Unit 11


TEXT ONE


“WHANG—Boom—Boom—cast delicacy to the winds.” Thus Ezra Pound in a letter to his father, urging the old man to help promote his first published collection. It might have been the poet's manifesto.

Pound is as divisive a figure today as he was in his own lifetime. For some he was the leading figure of the Modernist movement who redefined what poetry was and could be; and who, in his role as cultural impresario, gave vital impetus to the literary careers of T. S. Eliot, James Joyce and Wyndham Lewis, among others. But for many Pound remains a freak and an embarrassment, a clinical nutcase and vicious anti-Semite who churned out a lot of impenetrable tosh before losing the plot completely.

During the Second World War he broadcast pro-Fascist radio programmes from Italy and later avoided trial for treason at home only because he was declared insane. On his release from St. Elizabeth's Hospital near Washington, D.C., he returned to Italy (“America is a lunatic asylum”), where he died in 1972 aged 87.

David Moody, emeritus professor of English at York University, makes a strong case for Pound's “generous energy” and the “disruptive, regenerative force of his genius”. His approach (unlike Pound's) is uncontroversial. He follows the poet's progress chronologically from his childhood in Idaho—still, at the time of his birth in 1885, part of the wild west—to his conquest of literary London between 1908 and 1920. He marshals Pound's staggering output of poetry, prose and correspondence to excellent effect, and offers clear, perceptive commentary on it. He helps us to see poems, such as this famous, peculiarly haunting 19-syllable haiku, in a new light:

The apparition of these faces in the crowd:

Petals on a wet, black bough.

That Mr. Moody is constantly being upstaged by the subject of his study is not surprising. Pound was one of the most colourful artistic figures in a period full of them.

According to Ford Madox Ford, who became a good friend of Pound's shortly after the bumptious young American arrived in London: “Ezra would approach with the step of a dancer, making passes with a cane at an imaginary opponent. He would wear trousers made of green billiard cloth, a pink coat, a blue shirt, a tie hand-painted by a Japanese friend, an immense sombrero, a flaming beard cut to a point and a single large blue earring.” W. B. Yeats's simple assessment was that: “There is no younger generation of poets. E. P. is a solitary volcano.”

A great merit of Mr. Moody's approach is the space he gives to Pound's writings. It is love-it-or-hate-it stuff, but, either way, undeniably fascinating. “All good art is realism of one kind or another,” Pound said. Reconciling that tidy statement with practically any of his poems is hard work but, as Mr. Moody shows over and over again, hard work that offers huge rewards. His first volume ends in 1920, with Pound quitting London in a huff, finally fed up—after more than a decade of doing everything in his power to rattle the intellectual establishment—with “British insensitivity to, and irritation with, mental agility in any and every form”. His disgraceful radio programmes and the full blooming of his loopiness lie ahead. So, too, do most of his exquisite Cantos.

1. Pound was a divisive figure in that _____.

[A] he brought both positive and negative effects to the development of the Modernist movement

[B] he was both a poet and a person with mental problem

[C] he was politically a racist while he was also pro-Fascist

[D] he was a man of complex and unintelligible personality

2. When Pound was released from hospital, he returned to Italy because _____.

[A] Italy was his hometown

[B] he was persecuted by Americans

[C] he disliked America

[D] he was out of his mind

3. Which one of the following statements is NOT true of David Moody's study on Pound?

[A] His literary approach is unlike that of Pound's, being less contradictory.

[B] He focuses on Pound's poetry itself instead of his personality, attempting to keep objective.

[C] He traces the poet's life in time order to study Pound's achievement.

[D] His study offers a fresh sight of Pound's work.

4. From Yeats's simple assessment, it can be inferred that _____.

[A] Pound was of exploding power in his literary creation

[B] Pound's achievement could hardly be reached by later poets

[C] Pound's excellence was unsurpassable in his time

[D] it would take a long time for Pound's generation to fully understand him

5. The word “rattle”（Line 5, Last paragraph） most probably means _____.

[A] set up

[B] destroy

[C] struggle

[D] disturb





文章剖析


这篇文章主要介绍了Pound的两个不同侧面。第一段用Pound的一句诗歌来引出Pound的态度；第二段讲述人们对于Pound不同的看法；第三段讲述他播放亲法西斯广播节目的事件；第四段和第五段讲述了David Moody对Pound的分析；第六段讲述其他人对Pound的评价；第七段讲述Moody先生分析的特点。





词汇注释


impresario n. 发起人；经理

nutcase n. 疯子

churn out 大量地粗制滥造

tosh n. 胡话

asylum n. 收容所

emeritus adj. 名誉退休的

marshal vt. 整理

upstage vt. 傲慢地对待

bumptious adj. 傲慢的

billiard cloth 台球布，台球桌面昵

sombrero n. 宽边帽

loopiness n. 失去理智





难句突破


① For some he was the leading figure of the Modernist movement who redefined what poetry was and could be; and who, in his role as cultural impresario, gave vital impetus to the literary careers of T. S. Eliot, James Joyce and Wyndham Lewis, among others.

