研究生英语补充课文学生用书.docx
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研究生英语补充课文学生用书
SupplementaryText
LessonOne
SpelloftheRisingMoon
PeterSteinhart
1ThereisahillnearmyhomethatIoftenclimbatnight.
2Thenoiseofthecityisafar-offmurmur.InthehushofdarkIsharethecheerfulnessofcricketsandtheconfidenceofowls.ButitisthedramaofthemoonrisethatIcometosee.Forthatrestoresinmeaquietandclaritythatthecityspendstoofreely.
3FromthishillIhavewatchedmanymoonsrise.Eachonehasitsownmood.Therehavebeenbroad,confidentharvestmoonsinautumn;shy,mistymoonsinspring;lonely,whitewintermoonsrisingintotheuttersilenceofanink-blackskyandsmoke-smudgedorangemoonsoverthedryfieldsofsummer.Each,likefinemusic,excitedmyheartandcalmedmysoul.
4Moongazingisanancientart.Toprehistorichuntersthemoonoverheadwasasunerringasaheartbeat.Theyknewthatevery29daysitbecamefull-belliedandbrilliant,thensickenedanddied,andthenwasreborn.Theyknewthewaxingmoonappearedlargerandhigheroverheadaftereachsucceedingsunset.Theyknewthewaningmoonroselatereachnightuntilitvanishedinthesunrise.Tohaveunderstoodthemoon’spatternsfromexperiencemusthavebeenaprofoundthing.
5Butwe,wholiveindoors,havelostcontactwiththemoon.Theglareofstreetlightsandthedustofpollutionveilthenightsky.Thoughmenhavewalkedonthemoon,itgrowslessfamiliar.Fewofuscansaywhattimethemoonwillrisetonight.
6Still,ittugsatourminds.Ifweunexpectedlyencounterthefullmoon,hugeandyellowoverthehorizon,wearehelplessbuttostarebackatitscommandingpresence.Andthemoonhasgiftstobestowuponthosewhowatch.
7IleanedaboutitsgiftsoneJulyeveninginthemountains.Mycarhadmysteriouslystalled,andIwasstrandedandalone.Thesunhadset,andIwaswatchingwhatseemedtobethebright-orangeglowofaforestfirebeyondaridgetotheeast.Suddenly,theridgeitselfseemedtoburstintoflame.Then,therisingmoon,hugeandredandgrotesquelymisshapenbythedustandsweatofthesummeratmosphere,loomedupoutofthewoods.
8Distortedthusbythehotbreathofearth,themoonseemedill-temperedandimperfect.Dogsnearbyfarmhousebarkednervously,asifthisstrangelighthadwakenedevilspiritsintheweeds.
9Butasthemoonliftedofftheridgeitgatheredfirmnessandauthority.Itscomplexionchangedfromred,toorange,togold,toimpassiveyellow.Itseemedtodrawlightoutofthedarkeningearth,forasitrose,thehillsandvalleysbelowgrewdimmer.Bythetimethemoonstoodclearofthehorizon,fullchestedandroundandthecolourofivory,thevalleysweredeepshadowsinthelandscape.Thedogs,reassuredthatthiswasthefamiliarmoon,stoppedbarking.AndallatonceIfeltaconfidenceandjoyclosetolaughter.
10Thedramatookanhour.Moonriseisslowandserriedwithsubtleties.Towatchit,wemustslipintoanolder,morepatientsenseoftime.Towatchmoonmoveinexorablyhigheristofindanunusualstillnesswithinourselves.Ourimaginationsbecomeawareofthevastdistancesofspace,theimmensityoftheearthandthehugeimprobabilityofourownexistence.Wefeelsmallbutprivileged.
11Moonlightshowsusnoneoflife’sharderedges.Hillsidesseemsilkenandsilvery,theoceansstillandblueinitslight.Inmoonlightwebecomelesscalculating,moredrawntoourfeelings.
12Andoddthingshappeninsuchmoments.OnthatJulynight,Iwatchedthemoonforanhourortwo,andthengotbackintothecar,turnedthekeyintheignitionandheardtheenginestart,justasmysteriouslyasithadstalledafewhoursearlier.Idrovedownfromthemountainswiththemoononmyshoulderandpeaceinmyheart.
13Ireturnoftentotherisingmoon.Iamdrawnespeciallywheneventscrowdeaseandclarityofvisionintosmallcornerofmylife.Thishappensofteninthefall.ThenIgotomyhillandawaitthehunter’smoon,enormousandgoldoverthehorizon,fillingthenightwithvision.
14Anowlswoopsfromtheridgetop,noiselessbutbrightasflame.Acricketshrillsinthegrass.Ithinkofpoetsandmusicians.OfBeethoven’s“moonlightSonata”andofShakespeare,whoseLorenzodeclaimsinTheMerchantofVenice,“Howsweetthemoonlightsleepsuponthisbank!
/Herewillwesitandletthesoundsofmusic/Creepinourears.”Iwonderiftheirverseandmusic,likethemusicofcrickets,areinsomewayvoicesofthemoon.Withsuchthoughts,mycitifiedconfusionsmeltintothequietofthenight.
15Loversandpoetsfinddeepermeaningatnight.Weareallapttoposedeeperquestions–aboutouroriginsanddestinies.Weindulgeinriddles,ratherthanintheimpersonalgeometriesthatgovernthedaylitworld.Webecomephilosophersandmystics.
