2 . Charlie Thorne and the Last Equation

by Stuart Gibbs

The CIA is on a task to find an equation (方程式) called Pandora, which could destroy the world if the wrong people get it. For help, they turn to Charlie, a 12-year-old girl who's as smart as Albert Einstein. People who like action-packed mysteries will enjoy reading this exciting book.

AstroNuts

by Jon Scieszka and Steven Weinberg

In AstroNuts, the Earth has been destroyed by humans for thousands of years. Four animals set out from Mount Rushmore, the headquarters (总部) of NNASA. Their task is to find a new planet fit for human life. Finally, they discover one: Plant Planet. The story's theme (主题) is simple: Don't harm the planet. Readers who love fantasy will enjoy AstroNuts.

Stargazing

by Jen Wang

Christine hears that Moon, who's new in town, is the kind of kid who beats people up for fun. But Moon and her mum come to live with Christine's family, and the two kids become best friends. Moon even shares a big secret with Christine. Stargazing is based on author Jen Wang's experiences as a child. The story is about the power of friendship and how people are able to change.

Roll with It

by Jamie Sumner

Roll with It is a story about a 12-year-old girl named Ellie. She has difficulty walking on her own and uses a wheelchair. When Ellie and her mum move to another state to take care of Ellie's grandpa, she must learn to navigate (处理) a new school and new friendships. This page-turner is a must-read for everyone. It's a heartwarming story that really shows the value of family and how being different is special.

1. Which book tells readers to protect the place we live in?

A．AstroNuts

B．Stargazing.

C．Roll with It.

D．Charlie Thorne and the Last Equation.

2. What makes Stargazing different from the other three books?

A．It talks about friendship.

B．It tells stories about animals.

C．It contains lots of scientific knowledge.

D．It was written according to the author's experiences.

3. What happened to Ellie?

A．She had difficulty in making friends.

B．She had an accident which left her in a wheelchair.

C．She went to a new school and had to start all over again.

D．She lost her mum and was taken care of by her grandpa.

3 . Dear Sharon Draper,

A lot of books have flashes of insight, but only few of them can open the readers’ mind and make them realize something new. Your book, Out of My Mind, filled me with those sparks. I enjoyed getting to know Melody. Despite the fact that she had cerebral palsy(脑瘫)，Melody had an amazing character that shone brightly. Out of My Mind helped me learn a life-long lesson.

Your book has changed my point of view. I never teased those who had special needs, but I never really felt comfortable around them either. When I started reading your novel, I saw how Melody was a smart and talented girl. At the beginning of the book, I asked myself, “Would I be Melody’s friend?” The voice in my stomach told me the sad truth: no. I carried on with your book from start to finish, and when I closed it, I asked myself the same question, “Would I be Melody’s friend?” I realized, with a smile, that the answer was right in front of me. Throughout Out of My Mind, I had become Melody’s friend.

Last year, there was a boy in my class who had Asperger’s syndrome(阿斯伯格综合症). I didn’t really know him; he just seemed different to me. This was around the time that I read your novel. Melody showed me how she was just as good as anyone else in her classroom and how the same goes for anyone else with disabilities. The boy in my class amazed me by what he was capable of doing. As the days went by, I started helping him instead of avoiding him.

Melody opened my eyes and cleared the world around me. She showed me how a girl with cerebral palsy was the same as a girl like me. Now it is time for me to thank you for writing this amazing novel. I will never forget your fantastic book.

Sincerely,

Margaret Lim

1. Before Margaret Lim read Out of My Mind, she ________.

A．often laughed at those who are disabled

B．liked to help those who had special needs

C．wouldn’t make friends with the disabled

D．looked down upon those who are different

2. According to the passage, the author mainly thinks Out of My Mind is ________.

A．beautiful in words	B．influential to readers
C．skillful at writing	D．successful in sales

3. What does the second paragraph mainly talk about?

A．The characters of a disabled girl.

B．The change of Margaret’s attitude toward the disabled.

C．The friendship between Margaret and Melody.

D．The main content of Out of My Mind .

4. What can we learn from the third paragraph?

A．Melody became Margaret Lim’s classmate and they became good friends.

B．The boy who had Asperger’s syndrome was different from his classmates.

C．The disabled can deal with many things as well as the healthy people.

D．Margaret Lim often helped the disabled boy since they became classmates.

