1 . “For a long time, I thought poetry and mountain biking were complete opposites and would not go together at all,” says Mackenzle Myatt, a cyclist and writer from Canada, who just published her first poetry book, In Defense of Big Dreams, which goes around her lifelong love of mountain biking.
As long as Myatt can remember, she has been writing poetry and riding bikes. The two things were very separate sides of her — the sporty, competitive side and the part that loved books and writing, playing with language. It was only too mechanical to try to put them together until Myatt took ownership of her training and started digging into the mental and emotional side of sport. That’s when it really clicks with poetry.
Mountain bikers talk about the idea of flow quite a lot. During racing, the goal is to be able to achieve flow state and be super smooth as everything is happening automatically without thinking. The feeling of inspiration in writing is similar to the flow state on a mountain bike.
The flow can bring a sense of joy, which can then turn into a positive feedback loop between Myatt’s pursuits. “When I feel joy, I want to write about it now. But also, if I’m writing about joy, it encourages me to notice joy more often in daily tasks or riding bikes.” Myatt says.
In a sense, Myatt’s new book marks a successful new connection between the bike and the poetry, which not only runs throughout the book’s pages, but throughout her life, too. “The book is designed to inspire girls in sport and in life, but I really think the messages are universal and I hope that everyone can enjoy this book and act on their potential.”
1. What do we know about Myatt’s book In Defense of Big Dreams?| A．It was a big success. | B．It was written for riders. |
| C．It describes Myatt’s writing life. | D．It combines Myatt’s two favorites. |
| A．It attracts more readers. | B．It simplifies writing task. |
| C．It pushes her daily practice. | D．It forms a positive cycle of joy. |
| A．From a Cyclist to a Poet | B．The Goal of Success: Flow State |
| C．Flow on the Bike, Flow on the Page | D．A Canadian Bestseller Written by an Athlete |
2 . Greg Heffley is the main character in Jeff Kinney’s best-selling Diary of a Wimpy Kid series of books. Greg is a middle school student with big dreams. In his diary, he writes stories about his struggles to fit in and draws pictures to go with them.
Greg Heffley is a thin but ambitious kid with an active imagination and big plans to be rich and famous — he just has to survive middle school first. To make matters worse, Greg’s lovable best friend, Rowley seems to sail through life and succeed at everything without even trying! As details of his extremely funny — and often disastrous — attempts to infill the pages of his journal, Greg learns to appreciate true friends and the satisfaction that comes from standing up for what is right.
The first live-action movie based on Diary of a Wimpy Kid came out in 2010. Now an animated film based on the original book is about to hit screens.
“The new Diary of a Wimpy Kid is going to feel a lot different from the live-action movie,” Kinney told TFK reporter Lucy Sandor. “Parts of that first movie were reimagined. But the animated version just came to life from the pages of the book,” he said.
Humor inspires Kinney to write. Whether it’s a movie script or a book, he likes to start with jokes. “When I think of a joke, it often comes with a picture in my mind,” he said.
“Then I write. And in the end, I do the drawings.”
Diary of a Wimpy Kid will be available on Disney+ beginning December 3.
1. What is Greg Heffley’s dream?| A．To be rich and famous. | B．To have a best-selling book. |
| C．To be a famous director. | D．To write a best-selling novel. |
| A．How to draw cartoons. | B．How to write a diary. |
| C．How to save a friend. | D．How to appreciate a true friend. |
| A．The animation is reimagined. | B．The animation is a sound movie. |
| C．The animation comes directly from the book. | D．The animation has more audience. |
| A．A book. | B．Humor. | C．A movie. | D．A character. |
3 . From political problems to environmental protection, the following books cover all kinds of topics. There is no doubt that they have become a must for young adults who show great interest in these matters.
An Inconvenient Truth by AI Gore
AI Gore caught the attention of the world with his book An Inconvenient Truth, which later was adapted (改编) for a movie. Based on his lecture tour on global warming, the work explains climate change in a user-friendly way and opens the public’s eyes to our planet.
The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
When John Steinbeck won the Nobel Prize in Literature, he was praised for his great writings, including The Grapes of Wrath. It focuses on a family of farmers who are forced off their land during the Great Depression. While it touches on the important problems such as agricultural industry changes, it also explores universal themes of power, family and self-interest.
The Jungle by Upton Sinclair
Focusing on the meat-packing industry in Chicago, Upton Sinclair’s novel The Jungle explores the life of immigrant workers in the early 20th century. The best-selling work forced President Theodore Roosevelt to pass a law about food safety.
The Conscience of a Liberal by Paul Rrugman
Economist Paul Krugman tells 80 years of American history in The Conscience of a Liberal, which examines the fall and rise of economic and political situations. Many believe the2007 book was a clear call to take control of the country’s economic future.