主体句式：For some he was the leading figure... who..., and who...

结构分析：句中两个由who引导的定语从句都是修饰表语the leading figure的；在后一个定语从句中，介词短语in...是从句的状语。

句子译文：对于一些人来说，他是现代主义运动的领军人物，他重新定义了什么是诗歌及诗歌应该是什么等问题。而作为文化发起人，他大力推进了T. S. Eliot、James Joyce和Wyndham Lewis等人的文学事业。

② Reconciling that tidy statement with practically any of his poems is hard work but, as Mr. Moody shows over and over again, hard work that offers huge rewards.

主体句式：Reconciling... is hard work but,... hard work that...

结构分析：本句的主句主语由动名词短语构成，as引导的方式状语从句是用来修饰后面的hard work that offers huge rewards的。

句子译文：将他的任何诗歌与整齐的陈述协调起来难度确实很大，但是Moody先生一次又一次地证明了，难度越大的工作，回报也越多。





题目分析


1. Pound was a divisive figure in that _____.

[A] he brought both positive and negative effects to the development of the Modernist movement

[B] he was both a poet and a person with mental problem

[C] he was politically a racist while he was also pro-Fascist

[D] he was a man of complex and unintelligible personality

1. Pound是一个有争议的人物，是因为 _____。

[A] 他给现代派运动的发展同时带来了积极和消极的影响

[B] 他既是一个诗人，又是一个精神有问题的人

[C] 他在政治上是一个种族主义者，而且还是亲法西斯者

[D] 他是一个性格复杂、让人无法理解的人

答案：D　难度系数：☆☆☆

分析：推理题。文章第二段指出，Pound过去和现在都是个备受争议的人，有人视他为文学大师，还有许多人认为他是怪人，是疯子。从全文来看，他有多面性，在文学上有巨大成就，而在现实生活中却有许多奇怪的举动。这可能都是因为他复杂的性格，令人非常难以理解。因此，答案为选项D。选项B和C都是他古怪性格和行为的一个方面，并没有全面地回答题干的问题。而选项A的表述是错误的，文章第二段指出他是现代派运动的一个领军人物，并没有提及他是否带来了积极和消极的影响。

2. When Pound was released from hospital, he returned to Italy because _____.

[A] Italy was his hometown

[B] he was persecuted by Americans

[C] he disliked America

[D] he was out of his mind

2. 当Pound被从医院放出来时，他返回了意大利，是因为 _____。

[A] 意大利是他的故乡

[B] 他被美国人所迫害

[C] 他不喜欢美国

[D] 他疯了

答案：C　难度系数：☆☆☆☆

分析：细节题。文章第三段指出，他返回了意大利，括号中有一句引言：“美国是个疯子收容所”，这应该是他的话。由此可以推断，是他不喜欢美国，才做出此举。B，虽然Pound播放亲法西斯的广播节目，但是他并没有被拘禁，而是被送到了精神病院，这不能算是迫害。因此，C为正确答案。

3. Which one of the following statements is NOT true of David Moody's study on Pound?

[A] His literary approach is unlike that of Pound's, being less contradictory.

[B] He focuses on Pound's poetry itself instead of his personality, attempting to keep objective.

[C] He traces the poet's life in time order to study Pound's achievement.

[D] His study offers a fresh sight of Pound's work.

3. 关于David Moody对于Pound的研究，以下哪个陈述是不正确的？

[A] 他的文学风格和Pound的不同，不像后者引起如此大的争议。

[B] 他重点研究Pound的诗歌本身，而不是Pound的性格，以试图保持客观的态度。

[C] 他以年代为顺序来研究Pound的成就。

[D] 他的研究为欣赏Pound的作品提供了新的视角。

答案：A　难度系数：☆☆☆

分析：细节题。选项A，第四段指出，和Pound不同，他的方法并没有引起争议。该选项最大的一个错误在于，比较的不应该是他的文学风格和Pound的文学风格。B，文章第四段最后指出，“（他）整理了Pound令人惊愕的诗歌集、散文和信件，还加上了有条理的、有洞察力的评论”，第七段的开头指出，“Moody先生的研究的最大特点就是他给Pound的作品留下想象空间。这是个‘爱他或恨他’的故事，但是不管如何，那迷人的色彩是不容置疑的”，可见他力图保持客观的态度。C，第四段提到，他按时间顺序研究了Pound的经历，该陈述正确。D，第四段也提到了这一点。因此，选项A为正确答案。

