1 . A few years ago, we celebrated Frankenstein’s 200th birthday. This famous book, written by British novelist Mary Shelley (1797—1851), is rightly known as the first work of science fiction. Frankenstein is the name of a doctor who creates a creature from human body parts. The doctor’s ambitions for his work are noble, but his experiment has disastrous results.
Shelley was writing in an age when science was beginning to have a great impact on the world. People had different attitudes toward science back then. Some found it inspiring- they thought of the progress medicine was making in curing common illnesses. But others found it a little frightening—it was changing the, making it a lot less familiar.
Science plays a bigger part in our lives than it did two centuries ago. Today, science has brought us great things like the internet, but also nuclear weapons, which, if used in large numbers, could kill off our species. Science still therefore creates the mixed feelings it did in Shelley’s day. It’s because Shelley saw both the promise and the danger of science that she’s still an influence today.
In fact, the subtitle of the book, The Modern Prometheus (普罗米修斯), shows how important myth (神话) was to the writer. Prometheus, a figure from classical Greek mythology, written by ancient Greek playwright Sophocles, steals fire from the gods and gives it to people, an act for which he is terribly punished. Shelley’s husband, the famous poet Percy Shelley, wrote about him in Prometheus Unbound. In the poem, he is a revolutionary hero, who triumphs over the gods. In Mary Shelley’s book, however, her modern Prometheus. Dr Frankenstein, is a highly controversial figure, who sacrifices his home and life for his crazy addiction to his creation.
In short, Mary Shelley’s book is not just a scary and moving story, but a philosophical tale that, even after 200 years, still speaks to modern readers.
1. What can we know about Dr Frankenstein and the creature he made?| A．He created it with animal parts. |
| B．He managed to kill it in the end. |
| C．He created it with good intentions. |
| D．He was aware of its dangers before its creation. |
| A．Her work discusses what it means to be human. |
| B．Her work warns people of the two sides of science. |
| C．Her work explains that any life deserves our respect. |
| D．Her work proves the important role of science in life. |
| A．is a revolutionary hero | B．has inspired many poets |
| C．causes some disagreement | D．suffers little for what he does |
| A．A book review. | B．A news report. |
| C．A short story. | D．A biography. |
1. What does John think of Amy’s poetry?
| A．It is very classic. | B．It is very romantic. | C．It is very unique. |
| A．On Monday. | B．On Tuesday. | C．On Thursday. |
| A．Love. | B．Nature. | C．Friendship. |
| A．Edgar Allen Poe’s. | B．Emily Dickinson’s. | C．Maya Angelou’s. |
3 . At least 3 million people, or around 6% of the adult population in England aged over 16, say they feel isolated “often or always,” according to Government figures, with those aged between 16 to 24 especially vulnerable(易受影响的). When it comes to our emotional wellbeing, feeling lonely is a risk factor for several mental disorders including schizophrenia and major depression, and also makes us more fearful and anxious.
I remember one woman starting to cry as she read Derek Walcott’s poem Love After Love during a workshop held at my local hospital in West London.
I am not alone in believing in that poems can aid our mental health. A 2021 study published by the American Academy of Pediatrics found that a group of 44 hospitalized children who were encouraged to read and write poetry saw reductions in fear, sadness, anger, worry and fatigue, Poetry was a welcome distraction from stress and an opportunity for self-reflection, the researchers concluded.
| A．Fighting through tears, she eventually said that she felt understood. |
| B．I hope there will be more clinical studies on poetry’s therapeutic power. |
| C．Indeed, loneliness is now widely recognized as a major public health problem. |
| D．Poetry lets us connect with other people who have experienced similar feelings. |
| E．Unfortunately, an increasing number of people have no idea of emotional well-being. |
| F．Poetry had worked its magic, unlocking a feeling of inner connection to all of us there. |
| G．I am hopeful that more studies and evidence will emerge, given my own experience of how poems can help us feel less isolated. |
4 . Like a Lily Among the Thoms by Karen S. Bell is a touching and appealing novel. Bell explores the theme of a sense of belonging through the perspective of her main character, Gabrielle Bernstein. Gabrielle is an optimistic young woman, and she never takes life for granted. She enjoys working as a librarian, and she loves her community. One day, she receives a notice to force her out of her apartment because her building is being pulled down, making room for luxury apartments. She only has a few days to find a new living situation. Soon after, she receives news:her long-lost father has passed away and left her an inheritance(遗产). Throughout this journey, Gabrielle struggles internally about whether to accept or decline this sudden inheritance from the man who has caused her so much pain.