1. Which book tells something about climate change?| A．The Jungle. | B．An Inconvenient Truth. |
| C．The Grapes of Wrath. | D．The Conscience of a Liberal. |
| A．It was adapted for a movie. |
| B．Its author won the Nobel Prize. |
| C．It is about the economic development. |
| D．It explores the value of a happy family. |
| A．It helped bring a new law into effect. |
| B．It changed the life of immigrant workers. |
| C．It forced people to care about meat-packing. |
| D．It helped develop the meat-packing industry. |
4 . How to Read a Poem
You’ve selected the poem you want to read — congratulations! Now it’s time for the business of reading it.
Examine the title and the shape
Read the poem as you normally read anything
Reading poetry doesn’t require a clever approach; you can read as you’d read anything else. On the first pass through, absorb whatever it is that arises upon first impression.
Next, try reading the poem out loud or search for readings of the poem online. This is where the music of a poem emerges, and you can feel the shape of each word and line as you move through it.
Add context to paint a full picture
Finally, return to the poem context.
| A．Re-read for sound |
| B．Re-read for meaning |
| C．Dig into the author’s history |
| D．Notice where in the poem you react |
| E．Look for where the poem offers a moment of surprise |
| F．Before you start a poem, you should first read the title |
| G．Long messy forms might mean it’s coming from a place of confusion or anger |
Today, I would like to recommend a book to you, which taught me an important lesson about prejudice and racism.
The main character in this novel is a lawyer named Atticus Finch from the American South. The American South in the 1960s was known to be a place where many white people looked down upon black people, except for Finch. When the local judge asked him to defend a black man named Tom Robinson, who was wrongly accused of raping a white woman, Finch agreed.
The author Lee was born in Monroeville, Alabama in 1926. In her childhood, she, like Scout and Jem, learned about racial prejudice and the damage it could do. To Kill a Mockingbird was her first and only novel published.
For me, the most memorable quotes in the book are “Mockingbirds don’t do one thing but… sing their hearts out for us.
| A．It took her seven years to complete. |
| B．Racism exists at all levels of society. |
| C．People worked for the rights of black people. |
| D．But many people tried to stop Finch from doing his job. |
| E．That’s why it is morally and totally wrong to kill a mockingbird. |
| F．To Kill a Mockingbird is a novel published in1960 by American author Harper Lee. |
| G．And they finally understood the importance of looking at the world with an unprejudiced mind. |
There are all kinds of poems in the world,from ancient times to nowadays. Some poems are used to express one’s love for their countries. Some poems tell a story or describe some-thing
Another simple form of poem is the acquaint(五行诗)，
With so many different forms of poetry
7 . In a time when too much importance has been attached to utilitarianism (功利主义), it doesn’t come as a surprise to me that we people no longer believe in poetry. Utility is now often the standard of what one should devote his or her time and energy to and what he or she shouldn’t, but don’t get me wrong. I am not saying that one should not consider utility at all when making crucial decisions. On the contrary, everyone should take it into account. Medicine, law, business and engineering, these are noble pursuits and necessary to sustain life. But poetry, beauty, romance and love, these are what we stay alive for.
My dad once told me that “life is suffering”, which now I think is probably a unanimous (无异议的) opinion among most people. With a tough life inevitably comes a tough language—and that is what poetry is and why poetry is needed. It offers people a way to talk about the difficult, to describe things in life, like death, suffering, profound joy and transformation. So whenever I hear someone say that poetry is not a must, or it’s an option, or it’s only for the educated middle classed, I suspect that he or she must have had things pretty easy.
But how can people live without poetry? Unlike what the academics may tell you, my suggestion about bringing poetry into your lives is that don’t analyze it and don’t ask others to analyze it. Don’t deconstruct (解构) it or try to make meaning of it. Just find the poems that wake you up, that make you feel as if you’ve submerged (沉浸) yourself in a hot spring or an ice bath. Find the poems that make you feel almost irrational joy or sadness. Find the poems that make you want to roll around in them or paint their colors all over your bedroom ceiling. Those are the poems you want to play with. Find the poems that communicate with the deepest parts your being and welcome them in.
If finding others’ poems no longer satisfies you, compose your own! You don’t have to be a poet to compose poetry. After all, poetry is not a luxury. It’s about searching for the real meaning of life and also about giving meaning to life. Just like Walt Whitman’s “O Me! O Life!”, a poem that ends by speaking directly to its readers: “the powerful play goes on and you may write a verse (诗),” poetry is about everyone. And now I want to ask you the mother of all inspirational questions; “What will your verse be?”
— Inspired by Jeanette Winterson’s book:
Why Be Happy When You Could be normal?
