The analysis is raw, pained and ruthlessly self-aware. For all the moral torment, the writing itself has the same rush and vigour that possessed Hughes's early poetry. Some books of letters serve as a personalised historical chronicle. Poets' letters are seldom like that, and Hughes's are no exception. His are about a life of literary engagement: almost all of them include some musing on the state or the nature of writing, both Hughes's own or other people's. The trajectory of Hughes's literary career had him moving from obscurity to fame, and then, in the eyes of many, to life-long notoriety. These letters are filled with his wrestling with the consequences of being the part-private, part-public creature that he became, desperate to devote himself to his writing, and yet subject to endless invasions of his privacy.

Hughes is an absorbing and intricate commentator upon his own poetry, even when he is standing back from it and good-humouredly condemning himself for “its fantasticalia, its pretticisms and its infinite verballifications”. He also believed, from first to last, that poetry had a special place in the education of children. “What kids need,” he wrote in a 1988 letter to the Secretary of State for Education in the Conservative Government, “is a headful[sic] of songs that are not songs but blocks of refined and achieved and exemplary language.” When that happens, children have “the guardian angel installed behind the tongue”. Lucky readers, big or small.

1. The poetry of Hughes's forerunners is characteristic of _____.

[A] its natural, crude flavor

[B] its distorted depiction of people's daily life

[C] its penetrating sight

[D] its fantastical enthusiasm

2. The word “vilified” (Line 4, Paragraph 2) most probably means _____.

[A] tortured

[B] harassed

[C] scolded

[D] tormented

3. According to the third paragraph, Hughes's collection of letters are _____.

[A] the exact reason responsible for both his fame and notoriety

[B] personalized description of his double identity as a public and a private figure

[C] reflections of his struggle between his literary devotion and the reality

[D] his meditation and exploration on the literary world and the essence of literature

4. From the letters, we may find the cause of Hughes's internal struggle is _____.

[A] his eager and unsatisfied passion for literature

[B] that he is a part-private, part-public creature

[C] that he is constrained by the fear of his privacy being exposed to the criticism of the public

[D] the moral torment exerted by himself

5. By “lucky readers” in the last sentence, the author means _____.

[A] children who are imparted with the beauty and wisdom of poetry

[B] children who have a headful of fantastic and verbally perfect songs

[C] children who own blocks of refined and achieved and exemplary language

[D] children who are believed to have the guardian angel installed behind the tongue





文章剖析


本文讲述了英国著名诗人特德·休斯作品的特点和其所反映出来的诗人的一些情况。第一段讲述休斯诗歌的特色；第二段讲述诗人因其妻子的原因而编写了一部书信集的情况；第三段讲述这本书信集的特点和反映的情况；第四段讲述休斯对诗歌的看法和态度。





词汇注释


wry adj. 枯燥乏味的

predecessor n. 前辈，前任

rhetoric n. （措词、文体的）浮夸与修饰

fervour n. 热情

armorial adj. 徽章的

lifeblood n. 生命力或生命之源的力量

stink n. 气息，气味

eavesdropping n. 偷听

muffle vt. 压抑，阻止

trajectory n. 道路，轨迹

notoriety n. 恶名，臭名，声名狼藉

absorbing adj. 吸引人的，非常有趣的

intricate adj. 难以理解的





难句突破


① But then, in 1963, Sylvia Plath, a young American poet whom he had first met at Cambridge University in 1956, and who became his wife in the summer of that year, committed suicide.

主体句式：But then Sylvia Plath... committed suicide.

结构分析：这是一个同位语带有定语从句的复合句。whom和who引导的两个定语从句修饰a young American poet，整体作为Sylvia Plath的同位语。

句子译文：但是在1963年，西尔维亚·普拉斯自杀了，1956年，他在剑桥大学第一次见到这个年轻的美国诗人，当年夏天成为了他的妻子。

② These letters are filled with his wrestling with the consequences of being the part-private, part-public creature that he became, desperate to devote himself to his writing, and yet subject to endless invasions of his privacy.

主体句式：These letters are filled with his wrestling...

结构分析：这是一个简单句，难点在于最后两个形容词短语（desperate to devote himself to his writing, and yet subject to endless invasions of his privacy）的成分。这两个形容词短语用来修饰前面的名词creature，而creature后面紧跟着的that引导的从句也是修饰它的定语从句。

句子译文：这些信中处处都显现出休斯因为自己成为半私人、半公开这样一种人物而反复挣扎的心理，他渴望全身心地投入文字当中，但私人空间又时时受到侵扰。





题目分析


1. The poetry of Hughes's forerunners is characteristic of _____.

[A] its natural, crude flavor

[B] its distorted depiction of people's daily life

[C] its penetrating sight

[D] its fantastical enthusiasm

1. 休斯之前的诗人们创作的诗歌的特点是 _____.

