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 _______.

A.was published in February

B.refers darkness as its main theme

C.is Young's latest collection of poetry

D.was written after Young's heart transplant

2.We can learn from the text that Young _______.

A.was born with heart disease

B.received a heart transplant in February

C.married a female poet after he wrote "Late Valentine"

D.wrote a poem for his wife in his collection

3.What does the writer try to say in Paragraph 3?

A.The writer expected some bright future, but he was disappointed.

B.The writer had less enthusiasm than before, but he still kept on writing.

C.The writer devoted more time to poems, so he grasped a good chance.

D.The writer wrote poems with less enthusiasm, so he quitted for a while.

4.Which of the following statements is TRUE?

A."How Grasp Green" is the first poem in Fall Higher.

B.Young began all his poems with his illness.

C.Young's father died when Young was 49 years old.

D.Young's health situation is mentioned in his poetry.

5.What is the text mainly about?

A.Dean Young and his latest collection.

B.Dean Young and his heart problems.

C.The meaning of Fall Higher.

D.An analysis of Dean Young's poems.

 

第三部分:阅读理解(共20小题,每题2分,共40分)

第一节:(共15小题,每题2分,共30分)

阅读下面四篇短文,从四个选项(A、B、C、D)中,选出最佳选项,并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。

A

Recently, a professor of philosophy in the United States has written a book called Money and the Meaning of Life. He has discovered that how we deal with money in our day-to-day life has more meaning than we usually think. One of the exercises he asked his students to do is to keep record of every penny they spend for a week. From the way they spend their money, they can see what they really value in life.

He says our relation with others often becomes clearly defined when money enters the picture. You might have wonderful friendship with somebody and you think that you are a very good friend. But you will know him only when you ask him to lend you some money. If he does, it brings something to the relationship that seems stronger than ever before. Or it can suddenly weaken the relationship if he doesn’t. This person may say that he has a certain feeling, but if it is not carried out in the money world, there is something less real about it.

Since money is so important to us, we consider those who possess a lot of it to be very important. The author interviewed some millionaires in researching his book.

Question: What is the most surprising thing you have discovered abotrt being rich, because you are a self-made man?

Answer: The most surprising thing is how people give me so much respect. I am nothing. I do not know much. All I am is rich.

People just have an idea of making more and more money, but what is it for? How much do I need for any given purposes in my life? In his book, the professor uncovered an important need in modern society: to bring back the idea that money is an instrument rather than the end. Money plays an important role in the material world, but expecting money to bring happiness may be missing the meaning of life.

56. The author seems to believe that asking your friend to lend you some money_______.

A. is a good way to test your friendship     B. will do harm to your friendship

C. will strengthen your friendship           D. is a good way to break off your friendship

57. What can we learn about the millionaire from his answer in the interview?

A. He does not feel that he is well educated.

B. He does not think that he is a very important person.

C. He doesn’t think that being rich is worth so much attention.

D. He does not consider himself to be very successful

58. What does the American professor of philosophy want to explain in his book?

A. Money is an end.         B. Money is a means.

C. Money is everything.      D. Money is unimportant.

59. Which of the following might the author disagree with?

A. Money is important in modern society.

B. The meaning of life does not completely lie in money.

C. Wealth will surely bring the owner happiness.

D. Happiness is not necessarily the result of wealth.

 

完形填空(共20小题;每小题1.5 分,满分30分)

Four brothers left home for college, and they became successful doctors and lawyers. Some years later, they   36   after having dinner together. They discussed the   37    they gave their elderly mother who lived far away in another city. The first said, “I had a  38  house built for Mama.” The second said, “I had my Mercedes-Benz dealer(经销商) send a  39   to her.” The third said,“I built a beautiful    40   for Mama.”The fourth said, “You know  41   Mama loved reading poems and you know she can’t read anymore because she can’t  42  very well. I met a  43  who had a parrot(鹦鹉)that can recite many poems. It took him 12 years to  44   it and he earns his living by renting it out. I had to pay him $100,000 a year for twenty years, 45   it is worth it.” On hearing that, the other brothers were    46   by his good thought.

After the holidays their mother  47  her thank-you notes.She wrote:

“Milton,the house you built is so huge. I only live in one room,but I have to 48   the whole house. It’s a tiring job. Thanks anyway.”