From the start, Bell establishes a sharp contrast between- Gabrielle’s inner and outer self. For example,Gabrielle-has a generally positive outlook on life internally, and she never lets negative thoughts poison her mind. However, the author shows that when people come across Gabrielle, they see an external image of someone who seems angry, frustrated, and unhappy. In essence, Gabrielle is happy on the inside, but it does not reflect on her face. Later, the author explains this dichotomy(双面) when she finally pours out her childhood to her friend. In this revealing scene, Gabrielle’s face suddenly begins to change because she finally unburdens herself of how she truly feels about her upbringing. Indeed,"the more Gabrielle starts to let go of her painful past, the more her face comes across as pleasing.
Bell expertly describes the main character’s emotions with extreme honesty, and readers will undoubtedly be pleased with the results.
1. How did Gabrielle probably feel about the news?| A．Excited. | B．Relieved. | C．Hesitant. | D．Annoyed. |
| A．Letting go is the best relief. | B．Family is the most precious. |
| C．Never take things for granted. | D．People with double natures gain twice. |
| A．Immature. | B．Average. | C．Strange. | D．Remarkable. |
| A．A realistic novel. | B．A book review. |
| C．A critical biography. | D．A diary entry. |
5 .
Red Sorghum | Mo Yan (Author), George Backman (Narrator), Howard Goldblatt (translator) The acclaimed novel of love and resistance during late 1930s China by Mo Yan, winner of the 2012 Nobel Prize in Literature. Spanning three generations, this novel of family and myth is told through a series of flashbacks that describe events of shocking horror set against a landscape of gemlike beauty, as the Chinese battle both Japanese invaders and each other in the turbulent (动荡的) 1930s. |
| |
--------------------------------------------------------------Product details-------------------------------------------------------------- | |
Audible.com Release Date December 09, 2013
Publisher Audible Studios
Program Type Audiobook
Version Unabridged
Language English
Top reviews from the United States
jklm
It was interesting and vivid, but not…This is a ‘history’ of a family recalling various exploits of family members. I liked the realism but the jumping about backwards and forwards from decade to decade makes me confused.
There is a distinct lack of ideals or kindness, but it did lead me to reflect on the charm that gang leaders can have. So it was interesting and vivid, but not a page turner or a pleasant read.
K.N.R.
A New ClassicWar cannot destroy all. This family stretches three generations and the bonds are as strong as the sorghum, though perhaps suffering from storms. His style of writing is very pretty, sometimes too much and sometimes just perfect. The novel switches lawlessly back and forth. The use of third-person always enables the writing to adjust to different scenes with ease. The only bad part is the end. Mo Yan tries too hard to force a feeling of filial (孝顺的) devotion and ancestral respect on the reader. Otherwise it is an exciting, intense book with violence, horror, and shooting. An extraordinary achievement.
1. What do we know about Red Sorghum?| A．It is a non-fiction for those who lived in late 1930s China. |
| B．George Backman is one of the authors. |
| C．The novel gives us the story in order of time. |
| D．It tells the history of three generations struggling during the war-torn time. |
| A．He/She can’t understand where the novel was heading. |
| B．The book can only be listened. |
| C．The author tried hard to show blind respect to parents and ancestors. |
| D．The war that Chinese people were faces with was too harsh. |
| A．travel website | B．short video website | C．shopping website | D．news website |
6 . The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by MARK TWAIN
"The Adventures of Tom Sawyer" is a novel that can be considered autobiography as it is based on the experiences of Mark Twain. Tom Sawyer stands out for his intelligent, wild and humorous nature. He is a person who can overcome any problem, and nothing is impossible for him. He looks at the difficulties as a challenge and tries to solve them. He is powered by great optimism despite everything bad that has happened to him.
