1 . BBC: Top 4 Wonderful English Novels

Great Expectations
By Charles Dickens, 1861

Mrs Dalloway
By Virginia Woolf, 1925

Middlemarch
By George Eliot, 1874

Wuthering Heights
By Emily Bronte, 1847

1. Which of the following might be the purest British novel?

A．Great Expectations.	B．Mrs Dalloway.
C．Wuthering Heights.	D．Middlemarch.

2. When was the novel of Mrs Dalloway published?

A．In 1847.

B．In 1861.

C．In 1874.

D．In 1925.

3. What can we learn about Middlemarch?

A．Its plot is very simple.

B．It describes the hero’s events in one day.

C．It is powered by more psychological energy than any other book.

D．It is the greatest social and psychological novel written in English.

4. Who wrote the novel of Wuthering Heights?

A．George Eliot.	B．Virginia Woolf.
C．Emily Bronte.	D．Charles Dickens.

3 . Entering the drama room I am immediately surrounded by the familiar sights, smells and sounds. Streaks (条纹；线条) of light cast by the blinds of the tall _________ send shafts (杆状物) of light through the dusty air. I take a deep breath and the concrete and paint _________ tickle my nose. I _________ everything about this room.

Some of the best times of my life have been spent here. It’s ironic (讽刺的), but the _________ is the only place where I feel that I don’t have to _________ to be someone I’m not. Like many teenagers, I almost _________ think that people are judging me, but when I act, that feeling disappears. People only look at your acting ability, not your clothing, money, choice of friends, or any of the other ways people are usually ___________.

When I’m on stage, everything else vanishes (消失). All the worries and   _________ of the outside world are put on hold. Nervousness is still present, but it’s the excited and tingly kind, not the queasy (不稳定的) ___________ of being different and alone.

I __________ love to work backstage and on lighting. I __________ you could find another girl who would work on a ladder __________ her elbows in cables and dust and love every second of it. It makes me unique and gives me a sense of __________ to know that I succeed in an area where few others — and virtually (事实上) no girls — do.

High school is a difficult atmosphere, to put it __________. Like others, I’m often insecure (不安的), not __________ who I am or where I’m going in life. Wherever that may be, I will always have the confidence I get from theater.

1.

A．doors

B．windows

C．roofs

D．walls

2.

A．smells

B．tastes

C．sounds

D．looks

3.

A．hate

B．love

C．miss

D．forget

4.

A．room

B．office

C．building

D．stage

5.

A．pretend

B．expect

C．want

D．decide

6.

A．hardly

B．seriously

C．constantly

D．happily

7.

A．thought of

B．judged

C．taken care of

D．feeling

8.

A．happiness

B．anxieties

C．chances

D．pressures

9.

A．feeling

B．idea

C．hope

D．fact

10.

A．seldom

B．almost

C．relatively

D．absolutely

11.

A．hope

B．doubt

C．think

D．suspect

12.

A．up for

B．out of

C．up to

D．down to

13.

A．pride

B．duty

C．humor

D．sight

14.

A．cruelly

B．tensely

C．friendly

D．mildly

15.

A．fond of

B．afraid for

C．sure of

D．interested in

4 . Here are a few of our favorite entries so far in our “Your Life: The Reader’s Digest Version” contest. After reading these, head over to Facebook and submit your own story about a special moment or lesson that shaped your life.

“There will Always Be a John” —By Darla Boyd.

During my first year of teaching, there was a kid named John in my class. John was difficult to control and he nearly drove me crazy. While talking about him one day, an old teacher put his hand on my shoulder and said, “There will always be a John. Your job is to learn, to discover what make him different and help him grow better.” The next year, there was indeed another John. In the last 20 years, I’ve learned to enjoy all the kids like John. That advice taught me that there is something to appreciate in everyone.

“An Early Key Lesson” —By Elaine West.

Before I began my first teaching job, my mother, a teacher of 30 years, gave me a very special gift, five simple words that have had an effect on my entire life: “Make friends with the janitor.” Her wisdom taught me the respect for all types of characters and continue to enrich my life to this day. Just five little words, but what an effect they can have when you take them to heart!

“Raising Mommy” —By Jan Davis.

Being a mother can always present challenges and rewards. Someone told me early in my parenting career that “Children will teach you everything you need to know”. Being a mother is being raised. Our children become our adviser. Their dreams become our professors, as we are taking notes carefully. The sounds of their laughter and smiles on their faces are a great reward to us or bring us great joy. Their tears remind us that it is okay to fail, wipe the tears away and try again.

1. What did the old teacher mean by saying “There will always be a John”?

A．There are always difficult students like John.	B．John will always be an ordinary student.
C．It is important to change John.	D．John is a very common name.

2. What did Elaine West’s mother advise her to do?

A．Take care of janitors.	B．Don’t treat students differently.
C．Don’t judge people by appearance.	D．Respect people from different backgrounds.

3. Which of the following would Jan Davis most probably agree with?

A．A mother should be given more care.

B．A mother improves herself greatly in parenting.

C．Being a mother has more challenges than rewards.

D．Children should realize the dreams of their parents.

4. Which of the following will a new mother benefit most?

A．“Raising Mommy”.	B．“The Reader’s Digest”.
C．“An Early Key Lesson”.	D．“There will Always Be a John”.