1. The author thinks that poetry is very important for human beings because it ______.| A．has nothing to do with the shared belief in utility |
| B．symbolizes a status as an educated middle class |
| C．offers a tool for describing hard experiences |
| D．uncover an important truth that life isn’t all roses |
| A．deconstruct and making meaning of it | B．enjoy a hot spring or an ice bath |
| C．paint it over his or her bedroom ceiling | D．feel irrational joy or sadness |
| A．only a true poet can write poems | B．no poem can appeal to everyone |
| C．life feels just like a powerful play | D．every human is entitled to poetry |
| A．Composing Poetry | B．Poetry for Life |
| C．The Art of poetry | D．Analyzing poetry |
8 . Absolutely Unputdownable Books You Have to Read
Flowers for Algernon
Daniel Keyes
If you’re seeking a fast read, try this short story by Daniel Keyes. He’ll show you how a person who is mentally disabled feels while going from a simple gatekeeper at a bakery, whose IQ is less than 60, to a genius(天才)and the most intelligent person on the planet. In a situation like this, is it possible to overcome your fear and deal with loneliness? Daniel Keyes offers his answer to this question.
A Certain Smile
Francoise Sagan
If you don’t enjoy thrillers or sci-fi and stories about dragon-riding detectives, and if you’re longing for something comforting, slow and gentle, this beautiful little book by Francoise Sagan is just what you need. It’s a pleasant exception among traditional romance novels: you’ll find all of the advantages of high-quality literature here. And yes, it’s a real page-turner.
Orphans of the Sky
Robert A. Heinlein
A giant generation ship is sailing without guidance through the depths of the universe. Its passengers have long forgotten the outside world and believed in a pre-technological culture marked by superstition(迷信). This novel brought Heinlein wide recognition, and will grasp you tight and won’t let you go for months or even years afterward. Are we, the digital generation, different from the passengers of that imaginary spaceship?
95 Pounds of Hope
Anna Gavalda
Referring to a real person’s experiences, this little poetic story is about the main things in life; choices we make, the power of love and devotion. The story of a thirteen-year-old boy who one day has to gather all his strength and courage and take a step towards adulthood proves once again that dreams do come true. After all, no matter how many pounds we have, we’re all trying not to lose hope.
1. Whose book tells the story of a mentally disabled person?| A．Daniel Keyes’s. | B．Anna Gavalda’s. | C．Francoise Sagan’s. | D．Robert A. Heinlein’s. |
| A．A history book. | B．A science fiction. | C．A detective story. | D．A romance novel. |
| A．It brings its author high praise. | B．It is just intended for adult readers. |
| C．It is about how to overcome fear. | D．It is based on true life experiences. |
9 . If you enjoy American stories, you’ll have noticed that many of them take place on the road. Many famous American novels are about stories that occur while their characters are traveling along highways. These novels are often celebrations of American life.
Jesmyn Ward’s National Book Award winner Sing, Unburied, Sing is a road novel, but not a celebration. The road journey here is through Mississippi, as an African-American mother and her two children travel to collect her white husband as he’s released from jail.
Neither the mother, Leonie, nor the father, Michael, are ideal parents. Leonie in particular is so full of anger and regret that she takes out her unhappiness on her children, the 13-year-old Jojo and his little sister Kayla.
The telling of the story is divided between various narrators. Jojo, the boy, is the most sympathetic of them. But it is worrying to read about how he experiences the world. Even though he’s young, he’s already experienced the dark side of life. The opening sentence of the book gives a sense of Jojo’s unnatural maturity—“I like to think I know what death is. I like to think that I could look at it straight.”
But who, or what, is to blame for these sad circumstances? For Ward, it’s clearly the past. She admires the work of fellow novelist William Faulkner. When she thinks about the past, she’s of the same mind as him.
Faulkner famously wrote, “The past is never dead. It’s not even past.” At one point, Ward says that her characters are “pulling the past with them.” like a too-heavy trailer(拖车) coupled to the car, as they journey on through Mississippi to the jailhouse. The biggest part of this past, of course, is racism—the remains of slavery—which is always there, and ruining life.
This is probably why The Washington Post listed Sing, Unburied, Sing as one of its 10 choices of 2017’s Best Books. “The misery of this one family is tied to crimes that stretch over decades,” wrote the newspaper.
1. What can we learn about Sing, Unburied, Sing from the text?| A．It was recently adapted as a film. |
| B．It’s a celebration of American life. |
| C．It is a story of a road trip through Mississippi. |
| D．It’s one of 2017’s best-selling American novels. |
| A．is the main narrator of the novel | B．is unusually mature for his age |
| C．presents less sympathy than others | D．is the youngest child in the family |
| A．The unhappy marriage of the parents. | B．The experience of being in prison. |
| C．The lack of financial support. | D．The existence of racism. |
| A．To prove Ward shares a similar opinion of the past with him. |
| B．To show Ward has drawn a lot of inspiration from him. |
| C．To show Ward is as great a novelist as he is. |
| D．To compare Ward’s writing style with his. |
The Little Prince is
It mainly tells a story about a lonely prince