[A] 自然、原始的风味

[B] 对人们日常生活的变形描写

[C] 洞穿一切的视角

[D] 梦幻式的热情

答案：B　难度系数：☆☆☆

分析：细节题。本文第一段讲述了休斯诗歌的特点。第一段第二句说明了当时的诗歌盛行的特色是the wry chronicling of the everyday，紧接着第三句就指出，休斯的作品不同于他前辈的诗歌，接下来的几句都是讲述休斯作品具体是什么特色。由此可以推理，第二句所描写的就是其前人作品的特点，是“对日常生活的变形描写”，故选项B为正确答案。

2. The word “vilified” (Line 4, Paragraph 2) most probably means _____.

[A] tortured

[B] harassed

[C] scolded

[D] tormented

2. vilified这个词（第二段第四行）最有可能的意思是 _____.

[A] 折磨

[B] 骚扰

[C] 斥责

[D] 折磨

答案：C　难度系数：☆

分析：猜词题。这个词的意思要根据上下文来推断。该词出现的前一句讲述休斯的妻子，一位美国诗人自杀了。紧接着就说，该事件发生后很长一段时间里，美国的女权主义者对休斯采取了行动。后面又讲述了休斯在去世之前将他与妻子的关系以书信集的方式讲述出来，直到这本书信集出版，他的负担才得以减轻。那么休斯一直背负着的就是一种精神负担，这是由那些女权主义者造成的，可能性比较大的就是一种精神上的谴责，故答案C最为符合。

3. According to the third paragraph, Hughes's collection of letters are _____.

[A] the exact reason responsible for both his fame and notoriety

[B] personalized description of his double identity as a public and private figure

[C] reflections of his struggle between his literary devotion and the reality

[D] his meditation and exploration on the literary world and the essence of literature

3. 从第三段可以得知，休斯的书信集是 _____.

[A] 同时给他带来声誉和恶名的直接原因

[B] 关于他作为一个公共人物和一个个人这种双重身份的个性化描述

[C] 他在文学信仰与现实间挣扎的反映

[D] 他对文学世界和文学实质的思考和探索

答案：D　难度系数：☆☆☆☆

分析：推理题。根据文章第三段，休斯的这本书信集和一般的书信集不同，不是陈述自己的经历，而是所有书信都包含有对自己或对别人作品的思考，是对他的文学思想的展示。最后一句是说，从这些书信中可以看出，他为是要把自己完全展示在作品中，还是要维护个人隐私而苦苦挣扎过。从这些描述可以看出，该书信集主要是对他的文学观点的一些表述，从中可以看出他的思想发展历程，因此答案D最符合。A和B选项与第二段关系较为密切，因此与本题无关。选项C看似有理，但要注意休斯并不是在文学与现实之间的挣扎，而是一种在文学世界中探索的痛苦挣扎。

4. From the letters, we may find the cause of Hughes's internal struggle is _____.

[A] his eager and unsatisfied passion for literature

[B] that he is a part-private, part-public creature

[C] that he is constrained by the fear of his privacy being exposed to the criticism of the public

[D] the moral torment exerted by himself

4. 由休斯的书信可以看出，休斯内心挣扎的原因在于 _____.

[A] 他对文学的那种热切和无法满足的激情

[B] 他是一个半隐秘、半公开的人物

[C] 他在文学创作中担心自己的私人生活被暴露在公众批评之中

[D] 他加在自己身上的道德折磨

答案：C　难度系数：☆☆☆

分析：细节题。题干要求找出休斯内心挣扎的原因，这在第三段最后一句中有所提及。文章指出，书信中处处都流露出休斯和自己半隐秘、半公开这么一个双重身份进行斗争的印迹：一方面他想完全投入创作，而另一方面又担心自己的隐私会受到侵害。可以看出，休斯内心之所以挣扎，是由于他一面想要在作品中展示自己，而在现实中又想保护自己的隐私，因此答案C最为符合。

5. By “lucky readers” in the last sentence, the author means _____.

[A] children who are imparted with the beauty and wisdom of poetry

[B] children who have a headful of fantastic and verbally perfect songs

[C] children who own blocks of refined and achieved and exemplary language

[D] children who are believed to have the guardian angel installed behind the tongue

5. 文章最后一句话中的“幸运的读者”指的是 _____.