16Atmoonrise,asweslowourmindstothepaceoftheheavens,enchantmentstealsoverus.Weopentheventsoffeelingandexercisepartsofourmindsthatreasonlocksawaybyday.Wehear,acrossthedistances,murmursofancienthuntersandseeanewthevisionsofpoetsandloversoflongago.
ABOUTTHEAUTHOR
PeterSteinhartisafamouscontemporarynaturalistandawriterintheUnitedStates.Hewasan_editorandcolumnistatAudubon,andhisworkhasappearedinHarper's,TheNewYorkTimes,theLosAngelesTimes,andothernewspapersandmagazines.
PeterSteinharthasbeenacontributortoAudubonmagazinefortwelveyears.OneofhisfamouspublicationisTheCompanyofWolvespublishedbyNewYork:
RandomHousein1996.
VOCABULARYITEMS
NOTES
1.Beethoven:
Beethoven,Ludwigvan(1770—1827),Germancomposer,consideredoneofthegreatestmusiciansofalltime.
2.MoonlightSonata:
Beethoven’sPianoSonatainCMajor(Waldstein).GermancomposerLudwigvanBeethoven’spianosonatainCmajor,op.53(1803—1804)wasdedicatedtothepatronCountFerdinandvonWaldstein.
3.Shakespeare:
Shakespeare,William(1564—1616),Englishplaywrightandpoet,recognizedinmuchoftheworldasthegreatestofalldramatists.Hundredsofeditionsofhisplayshavebeenpublished,includingtranslationsinallmajorlanguages.
4.TheMerchantofVenice:
comedybyEnglishplaywrightWilliamShakespeare,writtenaround1596.ItisregardedbysomescholarsasthestrongestandmostsuccessfulofShakespeare’searlycomedies.
EXERCISES
I.ReadingComprehension
A.Answerthefollowingquestionsorcompletethefollowingstatements.
1.Theauthoroftengoestothehillnearhishomeatnightbecause_______.
A.helikesclimbingthehillwhenitisdark
B.heenjoyslisteningtothesongsofcricketsandowls
C.helikesthedramashownonthehill
D.hewantstoregainpeaceandclarity
2.FromthedescriptionofthemooninParagraph2,weknowthattotheauthorthemoon.
A.isill-temperedlikeabadgirl
B.isalwayskindtohumans
C.hasallthecharacterswehave
D.hasdifferentcharactersindifferentseasons
3.Totheprehistorichunters,themoonwas_______.
A.somethingthatmadethemcheerful
B.naturallightthathelpedthemworkatnight
C.somethingthathelpedthemsettime
D.somethingbeyondtheirunderstanding
4.Accordingt:
otheauthor,thecontemporarypeople________.
A.nolongerlovewatchingthefullmoonasmuchasourancestors
B.stillenjoywatchingthefullmooniftheyhaveachance
C.growlessandlessfamiliarwiththemoon
D.thinkthatthereisnosensewatchingthemoon
5.OneJulyeveningtheauthorstayedforalongtimeonthemountainbecause_____.
A.hewantedtostayawayfrom_thepollutionandnoiseofthecity
B.hiscarbrokeclownandhecouldseeknobodyforhelp
C.hewasstrandedtherebytheforestfire
D.hewantedtogetthegiftbestowedbythemoon
6.Accordingtotheauthorwatchingthemoonrisecan___________.
A.addconfidenceandlaughtohim
B.makehimfeelcalmintheheart
C.makehimfeelunimportant
D.helphimcomeupwithnewideas
7.Whathelpedtheauthorrestarthiscar?
A.Thespelloftherisingmoon.
B.Hisreturnedgoodmood.
C.Amysteriouspowerfromthemoon.
D.Probablythecooltemperatureatnight.
8.Theauthoroftenreturnstotherisingmoonespeciallywhen
A.hefeelstiredfromhisbusylife
B.hewantstocontemplate
C.itisautumn
D.hehaspeaceinhisheart
9.TheauthormentionsBeethovenandShakespearebecause
A.bothofthemlovedthemoonashedoes
B.theirverseandmusicarethemostfamous
C.themoonriseisasbeautifulasapoemormusic
D.theauthoronlyrememberstheirnames
10.Inthepassage,theauthordescribesthemoonwithsimilesandmetaphorsto
A.showhisloveandrespectforthemoon
B.showthatthemoonisallpowerful
C.arousepeople'sclosefeelingstothemoon
D.callonthereaderstowatchthemoonforthemselves
B.CompetethefollowingOUTLINEofthetextbyfillingintheblanks.
1.Theauthoroftenclimbsthehillnearhishomeatnighttowatch____________because________________________.
2.Totheauthorthedifferentmoodandcolorofthemoonare:
(1)Inautumn:
__________________________________________.
(2)Inspring:
__________________________________________.
(3)Inwinter:
__________________________________________.
(4)Insummer:
_________________________________________.
3.A.Toprehistorichuntersthemoonoverheadwas_______________.
B.Tocontemporarypeoplewholiveindoorsfewcansay_____________.
C.Butifweunexpectedlyencounterthefullmoon,wearehelpless_________.
4.Themoonhasgiftstobestowuponthosewhowatchit:
Example:
OneJulyeveninginthemountains,theauthor'scar_______________.
Hetooktheadvantageto_____________.
Whenhegotbackintothe