Question

Last night the wind was strong and rain was fine,

Sound sleep did not dispel the aftertaste of wine.

I ask the maid who's rolling up the screen,

"The same crab apple tree," she says, "is seen."

"Don't you know, Don't you know,

The red should languish and the green must grow?'

This is one of Li Qingzhao's first ci, which was written when she was a young girl. It showed her observations (观察) of changes in nature and her love for life.

Li described an early morning scene in her ci. She woke up in the morning and asked her maid (侍女) how the flowers looked after one night of wind and rain. The maid did not care too much about the flowers. She simply said the flowers looked the same. But Li corrected her, saying that red flowers would fall and green leaves would become thicker.

Li used dialogue to write this ci. The dialogue brought out different characteristics (性格) in both of the speakers. The maid was slow and careless, while the poet was quick and sensitive (敏感的). The dialogue makes the ci more lively.

Li Qingzhao (1084-1155), was a leader of the Wanyue School (婉約派) of ci during the Song Dynasty. She had many ideas about ci. She believed that it was very different from shi. Shi tended to provide people with ideals (理想) and education, while ci was used to describe people's feelings.

1.How was the weather "last night" according to Li Qingzhao's ci?

____________________

2.What did the ci show?

____________________

3.Did the maid see the difference in flowers after the rain?

____________________

4.What was Li Qingzhao like?

____________________

5.How was ci different from shi in Li's opinion?

____________________

Answer

1.It was windy and rainy.

2.It showed her observations of changes in nature and her love for life.

3.No, she didn’t.

4.She was quick and sensitive.

5.Shi tended to provide people with ideals and education, while ci was used to describe people's feelings.

【解析】

本文是一篇说明文，介绍了宋代词人李清照及其著名的词《如梦令》。

1.

根据词的第一句“Last night the wind was strong and rain was fine”可知昨夜有风有雨，故填It was windy and rainy.

2.

根据正文第一段中“It showed her observations (观察) of changes in nature and her love for life.”可知这首词展示了李清照对大自然变化的观察和对生活的热爱，故填It showed her observations of changes in nature and her love for life.

3.

根据正文第二段中“The maid did not care too much about the flowers. She simply said the flowers looked the same.”可知侍女并不太关心这些花，所以侍女只是说这些花看起来一样，并未注意到有何差别，故填No, she didn’t.

4.

根据正文第三段中“The maid was slow and careless, while the poet was quick and sensitive (敏感的).”可知侍女和李清照形成了对照，李清照对于外界变化反应迅速而且敏感，故填She was quick and sensitive.

5.

根据正文最后一段中“She believed that it was very different from shi. Shi tended to provide people with ideals (理想) and education, while ci was used to describe people's feelings.”可知李清照认为诗往往为人们提供理想和教育,而词则是用来描述人们的感情，故填Shi tended to provide people with ideals and education, while ci was used to describe people's feelings.