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四、阅读理解
William Butler Yeats was an Irish poet and dramatist and one of the most important figures of 20th-century literature. He was born in Dublin on June 13, 1865. His childhood didn't have the peace that a happy family had. Later, Yeats surprised his family by saying that he remembered “little of childhood but its pain”. In fact, he was born with excellent taste in art—both his father and his brother were painters. But he finally chose to work on literature, especially drama and poetry.
Yeats strongly believed in the coming of new artistic movements. He set himself the fresh task of setting up an Irish national theatre in the late 1890s. His early theatrical experiments, however, were not well received in the beginning. He didn't lose heart, and finally enjoyed success in his poetical drama.
Compared with his dramatic works, Yeats' poems get much admiring notice. The subjects include love, nature, history, time and aging. Yeats always liked to bring modern feelings to his poems. As his literary life progressed, his poetry grew finer and richer, which led him to the praise of the whole world. Till today, his works are still widely read and studied. They are among the greatest achievements in English literature.
Yeats is considered one of the few writers whose greatest works were completed after being awarded the Nobel Prize, which he won in 1923. He continued writing almost to the end of his life, producing his greatest works between the ages of 50 and 75. If Yeats had stopped writing at age 40, he would probably now be valued as a minor poet. There is no other example in literary history of a poet who produces their greatest works between these ages. Such works include The Tower (1928) and The Winding Stair and Other Poems (1929). His late works show his deep insight (洞悉) into life and art.
After suffering from a number of illnesses for several years, Yeats died in Menton, 1939. The last poem he wrote was The Black Tower. After Yeats' death, W. H. Auden wrote, among others, the following lines:
Earth, receive an honoured guest:
William Yeats is laid to rest.
Let the Irish vessel(船) lie
Emptied of its poetry.
(
A. It was a happy family.
B. It was surprised by Yeats' choice.
C. It was a wealthy family.
D. It had an artistic background.
(
A. With great talent.
B. Without much influence.
C. Different from others.
D. Producing many works.
(
A. Happiness.
B. Anger.
C. Doubt.
D. Admiration.
(
A. Yeats' literary achievements.
B. Yeats' historical influence.
C. Yeats' life experiences.
D. Yeats' national popularity.
William Butler Yeats was an Irish poet and dramatist and one of the most important figures of 20th-century literature. He was born in Dublin on June 13, 1865. His childhood didn't have the peace that a happy family had. Later, Yeats surprised his family by saying that he remembered “little of childhood but its pain”. In fact, he was born with excellent taste in art—both his father and his brother were painters. But he finally chose to work on literature, especially drama and poetry.
Yeats strongly believed in the coming of new artistic movements. He set himself the fresh task of setting up an Irish national theatre in the late 1890s. His early theatrical experiments, however, were not well received in the beginning. He didn't lose heart, and finally enjoyed success in his poetical drama.
Compared with his dramatic works, Yeats' poems get much admiring notice. The subjects include love, nature, history, time and aging. Yeats always liked to bring modern feelings to his poems. As his literary life progressed, his poetry grew finer and richer, which led him to the praise of the whole world. Till today, his works are still widely read and studied. They are among the greatest achievements in English literature.
Yeats is considered one of the few writers whose greatest works were completed after being awarded the Nobel Prize, which he won in 1923. He continued writing almost to the end of his life, producing his greatest works between the ages of 50 and 75. If Yeats had stopped writing at age 40, he would probably now be valued as a minor poet. There is no other example in literary history of a poet who produces their greatest works between these ages. Such works include The Tower (1928) and The Winding Stair and Other Poems (1929). His late works show his deep insight (洞悉) into life and art.
After suffering from a number of illnesses for several years, Yeats died in Menton, 1939. The last poem he wrote was The Black Tower. After Yeats' death, W. H. Auden wrote, among others, the following lines:
Earth, receive an honoured guest:
William Yeats is laid to rest.
Let the Irish vessel(船) lie
Emptied of its poetry.
(
D
) 1. What can you learn about Yeats' family according to paragraph 1?A. It was a happy family.
B. It was surprised by Yeats' choice.
C. It was a wealthy family.
D. It had an artistic background.
(
B
) 2. What does the underlined word “minor” probably mean?A. With great talent.
