Poet Dean Young has dealt with impermanence（ 无常）a lot in his career, but it's a particularly strong theme in Young's latest collection, Fall Higher．The new collection was published in April, just days after the poet received a life-saving heart transplant （移植） after about a decade of living with a weakening heart condition．
Young, whose work is often frank and rich with twisted humor, tells NPR's Renee Montaigne that as he recovers from operation, he's also slowly returning to his everyday writing habits．
"I'm getting back to it," Young says．"Not with the sort of concentration and sort of flame that I look forward to in the future, but I am blackening some pages．"
And on those blackened pages you'll find poems like " How Grasp Green," which carries themes of springtime and rebirth．It's one of the first poems Young has written since his transplant．
It's easy to spot clues （线索） to Young's awful health situation in the lines of his poetry. Fall Higher's "Vintage" opens with, "Because I will die soon, I fall asleep, during the lecture on the ongoing emergency．" And the poem "-The Rhythms Pronounce Themselves Then Vanish—published in The /Vew Barker in February —opens with the CT scan that revealed Young's heart condition．
Young says "Rhythms" was written about the beginning of his illness．
"I had been having a lot of physical pain so that I could hardly walk a block．I got sent to a gastroenterologist and he did a series of tests, and then the tests came back to me and it was all heart related," he says．" And the outlook wasn't good．
Hearts tend to come up a lot in poetry, and that's especially true of Young's work, which has clearly been influenced by the troubles of his own heart,
"A lot of times, it's not just a metaphor （比喻） ," Young says．"For me, it's an actual concern because I've been living with this disease for over 10 years．My father died of heart problems when he was 49, so it's been a sort of shadowy concern for me my whole life．
But Young's poems also deal with more abstract matters of the heart．He wrote Fall Higher's, "Late Valentine" for his wife．"We've been married since late November and most of it has been spent in the hospital," Young says of his marriage to poet Laurie Saurborn Young, who says " 'Late Valentine' is very sweet．
Today, Young says, his friends can't help but comment on how pink his cheeks have become—the result of a new heart and better circulation （循环）．But Young wrote the poems of Fall Higher before the transplant, at a time when, at its weakest point, his old heart was pumping at 8 percent of what it should have been．
He was staring death in the face—but he was still able to look at his life and see art
in it.
Young's work also touches on themes of randomness and fate —two factors that contributed to him getting a second chance in the form of a new heart from a 22-year-old student．
"Everything in life is molecules （分子） bouncing against molecules," Young says, and having a successful transplant is no different．" Somebody had to die; it had to be a fit; my blood and his blood had to not have an argument; the heart had to be transported; I had to get it．"
There were, in short, an amazing number of variables （变量） that led to Young
being here today.
"I just feel enormous gratitude," he says of his donor （捐献者）．"He gave me a heart so I'm still alive-"I'm sure I'm going to think about this person for the rest of my life．"
1.The poetry collection Fall Higher _______．
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A．was published in February |
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B．refers darkness as its main theme |
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C．is Young's latest collection of poetry |
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D．was written after Young's heart transplant |
2.We can learn from the text that Young _______．
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A．was born with heart disease |
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B．received a heart transplant in February |
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C．married a female poet after he wrote "Late Valentine" |
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D．wrote a poem for his wife in his collection |
3.What does the writer try to say in Paragraph 3?
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A．The writer expected some bright future, but he was disappointed． |
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B．The writer had less enthusiasm than before, but he still kept on writing． |
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C．The writer devoted more time to poems, so he grasped a good chance． |
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D．The writer wrote poems with less enthusiasm, so he quitted for a while． |
4.Which of the following statements is TRUE?
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A．"How Grasp Green" is the first poem in Fall Higher． |
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B．Young began all his poems with his illness． |
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C．Young's father died when Young was 49 years old． |
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D．Young's health situation is mentioned in his poetry． |
5.What is the text mainly about?
