1 . Short stories are amazing. You can get something useful out of them.
The Bogey Beast
Flora Annie Steel
A woman finds a pot of treasure on the road. Pleased with her luck, she decides to keep it. As she is taking it home, it keeps changing. However, her enthusiasm(热情)refuses to fade away. Her positive personality tries to make every terrible situation seem like a gift.
There Will Come Soft Rains
Ray Bradbury
Earth has been destroyed by war. However, machines continue to function and serve humans who have long ago died. The title is taken from a poem describing how nature will continue its work long after humanity is gone. But in this story, we see that nature plays a supporting role and machines have taken its place.
The Tale of Johnny Town-Mouse
Beatrix Potter
Timmie is a country mouse accidentally taken to a city. He finds himself at a party and makes a friend. When he can’t bear the city life, he returns to his home. When his friend visits him, something similar happens. Village and city life are recent inventions and we need to decide their costs and benefits.
The Night Train at Deoli
Ruskin Bond
While taking the train, Ruskin Bond always has to pass through a small station called Deoli. One day he sees a girl selling fruit and he is unable to forget her. This is about our attachment to strangers and why we treasure them even though we do not meet them ever again.
1. What does There Will Come Soft Rains want to teach us?| A．Nature works in its own way. |
| B．Humans shouldn’t break natural law. |
| C．Technology can still function without humanity. |
| D．Technology should be developed to serve our life. |
| A．He settled down in the village. | B．He made many friends in the village. |
| C．He couldn’t get used to the village life. | D．He couldn’t bear the life in the city anymore. |
| A．Flora Annie Steel’s. | B．Ray Bradbury’s. |
| C．Beatrix Potter’s. | D．Ruskin Bond’s. |
2 . I arrived home from work, my mind racing. I was scheduled to perform an experiment using a pricey piece of equipment, but I had spent the whole day worrying about the experiment which was on the top of my agenda, and I amazingly longed to shut off my anxious thoughts. So after dinner, I made a cup of hot chocolate, stretched myself on my sofa, and opened a page. Almost instantly, my mind left behind the details of experimental design and stepped into a land of monsters, magic dust, and man-like bears comprising a wonderful world distinct from my daily life. It was exactly what I needed.
Growing up, I was virtually never a big fan of novels. My classmates would be crazy about the latest Harry Potter book, while my copy sat collecting dust on a shelf. Instead, I would choose to read through the reference books related to my disciplines for better grades. After I started graduate school, extracurricular reading didn’t appeal to me at all but I spent most of my time on campus digesting research papers and textbooks and my mind couldn’t handle processing fact-filled nonfiction books at home, too. So I knew that I needed to find a way to enjoy reading again.
To help me stick with it, I made a New Year’s resolution: I would read two fiction books per month for the entire year. The result was an almost instant appreciation of fiction, along with many unexpected results including ones that have benefited my schoolwork.
What surprised me the most was how much I learned. Some of the best books I read were historical fictional stories happening in a realistic historical setting. I learned about life in different countries as well as struggles people there faced during difficult periods in their histories. The books have helped me build sympathy and understanding, with an unexpected benefit: I’ve started to think more deeply about the diversity of issues in the scientific community and could serve it, heart and soul.
1. What did the author do to wipe out the anxiety?| A．He drowned it in chocolate. | B．He escaped into a fantasy world. |
| C．He slept on the sofa leisurely. | D．He conducted an experiment. |
| A．Reading novels was a waste of time. |
| B．Reading a good book was time well spent. |
| C．He was too busy to take good care of his books. |
| D．The Harry Potter book wasn’t as good as expected. |
| A．More sympathy went out to him. |
| B．His moral values were strengthened. |
| C．He learned much about religious diversity. |
| D．He gained new insight into his academic discipline. |
| A．Overestimated | B．Underestimated | C．Favourable | D．Temporary |
3 . Andrea Lankford quit her job after spending 12 years as a National Park Service forester specializing in search and rescue missions in scenic and remote American landscapes. However, decades later, three young hikers went missing on the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT). She found herself unable to turn away from the three separate cases despite challenges in the inquiry into them.
Trail of the Lost was her answer.
It’s an absorbing nonfiction narrative (叙事) about the three hikers, including their lives and those of the people looking for them. It also explores the history of the PCT and the rich subculture, practices and even literature that surround it and those who undertake the 2,650-mile journey.
The book is a rich multilayered narrative that works on three different levels. The first is the story of each of the three hikers. Lankford offers a biography (传记) of each of the missing men and shows them through the eyes of those who knew them well and those who joined the search.
Right underneath the narratives about the three hikers are the stories of everyone looking for them. Lankford played a role in each search but she allowed friends, family and even strangers to occupy center stage throughout most of the narrative. The story looks at the role of missing person Facebook groups in the searches and how crucial word of mouth can be. Many warm-hearted individuals came forth and became instrumental in the searches or provided valuable information. But Lankford also writes of the many who lied for no apparent reason and confused the investigations.
The narrative also shines a light on diverse aspects of the PCT. Lankford, who has hiked the entire Appalachian Trail and was the first person to mountain bike the 800-mile Arizona Trail, knows just how the PCT is physically and mentally demanding. Besides, the book explores threats from mountain lions to people with bad intentions who don’t observe the PCT’s unspoken moral rules, serving as a revelation of the well-known, hidden or ignored dangers of the PCT.
Written with a clear, fast-paced, straightforward style, Trail of the Lost is as full of hope and humanity as it is packed with pain, sorrow, danger and tension. Read it and you’ll find more than you seek.