[A] 那些被灌输了诗歌是优美的和智慧的这种概念的孩子

[B] 那些脑子里装满了精彩、优美歌曲的孩子

[C] 那些会讲精致、优雅的语言的孩子

[D] 那些语言能力高超的孩子

答案：A　难度系数：☆☆

分析：细节题。理解这句话需要结合上下文，文章最后一段主要是讲述休斯认为诗歌在教育孩子方面发挥着特殊的作用，他认为孩子需要的是诗歌，是精致、完美的语言，如果真的拥有这些了，那么孩子的语言能力就会出神入化，那他们就是幸运的读者了。虽然四个答案都仿佛正确，但从根本上来说，是因为读诗，孩子才会拥有以上所说的一切，才是幸运的，而且本段也着重强调诗歌对于教育孩子的重要性。因此，最佳答案为A。





参考译文


1957年，他横空出世，成为战后英国最具爆炸性的诗坛天才。当时，诗歌的主要题材皆是日常生活中乏味的琐事。但出生在约克郡的特德·休斯的作品却与其前辈截然不同，他27岁时在名为《雨中的鹰》一书中发表了第一首诗。受詹姆士一世风格的影响，其诗歌呈现出一种梦幻般的激情，其最显著的特点是，休斯可以描述动物外表下面的东西，无论是狐狸、水獭还是猪。这些动物的确是真实的，但同时又是标志性的，代表着乡村，代表着它们植根的地球的生命之源。正是这一点赋予了其作品一种野性和原始的气息。

这一点不仅仅在英国得到认同。休斯的书也在美国出版，并且赢得了一项重要的文学奖——加尔布雷思奖。但是在1963年，西尔维亚·普拉斯自杀了，1956年他在剑桥大学第一次见到这个年轻的美国诗人，当年夏天成为了他的妻子。这之后很长的时间里，休斯都受到人们的谴责，尤其遭到美国女权主义者的抨击。1998年，也就是休斯去世的那一年，他在自己一本名为《生日信札》的结构松散的诗集中公开了他俩的关系，打破了自己一直以来的缄默。在这本令人兴奋的新书信集中，休斯回忆了他第一个妻子的死，称此事对于他来说是“难以处理的大事情”。他感觉自己的一举一动都受到监视，他的天赋因而受到了制约。直到决定公开自己与妻子的关系后，他身上的负担才得以减轻。

他的自我剖析自然、饱含痛苦，极具自知之明。尽管书中竭尽所能地表达了其精神上的苦痛，但文字本身却具有休斯早期诗作的激情和活力。某些书信集只是个人经历的记录而已，但是诗人的书信集中却不同，休斯的也不例外。他的书信集中描写了其文学生涯：几乎所有的书信都有关于写作状态或写作性质的思考，有他自己的，也有别人的。休斯的文学生命轨迹是从无名到闻名，而后，在众人看来又经历了漫长的名誉扫地的阶段，直到生命的尽头。这些信中处处都显现出休斯因自己成为半私人、半公开这样一种人物而反复挣扎的心理，他渴望全身心地投入文字当中，但私人空间又时时受到侵扰。

有意思而令人费解的是，休斯还对自己的诗歌进行评论，他甚至还以局外人的身份来看待自己的作品，幽默地批评自己的诗歌“有空想色彩、唯美且咬文嚼字”。他还从始至终坚信，诗歌在教育孩子方面有特殊的作用。1988年，他在给保守党政府教育部长的一封信中这样写道：“孩子们需要的是满脑子的歌曲，其实也不是歌曲，而是精致、优秀、堪称楷模的语言。”如果真能做到这样，那么孩子们的“语言能力就会炉火纯青了”。真是幸运的读者，不管是成人还是孩子。





TEXT THREE


Controlled bleeding or cauterisation? That was the unappealing choice facing UBS, a Swiss bank which has been badly hurt by the carnage in America's mortgage market. The bank opted for the latter. First it opened the wound, by announcing a hefty $10 billion write-down on its exposure to subprime-infected debt. UBS now expects a loss for the fourth quarter, which ends this month. Then came the hot iron: news of a series of measures to shore up the bank's capital base, among them investments from sovereign-wealth funds in Singapore and the Middle East.

Bad news had been expected. UBS's third-quarter write-down of over SFr4 billion in October looked overly optimistic compared with more aggressive markdowns at other banks such as Citigroup and Merrill Lynch. Steep falls in the market value of subprime debt since the end of the third quarter made it certain that UBS would take more pain, given its sizeable exposure to toxic collateralised-debt obligations（CDOs）. Analysts at Citigroup were predicting in November that write-downs of up to SFr14 billion were possible.