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A．Dean Young and his latest collection． |
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B．Dean Young and his heart problems． |
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C．The meaning of Fall Higher． |
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D．An analysis of Dean Young's poems． |
The ability to memorize things seems to be a vanishing （消失的） technique．So what can we do to bring out brain cells back into action? A newly published book on memory, Moomvalking with Einstein: The Art and Science of Remembering Everything, by American journalist Joshua Foer, makes a telling point, one that is an analysis of the importance of memorising events and stories in human history; the decline of its role in modem life; and the techniques that we need to adopt to restore the art of remembering．
As For points out, we no longer need to remember telephone numbers．Our mobile phones do that for us．We don't recall addresses either．We send emails from computers that store electronic addresses．Nor do we bother to remember multiplication tables （乘法表） ．Pocket calculators do the job of multiplying quite nicely．Museums, photographs, the digital media and books also act as storehouses for memories that once we had to keep in mind．
As a result, we no longer remember long poems or folk stories by heart, feats （技艺） of memory that were once the cornerstones of most people's lives．Indeed, society has changed so much that we no longer know what techniques we should employ to remember such lengthy works．We are, quite simply, forgetting how to remember．
And let's face it, there is nothing sadder than someone who has lost their mobile phone and who finds they cannot even phone home or call their parents or partners because they cannot remember a single telephone number．That is a sad example of loss of personal independence．So, yes, there is a need for us to he able to remember certain things in life．
Therefore, Foer's book outlines the methods that need to be mastered in order to promote our memories and regain the ability to recall long strings of names, numbers or faces．In the process, he adds, we will become more aware of the world about us．
The trick, Foer says, is to adopt a process known as " elaborative encoding", which involves transforming information, such as a shopping list, into a series of "absorbing visual images"．If you want to remember a list of household objects—potatoes, cottage cheese, sugar and other items, then visualise them in an unforgettable manner, he says．Start by creating an image of a large jar of potatoes standing in the garden．Next to it, imagine a giant tub of cottage cheese—the size of an outdoor pool—and then picture Lady Gaga swimming in it．And so on．Each image should be as fantastic and memorable as possible．
Using methods like this, it becomes possible to achieve great feats of memory quite easily, Foer says．It certainly seems to have worked for him: he won the annual US Memory Championships after learning how to memorize 120 random digits in five minutes; the first and last names of 156 strangers in 15 minutes; and a deck of cards in under two minutes．"What I had really trained my brain to do, as much as to memorise, was to be more mindful and to pay attention to the world around," he says．
These techniques employed by Foer to master his memory were developed by Ed Cooke—a British writer and a world memory championship grandmaster．He acted as Foer's trainer during preparations for the book and helped him achieve his championship performances．" Memory techniques do just one thing: they make information more meaningful to the mind, making the things we try to learn unforgettably bright and amusing," said Cooke．
1.Which of the following is conveyed in this article?
