Directions: After reading the passage below, fill in the blanks to make the passage coherent and grammatically correct. For the blanks with a given word, fill in each blank with the proper form of the given word; for the other blanks, use one word that best fits each blank.
Poetry: beauty of the past?
The victory of Wu Yishu, a 16-year-old student from Shanghai, at the Chinese Poetry Conference has sparked a storm of media attention to the topic of Chinese poetry. The girl has won 【小题1】 much applause and admiration with her extensive knowledge and fast reactions. Her performance, however, also posed some food for thought: As Chinese, are we spending too little time 【小题2】 (learn) the literary gem(精品) of our nation? Will we be able to pass on this brilliant piece of culture to our future generations?
Some people are saying that memorizing hundreds of poems is useless in real life, and I beg to differ. No knowledge is ever useless. Oftentimes one 【小题3】 grow up and wonder, “Why did I learn that? I won’t ever use it.” Take calculus(微积分) for example. You may never use calculus again, 【小题4】 it is not worthless. The process of learning calculus trains your brain to spot patterns and solve problems using logic.
The advantage of learning poetry might be a little more abstract. Just like many of the arts, poetry is seemingly 【小题5】 (practical) than subjects such as maths or science. However, it represents mankind’s appreciation of beauty. Just as “A picture is worth a thousand words,” poetry can paint a thousand pictures. In a day and age when individuals are swept up in the hustle and bustle of city life, poetry and literature provide a refuge, a little reminder 【小题6】 (slow) things down and enjoy the beauty present in the everyday life.
What point is there moving forward if nothing is left behind? 【小题7】 many of us may know, China 【小题8】 (label) many heritage sites as “protected”, spending millions to preserve them. These sites are part of China’s history and culture, things that should not be forgotten or destroyed just 【小题9】 the country is modernizing. Poetry is just like these cultural heritage sites, except 【小题10】 spending money doesn’t really protect it. The only way to keep it safe is to pass on the knowledge through generations. Do not think of poetry as part of schoolwork; think of it as a piece of culture, just like receiving red packets or getting together with your family every Chinese New Year—you wouldn’t want that to disappear, would you?