5. The text is most probably a(n)________?

A．notice inviting contributions.	B．introduction to a contest.
C．ad for three new books.	D．poster about a lecture.

5 . 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

2. The books by aged authors are popular with younger readers because ________.

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

3. What can we learn from the passage?

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.

6 . Reading and writing ______is a very personal experience.Poets use language as a way of______their feelings, whether positive ones of love, happiness and hope, or negative feelings like______and fear.Poems can describe the beauty of nature, a person，a dream or a memorable event.Most______have tried writing poetry at some time，for example，at school.For children, it is a good way to explore language and have______with words as well as to express themselves.

But teachers and psychologists have found another use for poetry as a form of treatment to help people with problems.There are______for people of all different backgrounds and ages.Writing poetry can help people deal with______in their lives－death or feelings of sadness, drug or alcohol problems or serious illness.By writing down your feelings，______can learn to understand yourself better and give yourself a voice if you feel you are being ignored.A poem might be a way of telling someone something when you do not feel able to talk about it______.And just because people are______or having difficulties in their lives, it doesn't mean they have lost their sense of humor.Poems______as treatment can be funny too, as laughter is also considered to be very good medicine.

Students at a special school in Dudley, in England, read and write poems______.Their reason for writing poems is not just to be creative, but some of them they write are very good.All of them have problems.Some of them have long－term______conditions, such as cancer，while others have personality disorders or psychological problems.By writing poems students are growing______self confidence.The poems provide a   channel through______they can______with the world，and convey their feelings.They______help them to recognize and explore their problems   and to   develop a positive attitude to life.

But the poems are helping______people，too.The school has collected some of the students'poems and published them in a book which is______to raise funds for a local hospital.The book has proved very popular, giving students a sense of______.

1.

A．poem

B．the poems

C．poet

D．poetry

2.

A．transforming

B．conveying

C．convincing

D．impressing

3.

A．excitement

B．anger

C．darkness

D．joy

4.

A．people

B．students

C．writers

D．teachers

5.

A．game

B．fun

C．smile

D．food

6.

A．benefits

B．warmth

C．patterns

D．style

7.

A．branches

B．changes

C．exercises

D．lines

8.

A．I

B．they

C．she

D．you

9.

A．shoulder to shoulder

B．face to face

C．hand in hand

D．eye to eye

10.

A．hungry

B．ill

C．thirsty

D．happy

11.

A．said

B．spoken

C．seen

D．written

12.

A．some time

B．everyday

C．every day

D．sometime

13.

A．salty

B．scientific

C．natural

D．medical

14.

A．in

B．on

C．from

D．at

15.

A．who

B．which

C．that

D．when

16.

A．communicate

B．exchange

C．contradict

D．delight

17.

A．either

B．too

C．yet

D．also

18.

A．another

B．the other

C．other

D．the others

19.

A．sells

B．sell

C．being sold

D．being selling

20.

A．achievement

B．humor

C．duty

D．experience

7 . What if you could fly like a bird just by thinking happy thoughts? Or you could disappear to a faraway land, never grow old and fight pirates every day? For Peter Pan and his friends, the Lost Boys, these dreams come true.
More than 100 years after this playful boy was “born”, Peter Pan and his friends are to continue their adventure in a sequel(续集)to J.M. Barrie’s original novel. “Peter Pan in Scarlet”(重返梦幻岛),written by British author Geraldine McCaughrean, was published earlier this month.
The sequel brings all the original characters back. Peter Pan’s friends, the Lost Boys, are now grown up and live in the real world. What’s more, at the end of the first book, Peter Pan thinks he has killed his enemy, Captain Hook. But ,new readers discover he is not so dead at all.
For those who are unfamiliar with the original story, Peter Pan lives in faraway Neverland with a group of orphans. But they are eager for a real mother and Peter Pan flies to London with a fairy(仙女), Tinkerbell, to find one. They visit a young girl, Wendy, who loves to read stories, and bring her and her two brothers back to Neverland to live with them. In Neverland, children never have to grow up, and there are no parents to tell them what to do.
Many teenagers dream of a world where they don’t have to grow old and take responsibility. But, the author explains such a world is not the paradise(乐园)when it first appears: adventures can be scary and often dangerous, and, though we all sometimes dream of running away, we all need someone to love and look after us too.
1. The passage is written to ________.

A．tell you about an unrealistic dream

B．introduce novels about Peter Pan

C．analyze the difficulties of growing up

D．explain why Peter Pan can’t grow old

2. “Peter Pan in Scarlet” is about _________.

A．how some children fought against the pirate–Captain Hook

B．the care–free life the children led in Neverland

C．how peter Pan looked for a real mother for the Lost Boys

D．how the Lost Boys return to Neverland for more adventures

3. The stories of Peter Pan and the Lost Boys reflect that those at their age ________.

A．are ready to shoulder responsibility

B．choose adventures in faraway places

C．long for independence but also need someone to love them

D．can’t wait to grow up

4. The place Peter Pan and his friend stay is named Neverland probably because .

A．they never have to grow up

B．they don’t have parents

C．they never have troubles

D．they never need to worry

5. Peter Pan flies to London _________.

A．to find a fairy	B．to visit a young girl
C．to find a real mother	D．to earn money