问题详情

Today a neighbor brought us some fresh fish he had caught on his last boattrip. As we thanked him, he said, 'They are not from me; they only come throughme.'

At that moment I noticed the similarity between fish and haiku.

Nowadays, if Mom doesn't ever serve fish for dinner at least the kids get ataste of haiku at school.

For most of us, our first introduction comes from reading translations fromJapanese, which is a bit like comparing sushi to frozen fish sticks. Even withthe knowledge of the exotic, most poets stick to the meat and potatoes ofEnglish literature. It often isn't until we get older that we accept the simplegoodness of fish, adding them to the menu more often.

Having acquired a taste for fish and learned how to cook them, one is betterable to appreciate the short form. of haiku. Like fishing, haiku writing can bedone with minimal equipment A pin or a pen, and a scrap of paper, is enough, butit is tempting to go all out and buy a rod and reel (even study Zen, visit amonastery or take a trip to Japan). If one goes in for deep sea fishing, acomputer and laser printer are soon on the list of 'must haves'.

Like fishing, to catch haiku you have to go where they are. Unlike fish,haiku are everywhere. Still, you have to know the secret places where they hideand how to get there. Wearing old comfortable clothes (usually thought of as ameditative state) we look around just where we are. It does little good to onlyread of fishing off the coast of Japan when sitting beside the lake by our ownfront door. It does help to know which fish are edible and which are not Thereare two ways of finding this out We can either eat everything we catch andpublish what feels right, or we can read books containing others' experienceswhile making up our minds about what kind of fish to go for.

If we compare spending days on rough seas to fish or strolling on the beachwriting haiku; it is very easy for me to decide where my interest lies. Still Ido love a fish dinner and I hope my neighbor enjoys my latest poems.

21. The similarity between fishing and writing haiku the text does NOTmention is____.

A. the freedom to choose what we do with the product of each activity

B. the delayed appreciation of both activities

C. the thrill experienced when engaging in them

D. the limited resources required for practising them

22. In paragraph 2, the author refers to sushi____.

A. to point out that the American eat frozen fish sticks more often

B. to contrast it with meat and potatoes

C. to give an example of an exotic dish

D. as a metaphor for original Japanese texts

23. According to the author, haiku writers have to____.

A. read about the process of haiku writing

B. be observant of what is around them

C. try to have their poems published

D. get acquainted with Zen philosophy

24. The best title of this text would be____.

A. Something fishy about haiku

B. The forgotten skill of fishing

C. Writing haiku is easy

D. The art of writing haiku

25. The author's attitude towards haiku is____.

A. positive

B. neutral

C indifferent

D. negative