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A．People become more independent with modern equipment． |
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B．The memory's role in life is declining in modem society． |
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C．Memory techniques can make information less meaningful． |
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D．Ed Cooke is the first one who benefited from Foer's techniques． |
2.According to Joshua Foer, people no longer memorize information today because________．
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A．museums can do everything for them． |
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B．they no longer have the ability to memorize things． |
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C．they have things that can act as storehouses for memories． |
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D．it is not necessary to memorize anything in modem life． |
3.One method of memorizing things mentioned in the passage is to ________．
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A．link things to famous pop stars |
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B．find the connection between different things |
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C．form vivid, unforgettable images of certain things |
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D．use advanced digital imaging technology to help |
4.The underlined word "visualise" in the last paragraph most probably means "_______"．
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A．imagine |
B．undertake |
C．remark |
D．indicate |
5.This passage can be sorted as ________．
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A．a news report |
B．an advertisement |
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C．a scientific discovery |
D．a book review |
Kalle Lasn was in a supermarket parking lot one afternoon when he had an experience that changed his life．In order to shop at the store, he needed to put money into the shopping cart to use it．Annoyed that he had to "pay to shop," Lasn jammed the coin into the cart so that it wouldn't work．It was an act of rebellion—the first of many—for Lasn．
Born in Estonia, Kalle Lasn moved to Australia as a young man and then later to Japan, where he founded a marketing research firm in Tokyo．Eventually, Lasn moved to Canada and for several years produced documentaries （纪录片） for public television．In the late 1980s, Lasn made an advertisement that spoke out against the logging industry and the deforestation going on in the Pacific Northwest．When he tried to show his ad on TV, though, no station in this area would give him airtime．In response, Lasn and a colleague founded Adbusters Media Foundation, a company for the "Human right to communicate．
Adbusters produces magazine, newspaper, and TV ads with a social message．Many use humor and irony to make their points: In one, for example, a man chain smokes a brand of cigarettes called "Hope"．In another, a child is dressed in an outfit used in fast-food ads．Next to the child is a note from its mother telling the restaurant to leave her child alone．
Adbusters also has a magazine and a web site, the Culture Jammers Network, whose members include students, artists, and activists as well as educators and businesspeople interested in social change．Many of these "culture jammers" are working to raise awareness about different social issues by hosting events like "Buy Nothing Day" , " No Car Day" and "TV Turnoff Week" ．Lasn and his partners hope these events will encourage people to think about questions such as;
·What kinds of things are we being encouraged to buy by the media?
·Should cars be our primary means of transportation?
·How are television and radio being used now? How could we be using them?
Some culture jammers are using other methods to challenge how people think．Some pretend to be shoppers．They move items in stores from one shelf to another making it difficult for people to find things easily．Other culture jammers break into large company well sites and jam them so that they become unusable．The goal in both cases ia to prevent "Business as usual" and to gel people to ask themselves questions such as "Why am I shopping here?" or "Why should I buy this product?"
Lasn and members of the Culture Jammers Network want to make people aware of social issues, but they also believe it's important to think of solutions, too．"A lot of people tell you everything that's wrong but they never say much about how to fix these problems," says Lasn．"But there is plenty we can do．If you start despairing, you have lost everything．"
Though many TV stations still won't show Adbusters' " uncommercials" , some cable TV stations have started to．People all over the world have joined the Culture Jammers Network and are doing their part to promote social change．
1.What does the underlined word "rebellion" in Paragraph 1 most probably mean?
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A．argument |
B．violence |
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C．opposition |
D．protection |
2.What's the main point of the ad for "Hope" cigarettes?
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A．Smoking can help to remove your worries and make you hopeful． |
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B．Hopefully, the bad taste of the cigarette can help you to quit smoking． |
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C．You are hopeless at abandoning the habit of smoking． |
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D．Smoking can ruin you if you are hopelessly addicted to it． |
3.Some culture jammers break into websites in order to ________．
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A．ask people to be thoughtful consumers． |
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B．help make the companies better known． |
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C．encourage people to think less and buy less |
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D．challenge how people react to sudden changes |
4.It can be inferred from the passage ________．
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A．Adbusters Media Foundation was founded to fight against deforestation |
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B．More and more people will know about and even become culture jammers |
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C．The Culture Jammers Network is made up of annoying trouble makers |
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D．People can see some of Adbusters ads on TV stations |
5.Which of the following best describes what Lasn has done?
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A．One step at a time． |
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B．We can and must change the world． |
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C．Accept what you can't change． |
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D．Everyone deserves a second chance． |
A few months ago as I wandered through my parents’ house, the same house I grew up in, I had a sudden, scary realization. When my parents bought the house, in 1982, they were only two years older than I am now. I tried to imagine myself in two years, ready to settle down and buy the house I’d still be living in almost 30 years later.
It seemed ridiculous. On a practical level, there’s no way I could afford to buy a house anytime soon. More importantly, I wouldn’t want to. I’m not sure where I’ll be living in two years, or what kind of job I’ll have. And I don’t think I’ll be ready to settle down and stay in one place.
