3 . Writing poetry can seem frightening. However, with the right inspiration (灵感) and approach, you can write a poem that you can be proud to share with others in class or with your friends.

A poem might start as a piece of a verse, a line or two that seems to come out of no-where, or an image you cannot get out of your head. You can find inspiration for your poem by doing writing exercises and using the world around you. Once you have inspiration, you can then shape your thoughts into a poem.

You may also be inspired by going for a walk in your neighborhood or to your favorite spot in the city. You may observe people on a park bench or in a public square and use moments from your observations as the inspiration for a poem. You could try writing a poem about a person who is important to you in your life, such as your mother or your best friend. You could use the person as inspiration for your poem.

You can start your poem by focusing on a specific (特定的) theme or idea that you find attractive or interesting. Picking a specific theme or idea to focus on in the poem can give your poem a clear goal or point. This can make it easier for you to limit what images and descriptions you are going to use in your poem. For example, you may decide to write a poem around the theme of “love and friendship”. You may then think about specific moments in your life when you experienced love and friendship as well as how you would characterize love and friendship based on your relationships with others.

There are many different poetic forms that you can use, from free verse to sonnet to rhyming couplet. You may go for a poetic form that you find easy to use, such as free verse, or a form that you find more challenging, such as sonnet. Choose one poetic form and stick to that structures so your poem feels cohesive (连贯的) to your readers.

1. When it comes to poem writing, both Paragraph 2 and Paragraph 3 show the importance of __________.

A．looking for inspiration around us	B．having a gift for poem writing
C．knowing the structures of poems	D．being supported by people around us

2. What does the example of writing a poem around the theme of “love and friendship” show?

A．Inspiration is everywhere around us.

B．We can be encouraged by love and friendship.

C．Picking a specific theme or idea is important.

D．We should write about things were familiar with.

3. Who would most probably try writing a sonnet?

A．Someone who wants to feel cohesive to his/her readers.

B．Someone who wants to try a difficult form of poetry.

C．Someone who tries to write a poem the first time.

D．Someone who dislikes the structure of poems.

4. What does this passage mainly talk about?

A．Some forms of poems.

B．Some tips to write poems.

C．The author’s experience of writing poems.

D．Some tips to overcome the fear of writing poems.

5 . If you enjoy American stories, you’ll have noticed that many of them take place on the road. Many famous American novels are about stories that occur while their characters are traveling along highways. These novels are often celebrations of American life.

Jesmyn Ward’s National Book Award winner Sing, Unburied, Sing is a road novel, but not a celebration. The road journey here is through Mississippi, as an African-American mother and her two children travel to collect her white husband as he’s released from jail.

Neither the mother, Leonie, nor the father, Michael, are ideal parents. Leonie in particular is so full of anger and regret that she takes out her unhappiness on her children, the 13-year-old Jojo and his little sister Kayla.

The telling of the story is divided between various narrators. Jojo, the boy, is the most sympathetic of them. But it is worrying to read about how he experiences the world. Even though he’s young, he’s already experienced the dark side of life. The opening sentence of the book gives a sense of Jojo’s unnatural maturity—“I like to think I know what death is. I like to think that I could look at it straight.”

But who, or what, is to blame for these sad circumstances? For Ward, it’s clearly the past. She admires the work of fellow novelist William Faulkner. When she thinks about the past, she’s of the same mind as him.

Faulkner famously wrote, “The past is never dead. It’s not even past.” At one point, Ward says that her characters are “pulling the past with them.” like a too-heavy trailer(拖车) coupled to the car, as they journey on through Mississippi to the jailhouse. The biggest part of this past, of course, is racism—the remains of slavery—which is always there, and ruining life.

This is probably why The Washington Post listed Sing, Unburied, Sing as one of its 10 choices of 2017’s Best Books. “The misery of this one family is tied to crimes that stretch over decades,” wrote the newspaper.

1. What can we learn about Sing, Unburied, Sing from the text?

A．It was recently adapted as a film.

B．It’s a celebration of American life.

C．It is a story of a road trip through Mississippi.

D．It’s one of 2017’s best-selling American novels.

2. According to the text, the character Jojo      .

A．is the main narrator of the novel	B．is unusually mature for his age
C．presents less sympathy than others	D．is the youngest child in the family

3. What is the root cause of the family’s difficulty according to the text?

A．The unhappy marriage of the parents.	B．The experience of being in prison.
C．The lack of financial support.	D．The existence of racism.

4. Why is William Faulkner’s line mentioned in the text?

A．To prove Ward shares a similar opinion of the past with him.

B．To show Ward has drawn a lot of inspiration from him.

C．To show Ward is as great a novelist as he is.

D．To compare Ward’s writing style with his.

6 . Absolutely Unputdownable Books You Have to Read

Flowers for Algernon

Daniel Keyes

If you don’t enjoy thrillers or sci-fi and stories about dragon-riding detectives, if you’re longing for something emotional, slow and gentle, this beautiful little book by Francoise Sagan is just what you need. Strongly recommended by psychological doctors, it’s a pleasant exception among traditional romance novels: you’ll find all of the advantages of high-quality literature here. And yes, it’s a real page-turner.

Orphans of the Sky

Robert A. Heinlein

A giant generation ship is sailing without guidance through the depths of the universe. Its passengers have long forgotten the outside world and believed in a pre-technological culture marked by superstition (迷信). This novel has brought Heinlein wide recognition, and will grasp you tight and won’t let you go for months (or even years) afterward. Are we, the digital generation, different from the passengers of that imaginary spaceship?