The Happy Prince by OSCAR WILDE
The Happy Prince is a tale with multiple lessons. From one side it is the critic of the society that can be cruel and heartless and on the other side, it is about the sympathy for humans' troubles. Oscar Wild tried to state in a simple way the virtues and weaknesses of a person in all of his fairy tales and criticize the society which is insensible.
The Old Man and the Sea by ERNEST HEMINGWAY
"The Old Man and the Sea" is a novel which was published in 1952 for the first time in the magazine Life. The theme is the relationship between man and nature. Even though at the beginning Santiago is represented like a man who is defeated in life and has no strength, with time we find out that he is the real hero characterized by strength and faith.
Beauty and the Beast by JEANNE-MARIE LEPRINCE DE BEAUMONT
"Beauty and the Beast" is a heartfelt story about the birth of love and the capability of love to trans-form the way you look at people you love. The moral of this fairy tale is that person' s beauty comes from a heart in love and when the beauty realizes the inner beauty of the beast and the feelings it has, the outer appearance means nothing to her anymore.
1. What do Tom Sawyer and Santiago have in common?| A．They are men of great power | B．They are fond of comforts. |
| C．They are smart and humorous. | D．They are world-famous novelists. |
| A．Faith can remove mountains. | B．Love blinds a person to imperfection |
| C．The best hearts are always the bravest | D．The inner beauty outweighs the outer beauty. |
| A．Announcement. | B．Autobiograhy. | C．Book review. | D．Diary. |
7 . I realized that I spent far too much time on the Internet last year, for obvious reasons. I suspect Fm not alone. And just like magic, Suzanne Park’s Sunny Song Will Never Be Famous came across my desk, a story about a 17-year-old Korean American influencer who ends up in a digital detox (脱瘾) camp. My first reaction was to shrink, worried about how much of my social media self I would see in this book, and how much relative therapy (疗法) I would undoubtedly require as a result. But Sunny is such an amazing heroine that I was laughing out loud by Page 10.
Sunny is literally born an influencer. Thanks to a video, “Goggle Girl” becomes Internet famous. She keeps up the persona as she grows older, procuring almost 10,000 subscribers to her YouTube channel alone. But disaster strikes when she forgets to turn off the camera one afternoon during a live stream. This will result in Sunny’s dismissal from her L. A. private school— unless her parents send her to a digital detox camp, as per the principal’s request.
The customers in the camp are Internet addicts ranging from fantasy sports and gaming players to mean girl Internet celebrities. Sunny is forced to spend a month in the cornfields of Iowa among these celebrities with no digital devices. Except the burner phone she brings secretly in because she’s in the running for an influencer competition, and she actually has a shot! But the other competitor is the meanest girl in camp, who also happens to have ten times Sunny’s following.
The book is a total joy to read. I appreciate that Park does not approach social media as the enemy in this book, and for that reason I can enthusiastically recommend it to any young folks who are particularly web-savvy (精通的).Sunny reminds readers of the power of Internet fame, and the consequences if that power isn’t used wisely.
1. How did the author feel when first seeing the book?| A．She felt amazed at its cover. |
| B．She felt concerned about its contents. |
| C．She felt confident of its style. |
| D．She felt upset about its plot. |
| A．Postponing. | B．Appreciating. | C．Obtaining. | D．Introducing. |
| A．People there are physically abused. |
| B．Life there without digital products. |
| C．It holds many competitions monthly. |
| D．It is specially designed for Internet celebrities. |
| A．To review a book. |
| B．To introduce a great camp. |
| C．To record an unforgettable experience. |
| D．To stress the advantage of social media. |
Science fiction pioneer and writer Wu Yan won this year’s National Outstanding Children’s Literature Award for his
His fellow science fiction writer Liu Cixin, author of The Three Body Problem, believes China Orbit is too complicated to be classed under a single category. He speaks highly of China Orbit as
9 . The Awakening
This was Kate Chopin’s second and final novel, published in 1899. It was one of the first novels that focused on women, marking the birth of women’s liberation in America. We follow Edna Pontellier, an obedient (顺从的) wife and mother, who becomes close to a charming young man Robert Lebrun. It’s the time when she begins to struggle for her independence and self-fulfillment.
