Robert Burns, the son of a hard-working and intelligent farmer, was the oldest of seven children. Although always hard pressed financially, their father encouraged his sons with their education. As a result, Burns not only read the Scottish poetry of Ramsay and the collections by Hailes and Herd, but also the works of Pope, Locke, and Shakespeare.

By 1781, Burns had tried his hand at several agricultural jobs without success. Although he had begun writing, and his poems were spread widely in manuscript (手稿), none were published until 1786, when Burns published Chiefly in the Scottish Dialect (1786), which was an immediate success. Later Burns brought out a second edition of his poems at Edinburgh in 1787, and for two winters he was socially active in the Scottish city. In 1788 he retired to a farm at Ellis land. By 1791 Burns had failed as a farmer, and he moved to Dumfries, where he held a position as a tax collector. He died of illness at 37.

Burns’s art is at its best in songs such as My Heart’s in the Highlands. Some of his songs, such as Auld Lang Syne and Comin’ thro’ the Rye, are among the most familiar and best-loved songs in the English language. But his talent was not limited to songs; two descriptive pieces, Tam o’ Shanter and The Jolly Beggars, are among his masterpieces.

Burns had a fine sense of humor, which was reflected in his satirical (讽刺的), descriptive, and playful poems. His great popularity with the Scots lay in his ability to describe the life of his fellow rural Scots. His use of dialect brought an energetic, much-needed freshness into English poetry.

1. What can we learn from the first paragraph?

A．Burn had a wealthy childhood.

B．Burns was best loved by his parents.

C．Burns’s father cared more about his kids’ education.

D．Burns wanted to be a poet when he grew up.

2.Robert was not officially accepted by readers until______.

A．1781             B．1786             C．1787             D．1791

3. Robert made his best achievement in art by writing _______.

A．songs            B．poems            C．stories            D．humors

4. What was Robert’s biggest contribution to English poetry?

A．His satirical style.                        B．His descriptiveness.

C．His fine sense of humor.                  D．His use of Scottish dialect.

5. We can conclude from the passage that Robert _______.

A．majored in agriculture when he was a student

B．earned a lot of money by publishing his poems

C．was a failure in managing farms but a success in art

D．showed much interest in collecting tax before he died

Robert Burns, the son of a hard-working and intelligent farmer, was the oldest of seven children. Although always hard pressed financially, their father encouraged his sons with their education. As a result, Burns not only read the Scottish poetry of Ramsay and the collections by Hailes and Herd, but also the works of Pope, Locke, and Shakespeare.
By 1781, Burns had tried his hand at several agricultural jobs without success. Although he had begun writing, and his poems were spread widely in manuscript (手稿), none were published until 1786, when Burns published Chiefly in the Scottish Dialect (1786), which was an immediate success. Later Burns brought out a second edition of his poems at Edinburgh in 1787, and for two winters he was socially active in the Scottish city. In 1788 he retired to a farm at Ellis land. By 1791 Burns had failed as a farmer, and he moved to Dumfries, where he held a position as a tax collector. He died of illness at 37.
Burns’s art is at its best in songs such as My Heart’s in the Highlands. Some of his songs, such as Auld Lang Syne and Comin’ thro’ the Rye, are among the most familiar and best-loved songs in the English language. But his talent was not limited to songs; two descriptive pieces, Tam o’ Shanter and The Jolly Beggars, are among his masterpieces.
Burns had a fine sense of humor, which was reflected in his satirical (讽刺的), descriptive, and playful poems. His great popularity with the Scots lay in his ability to describe the life of his fellow rural Scots. His use of dialect brought an energetic, much-needed freshness into English poetry.
【小题1】 What can we learn from the first paragraph?

What do literary greats Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Robert Burns have in common? They both lived and wrote in Edinburgh, along with many other big names in the field of literature. This fact helped UNESCO (联合国教科文组织) award the city the title of world's first City of Literature on October 14.

