A
Have you ever listened to the sound of a raindrop？You might call the small sounds earth songs.Is it possible to catch earth songs，or to put them into words?
Long ago，poets in Japan listened，watched，and did catch the beauty of the earth's songs.They did this with the tiniest poems in the world，called haiku.A haiku is a poem that is just three lines and seventeen syllables long.And the poets who wrote them watched and listened，not only with their eyes and ears，but also with their hearts!
In their haiku，the early Japanese poets caught the colors，sounds，and beauties of the seasons of the year.They sang of their islands' beauties.Their miniature poems were not meant to fully describe a scene or to explain it but rather were a flash impression.
The old poets are not the only writers of haiku.Today Japanese farmers，shopkeepers，grandparents，and students write it，and because of its strong appeal，haiku is written in many other countries throughout the world.
Interestingly enough，Japanese poetry has had a long and colorful history.In the prehaiku period in the early eighth century，Japanese poets wrote katauta，poems in a questionandanswer form，using two people.Each threeline verse(诗节)contained about seventeen syllables that could be delivered easily in one breath—just as one would naturally ask or answer a question.This has remained the basic pattern for traditional Japanese poetry throughout the centuries.
Another form that appeared was the tanka，which contained five lines and thirtyone syllables(57577)，written by either one or two persons.From that evolved(发展)the renga，which contained more than one verse，or link.Written by three or more people，it could have as many as 100 links！The first verse of the renga introduced a subject.It had three lines and was called hokku，or starting verse.Renga parties became a great pleasure.
Around 1450，haikai no renga became popular.This style of linked verse contained puns(双关)and was humorous and amusing.The opening three lines were still called a hokku，and from haikai and hokku the term haiku evolved.
【语篇解读】 本文是一篇说明文，主要介绍了日本三行俳句诗的历史。
1．What does the underlined word“miniature”in Paragraph 3 mean?
A．Easy. B．Little.
C．Detailed. D．Selected.
B [词义猜测题。由第二段中的“the tiniest poems”和“A haiku is a poem that is just three lines and seventeen syllables long.”以及画线词后的“a flash impression”可知，haiku是一种微型诗。]
2．We know from the text that katauta________．
A．was humorous and amusing
B．contained thirtyone syllables
C．could have as many as 100 links
D．was written in a questionandanswer form
D [细节理解题。由倒数第三段中的“Japanese poets wrote katauta，poems in a questionandanswer form”可知，katauta是一种问答形式的诗。]
3．According to the text，what was the main activity at a renga party?
A．Creating a group poem.
B．Changing haiku into tanka.
C．Studying the history of renga.
D．Competing to write earth songs.
A [推理判断题。由倒数第二段中的“Written by three or more people...Renga parties became a great pleasure.”可知，renga聚会时，诗人们会创作组诗。]
4．Information in this text would be of most value to readers who want to________．
A．teach how to write haiku
B．research the history of haiku
C．compare Japanese and American poetry
D．find suggestions about hosting a renga party
B [推理判断题。文章主要介绍了日本三行俳句诗的历史，故对想要研究俳句诗历史的读者有重要价值。]
