1 . Literature reflects life. So in ageing Japan there are a large number of hit books by aged authors. “Age 90: what’s so great about it?” is a humorous essay on the difficulties of the elderly, by Aiko Sato, who is 95. It sold one million copies in 2017, making it Japan’s bestselling book that year.
In 2018 the Akutagawa literary prize went to Chisako Wakatake, 63 at the time, for her first novel “Live by Myself”. The books talk about how to live in old age. “Going to Die Soon”, also by Ms Uchidate, features 78-year-old Hana, a former alcohol-shop owner trying to make the most of her remaining years. The novel has been called a book for shukatsu, or preparing for death, making readers think more deeply about what it means to age.
Japan’s population has the world’s highest percentage of over-65s. People are living longer, so many have at least 20-30 years of retirement, for much of which they are energetic.
And although the Japanese have been spending less on books, that is least true for the over-60s. Lawson, a convenience-store chain, recently decided to stock books with the older generation in mind.
But the wrinkly writers’ books are attracting younger readers, too. Some are preparing for their own old age or want to understand the increasing number of old people they see around them. Others find relevance in the themes explored, such as loneliness, a problem that stretches well beyond the silver-haired.
The most notable feature of the new trend is that the vast majority of authors, and main characters, are women. Especially popular, are the ara-hun (“around-hundred” years-old) writers like Ms Sato, whose book, readers say, helps them be more positive. Their popularity also reflects support for strong women who are passionate about their work, a phenomenon that is all too rare in Japan today.
1. “Going to Die Soon” is a book ________.| A．about how to stay positive in old age |
| B．which won the Akutagawa literary prize in 2018 |
| C．which helps people live the rest of the life to the fullest |
| D．written by a 78-year-old Hana, an alcohol-shop owner |
| A．young readers now have more elder relatives |
| B．young readers face similar problems as the elderly |
| C．young readers are worried about becoming old |
| D．young readers are as lonely as the elderly |
| A．Aged writers might be more successful than younger writers. |
| B．An aging society brings more chances for women writers. |
| C．People have to work after their retirement in an aging society. |
| D．Ambitious career women might not be popular with the Japanese. |
增加:在缺词处加一个漏字符号(∧)，并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除:把多余的词用斜线(＼)划掉。
修改:在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意:1.每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；
2.只允许修改 10 处，多者(从第11 处起)不计分。
Jane Eyre is a world-famous storybook, which is very popular to middle school students. The main character Jane is one of my favorite heroine. The book tells us not only about her hard life and about her efforts to gain her happiness. It were her perseverance and determination which helped her to get what she deserved at last. I liked Jane very much, and her story leaves a great effect on her life and study. I make up my mind work hard at my lessons. Meanwhile, I will try to make the full use of any opportunity to train my characters, especial my tolerance and perseverance to solve all of the difficulties in my life.
3 . World Book Day falls on April 23rd every year，but do you know that it is also Shakespeare Day? Everybody may have heard of Shakespeare，but do you know how many plays he wrote?
Shakespeare’s plays have three kinds：tragedies，comedies and histories. His most famous play is the tragic story of Romeo and Juliet，which deals with two young lovers who are not allowed to marry by their parents. Other tragedies include Hamlet，Othello，and Macbeth.
Shakespeare’s comedies include Much Ado About Nothing ,A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Twelfth Night. Twelfth Night is a play about unclear identities. Two twins are shipwrecked (遭海难)and the sister，Viola，dresses up as her brother，Sebastian，who she thinks is dead. It’s funny，because the brother reappears and there’s a big love problem going on：Viola is in love with the Duke，who is in love with Olivia，who falls in love with Sebastian except that she doesn’t realize that Sebastian is actually Viola dressed up！Everybody falls in love with the wrong person，but it is all made right in the end.
Some of his history plays，such as Antony and Cleopatra，Richard III and Henry V, are based on the lives of real historical people. In Antony and Cleopatra，Cleopatra becomes Antony’s girlfriend and Antony becomes so crazy about her that he loses control of the army. Cleopatra kills herself in the end and Antony kills himself too.
Shakespeare’s plays can he very difficult sometimes. Some of the themes they deal with are heavy，so they almost always include a lighter subplot with characters that are not so important. They are often used in tragedies to lighten the mood of the play and to keep the audience interested in the main plot.
1. Which of the following plays is best－known to people?| A．Twelfth Night. | B．Antony and Cleopatra. |
| C．Romeo and Juliet. | D．Much Ado About Nothing. |
| A．Othello. | B．Sebastian. |
| C．Antony. | D．Hamlet. |
| A．Some of them are developed from real historical people. |
| B．There are only three famous history plays. |
| C．They are more difficult than tragedies and comedies. |
| D．Real historical events can he found in every history play. |
| A．To lead the development of the main plot. |
| B．To help the audience understand the plays. |
| C．To make the difficult plot of the plays simple. |
| D．To relax the audience and make them follow the main theme. |
4 . Jane Eyre
Jane Eyre, a novel written by Charlotte Bronte, was published in 1847 in England. It is Charlotte Bronte’s most famous book. Jane Eyre is a love story. It tells about a young and independent woman called Jane Eyre, who is brave enough to pursue her own love.
Uncle Tom’s Cabin
Uncle Tom’s Cabin is an anti-slavery novel by American author Harriet Beecher Stowe. Published in 1852, the novel “helped lay the base for the Civil War”, according to Will Kaufman. When Abraham Lincoln met Stowe at the start of the Civil War, Lincoln declared, “So it is the little lady who started this great war.” The character of Uncle Tom in the novel is a longsuffering black slave. The sad novel exposes the reality of slavery.
