1 . When the leaves begin to change their colors and the birds head south, we know the season is starting to change. On September 7 comes White Dew (白露), the 15th solar term (节气) of the year. It indicates (标志着) the beginning of the cool autumn. As the temperature falls, white dew is often seen on the grass and trees at night.
For w riters and poets, autumn is a difficult season to describe. It ’s the end of the summer, and therefore a little sad. The days seem to get shorter, and when you wake in the morning, t here’s mist(薄雾) and it’s cooler. Winter is just around the corner.
American writer Ernest Hemingway wrote in his book A Moveable Feast (《流动的盛宴》), “You expected to be sad in the fall. Part of you died each year when the leaves fell from the trees and their branches (枝条) were bare (光秃秃的) against the wind and the cold, wintry light. ”
But on the other hand, autumn has its good side. There are so many changes at this time of year, such as the colorful leaves and cooler nights. French w riter Albert Camus even thought autumn was a second spring, “when every leaf is a flower.” This view is also found in the most famous autumn poem in English literature, To Autumn by John Keats. In that poem, Keats says that autumn has its own songs, just like spring.
Another theme of this season is wisdom (智慧). The arrival of autumn is thought to be similar to a person becoming mature (成熟的).
The great Irish poet W.B. Yeats used this idea in his poem The Wild Swans at Coole (《库尔的野 天鹅》), writing about the changing seasons in Coole Park in the west of Ireland. Seeing and counting 59 swans, he remembers first making the count as a young man. Seeing the swans do the same thing for all those years, he’s reminded (提醒) that even though we get older, our hearts always stay the same age.
1. What can be concluded about White Dew ?| A．It is often ignored by w riters and poets. | B．It is the time of year with the most rainfall. |
| C．It is when the temperature begins to drop. | D．It indicates the end of the autumn. |
| A．point out that autumn is very cold | B．present the sad part of autumn |
| C．show that winter w ill soon come | D．express sadness about the end of life |
| A．Autumn is an important season for man. | B．We can always stay young at heart. |
| C．Autumn is related to one’s grow ing old. | D．Nature is full of lessons to be learned. |
| A．The solar term White Dew. | B．Why autumn is a sad season. |
| C．Autumn weather and activities. | D．Famous writers’ description of autumn. |
2 . The end of the year is drawing near, and winter is in full swing. The season brings along with it strong winds and snow — an environment that’s never comfortable to be in.
This unpleasant and even frightening aspect of winter can often be seen in literature. In Shakespeare’s King Lear (1606), the king has given away his kingdom and been rejected by his two ungrateful daughters. He is out in the winter cold，suffering things that are usually reserved for the poorest and most unfortunate human beings.
The winter is bad enough for Lear，but being abandoned by his family is worse. A song from another Shakespeare play, As You Like It(1599), is fitting for this poor old man's situation: "Blow，blow，thou winter wind/Thou art not so unkind /As ma's ingratitude (忘恩负义)". Here, winter is used to bring out the ugliness of inhumanity (无人性). There aren't many things that are worse than winter, according to Shakespeare.
Once winter became less of a threat to human beings, literary works featuring it became more positive. Since Charles Dickens, the representation of the season in literature has often featured happy Christmas celebrations.
The cold of the winter weather provides a contrast to the fun going on indoors.
Dickens' A Christmas Carol (1843) was the start of this, but Christmas is still a common, cheery element (元素)in stories that feature winter scenes today. Consider the joy felt by Harry Potter and his friends in J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (1997) as they sit down for their festive meal：
"Harry had never in all his life had such a Christmas dinner. A hundred fat，roast turkeys; mountains of roast and boiled potatoes; platters of chipolatas; tureens of buttered peas, silver boats of thick, rich gravy and cranberry sauce".
It is almost as much a pleasure to read about the meal as it might have been to eat it.
Although winter still isn’t the most cheerful season in novels and poems, it’s safe to say that writers have certainly "warmed up" since Shakespeare’s days.
1. What’s the author’s main purpose in writing this article?| A．To recommend some winter stories in literature. |
| B．To explain what winter is like in literary works. |
| C．To describe certain customs that are related to winter. |
| D．To tell us why winter is described as unpleasant in literature. |
| A．Shakespeare didn’t like winter for its bad weather. |
| B．King Lear was forced to give up being a king in a cold winter. |
| C．It’s in winter when King Lear drove his two daughters off. |
| D．Winter is compared with the ugly side of humanity. |
| A．Because a lot of his works are related to winter. |
| B．Because he is the most popular author of winter stories. |
| C．Because he started a new way of representing winter. |
| D．Because his works make people feel cheerful in winter. |
| A．traditional Christmas food makes the winter cheery |
| B．Christmas is still a symbol of joy in modern stories |
| C．it’s a pleasure to read Christmas-related books in winter |
| D．winter has become the happiest season in literary works |
