1 . Téa Obreht’s Favorite Novels
Téa Obreht’s new novel, Inland, tells the stories of an outlaw crossing the American West and a homesteader awaiting the return of her husband. Below, she recommends other novels shaped by place.
The Meadow
James Galvin (1992).
Galvin narrows his novel’s focus to a river in south-eastern Wyoming, the site of three generations’ struggle and achievements. “I often find myself reading each sentence twice, just to enjoy the unexpected twists of Galvin’s prose (散文). ”
What Is Not Yours Is Not Yours
Helen Oyeyemi (2016).
Everything about this story collection delights and puzzles the soul, in a way of experiencing the terrifying fairy tale for the first time. Each story feels like working around you in a kind of harmony you can’t even begin to comprehend until the final line.
Orange World
Karen Russell (2019).
“Every new book of Russell’s instantly takes its previous book’s place as my favorite.” Place, in each of these time-jumping, world-warping stories — which unfold a map of place both real and imagined — provides physical, social, and emotional pressures on both character and reader.
The Bluest Eye
Toni Morrison (1970).
“Morrison’s novel remains my favorite, possibly owing to the particular feelings produced by its place and personhood, and its suggestion that how you experience the world is governed by age, race, and whether or not one grows up loved.”
1. What do the four novels have in common?| A．They have similar plots. | B．They are shaped by place. |
| C．They have the same background. | D．They are written by Téa Obreht. |
| A．It fills the reader’s heart with terror. |
| B．It’s a story collection without harmony in each story. |
| C．It’s a prose authored by Helen Oyeyemi. |
| D．The harmony in it can not be understood until the end. |
| A．It takes on a dynamic and mysterious atmosphere. |
| B．The reader feels their pressures taken off when they read it. |
| C．Téa always likes Karen’s new book better than her previous one. |
| D．It presents social conflicts in different times and worlds. |
| A．Its place and personhood impress Téa Obreht a lot. |
| B．It advocates ecological balance in nature. |
| C．It suggests a connection between love and success. |
| D．Age and gender impact how you experience the world. |
2 . The writer of the Epilogue (结语) to my copy of Goethe’s Faust, Hanns W Eppelsheimer, refers to “human arrogance (傲慢), rising up against the spirits, in order to seize a piece of power for itself, with the aid of wizard ryand magic,” as “a very old theme”. He adds: “At the beginning of modern times, when the Renaissance set science free, the simple desires for power, wealth and sensual pleasure (感官享乐) came to be joined by the new striving for unlimited knowledge. ” Enter the historical Faust, the semi-biographical stories about his life.
Let’s go much further back in time. At the beginning of the ancient Biblical Book of Job (圣经·约伯记), the “sons of God” and Satan come before God. “And the Lord said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job?” (Note the word “servant”). God confirms Job’s goodness. Satan counters that Job is good only because he is in receipt of God’s favours. If he were to suffer, he would curse God. God empowers Satan to test Job, making him suffer. Job loses his family and his animals and his health and retains only the company of his wife. His wife urges Job to curse God, but he refuses firmly.
The story ties into the problem of why good people suffer, where Goethe borrows a theme into Prologue but has changed it out of all recognition:
The Lord: Do you know Faust?
Mephistopheles: The Doctor?
The Lord: My servant!
God acknowledges that Faust serves him, through his striving, despite the mistakes he is sure to make; and Faust remains aware of the correct path to take through life. While God, indeed, permits Mephistopheles to try to divert (转移) Faust from his “fountainhead”. Mephistopheles appreciates the favour and sets to work. And then we meet Faust himself, alone in his study at night, at the beginning of the drama proper, and he speaks for himself:
Ah, now I’ve studied philosophy, jurisprudence and medicine, and alas, theology as well, ardently and painstakingly, from beginning to end.
He has learnt a great deal; but he wants to learn more, beyond the bounds of handed down knowledge — metaphysics (形而上学), perhaps, or the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge.