At the time of first publication the book met with mixed reactions, mainly due to presenting attitudes that were against established gender roles.
Waterloo
A great and terrible story of a battle that was fought 200 years ago, told with energy by Bernard Cornwell who combines his storytelling skills with a researched history to give a vivid account of every dramatic moment.
Through letters and diaries, the author also sheds new light on the private thoughts of Napoleon and the Duke of Wellington. Waterloo proves that Bernard Cornwell’s non-fiction is as fine as his novels, if not finer.
The Fifth Child
This is a classic tale from Doris Lessing, winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature Published in 1988, the book describes the changes in the happy life of Harriet and David Lovatt, as a result of the birth of their fifth child, Ben.
Ben is a highly abnormal child, large, ugly, and uncontrollable. His birth marks the beginning of the misery and suffering for the entire family.
The Gambler
Fyodor Dostoevsky’s The Gambler is the tale of Alexy, a tutor who works for a Russian general and his family. He falls in love with the general’s niece, Polina—a young woman who pulls his strings like a master puppeteer (操纵木偶者).
A hopeless gambler whose passion for the game greatly goes beyond his ability to win, Alexy finds himself out of control. If you’d like to add a Russian classic to your book challenge, this is the perfect choice for you.
1. What can we learn about Kate Chopin?| A．She was a productive author. | B．She was an obedient wife. |
| C．She fought for women’s rights. | D．She loved a young man. |
| A．Fans of Russian literature. | B．Gamble’s opponents. |
| C．Women’s right supporters. | D．Tutors with passion. |
| A．The Awakening | B．Waterloo | C．The Fifth Child | D．The Gambler |
10 . 18-year-old Alison Sanger is an amazing student. Maybe too amazing— the book opens with Alison lying to her mother about having food poisoning so she can take a test on Shakespeare. More than getting good grades, her true motivation is to beat her opponent, Ethan Molloy.
Ethan has gone toe-to-toe with Alison on everything throughout school. They’re both honors students. They are co-vice presidents of the senior class. They both hope to get into Harvard. The fact that Ethan and Alison seem to always do everything at the same time turned into a competition a long time ago. Whoever does worse on an exam must do an unpleasant task of the winner’s choosing. If someone misses the exam, they forfeit.
This unfriendly competition is so famous that everyone at Fairview knows about it, students and staff. They’re even more annoyed by it than Alison. The principal takes matters in hand by asking the two to co-plan a previous class’s ten-year reunion after someone else dropped the ball. As you might imagine, tensions arise and passion is aroused. In a certain way, What’s Not to Love is a little like The Hunger Games. Like Katniss with Peeta, Alison is constantly evaluating her own emotions against Ethan’s supposed strategy.
While reading this book, I was forced to wonder exactly how healthy this relationship was. I assumed everyone’s intentions in the book were honorable—the authors themselves turned out all right in the end, and I’m incredibly glad for that. Wibbroka fans will not be disappointed—What’s Not to Love is story of soulmates and passion; its short chapters and tight pacing carry the reader along all the way to the satisfying conclusion. Despite its faults—which the text itself calls to attention—fans of enemies-to-lovers stories like How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days will feel right at home here.
1. Why does Alison lie to her mother?| A．To treat her food poisoning. |
| B．To prove that she’s also amazing. |
| C．To be able to be tested on schedule. |
| D．To please her friend with good grades. |
| A．Compete. | B．Withdraw. |
| C．Cooperate. | D．Succeed. |
| A．They prove their abilities separately. |
| B．They get the final result of their competition. |
| C．They set up a better relationship between them. |
| D．They use it as another chance to continue the competition. |
| A．Worth reading. | B．Useless. |
| C．Unreasonable. | D．Perfect. |