4. From Yeats's simple assessment, it can be inferred that _____.

[A] Pound was of exploding power in his literary creation

[B] Pound's achievement could hardly be reached by later poets

[C] Pound's excellence was unsurpassable in his time

[D] it would take a long time for Pound's generation to fully understand him

4. 从Yeats的简短评论中可以推断出 _____。

[A] Pound的文学创作充满了爆炸性的力量

[B] Pound的成就是后来的诗人们很难达到的

[C] Pound的出色表现在他那个时代是无人企及的

[D] 与Pound同时代的人还需要很长时间才能彻底理解他

答案：C　难度系数：☆☆☆☆

分析：推理题。Yeats对他的评价是：“没有更年轻的一代诗人了，Pound是座孤独的火山。”他的意思是，在当时只有Pound可以独树一帜，无人能及。因此，选项C最为符合题意。选项A有一定的迷惑性，因为原文中的“火山”一词有可能会误导考生选择“爆炸性的力量”，但该句的重点是评价Pound的独特性。B和D两个选项其实都与Yeats的评论内容无关。

5. The word “rattle” (Line 5, Last paragraph) most probably means _____.

[A] set up

[B] destroy

[C] struggle

[D] disturb

5. rattle这个词（最后一段第五行）最有可能的意思为 _____。

[A] 建立

[B] 摧毁

[C] 奋斗

[D] 扰乱

答案：D　难度系数：☆

分析：猜词题。根据上下文，Pound最终对英国对新的精神不感兴趣的态度感到愤怒，可以推断他自己是一个创新者，希望为英国的知识界带来一些新的气息，结果却失败了。那么，他的这种新意对已经存在的知识界应该是一种不同的东西，产生了一种扰乱的效果，因此，选项D最为符合。





参考译文


“砰砰——轰轰——轰轰——把精致扔到风中。”在Ezra Pound写给父亲的一封信中，他要求父亲帮助他宣传自己出版的第一本诗集，而这可能就是这位诗人的宣言。

Pound在他生活的时代是一个有争议的人物，直至今日仍然如此。对于一些人来说，他是现代主义运动的领军人物，他重新定义了什么是诗歌及诗歌应该是什么等问题；而作为文化发起人，他大力推进了T. S. Eliot、James Joyce和Wyndham Lewis等人的文学事业。但是，对于许多人来说，Pound还是一个怪诞的人、一个让人窘迫的人、一个疯子、一个反闪米特人的恶人，在他的阴谋彻底流产前还说了许多不可理喻的疯话。

二战期间，他播放了来自意大利的亲法西斯的广播节目，而后因被诊断为疯子才在家躲过了叛国罪的审讯。当他从华盛顿特区附近的圣·伊丽莎白医院被放出来时，他就回到了意大利（“美国是疯子收容所”），在那里他活到了87岁，于1972年去世。

David Moody是约克大学的英语荣誉教授，他找到了强有力的证据证明Pound“充沛的精力”和“他天才的分裂性的再生力量”。与Pound不同的是，他的方法是没有争议的。他先是按年代上溯至这位诗人在爱达荷州度过的童年（1885年他出生时，爱达荷州还是拓荒前的美国西部），然后一直追踪到他于1908年至1920年征服了伦敦文学界的经历。Moody整理了Pound令人惊愕的诗歌集、散文和信件，还加上了有条理、有洞察力的评论。他帮助我们用一种新的眼光来读诗，比如下面这首著名的、令人难以忘怀的19音节俳句：

人群中这些面容的出现：

湿漉漉的黑色树枝上的花瓣。

Moody先生一直以他所研究的课题而自豪，这一点都不奇怪。在艺术家辈出的年代里，Pound是最多彩的艺术家之一。

Ford Madox Ford在这个傲慢的美国年轻人到达伦敦后不久就和他成了好朋友，Ford说：“Ezra常踏着舞步过来，而且还用拐杖与假想敌激战，为自己开路。他常穿绿色的呢绒裤，粉色上衣，蓝色衬衫，打一条一个日本朋友手绘的领带，戴一顶特大的宽边帽，火红的胡须修到只剩下一点，还戴着一只很大的蓝色耳环。”W. B. Yeats的简单评价是：“没有更年轻的一代诗人了，Ezra Pound是座孤独的火山。”

