Question

Teaching Poetry

No poem should ever be discussed or "analyzed"， until it has been read aloud by someone， teacher or student． Better still， perhaps， is the practice of reading it twice， once at the beginning of the discussion and once at the end， so the sound of the poem is the last thing one hears of it．

All discussions of poetry are， in fact， preparations for reading it aloud， and the reading of the poem is， finally， the most telling "interpretation" of it， suggesting tone， rhythm， and meaning all at once． Hearing a poet read the work in his or her own voice， on records or on film， is obviously a special reward． But even those aids to teaching can not replace the student and teacher reading it or， best of all， reciting it．

I have come to think， in fact， that time spent reading a poem aloud is much more important than "analyzing" it， if there isn't time for both． I think one of our goals as teachers of English is to have students love poetry． Poetry is "a criticism of life"， and "a heightening of lief"． It is "an approach to the truth of feeling"， and it "can save your life"． It also deserves a place in the teaching of language and literature more central than it presently occupies．

I am not saying that every English teacher must teach poetry． Those who don't like it should not be forced to communicate this to anyone else． But those who do teach poetry must keep in mind a few thins about its essential nature， about its sound as well as its sense， and they must make room in the classroom for hearing poetry as well as thinking about it．

1.To have a better understanding of a poem， one should　   　．

A. analyze it by oneself

B. discuss it with others

C. practise reading it aloud

D. copy it down in a notebook

2.Which of the following is NOT mentioned as a function of poetry？

A. Extending your life

B. Saving your life

C. Criticizing life

D. Heightening life

3.The last sentence in the third paragraph imply　   　．

A. The teaching of poetry is more important than any other subject．

B. More importance should be given to the teaching of poetry．

C. Poetry is the foundation of all language and literature courses．

D. One cannot enjoy life fully without an understanding of poetry．

4.The underlined phrase "make room" in the last paragraph could be best replaced by　   　．

A. provide equipment

B. build a school

C. set up a house

D. leave a certain amount of time

Answer

1.C

2.A

3.B

4.D

【解析】

本文是一篇议论文，作者认为诗歌在教学里应该占据更大的比重，只有当老师学生大声朗读诗歌的时候，诗歌才会被人们理解。作者建议在课堂教学中要留更多的时间进行诗歌教学。

1.推理判断题。根据第二段第一句“All discussions of poetry are, in fact, preparations for reading it aloud, and the reading of the poem is, finally, the most telling “interpretation” of it, suggesting tone, rhythm, and meaning all at once.”可知只有在学生大声朗读诗歌的时候，诗歌的韵律和意义才会被理解，这才是对阅读所做出的准备。说明作者认为如果我们要更好的理解诗歌，就要大声朗诵诗歌。故C项正确。

2.细节理解题。根据第三段第三句“Poetry is “a criticism of life”, and “a heightening of lief”. It is “an approach to the truth of feeling”, and it “can save your life””可知文章中提出诗歌的作用包括了BCD三项，没有涉及A项。故现在A项 。

3.推理判断题。根据第三段最后一句“ It also deserves a place in the teaching of language and literature more central than it presently occupies.”可知作者认为诗歌在语言和文学教学里应该占据比现在更重要的位置。也就是说我们要更加重视诗歌教学。故B项正确。

4.猜测词义题。根据第三段可知我们要更加重视诗歌教学，本句“they must make room in the classroom for hearing poetry as well as thinking about it”认为他们要在教室里给诗歌教学更多的空间，在课堂教学中要留更多的时间进行诗歌教学。故D项正确。