B. Without much influence.
C. Different from others.
D. Producing many works.
(
D
) 3. What kind of feeling is expressed in W. H. Auden's lines?A. Happiness.
B. Anger.
C. Doubt.
D. Admiration.
(
A
) 4. What is the passage mainly about?A. Yeats' literary achievements.
B. Yeats' historical influence.
C. Yeats' life experiences.
D. Yeats' national popularity.
答案
1.D 2.B 3.D 4.A
解析
【分析】
本题为英语阅读理解题，包含4道不同类型的小题，解题思路如下：
1. 第1题是细节理解题，需精准定位第一段关于叶芝家庭的描述，逐一排除错误选项；
2. 第2题是词义猜测题，需结合上下文的对比逻辑（40岁停笔与50-75岁的伟大作品）推测划线词含义；
3. 第3题是情感推断题，需分析Auden诗句中的关键词，判断其表达的情感倾向；
4. 第4题是主旨大意题，需梳理全文核心内容，总结文章主题。
【解析】
1. 第1题：定位原文第一段，根据“his father and his brother were painters”可知叶芝家庭有艺术背景。A选项与“His childhood didn't have the peace that a happy family had”矛盾；B选项是叶芝的话让家人惊讶，而非他的选择；C选项原文未提及家庭富裕，排除A、B、C，选D。
2. 第2题：结合上下文，“If Yeats had stopped writing at age 40, he would probably now be valued as a minor poet”与后文“producing his greatest works between these ages”形成对比，说明minor意为“没有大影响力的”，选B。
3. 第3题：Auden诗句用“honoured guest”（尊贵的客人）、“Irish vessel emptied of its poetry”（承载诗歌的爱尔兰灵魂），表达对叶芝的钦佩之情，选D。
4. 第4题：全文围绕叶芝的文学成就展开，包括戏剧、诗歌创作、诺贝尔文学奖、后期伟大作品等，并非侧重生活经历、历史影响或国家人气，选A。
【答案】
1.D 2.B 3.D 4.A
【知识点】
英语阅读理解、细节理解题、词义猜测题
【点评】
本题选取爱尔兰诗人叶芝的相关文本，涵盖英语阅读理解常见的细节理解、词义猜测、情感推断、主旨大意题型，考查学生对原文信息的定位、解读及概括能力，整体难度适中，适合中等水平学生作答。
【难度系数】
0.5
本题为英语阅读理解题，包含4道不同类型的小题，解题思路如下：
1. 第1题是细节理解题，需精准定位第一段关于叶芝家庭的描述，逐一排除错误选项；
2. 第2题是词义猜测题，需结合上下文的对比逻辑（40岁停笔与50-75岁的伟大作品）推测划线词含义；
3. 第3题是情感推断题，需分析Auden诗句中的关键词，判断其表达的情感倾向；
4. 第4题是主旨大意题，需梳理全文核心内容，总结文章主题。
【解析】
1. 第1题：定位原文第一段，根据“his father and his brother were painters”可知叶芝家庭有艺术背景。A选项与“His childhood didn't have the peace that a happy family had”矛盾；B选项是叶芝的话让家人惊讶，而非他的选择；C选项原文未提及家庭富裕，排除A、B、C，选D。
2. 第2题：结合上下文，“If Yeats had stopped writing at age 40, he would probably now be valued as a minor poet”与后文“producing his greatest works between these ages”形成对比，说明minor意为“没有大影响力的”，选B。
3. 第3题：Auden诗句用“honoured guest”（尊贵的客人）、“Irish vessel emptied of its poetry”（承载诗歌的爱尔兰灵魂），表达对叶芝的钦佩之情，选D。
4. 第4题：全文围绕叶芝的文学成就展开，包括戏剧、诗歌创作、诺贝尔文学奖、后期伟大作品等，并非侧重生活经历、历史影响或国家人气，选A。
【答案】
1.D 2.B 3.D 4.A
【知识点】
英语阅读理解、细节理解题、词义猜测题
【点评】
本题选取爱尔兰诗人叶芝的相关文本，涵盖英语阅读理解常见的细节理解、词义猜测、情感推断、主旨大意题型，考查学生对原文信息的定位、解读及概括能力，整体难度适中，适合中等水平学生作答。
【难度系数】
0.5