Why then did this new batch of red ink still come as a shock? The answer lies not in the scale of the overall loss, more in UBS's decision to take the hit in one go. The bank's mark-to-model approach to valuing its subprime-related holdings had been based on payments data from the underlying mortgage loans. Although these data show a worsening in credit quality, the deterioration is slower than mark-to-market valuations, which have the effect of instantly crystallising all expected future losses.

Thanks to this gradualist approach, UBS had been expected to take write-downs in managed increments of SFr2 billion-3 billion over a period of several quarters. It now appears that the bank has incorporated market values into its model, sending its fourth-quarter write-downs into orbit. The change of approach may be on the advice of auditors and regulators but it is more likely to reflect a desire by UBS's bosses to avoid months of speculation about the bank's exposure, something that Marcel Rohner, the chief executive, described as “distracting”.

In a particular indignity for a bank long associated with conservatism, concerns about the level of UBS's capital ratio had even started to surface. Hence the moves to strengthen its tier-one capital, an important measure of bank solidity, by SFr19.4 billion, a great deal more than the write-down. The majority of that money will come from sovereign-wealth funds, the white knights of choice for today's bank in distress. Singapore's GIC, which manages the city-state's foreign reserves, has pledged to buy SFr11 billion-worth of convertible bonds in UBS; an unnamed Middle Eastern investor will put in a further SFr2 billion. UBS will also raise money by selling treasury shares, and save cash by issuing its 2007 dividend in the form of shares. Its capital ratio is expected to end up above 12% in the fourth quarter, a strong position.

Hopeful talk of lines being drawn under the subprime crisis has been a feature of banks' quarterly reporting since September. Marrying bigger-than-expected write-downs with bigger-than-expected boosts to capital looks like the right treatment in this environment. But UBS still cannot be sure that its problems are over. Further deterioration in its subprime asset values is possible; the broader economic impact of the credit crunch is unclear; and the damage to the bank's reputation cannot yet be quantified. The patient still needs watching.

1. The author uses the metaphor “hot iron” to imply that _____.

[A] UBS again becomes a victim of America's mortgage market

[B] UBS's capital base has obtained adequate financial support to digest its debt

[C] those measures will forcefully stop UBS from further loss

[D] good news from those measures would prevent UBS from bankruptcy

2. Compared with the mark-to-market valuations, the mark-to-model approach could _____.

[A] slow down the worsening in credit quality

[B] present the effect of instantly crystallization of all expected future loss

[C] show data against a worsening the credit quality

[D] accelerate the deterioration in credit quality

3. The reason that Marcel Rohner thought the change of approach was “distracting” is _____.

[A] this change was unexpected to take place in such a situation

[B] this change was result of the advice of auditors and regulators

[C] this change was not favorite to UBS's speculation about the bank's exposure

[D] this change was taken to make people dispel their guess

4. The phrase “the white knights” (Line 4, Paragraph 5) most probably means _____.

[A] rich people

[B] wealthy saviors

[C] generous investors

[D] brave fighters

5. The author's attitude towards UBS's future is _____.

[A] optimistic

[B] pessimistic

[C] uncertain

[D] none of the above





文章剖析


本篇文章介绍了UBS银行目前面临的困境以及为摆脱困境而采取的一系列措施。第一段讲述UBS银行在面对困境时做出了强行解决的选择；第二段讲述UBS银行目前面临的不利的因素；第三段和第四段分析了其估值的方式；第五段讲述UBS银行为解决资金困难而采取的一系列措施；第六段分析UBS银行面临的一些问题。





词汇注释


carnage n. 大屠杀，残杀

hefty adj. 异常大的，相当多的

write-down n. ［会计］账面价值的故意降低

shore up 支持

markdowns n. 削价

increment n. 增加，增量

distracting adj. 转移注意力的

indignity n. 轻蔑，侮辱，侮辱的行为

solidity n. 可靠性

pledge vi. 保证，发誓；抵押，典当

boost n. 增加，提高

crunch n. 危急情况，紧急状态





难句突破


①Then came the hot iron: news of a series of measures to shore up the bank's capital base, among them investments from sovereign-wealth funds in Singapore and the Middle East.

主体句式：Then came the hot iron...

结构分析：这是一个有复杂同位语的简单句。news of...是前面the hot iron的同位语，to shore up the bank's capital base是不定式短语作定语，修饰前面的measures，而后面的among them...也是用来修饰measures的，即具体介绍其中的一些措施。