95 Pounds of Hope

Anna Gavalda

Adapted from the author’s own experience, this story is about the main things in life: choices we make, the power of love and devotion. The story of a thirteen-year-old boy who one day has to gather all his strength and courage and take a step towards adulthood proves once again that dreams do come true. After all, no matter how many pounds we have, we’re all trying not to lose hope.

A Certain Smile

Francoise Sagan

If you’re seeking a pleasant read, try this short story by Daniel Keyes. He’ll show you how a person feels going from a simple cleaner at a bakery, whose IQ is less than 60, to a genius and the most intelligent person on the planet. In a situation like this, is it possible to overcome your fears and cope with loneliness? Keyes offers his answer to this question.

1. What kind of book is Orphans of the Sky?

A．A science fiction.	B．A historical novel.
C．A detective story.	D．A fairy tale.

2. What is special about 95 Pounds of Hope?

A．It is not suitable for adult readers.	B．It is about a boy serving in army.
C．It is based loosely on a true story.	D．It brought its author great fame.

3. Which is the best choice for someone suffering from mental illness?

A．Flowers for Algernon	B．Orphans of the Sky
C．95 Pounds of Hope	D．A Certain Smile

7 . 假定你是李华，最近在准备英语课的演讲，主题为英国小说。请给你的英国朋友Mike写一封信，让他推荐一些阅读英国小说的网站，内容包括：
1.演讲主题；
2.对网站的要求；
3.期待回复。
注意：
1.写作词数应为80左右；
2.请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

9 . Frankenstein, written by Mary Shelley, turned 200 years old in 2018! It has been called the first true work of science fiction and the first English horror novel. The story has been told over and over again—not just in books, but in movies and television shows. To celebrate, New York City s Morgan Library & Museum has a special exhibit on the writer and the book.

The reason for the success is that Doctor Frankenstein and his creature, the monster, live on in numerous remakes, shows, and even comic books.

Mary Shelley’s classic is one of the most famous horror stories of all time. But Frankenstein is so much more than that. It presents ideas or themes that are still important today. Knowing something about her suffering can help readers have a good knowledge of her work. Shelley wrote the book when she was only 18 years old. And it relates to her own sad life. Her mother died 10 days after she gave birth to her. She knew what it meant to be a child without a mother. It is no surprise that Shelley wrote a story about a motherless creature one that is very much alone in the world.

Losing her mother shortly after her birth in 1797 was only part of her life story. Mary Shelley gave birth to four children, but only one child survived to adulthood.

Around the age of 17, she fell in love with the poet Percy Shelley. The two writers got married in 1816. However, the marriage of Percy and Mary Shelley was short-lived. Her husband died in a sailing accident in 1822. She was still in her twenties when she became a widow. In some ways, it’s not entirely surprising that she ended up with a story about a monster without a mother.

After the publication of Frankenstein, Mary Shelley continued to write. She died from brain cancer on February 1,1851. Her most important legacy is a monster that is still very much alive today.

1. What do we know about Frankenstein?

A．It exists in different forms of art.

B．It is a romantic fiction.

C．It is not popular with modern readers.

D．It has been made into the most interesting science fiction movie.

2. What did Shelley and the monster have in common?

A．They were quite creative.	B．They felt lonely.
C．They had the same character.	D．They behaved badly at home.

3. Why did the author mention Shelley’s sufferings?

A．To show pity to her.	B．To introduce her to readers.
C．To make readers understand her novel better.	D．To show her difficulty in writing the novel.

4. What is the main idea of the text?

A．Success comes from struggle.

B．Hardship creates a great person.

C．Shelley’s experiences contribute to the success of Frankenstein.

D．Frankenstein comes into the market.

10 . Writing poetry can seem frightening. However, with the right inspiration and approach, you can write a poem that you can be proud to share with others in class or with your friends.

A poem might start as a piece of a verse, a line or two that seems to come out of nowhere, or an image (景象) you cannot get out of your head. You can find inspiration for your poem by doing writing exercises and using the world around you. Once you have inspiration, you can then shape your thoughts into a poem.

You may also be inspired by going for a walk in your neighborhood or to your favorite spot in the city. You may observe people on a park bench or in a public square as the inspiration for a poem. You could try writing a poem about a person who is important to you in your life, such as your mother or your best friend. You could use the person as inspiration for your poem.

You can start your poem by focusing on a specific theme or idea that you find attractive or interesting. Picking a specific theme or idea to focus on in the poem can give your poem a clear goal or point. This can make it easier for you to limit what images and descriptions you are going to write around the theme of “love and friendship”. You may then think about specific moments in your life when you experienced love and friendship based on your relationships with others.

There are many different poetic forms that you can use, from free verse (自由诗) to sonnet to rhyming couplet. You may go for a poetic form that you find easy to use, such as free verse or a form that you find more challenging, such as sonnet. Choose one poetic form and stick to that structure so your poem feels cohesive (连贯的) to your readers.

1. According to the author, the key point of writing a poem is         .

A．knowledge	B．experiences
C．skills	D．inspiration

2. Why does author suggest writing poems around the theme of “love and friend”?

A．Such poems will be full of imagination.

B．Such poems will be the most attractive.

C．It makes it easier to start with.

D．It can strengthen the relationships.

3. If you’re a beginner at writing poems, you’d better choose ________.

A．free verse	B．nursery rhyme
C．rhyming couplet	D．sonnet

4. What does the text mainly talk about?

A．Some forms of poems.

B．Some tips on how to write poems.

C．The author’s experience of writing poems.

D．Some tips to overcome the fear of writing poems.