Edinburgh left a lasting impression on Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930). Although he was born there he went to school in England but returned home for medical school. After graduating he moved to London and began writing his Sherlock Holmes stories. His inspiration for the character came from one of his professors at university. Holmes' methods were so clever that they actually furthered the advance of the study of criminology (犯罪学).

Robert Burns (1759-1796) is still regarded as Scotland's national poet, more than 200 years after his death. He is celebrated all over the world through translations of his work and the annual Burns Night supper on his birthday. One of his songs, "My Love is Like a Red Red Rose" ranks among the finest love songs ever written and "Auld Lang Syne" (友谊地久天长) is sung all around the world．

As one of the first literate societies in Europe, the Scottish Parliament passed the world's first compulsory (义务) education law in 1496. By the 1790s, almost all Scots could read． Visitors to Scotland often observed that even the lowest members of society had copies of Burns' poems and other books.

Edinburgh was awarded the title of world's first City of Literature because _____.

       A．the first award ceremony of literature was held there

       B．many literary greats like Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Robert Burns were born there

       C．it left a deep impression on many literary greats like Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

       D． many literary greats like Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Robert Burns often wrote about it

Arthur Conan Doyle was remembered mainly for his _____.

       A．detective stories   B．love poems and songs  

       C．contribution to the study of criminology       D． clever writing skill

In honour of Robert Burns, _____.

       A．"My Love is Like a Red Red Rose" and "Auld Lang Syne" are sung all around the world

       B．his works are translated into many languages every year

       C．a celebration is held more than 200 years after his death

       D． a celebration is held every year on his birthday

In the last paragraph, the writer mainly discussed _____.

       A．the impression of visitors to Scotland

       B．how Burn’s poems are popular in Scotland

       C．the possible history reasons for many literary greats in Scotland

       D． how the world’s first compulsory education law was made

The birthday party started with a song of "Happy Birthday to You", and ended up ____ the singing of "Auld Lang Syne."

A. with 　 　 B. to　　　 C. in 　 　　 D. at

What do literary greats Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Robert Burns have in common? They both lived and wrote in Edinburgh, along with many other big names in the field of literature．This fact helped UNESCO（联合国教科文组织）award the city the title of world's first City of Literature on October 14．

Edinburgh left a lasting impression on Arthur Conan Doyle（1859-1930）．Although he was born there he went to school in England but returned home for medical school．After graduating he moved to London and began writing his Sherlock Holmes stories．His inspiration for the character came from one of his professors at university．Holmes' methods were so clever that they actually furthered the advance of the study of criminology（犯罪学）．

Robert Burns（1759-1796）is still regarded as Scotland's national poet，more than 200 years after his death．He is celebrated all over the world through translations of his work and the annual Burns Night supper on his birthday．One of his songs，“My Love is Like a Red Red Rose” ranks among the finest love songs ever written and “Auld Lang Syne” (友谊地久天长) is sung all around the world．

As one of the first literate societies in Europe，the Scottish Parliament passed the world's first compulsory (义务) education law in 1496．By the 1790s，almost all Scots could read．Visitors to Scotland often observed that even the lowest members of society had copies of Burns' poems and other books．

63．Edinburgh was awarded the title of world's first City of Literature because                     ．

A．the first award ceremony of literature was held there

B．many literary greats like Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Robert Burns were born there

C．it left a deep impression on many literary greats like Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

D．many literary greats like Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Robert Burns often wrote about it

64．Arthur Conan Doyle was remembered mainly for his                ．

A．detective stories                                          B．love poems and songs

C．contribution to the study of criminology        D．clever writing skill

65．In honor of Robert Burns，                 ．

A．“My Love is Like a Red Red Rose” and “Auld Lang Syne” are sung all around the world

B．his works are translated into many languages every year

C．a celebration is held more than 200 years after his death

D．a celebration is held every year on his birthday

66．In the last paragraph，the writer mainly discussed             ．

A．the impression of visitors to Scotland

B．how Burn's poems are popular in Scotland

C．the possible history reasons for many literary greats in Scotland

D．how the world's first compulsory education law was made