1 . Nasugraq Rainey Hopson is an author and illustrator (插图画家). She has written short stories and made art inspired by her Iñupiaq culture. The Iñupiaq people are native to Alaska, the US. Hopson’s first and only novel to date, Eagle Drums, is set in Iñupiaq tales about a great festival. The great festival is still celebrated locally today.
In the book, the hero Pina struggles with the suffering from losing his brothers, who have traveled to a nearby mountain and never returned. Pina decides to go to the same mountain, trying to uncover the facts, where he happens to meet Savik, who gives Pina a choice: To follow him or to meet the same fortune as his brothers. Pina’s decision takes himself on a journey that exposes himself to the dances and songs that are part of Iñupiaq culture. Eagle Drums describes aspects of Iñupiaq life as a world that doesn’t exist much in the current world, such as walking in the tundra (苔原) and imagining mythological beings and talking animals everywhere. It will definitely inspire the teen magical thinking in its beauty.
Hopson wants to write more Iñupiaq stories. “We have a lot of oral history and stories in our culture,” she says. Hopson explains that Iñupiaq people use their voices, facial expressions and movements to express emotions as they tell a story. “But you can’t do that when you’re writing,” she says. “It’s very uncomfortable, in a way, to have to write down something that is a performance.” But she’s up for the challenge.
Eagle Drums is for anyone who is looking for a vivid adventure. Hopson says that when Iñupiaq kids read her work, they get excited about seeing something from their own area and their own culture. Other kids who read her work tell Hopson they’re excited about experiencing a story they’ve never experienced before in a new place. “You know, that’s the best part, hearing feedbacks,” she says.
1. What do we know about Eagle Drums?| A．It is based on the author’s culture. | B．It is about a world-famous festival. |
| C．It is one of the author’s best novels. | D．It is rich in illustrations on each page. |
| A．Its intention. | B．Its background. |
| C．Its content. | D．Its comment. |
| A．The Iñupiaq people are poor performers |
| B．The Iñupiaq culture is too rich for words. |
| C．The Iñupiaq language is difficult to catch on. |
| D．The Iñupiaq stories are little known by people. |
| A．A news report. | B．A childhood story. |
| C．A diary entry. | D．A book review. |
Falling
Critics say it’s
The story
For the first two lines, the writer compares the life of a man with the changing face of the moon. A full moon represents perfection and unity,
However, he soon realizes that no one has an easy ride(一帆风顺), just like the moon may not always be bright. The imperfections, or the unsatisfactory things have been going on since the beginning of time. That’s why
So Su Shi gives his optimistic answer: change your attitude and stay positive. The poet hopes people can avoid indulging in(沉湎于) the sorrow of life and instead appreciate the fact that no matter where they are, as long as the ones they love and miss are
3 . I remember dreading (惧怕) having to sit through fifty-five whole minutes of a poetry class when I was in high school. But walking into that class
Before I took the
Through that high school poetry class, I found I was able to
Since high school, I have taken two more poetry classes.
My poetry classes helped me to view the world with a(n)
Critical thinking, writing and public speaking are
| A．changed | B．ruined | C．simplified | D．threatened |
| A．chance | B．job | C．test | D．class |
| A．claimed | B．realized | C．considered | D．hoped |
| A．expressing | B．praising | C．examining | D．proving |
| A．Pain | B．Love | C．Poetry | D．Rhyme |
| A．challenge | B．understand | C．adopt | D．control |
| A．emotionally | B．wisely | C．initially | D．widely |
| A．talk about | B．learn from | C．deal with | D．make up |
| A．release | B．display | C．hide | D．experience |
| A．Instead of | B．Apart from | C．Because of | D．Regardless of |
| A．helped | B．appeared | C．remained | D．improved |
| A．different | B．objective | C．complex | D．additional |
| A．avoid | B．silence | C．accept | D．voice |
| A．unnecessary | B．important | C．similar | D．missing |
| A．measure | B．share | C．choose | D．sharpen |
For thousands of years, people have told fables (寓言)
Carson uses a simple, direct style common to fable. In fact, her style and tone (口吻) are seemingly directed at children. “There was once a town in the heart of America,
The themes of traditional fables often deal with simple truths about everyday life. However, Carson’s theme is a more weighty
5 . Charlotte Grainger explains that it was her primary school teacher who first speculated that she might write a novel. “I thought the height of achievement would be to write a book because it seemed such a challenge and anyway I didn’t know what other teenagers were doing, like being in the Olympics, for example. When I turned 13, I thought I may be as well attempt this now. Recently I told my ex-teacher about it and she was astonished. She told me she’d meant I’d do it when I was 30 or 40. That had never occurred to me — I couldn’t understand why I’d be expected to put something on hold that I had a chance of being good at.”
It’s a winter afternoon, in the offices of Charlette’s publishers. The public relations representative for the book is keeping us company in case Charlotte might need defending. But she needs neither parental nor professional support. She’s her own person: spirited, with an alert face and great intelligence, but also a steadiness that prevents any overconfidence she could be forgiven for feeling.