Early in Part 1 of the drama, Faust makes his own bargain with Mephistopheles: if he ever relaxes from his striving and wishes to stay still, in the beautiful moment, then Mephistopheles can take his soul. Compared to Job, Goethe’s hero, instead, is not made to suffer: rather, new enjoyments of life are opened up to him. Unfortunately, Faust’s own joy can be at the expense of other people. (The tragedy of Part 1 is that of Gretchen and her family)
In Part 2, regretful about his faults before, Faust engages in good works, especially, the reclamation of low-lying land from the sea (填海造陆). There arises, though, from the writings of the New Testament (圣经新约), the question as to whether good works are sufficient to ensure salvation (救赎) — a Christian theological (基督教神学的) debating point. St Paul explores this: “Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law”. Luther is saying here that “a man is justified, without the deeds of the law, only by faith.” He adds the “only”. On this view, Faust’s good works cannot be sufficient for his salvation. We can add that Faust does not have faith, either.
Finally, at the end of the drama, Faust does have one moment of relaxation, and, accordingly, Mephistopheles tries to arrest his soul. But, in the event, Mephistopheles is cheated of his long-sought-after prize — by the intervention of angels, including a transformed Gretchen. Faust is enabled to ascend (上升) to Heaven. Faust’s salvation, on Goethe’s terms, relies upon his own striving, the appearance of the “eternal feminine (永恒女性)”, and the words of forgiveness uttered by his female victim (Gretchen).
Let’s talk briefly about the nature of the completed Faust. It is almost entirely in verse(诗歌). It is extremely long. Whereas many verse dramas of Shakespeare and his contemporaries average roughly 2000 lines, and Part 1 of Faust has 4,612 lines, and Part 2 has 7,499! Moreover, Part 2 has literally hundreds of parts. Therefore, either Part poses great challenges, whenever a staging is contemplated.
I conclude, indeed, that Faust is a poem, and not a play, a drama or a tragedy as ordinarily conceived.
1. What’s function of the first paragraph?| A．To introduce the topic. |
| B．To inform readers of the Epilogue to Faust of his version. |
| C．To advertise a classic book. |
| D．To introduce a translator called Hanns W Eppelsheimer. |
| A．God. | B．Satan. | C．Job. | D．Faust. |
| A．Part 1 of the drama: Unsatisfied, Faust has learnt a lot in his long life, but he pursues the knowledge from Mephistopheles, which. is a trap designed by God. He gains great joy at the cost of Gretchen’s tragedy. |
| B．Part 2 of the drama: Repentant (忏悔的), Faust devotes himself to a great cause, which still cannot make up for what he has done before according to a Christian theological debating point, as he doesn’t have faith. |
| C．At the end of the drama : Faust does have one moment of relaxation, but Mephistopheles doesn’t take his “prize” because of angles’intervention. Faust is ascended to Heaven, made a true hero. |
| D．At the end of the drama : Gretchen, the female victim in this play or so-called “eternal feminine”, forgives Faust, completing his salvation. |
| A．There are many different versions of Faust. |
| B．Goethe adapts Bible in a totally different way in Prologue of Faust. |
| C．It can’t be a easy job for Goethe to finish Faust alone. |
| D．Faust is actually a brilliant long poem with more than ten thousand lines. |
| A．Goethe: A Talented Prophet (先知) |
| B．Faust: A Tragic Verse |
| C．Gretchen: A Poor-Fated Lover |
| D．Devil: A Forever Deceiver |
| Journey | 40 pages Kids aged 4-8 Publisher: Candlewick (6 Aug. 2013) Language: English Price: $10.72 |
| Introduction | A girl can’t get the attention of her busy family. She goes to her room feeling sad but discovers a red crayon and draws a magic door on her bedroom wall and through it escapes into a world where wonder, adventure, and danger abound (大量存在). On her journey, she finds people are trying to catch a bird. She rescues the bird with courage but finds herself caught and placed in a cage. The grateful bird helps her escape and together they fly to safety and go back to the city where the girl lives. |
| About the author | Born in Baltimore, Aaron Becker moved to California to attend Pomona College where he scored his first illustration (插图) job designing T-shirts. Then, he traveled to Kenya, Japan and Sweden backpacking around while looking for interesting things and feeding his imagination. He’s now busy working on his next book project. |
| Reviews | By Barb Mechalke on November 23, 2019 This is a beautiful book and tells a story with only illustrations. |
| By Elise Nuttall on August 11, 2017 It’s a picture book, and it’s so inventive and creative! I “read” it with my niece and she absolutely loved that book. She could understand the story without having to struggle as a new reader. | |
| By Colby J Cuppernull on September 11, 2013 I read this book with my three-and-a-half-year-old son last night. Tonight, when we read it again it is slightly different. New words are used to give voice to the story told through the images. Every time we read this book, it will become new. |
| A．A girl’s adventures in a strange world. |
| B．A girl’s methods to make friends with animals. |
| C．A girl’s efforts to earn a living by drawing pictures. |
| D．A girl’s struggles for the attention of her family. |
| A．Brave and kind. | B．Honest and gentle. |
| C．Creative and talented. | D．Determined and confident. |
| A．It teaches children to be independent. |
| B．It arouses children’s interest in painting. |
| C．It helps new readers learn words quickly. |
| D．It is wonderfully illustrated without words. |
4 . 5 of the Best O. Henry Short Stories Everyone Should Read
The stories of the US short-story writer O. Henry, real name William Sydney Porter (1862-1910), are characterized by their irony and by their surprise endings, which became something of a signature of a good O. Henry short story. However, another word that is often used to describe O. Henry’s short stories is ‘sentimental’, and it is for this reason, perhaps, that he is no longer appreciated as he perhaps should be, despite the wit of O. Henry’s narrative style and the cleverness of his twist endings.