Moody先生的研究的最大特点就是他给Pound的作品留下想象空间。这是个“爱他或恨他”的故事，但是不管如何，那迷人的色彩是不容置疑的。“所有好的艺术都是一种这样或那样的现实主义。”Pound说。将他的任何诗歌与整齐的陈述协调起来难度确实很大，但是Moody先生一次又一次地证明了，难度越大的工作，回报也越多。Pound的第一本诗集1920年才写完，他一怒之下离开了伦敦，在用尽自己力量震动知识界十多年后，他终于厌倦了“英国人对于任何形式的精神活力都不在乎、甚至感到恼火”。他不光彩的广播节目以及他的疯狂表现了出来，一同展现出来的，还有他大部分优美的诗歌。





TEXT TWO


Not all modern observers of Byzantium have been so willing to associate the city on the Bosphorus with universalism or cultural breadth. While Byzantium's rating has risen recently, it has not entirely shaken off the criticisms dished out in the 18th and 19th centuries, including the devastating verdict of William Lecky, an Irish historian, who in 1869 described the Byzantine empire as “the most thoroughly base and despicable form that civilisation has yet assumed”.

Even Byzantium's modern defenders have tended to set out their case in qualified terms, stressing the empire's relationship to other historical developments. Some see it as a connecting line between classical antiquity and the modern world; others, particularly those who think that civilisations are doomed perpetually to clash, stress the empire's role as a bulwark against Islam, without which Europe as a whole would have turned Muslim. Others again see it as a catalyst for the European Renaissance, especially after Hellenic talent was freed from Byzantine dogmatism.

Judith Herrin, a professor at King's College London, sets out to show that there are far better reasons to study and admire the civilisation that flourished for more than a millennium before the conquest of Constantinople in 1453, and whose legacy is still discernible all over southeast Europe and the Levant. She presents Byzantium as a vibrant, dynamic, cosmopolitan reality which somehow escaped the constraints of its official ideology. For example, despite the anti-Semitism of the empire's public discourse and theology, its complex, diversified economy could hardly have functioned without the 30-plus Jewish communities that Benjamin of Tudela, a 12th-century rabbi, described.

Ms. Herrin also shows that there was a fluid and perpetually evolving relationship between the competing influences of classical Greek learning, Greek Christianity and popular Byzantine culture. She pays particular attention to the powerful female voices that emerged from Byzantium: not just pious ladies who wrote saints' lives and hymns (including one breathtaking piece of sensual, almost erotic religious poetry) but the sophisticated political history that was penned by Anna Komnene, a frustrated would-be empress of the 12th century.

Ms. Herrin will certainly win over some sceptics. But it will remain the case that more people are drawn to Byzantine civilisation through its dazzling art and architecture than by its literature. In August 2006, for example, more than 1,000 academic specialists on Byzantium converged on London for a week-long conference. The success of the quinquennial event was a sign that Byzantine studies are flourishing in almost every corner of the world. But it is a reasonable bet that, whatever they ultimately studied, these scholars were first drawn to the Byzantine world by gazing in wonder at an icon or a frescoed church rather than by perusing the pages of Anna Komnene.

The brilliance of Byzantine art is proof enough that something extraordinary happened on the Bosphorus. And this brilliance remained undimmed even when the empire's geopolitical fortunes were collapsing. Snobbish Western classicists who called Byzantium a poor substitute for ancient Greece may have missed the point. True, the Byzantine world was weighed down by deference to classical Greek models. But that charge could also be laid against the pedagogues who used to dominate the study of the humanities in the Western world. Right now, Byzantine history is in vogue at many universities while old-fashioned classical studies are struggling to hold their own.

1. Modern observers and defenders do not highly praise Byzantium's culture because _____.

[A] the civilizations of the empire were short of universalism or cultural breadth

[B] William Lecky, who is the leading figure of the Byzantium's study, depreciated the culture of Byzantium greatly

[C] criticisms against the Byzantium in the history biased people

[D] Byzantium's culture was completely devastated in the 18th and 19th centuries

2. The example by Herrin in the third paragraph may prove that _____.

[A] the civilization of Byzantium is worth of studying and admiring

[B] Byzantium' civilization had flourished a much longer time than people usually perceive it and such influence has been neglected

[C] to some extent, it is not necessary to relate Byzantium the city with the whole empire's public discourse and theology