. My parents had insisted I go to college, but I was tired of school. I hated it. I was determined not to go. And, besides, my father was too strict. I had too many chores to do around the farm. I haled the work!
There had been a quarrel between my father and me. I threw some things into a bag and left angrily, as my father shouted after me, “If you leave, don’t come back!” My mother cried openly, and I had seen those tears during a hundred sleepless nights.
Then it was time to write a letter to my father.
Dear Dad,It’s been more than a year now. I’ve traveled east to west. I’ve had dozens of jobs. None of them amounted to very much. Always the same questions: “How much education have you got?” It seems they always want college men for the good jobs.
Dad, you and Mother were right about everything. I know now that the work on the farm didn’t hurt me, and I’m convinced I need college. I’m also convinced that both of you loved me.
Dad, I’ve learned a lesson. I want to come home. I know you said if I left, I couldn’t come back, but I’m praying you’ll change your mind. I want to come home and be a part of the family again.
Give my love to Mother and the girls.
Love,Your son
As I folded the letter and put it into an envelope, I felt a refreshing relief. It was as if a heavy load had been lifted from my shoulders. And I had to be on my way home.
I started down the desolate road—the long road home. Fortunately, a car picked me up, and it was good to have someone to talk with. The driver was a salesman and very pleasant.
“Where you going, boy?” he asked good-naturedly.
There was a long silence before I said, “Home.”
“Been away from home long?”
I smiled, a little self-conscious, and said, “One year, one month and two days.”
注意：1. 续写词数应为150个左右；2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
Having heard my story, he expressed his support for my final decision and told me something surprising.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Finally, I arrived home when. it was completely dark.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Chinese screen, also known as pingfeng, is
With its roots
Today, Chinese screens are still treasured and employed for their multiple roles. Whether
5 . While tortillas (玉米粉圆饼) come to mind when Mexico is mentioned, every January 6, Mexicans’ love of bread reaches the highest point with the cutting of oval brioche (奶油蛋卷) decorated with candied fruit known as king cakes to celebrate a special festival.
Just hours before Mexicans took their first slices, hundreds of shoppers packed amid the overwhelming smell of fresh-baked bread inside the Ideal Bakery, one of Mexico City’s oldest bakeries, to buy their king cakes, known as “rosca de reyes”.
Among the big crowd was Dalia Hernandez, a 34-year-old homemaker who was thrilled to go to the bakery. “I really like coming to the bakery. Last year, only my husband came, but this time we all came because it is part of a family tradition,” she said. “The tradition of the cakes has lived on and we are so crazy about them because they are part of our culture, our identity as Mexicans.”
The king cakes have their origins in 14th-century France and Spain and got to Mexico Later. Even though the king cake is a seasonal treat eaten only during the early days of January, it’s something enjoyed by all levels of Mexican society, keeping demand high, said Oswaldo Tapia, chef for the company NTD Ingredients.
Mexico has added its own touches, making it in an oval shape and often filling it with cream. Traditionally, Mexicans had decorated their king cakes with acitron, a candied element from a particular type of cactus (仙人掌). But the government prohibited that in 2005 due to the impact on the species. Other fruits are now substituted for it.
The figurine (小雕像) of a baby is hidden inside the cakes. The person who finds the figurine in their slice is supposed to buy tamales (玉米粉蒸肉) for everyone present on February 2, another feast day.
Inside the Ideal Bakery Wednesday, Ana Morales, a 54-year-old businesswoman, recalled running through the building’s patio as a child. Her family lived in an upper part of the building so she awoke each morning to the smell of baking bread.
“This place is fascinating, beautiful,” Morales said. “Coming today for a real rosca de reyes is to live a beautiful festival. The truth is whoever doesn’t eat rosca de reyes doesn’t know Mexico. This is the taste of Mexico. It is a tradition and a privilege to be able to still enjoy bread.”
1. Why are Mexicans crazy about the king cakes according to Dalia Hernandez?| A．Because they regard the king cakes as a cultural symbol of Mexico. |
| B．Because they are easily influenced by family members. |
| C．Because they believe the king cakes can help them fight against bad things. |
| D．Because they consider the king cakes as the best food for a family get-together. |
| A．Poor Mexicans can barely afford them. |
| B．They cannot be enjoyed all year around. |
| C．They come in a variety of shapes in Mexico. |
| D．They were introduced to Mexico in the early 14th century. |
| A．They were not as delicious as expected. |
| B．They were not attractive in appearance. |
| C．Acitron could not be widely found in Mexico. |
| D．The growth of a special plant was affected. |
| A．To introduce a special Mexican food. |
| B．To show the Mexican way to bake bread. |
| C．To explore the origin of a popular Mexican food. |
| D．To prove the popularity of a Mexican food worldwide. |
