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 sea5-8 ACCA
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(答案→)5-8 ACCA
解析：5. A 词义猜测题。根据下一句的意义“他被各个阶层的智利人所爱戴着，他的作品广为传诵，备受尊重。”可猜测出：他曾经被誉为诗坛“巨匠”。
6. C 细节题。根据短文第三段“To cover up the publication of his first poem”一句可知：聂鲁达的父亲不赞成儿子当诗人，经常想方设法阻止他的创作。为了掩人耳目发表第一部诗集，诗人就为自己取了个笔名——聂鲁达。
7. C 判断题。第四段二、三句表述的意思是：聂鲁达有着丰富的阅历，他当过外交官，曾流亡国外。因此，他的诗歌主题多样，并不仅仅限于男女情爱。他的作品还反映了左派政治斗争以及南美洲的发展。由此判断可知。
8. A 段落主旨题。根据“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”两句可知：海浪磅礴的力量、自由的激荡，海岸上展翅翱翔的海鸟，这一切都给予聂鲁达无尽的创作灵感。他喜欢大海，还因为大海在永不停息地更新着自己。而他的诗作也犹如大海一样，不断地推陈出新。