Below, we select and introduce five of O. Henry’s very best short stories. Many of them are only five pages long in the average paperback reprint of his stories (we recommend in particular 100 Selected Stories (Wordsworth Classics), which is excellent value for money), so can be ready in no more than ten minutes. What are you waiting for?
Most (though not all) of these stories are included in the anthology mentioned above. O. Henry was a prolific writer so even those 100 collected in that fat volume aren’t his full, collected works...
1. The Gift of the Magi’.
This is surely O. Henry’s best-known story of all. Published in 1906, it’s about a husband and wife, Jim and Della, buying Christmas presents for each other, without much money to spend on them. The two of them have a special possession they prize above all others: Jim has a gold watch that’s been MAGI handed down through the generations, and Della has her long, thick hair.
How will Della be able to raise the money to buy Jim a gold chain for his watch? We won’t say any more...
2. ‘Mammon and the Archer’.
This story is also from 1906. A retired soap manufacturer named Anthony Rockwall worships ‘Mammon’, i.e., money above everything else. The ‘Archer’ of the story’s title is Cupid, the god of love.
Rockwall tells his son Richard that money can buy him anything in life, but Richard points out that the girl he loves is leaving in a few days' time and he hasn’t managed to win her hand. He takes a ring with him, which his mother left to him in her will, with the intention of asking his sweetheart to marry him but he drops the ring and... well, we won’t say more, but let’s just say that once again, O. Henry’s gif for twist endings turns things around...
The story is a curious counterpoint to ‘The Gift of the Magi’, in which a married couple uses their last few dollars to buy each other a Christmas present. Here, there is a suggestion that money can buy you time, after all.
3. ‘The Duplicity of Hargraves’.
First published in 1902, this story is about the elderly Major Pendleton Talbot and his spinster daughter Lydia. After the pair move to Washington D. C. from the American South, they meet Henry Hopkins Hargraves, a vaudeville actor.
However, the impecunious Major and his daughter are shocked, when they go to see a show, to find Hargraves impersonating the Major in front of the audience. Then a man claiming to be one of the Major’s former slaves from the antebellum era turns up and offers to help the pair out of hardship...
As ever, we won’t spoil the ending. But let's just say the word ‘duplicity’ in this story’s title itself has a double meaning.
4. ‘The Sleuths’.
This 1911 story is a more light-hearted tale from O. Henry, and a pastiche of the popular Sherlock Holmes stories.
A man searching for his missing sister in New York realizes the official police detective can’t help him. Only one man can: the famous private consulting detective Shamrock Jolnes. As the narrator informs us: ‘The famous sleuth’s thin, intellectual face, piercing eyes, and rate per word are too well known to need description.’ Sound familiar?
5. ‘After Twenty Years’.
This 1906 story is a tale of a reunion. Two men who grew up together in New York City agree to meet up, twenty years later, in the restaurant where they last bid each other farewell two decades ago in order to seek their fortunes. However, one of the men, Bob, has become a hardened criminal and the other man, Jimmy, has become — well, let’s not give too much away, other than to say the reunion does not exactly go according to plan.