Gone with the Wind
Gone with the Wind is a novel by Margaret Mitchell in 1936. It tells the story of Scarlett O’Hara, and her adventures in the American South during the Civil War. She falls in love with Rhett Butler, a city gentleman. It is one of the most famous books of its time, and was made into a movie with the same name. The title took its name from the lines an Ernest Dowson poem: “I have forgotten much, Cynara! Gone with the wind.” (This line also appears in the book.) The book won the Pulitzer Prize on May 3,1937.
Rich Dad Poor Dad
Rich Dad Poor Dad is a book by Robert Kiyosaki and Sharon Lechter. In the story, Robert’s own father was the superintendent (厅长) of education in Hawaii and end up dying penniless. His best friend’s father dropped out of school at age 13 and went on to become one of the wealthiest men in Hawaii. It advocates financial independence through investing, real estate (地产), owning businesses, and the use of finance protection tactics.
1. Whose book had a great impact on the Civil War in the U.S.?| A．Charlotte Bronte’s. |
| B．Harriet Beecher Stowe’s. |
| C．Margaret Mitchell’s. |
| D．Robert Kiyosaki and Sharon Lechter’s. |
| A．An adventurous story. | B．The Civil War. |
| C．A poem. | D．The Pulitzer Prize. |
| A．A woman who is eager for free love. |
| B．A historian who studies the history of the U.S.A. |
| C．A businessman who wants to be wealthy. |
| D．A politician who warns to enter politics. |
5 . Traditional fairytales(童话) are being given up by parents because they are too scary for their young children, a study found．
Research uncovered that one in five parents has got rid of old literature such as Snow White and the Seven Dwarves and Rapunzel in favor of more modern books.
One third of parents said their children have been left in tears after hearing the gruesome details of Little Red Riding Hood.
And nearly half of mothers and fathers refuse to read Rumplesliltshin to their kids as the themes of the story are kidnapping and killing．
Similarly, Goldilocks and the Three Bears was also a tale likely to be left on the book shelf as parents felt it forgives stealing.
The survey of 2,000 adults was completed to mark the launch of the hit US drama GRIMM (格林童话剧), which starts tonight at 9pm on Watch, and sees six drama series based on traditional fairytales.
The survey found a quarter of parents questioned wouldn’t consider reading fairytales to their kids.
And 52 percent of the parents said Cinderella didn’t send a good message to their children as it describes a young woman doing housework all day.
Steve Hornsey, General Manager of Watch, said: "Bedtime stories are supposed to calm children down and send them off to sleep soundly.But as we see in GMMM, fairytales can be dark and dramatic so it’s understandable that parents worry about reading them to young children．As adults we can see the innocence in fairytales, but a five-year-old child could take them too literally.Despite the dark nature of classic fairytales as we see in GRIMM, good will defeat evil and there is always a moral to the story."
The study also found two thirds of mums and dads try to avoid stories which might give their children nightmares.The most popular book read at bedtime is now 'The Very Hungry Caterpillar' by Eric Carle.
However half of parents said traditional tales are more likely to have a strong moral message than a lot of modern kids' books, such as The Gruffato, The Hungary Caterpillar and the Mr. Men books.
1. Classical works for children are being avoided by parents they think .| A．they contain unmoral themes |
| B．they are terrifying |
| C．they encourage stealing, kidnapping and killing |
| D．they are tired of answering questions |
| A．Very horrible | B．Very amusing |
| C．Very disappointing | D．Very amazing |
| A．Snow White and the Seven Dwarves and Cinderella |
| B．The Very Hungry Caterpillar and Little Red Riding Hood. |
| C．The Very Hungry Caterpillar and Mr. Men |
| D．Goldilocks and the Three Bears and Cinderella |
| A．think it is different from the reality |
| B．dislike it because it is scary |
| C．believe exactly what the tale says |
| D．feel there is a moral to the story |
I sing when I feel good. When I sing my favorite songs, I feel even better. Sometimes when I am listening to music and to the song words, I feel that it was written for me. A good song always makes me feel something. There are songs that I sing in my head between classes and songs that I want to sing when the school bell rings by the end of the day. They help me get through the day.
I also like reading. I used to avoid poetry until an e-friend told me I should recite poems and not look up the meaning of the words. Poetry uses many difficult words and idioms, but the best thing is to just forget about them. In the beginning I felt quite strange. Now I always lock the door. Reading aloud gives you a strange feeling, but when you have some practice and fall into the rhythm, and the sounds of the words, it is really a special experience.
I started with small poems, but now I think I most like long poems. I have different feelings with different poems. When I have had a bad day at school, I read Keats and forget everything. When I am sad I read Wordsworth by the light of a candle. When the poem is finished, I close the book and my sadness is gone.
1. According to the writer, _______.
| A．people like poems the same way they enjoy songs |
| B．poetry is the same form of art as songs |
| C．people always feel the same while reading poems |
| D．the meaning of words is the key to appreciating poetry |
| A．Songs are like different colors in different times. |
| B．Songs can help people better understand colors. |
| C．Songs can describe a mixture of different colors. |
| D．Songs can bring people warmth and comfort. |
| A．the writer likes singing songs aloud at any time |
| B．songs and poems can help get over bad emotions |
| C．the writer’s native language is English |
| D．the writer like songs better than poems |
| A．Keats’ poems are full of bad feelings. |
| B．Wordsworth’s poems contain much sad description. |
| C．Both of their poetry can create positive feelings. |
| D．The themes of their poems are not different at all. |
