Question

    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 married to a British soldier in 1946, the first year after the end of World WarⅡ. 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, 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.What’s the function of Paragraph 1?

A.To explain what identity is.

B.To inform us the likes of poetry.

C.To make a summary of the text.

D.To introduce what will be discussed next.

2.What do we know about Power’s collection of poems?

A.It reflects her own life.

B.It explores national identity.

C.It is similar to other collective poems.

D.It fails to be recognized by the public.

3.What does Paragraph 3 mainly talk about?

A.Power’s birthplace. B.Power’s talents.

C.Power’s basic background. D.Power’s achievements.

4.What can we find in Shrines of Upper Austria?

A.The early life of Power.

B.The life and culture in Austria.

C.The marriage of Power’s grandmother.

D.The life of Power’s grandmother in Britain.

5.What’s the purpose of the last Paragraph?

A.To persuade readers to buy Power’s poems.

B.To inform readers of the regrets of grandparents.

C.To show elderly people are a useful source of stories.

D.To show the significance of learning about the past from poems.

Answer

1.D

2.B

3.C

4.B

5.D

【解析】

这是一篇说明文。文章介绍了英国诗人Phoebe Power以及她的诗。同时文章告诉我们“从诗歌中了解过去的重要性。”

1.推理判断题。根据第一段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.“身份是当代诗歌的重要主题之一，对身份的解释是开放的。诗人，年轻的和年老的，都在探索身份是什么，以他们自己的生活为背景。”由此判断出，第一段的作用是来介绍接下来要讨论的内容。故选D。

2.细节理解题。根据第二段第一句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.“英国诗人菲比·鲍尔(Phoebe Power)在她的第一本诗集《上奥地利的圣地》(Shrines of Upper Austria)中，探讨了身份的另一个方面:对国家身份的个人理解。”由此可知，鲍尔的诗集它探索了国家身份。故选B。

3.主旨大意题。根据第三段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.“鲍尔出生于泰恩河畔的纽卡斯尔，在坎布里亚郡长大。她参与了多个行为艺术和视频艺术项目。她在2014年获得了北方作家奖，在2012年获得了作家协会颁发的埃里克·格雷戈里奖。现在她住在英格兰北部的约克郡。”由此可知，第三段讲了Power的基本背景。故选C。

4.推理判断题。根据第五段中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, the bodies of water, and buildings that existed when her grandmother lived there.“在Shrines of Upper Austria，我们和诗人一起漫步，去看她祖母在英国之前的生活。我们可以了解到她住过的小镇，那里的水体和她祖母住过的那些建筑。”由此判断出，在Shrines of Upper Austria我们发现了奥地利的生活和文化。故选B。

5.推理判断题。根据最后一段中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.“诗集里的诗都是生活的片段。我们不能站在祖父母的立场上，就像他们不能站在我们的立场上一样。然而，我们可以研究老的家庭照片。我们可以看到他们生活的片段——也许是他们生活的地方;他们像孩子一样在那里玩耍;他们游泳的湖泊或河流。”由此判断出，最后一段说明从诗歌中了解过去的重要性。故选D。