“Marvin, I am too old to  49   I stay home and have my foods delivered,so I’ll  50   use the car. The  51   was good, although not practical.Thanks.”

“Michale,you gave me an expensive building for 50 people to   52   plays or watch movies in it, but all my friends are dead. I’ve almost

53  my hearing and I’m nearly blind. I won’t use it. Thank you all the same.”

“Deareat Melvin, you were the  54   son to have the good sense to give a little thought to your gift. The chicken tasted so   55   I like it very much. Thank you.”

36. A.fought      B.talked    C.studied      D.slept

37. A.gifts       B.chances   C.wishes       D.challenges

38. A.warm        B.big       C.safe         D.lonely

39. A.book        B.bike      C.car          D.bag

40. A.station     B.museum    C.library      D.theater

41. A.what        B.how       C.why          D.when

42. A.listen      B.feel      C.see          D.walk

43. A.nurse       B. writer   C.businessman  D.farmer

44. A.protect     B.beat      C.raise       D.teach

45. A.but         B.so        C. unless      D.although

46. A.treated     B.impressed C.threatened   D.hurt

47. A.sent out    B.put up    C.took out     D.picked up

48. A.sell        B.borrow    C.clean        D.vist

49. A.learn       B.work     C.exercise     D.travel

50. A.never       B.often     C.regularly    D.sometimes

51. A.future      B.hobby     C.idea         D.program

52. A.create      B.enjoy     C.bring        D.record

53. A.lost        B.admired   C.remained     D.discovered

54. A.same        B.last      C.next         D.only

55. A.strange     B.unpleasantC.bitter       D.delicious

 

第二节完形填空(共20小题;每小题1.5分,满分30分)

阅读下面短文,掌握其大意,然后从36—55各题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中,选出最佳选项,并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。

There are great doctors and perhaps it is enough to say that Dr Charles Mayo was one.  36 ,it is not enough for me.

Charles Mayo was not a  37  of mine in the sense that he would  38  by for dinner or remember my daughter’s graduation.We were not that  39 ,for he lived in Minnesota and I lived in California.He was a friend in the sense that he  40  more like a friend than a doctor when he was being a doctor.

I got very close to him just once.More  41 ,he got very close to me.I was flying my own plane to Washington and I felt a serious  42  in my back.It turned around,  43 for a clinic nearby and got in  44  with Dr Jan,my doctor.Jan at once said I had appendicitis (阑尾炎) and I told him he was the  45  doctor I had ever met.“I have no fever and any other symptoms of it.How can I  46 have appendicitis?”

“If you want to  47  better as quickly as possible,we’ll have Charles Mayo look at you.”It took Charles Mayo about thirty seconds to  48  to Jan’s request.

Charles was washing his hands when I was  49 into the operation room.I said,my

50  shaking,“You have done this before,haven’t you?”

“Of course,”he said.“Twice.”

Among all his interests he was craziest about being a doctor.He faced  51  often enough to know that while it is final in a sense,it is not  52  final at all.He enjoyed  53 too much not to know that it has a meaning beyond here and now.

54  he died on July 29,1968,at the age of seventy,following an accident,he lived on in the  55 of his books.I am glad he wrote them,giving people the feeling that we still have him.

36.A.Therefore         B.Actually               C.However              D.Besides

37.A.friend               B.teacher                 C.doctor                  D.workmate

38.A.come                B.pass                     C.drop                    D.stand

39.A.fast                  B.friendly                C.far                       D.close

40.A.seemed             B.looked                 C.found                   D.became

41.A.luckily             B.happily                C.exactly                 D.usually

42.A.trouble             B.pain                     C.worry                  D.problem

43.A.hurrying           B.running                C.waiting                D.heading

44.A.telephone          B.reach                   C.touch                   D.related

45.A.funniest            B.best                     C.worst                   D.oldest

46.A.possibly            B.necessarily            C.suddenly              D.fearfully

47.A.do                    B.think                    C.examine               D.feel

48.A.stick                 B.get                       C.come                   D.agree

49.A.driven              B.wheeled                      C.forced                  D.led

50.A.hand                B.head                    C.voice                   D.leg

51.A.patients            B.death                   C.dangers                D.diseases

52.A.only                 B.nearly                  C.yet                       D.really

53.A.himself             B.life                      C.working               D.everything

54.A.When               B.After                   C.Although              D.As

55.A.pages               B.papers                  C.articles                 D.Subjects

 

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