Question

He was once referred to as the Picasso of poetry. Beloved by Chileans of all classes, he is one of the most widely read and respected poets in history. And this year is the 100th birthday of Pablo Neruda (1904-1973).

Born with the name Neftali Ricardo Reyes Basolto, he was a tall, shy and lonely boy. He loved to read and started to write poetry when he was ten. The American poet Walt Whitman, whose framed picture Neruda later kept on his table, became a major influence on his work.

However, his father did not like the idea of having a poet for a son and tried to discourage him from writing. To cover up the publication of his first poem, he took the pen name Pablo Neruda.

In 1924 Neruda gained fame with his most widely read work “Twenty Love Poems and a Song of Despair’’. Yet his rich experience as a diplomat and exile made him go beyond the theme of love. His work also reflected the political struggle of the left and development of South America. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1971.

Neruda loved the sea which he saw as creative, destructive and forever moving. He found inspiration in the power and freedom of the waves and the seabirds on the coast. “I need the sea because it teaches me,” he wrote. “I move in the university of the waves.” He loved how the sea forever renewed itself, a renewal echoed in his work.

5. The underlined word “Picasso” can probably be replaced by “________”.

A. most important person          B. famous person from Picasso

C. freedom fighter in Picasso     D. poem fan

6. Neftali Ricardo Reyes Basolto took the pen name Pablo Neruda because ________.

A. literary greats usually used the pen name

B. his father encouraged him to use the name

C. he wanted to prevent his father knowing the publication

D. he was greatly influenced by other poets

7. Which of the following is not the theme of his works?

A. Love.    B. Political struggle.  C. Social reform.   D. Development of South America.

8. The last paragraph mainly tells us ________.

A. the sea gave Neruda vast writing inspiration  B. the beautiful scenery along the Chile coast

C. Neruda’s poems were widely read overseas  D. Neruda loved to write his poems near the sea

Answer 1

5-8  ACCA

解析:

5. A 詞義猜測題。根據下一句的意義“他被各個階層的智利人所愛戴著，他的作品廣為傳誦，備受尊重。”可猜測出：他曾經被譽為詩壇“巨匠”。

6. C 細節題。根據短文第三段“To cover up the publication of his first poem”一句可知：聶魯達的父親不贊成兒子當詩人，經常想方設法阻止他的創作。為了掩人耳目發表第一部詩集，詩人就為自己取了個筆名——聶魯達。

7. C 判斷題。第四段二、三句表述的意思是：聶魯達有著豐富的閱歷，他當過外交官，曾流亡國外。因此，他的詩歌主題多樣，并不僅僅限于男女情愛。他的作品還反映了左派政治斗爭以及南美洲的發展。由此判斷可知。

8. A 段落主旨題。根據“He found inspiration in the power and freedom of the waves and the seabirds on the coast”和“He loved how the sea forever renewed itself, a renewal echoed in his    work”兩句可知：海浪磅礴的力量、自由的激蕩，海岸上展翅翱翔的海鳥，這一切都給予聶魯達無盡的創作靈感。他喜歡大海，還因為大海在永不停息地更新著自己。而他的詩作也猶如大海一樣，不斷地推陳出新。