1. Which of the following serves as a counterpart of the story in The Gift of the Magi?| A．The Duplicity of Hargraves. | B．The Sleuths. |
| C．Mammon and the Archer. | D．After Twenty years. |
| A．The Duplicity of Hargraves. | B．The Gift of the Magi. |
| C．Mammon and the Archer. | D．The Sleuths. |
| A．In a list of reference book for high school. |
| B．At an online book fair. |
| C．In a lecture by a professor from Literature Department. |
| D．On a mobile shopping app. |
Until last January. I was very much a prose(散文)writer. I loved to write short stories but couldn’t stand poetry because it seemed like a lazy version. But then I entered a local poetry competition and won a prize. I read my poem at the award ceremony, and received a positive reaction from the audience. It was then that I realized poetry was much more interesting and diverse than I had previously thought, and that maybe I wasn’t too bad at writing it.
Since February. I have been trying to write poetry as often as possible, and it proves that somehow I like it now. Poetry isn’t a lazier version of prose, but it can be an easier one. This is because there are fewer rules in poetry and it is far more personal. What makes it so interesting is that it is told through the poet’s style.
This is what makes writing poetry such a good method of calming yourself down Writing about worries, stresses and insecurities can really help you to make sense of how you feel about them, and to create something-valuable from a bad situation. It also helps poems to catch on quickly. People love to hear personal stories about troubles they also struggle with.
Not only is poetry a fantastic form of therapy (治疗), but it can also earn you respect and sometimes even a career. As more and more poetry competitions for young people are set up, it is easier than ever to get recognized. As well as competitions, there are events such as poetry salons where you can share poems with others. Social media can also be a good platform for poetry.
So why not give it a try？Write about whatever is in your mind, and don’t worry about following any rules. Let yourself be inspired and inspire someone else.
1. How did the author feel about poetry in the past? （no more than 10 words）2. What’s the turning point for the author’s starting writing poems? （no more than 10 words）
3. In the author’s opinion, what is the difference between poetry and prose?（no more than 10 words）
4. How do you understand the underlined part in Paragraph 3? （no more than 10 words）
5. What can you learn from the author’s experience? （no more than 20 words）
One early morning, I went into the living room to find my mother reading a thick book called Best Loved Poems to Read Again and Again. My interest was aroused only by the fact that the word "Poems" appeared in big, hot pink letters.
"Is it good?" I asked her. "Yeah," she answered. "There's one I really like and you'll like it, too.” I leaned forward “Patty Poem,” she read the title. Who is Patty? I wondered. The poem began:
She never puts her toys away.
Just leaves them scattered where they lay,…
The poem was just three short sections. The final one came quickly:
When she grows and gathers poise,
I`ll miss her harum-scarum noise.
And look in vain for scattered toys.
And I'll be sad.
A terrible sorrow washed over me. Whoever Patty was, she was a mean girl. Then, the shock.
"It's you, honey," My mother said sadly.
To my mother, the poem revealed a parent's affection when her child grows up and leaves. To me, the "she" in the poem was horror. It was my mama who would be sad. It was so terrible I burst out crying.
"What's wrong?" "my mother asked.
"Oh Mama," I cried. "I don't want to grow up ever!"
She smiled. "Honey, it's okay. You' re not growing up anytime soon. And when you do, I'll still love you, okay?"
"Okay," I was still weeping. My panic has gone. But I could not help thinking about that silly poem. After what seemed like a safe amount of time, I read the poem again and was confused. It all fit so well together, like a puzzle. The language was simple, so simple I could plainly understand its meaning, yet it was still beautiful. I was now fascinated by the idea of poetry, words that had the power to make or break a person's world.
I have since fallen in love with other poems, but "Patty Poem" remains my poem. After all, "Patty Poem" gave me my love for poetry not because it was the poem that lifted my spirits, but because it was the one that hurt me the most.
1. Why was the writer attracted by the book Best Loved Poems to Read Again and Again?(no more than 10 words)2. Why didn't the writer want to grow up?(no more than 10 words)
3. What does the underlined word weeping mean?(1 word)
4. What did the writer think of the language of "Patty Poem"?(no more than 8 words)
7 . 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. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
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 |
| A．beautiful in words | B．influential to readers |
| C．skillful at writing | D．successful in sales |
| 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 . |
| 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. |
| A．editor | B．doctor |
| C．teacher | D．writer |
9 . 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． |
| 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． |
| A．Matilda． |
| B．The BFG． |
| C．Boy:Tales of Childhood． |
| D．Charlie and the Chocolate Factory． |
10 . 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. |
| A．making comparisons | B．giving examples |
| C．following the time order | D．analyzing causes |
| 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. |
| A．young scientists | B．science fiction writers |
| C．college students | D．professional journalists |
| 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 |
