A
Lawrence Ferlinghetti, the poet, publisher, painter, social activist and bookstore owner, has been San Francisco’s honored poet. He turned 100 last year, and the city made preparations to celebrate him in style. Readings and performances and an open house took place at City Lights, the sacred bookstore he co-founded in 1953.
On March 24, 1919, Lawrence Ferlinghetti was born in Yonkers, New York. After spending his early childhood in France, he received his BA from the University of North Carolina, an MA from Columbia University, and a PhD from the Sorbonne.
He is the author of more than thirty books of poetry, including Poetry as Insurgent Art;A Coney Island of the Mind. He has translated the works of a number of poets, including Nicanor Parra, Jacques Prevert, and Pier Paolo Pasolini. In addition to poetry, he is also the author of more than eight plays and three novels, including Little Boy: A Novel, Love in the Days of Rage and Her.
In 1953, Ferlinghetti and Peter Martin opened the City Lights bookstore in San Francisco, California. It became a nerve center for the beats and other writers. Allen Ginsberg, Jack Kerouac and other writers from that era were Easterners who dropped into San Francisco for a spell. In 2001 it was made an official historic landmark. Now City Lights is almost certainly the best bookstore in the United States. It’s filled with serious world literature of all kinds.
If City Lights is a San Francisco institution, Ferlinghetti himself is as much of one. As a poet, he’s never been a critical favorite. But his flexible and plain-spoken and often powerful work—he has published more than 50 volumes—has found a wide audience. His collection “A Coney Island of the Mind” has sold more than 1 million copies, making it one of the best-selling American poetry books ever published.
【文章大意】这是一篇人物传记类阅读。文章主要介绍了Lawrence Ferlinghetti, 并对他的成就进行了赞扬。
1. What can we learn about Ferlinghetti from Paragraph 2?
A. He had a happy childhood.
B. He received normal education.
C. He had a gift for writing novels.
D. He had written lots of poetry.
【解析】选B。推理判断题。由第二段After spending his early childhood in France, he received his BA from the University of North Carolina, an MA from Columbia University, and a PhD from the Sorbonne. (在法国度过童年后, 他获得了北卡罗莱纳大学学士学位、哥伦比亚大学硕士学位和索邦大学博士学位。)可推断出, Ferlinghetti接受了正规的教育, 故选B。
2. Which of the following best describes Ferlinghetti according to Paragraph 3?
A. Flexible. B. Optimistic.
C. Outspoken. D. Productive.
【解析】选D。推理判断题。由第三段He is the author of more than thirty books of poetry, . . . He has translated the works of a number of poets, . . . In addition to poetry, he is also the author of more than eight plays and three novels, . . . (他是三十多本诗集的作者, 他翻译过许多诗人的作品。除了诗歌, 他还创作了八部戏剧和三部小说。)这一段介绍了Ferlinghetti的文学成就, 由此推断出, Ferlinghetti非常多产。
3. Why is City Lights famous?
A. Because it is a nerve center for the youth.
B. Because its collections have a long history.
C. Because it is an official historic landmark.
D. Because it has many modern world literature.
【解析】选C。细节理解题。由倒数第二段In 2001 it was made an official historic landmark. (2001年, 它被正式列为官方的历史地标。)可知, City Lights很出名是因为它是官方的历史地标, 故选C。
4. What is the author’s purpose in writing the text?
A. To speak highly of a great poet.
B. To introduce some English poetry.
C. To promote values of City Lights.
D. To commemorate the birthday of Ferlinghetti.
【解析】选A。目的意图题。由第一段Lawrence Ferlinghetti, the poet, publisher, painter, social activist and bookstore owner, has been San Francisco’s honored poet. (Lawrence Ferlinghetti是旧金山的著名诗人、出版商、画家、社会活动家和书店老板)是全文的主题句, 并结合全文内容, 可知这篇文章主要介绍了Lawrence Ferlinghetti, 并对他的成就进行了赞扬, 故选A。
【知识拓展】长难句分析
1. Lawrence Ferlinghetti, the poet, publisher, painter, social activist and bookstore owner, has been San Francisco’s honored poet.
分析: the poet, publisher, painter, social activist and bookstore owner是Lawrence Ferlinghetti的同位语。
翻译: 劳伦斯·弗林盖蒂, 诗人、出版商、画家、社会活动家、书店老板, 一直是旧金山著名的诗人。
2. His collection “A Coney Island of the Mind” has sold more than 1 million copies, making it one of the best-selling American poetry books ever published.
分析: making. . . 是结果状语。
翻译: 他的诗集《心灵的康尼岛》已经卖出了一百多万本, 直至成为美国有史以来出版的最畅销诗集之一。
