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.
2.What can we find in Shrines of Upper Austria?
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.
3.What does the author think of the pieces of our grandparents’ life?
A.Meaningful. B.Shocking. C.Heartbreaking. D.Outdated.
Standing nervously behind the red curtain, I glanced out across the stage. A girl about my age sat at a piano; I could see her fingertips moving over the black and white keys in front of her. The beautiful melody (旋律) was so relaxing, ________ my body tensed with anxiety.
My body ________ when the girl stood up from the bench. It was finally my turn. A part of me wanted to run home and ________ under my bed, but I knew I had chosen to ________. When the girl onstage walked toward me, I could hear my heart beating ________. The girl had a proud smile on her face and when she passed me, I heard her say “Good________”!
“Well, here goes nothing.” I said to myself.
I stepped onto the ________ and walked slowly toward the piano. The bright lights nearly ________ me, making it difficult to see the audience. When I reached the ________, I automatically slid onto the bench into position. The sounds of whispering and people walking around gave way to complete silence. I stared at my ________ fingers and for a moment my mind went ________. Closing my eyes, I imagined the music sitting in front of me and tried to recall every tiny detail.
Finally, I took a deep breath and began to play Beethoven’s moonlight sonata (协奏曲). The rich tones of the piano rang out. One by one, each muscle in my body loosened and relaxed I sat on the bench and my ________ danced over the row of black and white keys as if they had a mind of their own.
All the practice and ________ I put in for six months showed this was what my teacher was pushing for. I tried to ________ all the things she reminded me to do. “Keep your wrists up, relax your arms, don’t raise your shoulders…” I remembered feeling slightly annoyed hearing these things continuously but I never realized until now how it really ________.
When I reached the end of the piece the audience started ________. I rose from the bench and gave a deep bow. A proud smile ________ up my face. Inside I felt ________ that it was over and that I had done so well. As the applause died down, I turned and walked to the other side of the stage. I saw a young boy standing nervously behind the red curtains staring ________ out at the stage. When I walked by, I passed to him the two words that were given to me for ________: Good luck!
1.A.and B.but C.for D.so
2.A.ached B.bent C.moved D.froze
3.A.hide B.sleep C.play D.drink
4.A.run B.escape C.stand D.perform
5.A.happily B.lightly C.hardly D.violently
6.A.guy B.luck C.music D.performance
7.A.stage B.bridge C.path D.chair
8.A.hurt B.killed C.blinded D.frightened
9.A.piano B.curtain C.light D.entrance
10.A.waving B.shaking C.unfolding D.crossing
11.A.wild B.awake C.blank D.wrong
12.A.fingers B.feet C.arms D.legs
13.A.excuse B.support C.service D.effort
14.A.forget B.recall C.ignore D.grasp
15.A.helped B.started C.stopped D.formed
16.A.joking B.blaming C.leaving D.clapping
17.A.burned B.dried C.lit D.lifted
18.A.relieved B.worried C.embarrassed D.confused
19.A.confidently B.fearfully C.excitedly D.angrily
20.A.encouragement B.sympathy C.appreciation D.reward
--- You could always put the decision off a little bit longer.
--- _________ If I leave it much longer I might miss my chance.
A.That’s reasonable advice
B.Isn’t it a good idea?
C.Do you think so?
D.I can’t agree more
—How about a chat over a cup of coffee this afternoon?
—Sorry,I’m________today and can’t put you in.Let’s make it sometime next week.
A.on a limited budget B.in high spirits
C.on a tight schedule D.in deep doubt
You________have scolded him for his poor performance.After all,he had done his best.
A.wouldn’t B.couldn’t C.mustn’t D.shouldn’t
Poverty alleviation is a high priority of our country and has been put on the top of________at two sessions.
A.agenda B.subject C.directory D.seminar