So this is probably the generation gap that divides my friends and me from our parents. When our parents were our age, they’d gotten their education, chosen a career, and were starting to settle into responsible adult lives.
My friends and I – “Generation Y” – still aren’t sure what we want to do with our lives. Whatever we end up doing, we want to make sure we’re happy doing it. We’d rather take risks first, try out different jobs, and move from one city to another until we find our favorite place. We’d rather spend our money on travel than put it in a savings account.
This casual attitude toward responsibility has caused some critics to call my generation “arrogant”, “impatient”, and “overprotected”. Some of these complaints have a point. As children we were encouraged to succeed in school, but also to have fun. We grew up in a world full of technological innovation: cellphones, the Internet, instant messaging, and video games.
Our parents looked to rise vertically(垂直的)--starting at the bottom of the ladder and slowly making their way to the top, on the same track, often for the same company. That doesn’t apply to my generation.
Because of that, it may take us longer than our parents to arrive at responsible, stable adulthood. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing. In our desire to find satisfaction, we will work harder, strive for ways to keep life interesting, and gain a broader set of experiences and knowledge than our parents’ generation did.
1.When the author walked through her parents’ house, she _______.
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A．was frightened that she had no idea what she wanted from life |
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B．started to think about her own life |
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C．realized I should buy a house. |
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D．wondered why her parents had settled down early |
2.What is the main “generation gap” between the author and her friends and their parents according to the article?
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A．Their attitude toward high technology. |
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B．Their ways of making their way to the top. |
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C．Their attitude towards responsibility. |
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D．Their ways of gaining experience. |
3.Which of the following might the author agree with?
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A．It’s all right to try more before settling down. |
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B．It’s better to take adult responsibility earlier. |
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C．It involves too much effort to rise vertically. |
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D．It’s ridiculous to call her generation “arrogant”. |
4.What can we conclude from the article?
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A．The author is envious of her parents enjoying a big house at her age. |
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B．Growing up in a hi-tech world makes “Generation Y” feel insecure about relationships. |
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C．“Generation Y” people don’t want to grow up and love to be taken care of by their parents. |
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D．The author wrote this article so that others would be able to understand her generation better. |
5.What is the main theme of the article?
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A．The sudden realization of growing up. |
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B．A comparison between lifestyles of generations. |
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C．Criticisms of the young generation. |
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D．The factors that have changed the young generation. |
When I was growing up, I always gave my mom an apron （围裙）on her birthday．I wanted my own mom — 21 that apron I'd just given her, of course —to 22 me at the end of each afternoon bearing a plate of home-baked 23 as she waited breathlessly to hear about my 24 day at school．
Mom loved her family without question, but as an elementary-school teacher she had her own exciting days to 25 .She had hardly any extra time and 26 , and home-baked treats were rare in our house except 27 very special occasions．Since Mom didn't make cookies very often, the 28 of her baking were not always the same．Sometimes the cookies were browned a little more than planned or 29 together and other times the cookies weren't smooth． 30 , none of that bothered anyone in the family．All we 31 was swallowing whatever we were having for dinner that night so we could get to the cookies 32 us on the kitchen counter．
Now that I'm a mom myself, I can 33 all too well why my mother didn't always have the time to wear the apron．As was true with my mother, the list of things I need to do is often 34 than the day itself．But I also understand the desire to 35 the same yellow mixing bowl my mother used and make something special for my family every so often．Whatever I bake is met with approval, appreciation and good 36 by my husband and children．At some level, I believe they're 37 that I was thinking about them as I 38 the brown sugar into the butter or frosted the cake with their favorite kind of icing．They always know I love them．I 39 they know it a little better when I'm in a baking mood．
I'm sure my mother felt 40 the same way whenever she made cookies for us．Those cookies will always, in my mind, be the best treat．
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____ the consequences of the chemical leaks, the specialists haven’t given final conclusion before they obtain accurate statistics.
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A．In addition to |
B．As a result of |
C．In spite of |
D．With regard to |