1. What led Lankford to write Trail of the Lost?| A．Her love for her prior career. |
| B．Her strong attachment to the PCT. |
| C．The stress from the missing families. |
| D．Her investigation into hikers’ disappearance. |
| A．Efforts by different people in searches. |
| B．A string of wilderness survival tips. |
| C．Approaches to information classification. |
| D．Respective stories of the three hikers. |
| A．To promote her book. |
| B．To make her a celebrity. |
| C．To motivate hikers to challenge themselves. |
| D．To stress the difficulty of hiking the PCT. |
| A．It targets single youth. |
| B．It’s a romantic novel. |
| C．It’s based on actual events. |
| D．It’s a detailed account of a journey. |
| A．Science fiction. | B．Horror fiction. | C．Romantic fiction. |
5 . Guernsey International Poetry Competition — Poems on the Move
Your poem could be on show in 2024. Winning entries are displayed in two stages: 21 bus poems will be chosen, and the top 9 of these will take part in a second, larger exhibition, first at Guernsey Airport, then all over the island.
How to enter·Online by completing the online entry form and payment, at www.poemsonthemove.com.
·By email: PotM@guernseyliteraryfestival.com .
·By post: Poems on the Move 2024, Guernsey Literary Festival, PO Box 174, St. Peter Port, Guernsey, Channel Islands, UK,GY1 3LG.
Fees·Entries are £4 per poem or 3 poems for £10.
·Fees are not refundable.
·Young People’s Poetry: Aged 11-17, entries FREE
Rules·Entries must be no longer than 14 lines and must be typed and fit on a single A4 page.
·Please do not write your name or age on the same sheet as your poems.
·Enter each poem on a separate page and enclose another separate sheet with your name, address, telephone number, email address, plus the title(s) of your poems.
·Entries must be entirely the work of the entrant and must never have been published, self-published, published on any public website or broadcast, nor winning or placed in any other competition.
·Closing date for receipt of entries: February15, 2024
The prize is open to anyone except those involved in organizing the competition. Winners will be contacted by March 5, 2024. Winning poems will be shown on Guernsey buses, and 9 of these poems will become part of the Poems on the Move exhibition, for no less than six months.
1. What should entrants do?| A．Show their poems on the bus. | B．Deliver their poems in person. |
| C．Start entering after February 15, 2024. | D．Have the poems typed as requested. |
| A．They should be original. |
| B．They must be over 14 lines. |
| C．They should be around two pages long. |
| D．They must be published works on any site. |
| A．A young man aged 16. | B．A poet involved in the competition. |
| C．A writer organizing the competition. | D．A teacher writing a poem. |
1. 活动内容：
2. 活动反响。
注意：写作词数应为100词左右；
参考词汇：诗意青春poetic youth 诗歌朗诵poetry reading
A poetry reading competition
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7 . Irish Writers Centre Novel Fair 2024
The Novel Fair is an annual competition initiated by the Irish Writers Centre (IWC). Described by The Irish Times as “A Dragons’ Cave for writers”, each year the Fair aims to introduce up-and-coming writers to top publishers and literary agents.
The Prize
The twelve winners will have the opportunity to present the summary of their novel directly to industry professionals. Leading publishers and agents will be invited by the IWC to meet these writers in person or through a series of online meetings. To get fully prepared for the meeting with publishers and agents, the winners will receive a place in a workshop on “How to Promote Your Novel”, two weeks in advance. Also, applicants who are longlisted (初选) but do not make it to the shortlist of twelve will have their works evaluated and criticized by the judging panel.
How to Enter
Entry fee for application is £55 (Members of IWC can enter for a discounted fee of £45). This competition only accepts manuscripts (原稿) for novels. Applicants are required to send a summary within 300 words and up to five chapters of their novel, which should be 10,000 words (+/-10％). Manuscripts should be submitted online. There is a limit of one entry per applicant.
Entries are welcome from anywhere in the world. Before entering the competition, please ensure that you have read the Novel Fair Terms & Conditions 2024 very carefully as the Fair is open to only novelists who have never published work previously. If you have any questions about the application process, please email novelfair@irishwriterscentre.ie.
1. What’s the purpose of the Fair?| A．To advertise local stories. |
| B．To encourage literary reading. |
| C．To serve as a platform for writers. |
| D．To arouse enthusiasm for writing. |
| A．Deal with the judging panel. |
| B．Improve their writing skills. |
| C．Learn about publishing process. |
| D．Present their novels attractively. |
| A．A summary of 200 words. |
| B．A novel published in 2023. |
| C．A paper manuscript by post. |
| D．A submission of seven chapters. |
China’s online literature industry is making an increasing impact overseas—with some even
Overseas readers of Chinese web novels exceeded 150 million in 2022, mainly Generation Z born between 1996 and 2010. Among 15 major
In June, Wang Xiang,
Last year, 16 Chinese online works of literature were included in the British Library’s Chinese collection for the first time, all of
1. How many books did Eric Carle create for children?
| A．Less than 55. | B．Over 70. | C．Almost 90. |
| A．The Grouchy Ladybug. |
| B．The Mixed-Up Chameleon. |
| C．The Very Hungry Caterpillar. |
| A．To make school a fun and welcome place. |
| B．To help children get inspiration. |
| C．To offer materials to teachers. |
Poetry (诗歌) is never far away from our daily lives. Many of us grew up reciting classic poems. The Chinese shijing, which
The Chinese Poetry Congress《中国诗词大会》shows that classic poetry enjoys a wide
And even TV series
