Walt Whitman was born in 1819 in Long Island, New York. Whitman received most of his education outside of the classroom. At the age of eleven, he worked in a law office as an office boy where he became interested in reading. He was soon reading the works of famous authors like William Shakespeare and Homer, and was well on his way to becoming one of America's most well-known poets. By the time Whitman was seventeen years old, he had already worked as a printer's learner, a worker, and a learning games to help his students with spelling and maths. In his early twenties, however, he gave up teaching to pursue   a full-time career as a journalist and poet. When Walt Whitman first appeared as a poet, his arrival onto the American literary scene was met with controversy. His first collection of poems, Leaves of Grass, was so unusual that no commercial publisher would print the work. In 1855 Whitman published, at his own expense, the first edition of his collection of twelve poems. Whitman's poetic style was uncommon I the sense that he wrote poems in a form called parallelism  , in which his goal was to copy the flow of the sea and the quickly-passing nature of human emotion. A common theme in Whitman's poetry is self-realization. In his work, Whitman moves from conventional patterns of rhyme to create a unique rhythm and a multi-layered, but truly American voice. "Although Whitman was considered a revolutionary by many, there is little doubt he loved his country deeply." In his writing, he used slang   and various images, or voices, to create a sense of national unity. For Whitman, the "proof of a poet is that his country absorbs him as affectionately as he has absorbed it." Whitman has undoubtedly become a part of the cultural history and image of America. When Whitman first appeared as a poet,   _  . A) he received a warm welcome B) his literary road was not easy C) he became famous for his unusual style D) his poetic style was copied by other poets
B
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International Exchange Programme The application form for participation on the exchange programme for 2016/17 can be found in Application Procedures. Applying Qualification--Current Queen Mary undergraduate students(with the exception of students in Biomedical Sciences,Chemistry,Dentistry and Medicine)have qualifications to apply. Law Students--Students enrolled in The School of Law should contact Sheila Shirley(s.shirley@qmul.ac.uk)for details of study abroad opportunities. English and Drama Studen--Students cannot study abroad for the full academic year. Students will be able to spend only the autumn semester studying at one of our exchange partners* Applications A complete application will consist of the two-page application form,a personal statement and a supporting academic reference.Students should follow these application procedures. Applicants must ensure they have spoken to their departmental study abroad instructor before submitting their application.Applications can be submitted in person at The Study Abroad Office(E09,Ground Floor,Queens'Building)or by email to h.gibney@qmul.ac.uk New Exchange Partners for 2016/2017 For 2016/17 we hope to offer students the opportunity to study abroad at the following new partners:The University of Pennsylvania--UPenn(USA),The University of Sydney(Australia) and Waseda University(Japan).Should we be unable to send students to any of these new institutions on exchange,and if you intend to include one or more of these destinations with your application,please provide at least one alternative destination from the list of other partner programmes. The law students who want to study abroad should  _  . A) email to h.gibney@qmul.ac.uk B) email to s.shirley@qmul.ac.uk C) go to E09,Ground Floor,Queens'Building D) go to Masons Lecture Theatre Hall,Bancroft Building
B
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Since 1936, many female space explorers have followed Russian astronaut Valentina Tereshkova. Let's look at the missions of four important female astronauts to find out what astronauts do in space. In 1983, Sally Ride became the first American women in space. Her team carried out scientific experiments in space and put two communications satellites in space. Satellites make it possible for us to communicate instantly with each other across the world through TV, radio, and telephones. In 1984, Kathryn Sullivan became the first American women to walk in space. During her mission, she discovered important information about the sun's energy and how it affects the climate in very hot and very cold places on Earth. She also took photographs of Earth and measured air pollution. In 1992, Mae Jemison became the first African-American in space. During her mission, she did scientific experiments using the weightless atmosphere. In space, there is no gravity, so everything floats! Dr. Jemison's experiments gave important information about the human body to produce better medicines and healthcare. In 2012, Liu Yang became the first Chinese women in space. She did experiments in space medicine, which look at how astronauts can survive and stay healthy in space. The conditions in space are very hard on the body and space medicine helps astronauts work safely. Who collected important information about air pollution? A) Valentina Tereshkova. B) Sally Ride. C) Kathryn Sullivan. D) Mae Jemison
C
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My daughter went to see The Wild One recently and she commented that Marlon Brando was wearing jeans so long ago. Of course he helped set the trend, so that got me thinking about the link between films and trends in fashion. Fashion and films have gone hand in hand for long. The Wild One is a good example: it appeared in 1954, starring Brando. Dressed in a black leather motorcycle jacket, leather cap and jeans, he created a look which is still considered "cool" today. Everyone from Madonna to middle-aged men is seen wearing the classic leather motorcycle jacket. Another strong influence on fashion trends was Breakfast at Tiffany's, starring Audrey Hepburn. She made famous the simple black dress that looks perfect at either a cocktail party or just standing around an expensive department store like Tiffany's with a pastry and coffee in your hand, as Audrey Hepburn does in the film. She looks so elegant, wearing simple but beautiful dresses, big dark glasses and a string of pearls around her neck. Audrey Hepburn still influences women's fashion with her "Tiffany's look". In more modern times, the film star Uma Thurman created a major fashion trend when she appeared in the film Pulp Fiction, made in 1994. Her style was very simple. Her black trousers, crisp white shirt and hair style was copied by women in the world. Influencing fashion trends can often be about timing. The movie Memoirs of a Geisha came just in time to start a trend in Japanese fashion. It started the Chinese actress Zhang Ziyi, who wore beautiful silk kimonos , and it won an Oscar for Costume Design. Many travel companies picked up on the trend and ran "geisha trips" to Japan. The film has also led to a regained interest in kimonos. It is now quite common to see young Japanese women wearing kimonos not just on traditional occasions, but at various social events. The fashion is also beginning to spread to western countries. What does the film Memoirs of a Geisha lead to? A) The popularity of the Chinese actress. B) The worldwide reading of Geisha stories. C) The recovery of interest in kimonos. D) The "geisha trips" to social events.

C
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