ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Peter Steinhart is a famous contemporary naturalist and a writer in the United States. He was an_ editor and columnist at Audubon, and his work has appeared in Harper's, The New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, and other newspapers and magazines.
Peter Steinhart has been a contributor to Audubon magazine for twelve years. One of his famous publication is The Company of Wolves published by New York: Random House in 1996.
VOCABULARY ITEMS
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NOTES
1. Beethoven: Beethoven, Ludwig van (1770—1827), German composer, considered one of the greatest musicians of all time. 2. Moonlight Sonata: Beethoven’s Piano Sonata in C Major (Waldstein). German composer Ludwig van Beethoven’s piano sonata in C major, op.53(1803—1804) was dedicated to the patron Count Ferdinand von Waldstein.
3. Shakespeare: Shakespeare, William(1564—1616), English playwright and poet, recognized in much of the world as the greatest of all dramatists. Hundreds of editions of his plays have been published, including translations in all major languages. 4. The Merchant of Venice: comedy by English playwright William Shakespeare, written around 1596. It is regarded by some
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scholars as the strongest and most successful of Shakespeare’s early comedies.
EXERCISES
I. Reading Comprehension
A. Answer the following questions or complete the following statements.
1. The author often goes to the hill near his home at night because_______.
A. he likes climbing the hill when it is dark
B. he enjoys listening to the songs of crickets and owls C. he likes the drama shown on the hill D. he wants to regain peace and clarity
2. From the description of the moon in Paragraph 2, we know that
to the author the moon . A. is ill-tempered like a bad girl B. is always kind to humans C. has all the characters we have
D. has different characters in different seasons 3. To the prehistoric hunters, the moon was _______. A. something that made them cheerful
B. natural light that helped them work at night C. something that helped them set time D. something beyond their understanding
4. According t:o the author, the contemporary people ________. A. no longer love watching the full moon as much as our ancestors
B. still enjoy watching the full moon if they have a chance C. grow less and less familiar with the moon D. think that there is no sense watching the moon
5. One July evening the author stayed for a long time on the mountain because_____.
A. he wanted to stay away from_ the pollution and noise of the city
B. his car broke clown and he could seek nobody for help C. he was stranded there by the forest fire
D. he wanted to get the gift bestowed by the moon
6. According to the author watching the moonrise can___________.
A. add confidence and laugh to him
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B. make him feel calm in the heart C. make him feel unimportant
D. help him come up with new ideas 7. What helped the author restart his car? A. The spell of the rising moon. B. His returned good mood.
C. A mysterious power from the moon. D. Probably the cool temperature at night.
8. The author often returns to the rising moon especially when A. he feels tired from his busy life B. he wants to contemplate C. it is autumn
D. he has peace in his heart
9. The author mentions Beethoven and Shakespeare because A. both of them loved the moon as he does B. their verse and music are the most famous
C. the moonrise is as beautiful as a poem or music D. the author only remembers their names
10. In the passage, the author describes the moon with similes and metaphors to
A. show his love and respect for the moon B. show that the moon is all powerful
C. arouse people's close feelings to the moon
D. call on the readers to watch the moon for themselves
B. Compete the following OUTLINE of the text by filling in the blanks.
1. The author often climbs the hill near his home at night to
watch____________ because________________________. 2. To the author the different mood and color of the moon are: (1) In autumn:__________________________________________. (2) In spring: __________________________________________. (3) In winter: __________________________________________. (4) In summer: _________________________________________.
3. A. To prehistoric hunters the moon overhead was _______________.
B. To contemporary people who live indoors few can say
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_____________.
C. But if we unexpectedly encounter the full moon, we are helpless _________.
4. The moon has gifts to bestow upon those who watch it:
Example: One July evening in the mountains, the author's car_______________.
He took the advantage to_____________.
When he got back into the car, the engine _____________________.
5. Later on the author often returns to the rising moon when _________________. He listens to ____________________ and thinks________________. 6. At moonrise, people open______________________________________________.
II. Vocabulary
A. Choose the best word from the four choices to complete each of the following sentences.
1. When she arose to speak in their assemblies, her commanding figure and dignified manners _________ every trifler into silence A. rushed B. hushed C. cashed D.pushed
2. In many of his paintings of town, harbors, and rivers, Marquer showed a particular gift for simplification that seized ______ upon the essentials in the scene before him.
A. unexpectedly B. unavoidably C. unerringly D. unbleiveably
3. The old gentleman was so much immersed in business, that he was unable to __________much attention upon me
A. bestow B. bewilder C. beware D. betray
4. The most famous________ whiteface clown is Felix Adler, who performed in the early and mid-20th century.
A. picturesque B. unique C. technique D. grotesque 5. By the 1st century B.C., Roman power was growing and Greek influence had begun to ___________.
A. ware B. waver C. weave D. warp
6. To starboard, at Hurghada, behind ______ ranks of coral reefs, lay the important Marine Biological Station of the University of Egypt.
A. severe B. serried C. seduced D. sentimental
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