A
William Butler Yeats，a most famous Irish writer，was born in Dublin on June 13, 1865.His childhood lacked the harmony (和睦) that was typical of a happy family.Later, Yeats shocked his family by saying that he remembered “little of childhood but its pain”．In fact，he inherited (继承) excellent taste in art from his family—both his father and his brother were painters.But he finally settled on literature, particularly drama (戏剧) and poetry.
Yeats had strong faith in the coming of new artistic movements.He set himself the fresh task in founding an Irish national theatre in the late 1890s.His early theatrical experiments, however, were not received favorably at the beginning.He didn't lose heart, and finally enjoyed success in his poetical drama.
Compared with his dramatic works, Yeats's poems attract much admiring notice.The subject matter includes love, nature, history, time and aging.Though Yeats generally relied on very traditional forms, he brought modern sensibility to them.As his literary life progressed ，his poetry grew finer and richer, which led him to worldwide recognition.
He had not enjoyed a major public lift since winning the Nobel Prize in 1923.Yet, he continued writing almost to the end of his life.Had Yeats stopped writing at age 40，he would probably now be valued as a minor poet, for there is no other example in literary history of a poet who produces his greatest works between the ages of 50 and 75.After Yeats's death in 1939，W.H.Auden wrote, among others, the following lines：
Earth, receive an honoured guest：
William Yeats is laid to rest.
Let the Irish vessel (船) lie
Emptied of its poetry.
文章大意：本文主要介绍了叶芝在文学方面的巨大成就。
1．Which of the following can describe Yeats's family？__D__
A．It filled Yeats's childhood with laughter.
B．It was shocked by Yeats's choice.
C．It was a typically wealthy family.
D．It had an artistic atmosphere.
解析：推理判断题。根据第一段中的“In fact，he inherited (继承) excellent taste in art from his family—both his father and his brother were painters.”可知，叶芝的家庭里具有艺术氛围。
2．According to the passage, what do we know about Yeats's life？__C__
A．Yeats founded the first Irish theatre.
B．Yeats stuck to modern forms in his poetry.
C．Yeats began to produce his best works from the 1910s.
D．Yeats was not favored by the public until the 1923 Nobel Prize.
解析：推理判断题。根据第一段中的“...was born in Dublin on June 13,1865.”以及最后一段中的“...who produces his greatest works between the ages of 50 and 75.”可知C项正确。
3．What kind of feeling is expressed in W．H.Auden's lines？__D__
A．Envy. B．Sympathy.
C．Emptiness. D．Admiration.
解析：推理判断题。诗歌的第一行把Yeats尊称为“贵宾”，表达了作者对叶芝的敬仰之情，故选择D项。诗歌译文：泥土呵，请接纳一位贵宾，威廉·叶芝已永远安寝；让这爱尔兰的大船歇下，既然他的诗已尽倾洒。
4．What is the passage mainly about？__A__
A．Yeats's literary achievements.
B．Yeats's historical influence.
C．Yeats's artistic ambition.
D．Yeats's national honor.
解析：主旨大意题。由文章的体裁和内容可知，本文主要介绍了叶芝在文学方面的巨大成就。A项可涵盖文章的主要内容，其他选项都只是文中的部分信息。