She has a theory about teenagers and the way they are “betrayed” by the fiction that is specifically aimed at them. There are, she maintains, three types of teenagers depicted in novels. “There’s the outsider who becomes acceptable to society, the naive teenager who knows nothing about the big wide world, and the awkward teenage character who is socially skilled. The overall impression teenagers can get from some writers is teenagers can’t possibly know who they are because they are not experienced enough to know the truth. And when that is being pushed onto them by writers, it can undermine their self-belief. ”
Charlotte has always been a keen reader of famous fantasy writers, some of whom you might suppose she’d be grateful to, but in fact they almost put her off writing entirely. “Books by my favorite fantasy writers explore deep things about psychology and about life. I was asking myself: is this seriously what I have to be doing to write a good book and am I really up to it?” She does, however, praise the influence of a book called “How Not to Write a Novel. “It tells you that if the reader starts to guess what’s going to happen, the suspense has probably gone. ”
1. Why did Charlotte write her first novel at 13?| A．She considered it something she might be good at. |
| B．She wanted to live up to her teacher’s expectations. |
| C．She wished to prove age was no barrier to success. |
| D．She felt it impossible to delay doing anything. |
| A．She needs to be more confident. | B．She is more modest than expected. |
| C．She should take more advice from others. | D．She should be allowed more independence. |
| A．Mentioned. | B．Identified. | C．Betrayed. | D．Described. |
| A．They were too boring to read. | B．They offered inspirations for her novel. |
| C．They nearly made her frightened of writing. | D．They taught her the skill of creating suspense. |
6 . In recent years, science fictions are becoming increasingly popular. Science fiction writers using their magical imagination create imaginary worlds that attract a great number of readers especially teenagers. But how can they make it so believable?
The way things work in your imaginary worlds will be based on actual science. So you must be familiar with the scientific laws related to your creation. 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 the rules in your creation can be different from our daily life, so you have to figure out the exact rules of your imaginary worlds.
When you are writing, remember to make it feel real. You are creating a new real world for the readers.
| A．And you have to follow them. |
| B．You are inviting them to visit the new world. |
| C．You have to get rich imagination to create science fictions. |
| D．Make sure what you are writing is not against basic science. |
| E．Characters in the imaginary worlds always have super power. |
| F．Here you will find the answer if you are longing to create one. |
| G．Your preparation work also involves planning everything in great detail. |
7 . On a rainy afternoon, maybe one of the following books will keep you company leisurely, allowing you to spend your time alone as well as stepping into a different world.
Don’t Shed Your Tears for Anyone Who Lives on These Streets, by Patricio Pron
In April 1945, Italy, a writer disappeared at a conference and was found dead at another place. Thirty years later, a young man interviewed survivors from the conference, trying to uncover the truth about what happened and its consequences. This novel, by a well-known Argentine writer, explores art, crime and politics.
When Breath Becomes Air, by Paul Kalanithi
At thirty-six, Paul Kalanithi was diagnosed (诊断) with stage IV lung cancer. One day he was a doctor treating the dying, and the next he was a patient. This autobiography finds hope and beauty in the face of death as Kalanithi attempts to answer the question “What makes a life worth living?”.
To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee
Set in a small Alabama town in the 1930s, the story focuses on honest, highly respected lawyer Atticus Finch who puts his career on the line when he agrees to represent Tom Robinson, a black man accused of committing a crime.
Nobody Will Tell You This But Me: A true (as told to me) story by Bess Kalb
Bess Kalb saved every voicemail from her grandmother Bobby Bell who died at ninety. In this book, Bobby is speaking to Bess once more, in a voice as loving as it ever was in life and brings us several generations of brave women. They include Bobby’s mother, who traveled alone from Belarus to America to survive, and Bess’s mother, who always fought against convention.
1. What type of book is the first novel?| A．Sci-fi. | B．Biography. | C．Detective books. | D．History books. |
| A．To Kill a Mockingbird. |
| B．When Breath Becomes Air. |
| C．Don’t Shed Your Tears for Anyone Who Lives on These Streets. |
| D．Nobody Will Tell You This But Me: A true (as told to me) story. |
| A．Bobby Bell. | B．Bess Kalb. | C．Bess’s mother. | D．Bobby’s mother. |
David Copperfield is the eighth novel by Charles Dickens. The novel features David Copperfield and is written
David Copperfield
9 . Nelle Harper Lee was born on April 28, 1926. Since Lee’s mother was mentally ill, she was raised by her father. She became very close to her father.
The naughty Lee loved reading, and would make up stories with Truman, her neighbour who was two years older than her. Seeing her daughter’s imagination, Lee’s father gave her a typewriter.
Before her final year in the university of Alabama, Lee dropped out to become a writer. She moved to New York City where her childhood friend Truman was already established as a famous writer. While there, she worked on her first book—To Kill a Mockingbird. It won her the Pulitzer Prize in 1961 and was made into an Academy Award winning movie the following year. To Kill a Mockingbird tells the story of six-year-old Scout and her brother who lived in the town of Maycomb Alabama with their single father Attics. Attics is a lawyer who defends the blacks. At a young age, Scout is exposed to the terrors of segregation(宗族隔离). Then, in 2014, the first draft of a new book—Go Set a Watchman was discovered among Lee’s papers. It is the story of 26-year-old Scout who returns to Maycomb to visit her father. She is shocked to find her father a changed man. Attics has turned into a segregationists! The story shows the mixed feelings Scout has for the changes that have taken place in her hometown and father.
A loner for most of her life, Lee stayed unmarried, preferring to lead a small town life. On February 19,2015, Lee passed away at the age of 89.
1. What can we learn about Lee?| A．She became a professional writer at college. |
| B．She developed a gift for writing in childhood. |
| C．She was persuaded to become a writer by Truman |
| D．She got interested in writing after getting a typewriter. |
| A．Her love for writing stories. |
| B．The effect of having an ill mother |
| C．Her experience of living in a small town |
| D．Her childhood relationship with her father |
| A．He had complex feelings towards the black. |
| B．He struggled for the equal right of the black |
| C．He supported segregating the blacks and the whites. |
| D．He failed to get used to the changes of his hometown |
| A．She has no taste for social life. |
| B．She write only a book in her life. |
| C．She feels lonely for most of her life. |
| D．She enjoys the fame for her successful book. |
10 . The play “The Million Pound Bank Note” is based on a short story 
tain ship and landed in London, where he found himself without money, friends
