Module 6 The Tang Poems

跟踪导练

阅读理解

A

After analyzing 14.5 billion words used in daily news coverage in 2021， The Oxford English Dictionary has chosen “vax” as the Word of the Year.

Oxford Languages， the publisher of the dictionary， reported that “vax”， the shortened term for “vaccine （疫苗）”， has injected itself into the bloodstream of the English language， and is a catchy and punchy word for 2021.

A contributing factor to its rise in 2021—aside from its obvious relation to the COVID vaccine drive—is its adaptability， according to Fiona McPherson， a senior editor of The Oxford English Dictionary. It can mean either vaccine or vaccination as a noun and vaccinate as a verb， and it is the root of many other phrases such as “vax cards”， “vax passports”， and “getting vaxxed”. The word has also been changed into other inventive words like vaxxie， a selfie （自拍） taken during or immediately before or after one's vaccination.“It has made the most striking impact，” said FionaMcPherson.

Vax and vaxx are both accepted spellings， but the form with one x is more common. It was first recorded in English in 1799， while its derivatives （衍生词）“vaccinate” and “vaccination” both first appeared in 1800. All of these words ultimately came from the Latin word “vacca”， which means “cow”. According to The Oxford English Dictionary， this is due to English physician and scientist Edward Jenner's pioneering work on vaccination against smallpox in the late 1790s and early 1800s.

“The word's highest frequency in usage caught our attention first. Then we ran the analysis and a story started to emerge， revealing how 'vax' sat at the center of our preoccupations this year，” Casper Grathwohl， the president of Oxford Languages， said in an interview.“No word better captures the atmosphere of the year than 'vax'.”

1. Why is vax chosen as the Word of the Year？

A. It is from The Oxford English Dictionary.   B. It is accepted by Oxford Languages.

C. It appears most frequently in news.        D. It is reporters' favorite word.

2. Which of the following best describes the word vax？

A. Fixed.          B. Complex.        C. Adaptable.       D. Boring.

3. Where does the word vax come from？

A. Edward Jenner's pioneering work.         B. The Oxford English Dictionary.

C. The Latin word vacca.                 D. The Latin word cow.

4. What does the text mainly talk about？

A. Making vax changeable.               B. Researching the origin of vax.

C. Choosing vax as the Word of 2021.        D. Analyzing vax in The Oxford English Dictionary.

B

The works of Shakespeare and Wordsworth are boosters （助推器） to the brain and better than some guide books， researchers said.

Scientists， psychologists and English experts at Liverpool University have found that reading the works of Shakespeare and other classical writers has a beneficial effect on the mind， catches the readers' attention and triggers （触发） moments of self-reflection. Using scanners， they monitored the brain activity of volunteers as they read works by William Shakespeare， William Wordsworth， T. S. Eliot and other classical writers.

They then “translated” the original texts into more “straightforward” modern language and again monitored the readers' brains as they read the words. Scans showed that the more “challenging” essays and poetry set off far more electrical activity in the brain than the much plainer versions. Scientists were able to study the brain activity as it responded to each word and record how it “lit up” as the readers encountered unusual words， surprising phrases or difficult sentence structures. This “lighting up” of the mind lasts longer， shifting （转动） the brain to a higher speed， encouraging further reading.

The research also found that reading poetry， in particular， increases activity in the right side of the brain， helping readers to reflect on their own experiences， which they compare with what they have read. This， according to the researchers， meant that the classical works were more useful than guide books.

Philip Davis， an English professor， believes， “The research shows the power of literature to shift thinking patterns， to create new thoughts， shapes and connections in the young and adults alike.”

5. According to the text， reading classical works can      .

A. improve our reading skills              B. benefit our mind and thinking

C. help learn more about history           D. help deal with physical problems