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(2021·天津模拟)
Long ago, poems were recited out loud instead of being written down. Back when the Greeks first started the Olympics, they held poetry contests as well as athletic competitions.
Now, poetry competitions have been revived. This year 120, 000 high school students competed in the first Poetry Out Loud national recitation contest, performing poems from memory for $100, 000 in prizes.
The first competitions were held in classrooms. The winners went on to schoolwide contests, and then they competed in city and state competitions, and then the 50 state champions, along with the District of Columbia champion, came to Washington, D. C. , last week for the last showdown(对决). After the 51 champions competed against one another, 12 went on to the finals. Then the field was narrowed to five. The final five had one last chance to “perform” a poem. The overall champ, Jackson Hille, a high school senior from Ohio, won a $20, 000 scholarship.
The National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation started Poetry Out Loud because they realized that hearing a poem performed is a different experience from reading it on the page.
It’s not just a matter of saying the words in the right order. It’s the tone of voice, the pauses, the gestures, and the attitude of the person performing that bring the words to life. “Each time we hear somebody recite a poem, we understand again what we found fresh and interesting about it, ” says National Public Radio broadcaster Scott Simon, master of ceremonies for the finals. Hearing it in a new voice offers something new to the listener.
Not only do the people hearing poems have a new experience, memorizing and presenting poems helps the participants understand those poems in a new way. Another benefit of a competition such as Poetry Out Loud is that the participants learn public-speaking skills that can help them for life.
【文章大意】本文为一篇说明文。文章讲述了美国的高中生沿袭了以前的做法, 发起了诗歌背诵比赛。背诵诗歌不仅让背诵者以全新的方式更深刻地理解诗歌的内涵, 也让听者对诗歌有了更新的理解。
1. From the first paragraph, we can know _______.
A. the Greeks were the first to write poems
B. the Olympics used to start with poem reciting
C. poems were spread orally in the past
D. athletes were asked to recite poems before competing
【解析】选C。推理判断题。由第一段首句“Long ago, poems were recited out loud instead of being written down. ( 很久以前, 诗歌是靠大声背诵传递而不是靠书写)” 可知, 在很久以前诗歌是口头朗诵的, 故选C。
2. According to the passage, hearing a poem recited in a new voice can_______.
A. bring a new life to listeners
B. help listeners find their interest
C. make listeners learn the words
D. offer something new to listeners
【解析】选D。细节理解题。根据第四段的because they realized that hearing a poem performed is a different experience from reading it on the page(因为他们意识到, 听到一首诗是一种不同于在纸上阅读它的体验)以及第五段的Hearing it in a new voice offers something new to the listener. (用新声音听它给听者提供新的东西)可知, 朗诵诗歌可以给听者带来新的感受, 故选D。
3. One benefit the participants get from a competition such as Poetry Out Loud is that they can_____.
A. become confident while speaking in public
B. write good poems themselves
C. change their attitudes towards life
D. make friends with many great poets
【解析】选A。细节理解题。从文章最后一句话Another benefit of a competition such as Poetry Out Loud is that the participants learn public-speaking skills that can help them for life. (比赛的另一个好处是, 如Poetry Out Loud, 参赛者可以学习公共演讲技巧, 终身受益)可知, 参赛者通过比赛学到公开演讲的能力, 故选A。
4. What’s the best title for the passage?
A. Reciting poems improves your memory
B. Remembering a lot of poems is fun
C. Poets have a great time
D. Poetry rocks the microphone
【解析】选D。主旨大意题。本文主要介绍了Poetry Out Loud诗歌朗诵比赛, 承办方The National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation认为通过这种方式, 人们可以从新的角度体验和学习诗歌, 参与者也从中受益匪浅, Poetry rocks the microphone最能表达全文的中心, 故选D。
【知识拓展】长难句分析
Not only do the people hearing poems have a new experience, memorizing and presenting poems helps the participants understand those poems in a new way.
分析:Not only置于句首时, 其后分句用倒装语序。Not only分句的主语是the people hearing poems, 其中hearing poems在句中作定语, 修饰the people。另一分句主语是memorizing and presenting poems, 是动名词短语作主语。
翻译:听到诗歌的人不但会有全新体验, 而且记忆并呈现这些诗歌有助于参赛者以新的方式理解这些诗歌。