5. Sharon Draper is probably a(n) ________.

A．editor	B．doctor
C．teacher	D．writer

4 . Roald Hahl is one of the greatest storytellers the world has ever known.His books have sold more than 200 million copies worldwide.

Have you ever heard of any of these stories？

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Charlie is a young boy from a poor family and,like most children,he loves chocolate.Charlie buys Wonka chocolate bars hoping to find a golden ticket inside because whoever finds a golden ticket is invited to visit the Wonka chocolate factory and meet its owner, Willy Wonka. And there are some wonderfully strange things inside the factory．

The BFG

The BFG is the Big Friendly Giant and he brings sweet dreams to children while they are sleeping.One night he is seen by a girl called Sophie, and he carried her away to his homeland because he is scared she'll tell the world about his existence (存在).He is actually friendly,but the other giants are not.They hurt the BFG and want to eat people.Sophie decided to get someone to help:the Queen!

Matilda

Matilda is talented and she loves books,but her parents don't understand her intelligence and are cruel to her.Matilda's brainpower is discovered by her teacher.Miss Honey,who helps her develop her intellect and amazing mental powers.But Miss Honey is also being mistreated by Miss Trunchbull,the cruel head teacher,so Matilda tries to find a way to help her.

Boy:Tales of Childhood．

This book is told like a story,but it's not a novel.It's an autobiography(自传)of Roald Dahl's childhood and school experiences,he describes his experiences with a dead mouse,fearful teachers,summer holidays to Norway and getting the job with Shell.

1. What is Charlie's real purpose of buying some chocolate bars？　 　

A．To win some money．

B．To eat more chocolate．

C．To win a concert ticket．

D．To visit a chocolate factory．

2. What do Sophie and Matilda have in common？　 　

A．They're ready to help others．

B．They have great creative ability．

C．They have an unusual adventure．

D．They're badly treated by their parents．

3. What would be the best choice if one wants to know more about Roald Dahl？　 　

A．Matilda．

B．The BFG．

C．Boy:Tales of Childhood．

D．Charlie and the Chocolate Factory．

5 . Science fiction writers create imaginary worlds. The way things work in your imaginary worlds will be based on actual science. So it’s important for you to be familiar with the scientific principles and inventions that are related to your creation. For example, if you’re writing about humans living on a planet with zero gravity, then you need to know the effects of zero gravity on the human body.

Then you have to figure out the exact rules of your imaginary worlds. And you have to follow them. If humans have evolved (进化) to breathe underwater in Chapter 1, your character can’t drown in a swimming pool in Chapter 3. If your robots write poetry but not fiction, then you can’t throw a novelist robot into Chapter 8. The issue here is maintaining your readers’ trust. That means the reader is willing to pretend along with you. If you start out with an ordinary detective novel (侦探小说) and then throw in someone breathing underwater in the 6th chapter, your readers’ reaction might be, “What the h……?” The imaginative spell is broken. You’ve pulled the readers out of their imagination. The same thing happens if you change the rules halfway.

Part of your preparation work for the novel is to map out its worlds for yourself in great detail. Decide: the history of the world, the geography, what possibilities it offers, how everything works in this new reality, and how all of these factors affect the way your characters think, feel, and react to things. You don’t have to tell your readers all the rules in the first chapter. But you have to let your readers know enough to understand what’s going on. This also allows you to work out logical problems and contradictions (矛盾) before you start writing.

When you are writing, remember to make it feel real. You are inviting readers to visit a new world. They will want to be able to see, hear, feel, smell, and even taste what it’s like. Whether your novel is about a world without disease or an undiscovered planet, help your readers feel like they’re actually there.

1. What’s the relationship between actual science and science fiction?

A．Science fiction promotes the development of actual science.

B．Science fiction often reflects the development of actual science.

C．Actual science limits the imagination described in science fiction.

D．Actual science provides basic principles for science fiction.

2. The second paragraph is mainly developed by ________.

A．making comparisons	B．giving examples
C．following the time order	D．analyzing causes

3. Which of the following statements is TRUE?

A．It is necessary to do some scientific experiments before writing science fiction.

B．It is more difficult to write science fiction than ordinary detective novels.

C．Readers of science fiction actually pretend the writers’ rules are true.

D．It is great to leave some contradictions in your science fiction.

4. The target (目标) readers of the passage are ________.

A．young scientists	B．science fiction writers
C．college students	D．professional journalists

5. The passage is mainly about ________.

A．how to do scientific research	B．how to raise interest in science
C．what to expect from science fiction	D．how to write science fiction