For thousands of years, people have told fables (寓言)     1     (teach) a lesson or to pass on wisdom. Fables were part of the oral tradition of many early cultures, and the well-known Aesop’s fables date to the     2     (six) century, B. C. Yet, the form of the fable still has values today,     3     Rachel Carson says in “A Fable for Tomorrow.”

Carson uses a simple, direct style common to fable. In fact, her style and tone (口吻) are seemingly directed at children. “There was once a town in the heart of America,     4     all life seemed to enjoy peaceful existence with its surroundings,” her fable begins,     5     (borrow) some familiar words from many age-old fables. Behind the simple style, however, is a serious message     6     (intend) for everyone.

    7     (difference) from traditional fables, Carson’s story ends with an accusation instead of a moral. She warns of the environmental dangers facing society, and she teaches that people must take responsibility     8     saving their environment.

The themes of traditional fables often deal with simple truths about everyday life. However, Carson’s theme is a more weighty     9     (warn) about environmental destruction. Carson proves that a simple literal form that has been passed down through the ages can still     10     (employ) today to draw attention to important truths.

2 . More than anything, this is a book about unconditional love—a bond between a caring woman and a loyal dog. Harley’s Harlequin Heart written by Christy Jaeger and_________through the narration(叙述)of the dog Harley, shows why the power of love can overcome the_________that is part of every life journey. It also teaches us how we can make the world a(n)_________place together with dogs.

Harley takes us along on all his_________with his owner Jaeger—from growing up, being trained, to going to dog shows. Then one day, Harley is_________with bone cancer. Fortunately, it appears that there’s enough time to explore_________“Jaeger told me that everyone has a sixth sense, which_________ them when something’s not right. Looking back, I’m glad she paid attention to her_________alarm.” Harley thought.

Through surgery, this smart dog_________. It isn’t easy and he tells us about his pain and fears. But chances of__________look promising. After this experience, Harley__________realizes that when someone has cancer, the entire family will__________. However, all the people playing a part in the__________form a connection that is unbreakable .

Harley’s__________with cancer might concern adults considering reading this book with their children. But Jaeger through Harley’s__________ provides such a friendly, positive perspective(观点) that there is so much more reason to__________this book. Besides, it helps greatly that the book has a(n)__________ ending.

As Jaeger notes, “The book__________love to all who read it. This small element can be__________in the human and animal worlds.” Love can defeat all. That__________couldn’t be any clearer than in this wonderful book.

3 . Boring weekend? Take a look at some of the science fiction novels below to get you into a different world.

Frankenstein, the character, is a scientist who works on human life science research and tries to create life artificially. Through countless explorations in his laboratory, he created an ugly, scary monster. The author Marry Shelley thinks people have dual (双重的) personalities. Being laughed for a long time will make people become evil and even get out of control. It also creates a new word—Frankenstein, something that destroys its creator.

What kind of place is the Valley of Fear? Let Holmes take you into the mystery. The novel is a part of the Sherlock Holmes series written by the late 19th century British detective novelist Arthur Conan Doyle. Most stories focus on cases that need Holmes to investigate, for he is good at solving problems through observation and deduction. Sherlock Holmes, a brilliant detective, describes himself as a “consulting detective”, that is, someone to whom he is often called when other people or the police are in trouble.

Robert Neville, the last survival human being in the film. But he wasn’t alone. During the day, he searched the dead city. As soon as it was dark, he locked himself in. Not only did Richard Mattson describe a world of horror and vampires (吸血鬼), but also pioneered a way of writing about vampires using scientific method. This is a sad story, but you will be moved by the struggle, courage and hope of human beings in the face of the hopeless situation.

A seminar (研讨会) was held in Beijing recently. According to its report, the Chinese TV series     1    (adapt) of Liu Cixin’s Three-Body Problem, the first Asian novel to win the Hugo Award, has gained popularity overseas.

Statistics show that     2     series has gained a rating of 7.9 out of 10 on the foreign review company IMDb and has accumulated 5 million views on YouTube, one of the     3    (popular) video platforms in the world.

Gao Changli, director-general of the TV drama department at the National Radio and Television Administration, said that the drama contains a lot of thoughts and knowledge     4    (inspire) by China’s traditional philosophy and culture,     5    (offer) a distinctive edge for homegrown tales in the world’s sci-fi landscape. He also mentioned that the drama has been     6     preparation and production for seven years and has done a good job of bringing to life the typical     7    (scene) described in the novel.

Producers have also revealed that currently they     8    (produce) Three-Body Ⅱ: The Dark Forest,     9     is the second episode in Liu Cixin’s Remembrance of Earth’s Past trilogy. Meanwhile, more quality works will be produced to     10    (positive) publicize Chinese culture in the overseas markets.

5 . Flash fiction is a fictional short story. If you are willing to write flash fiction on your own, here are some tips.

Select a genre(体裁)for your writing.

To begin with, decide your genre first.    1    Your genre can be science fiction, horror，thriller(惊险小说), or romance, depending on what you like and on readers’demand.

Choose an interesting name for your title.

A title is something that attracts readers.    2    Therefore, as a writer, you should know how to play with words and create unique titles. The title should hold the attention of a more significant number of people.

    3    

With flash fiction, you don’t have time for lengthy explanations, character introductions, and setting descriptions. You need to go straight into what is happening in order to get everything you want in the story.

Be closely related.

When writing flash fiction, you should know what you’re writing about. Understand what your characters are feeling and experiencing. Pretend you’re a director and see each of your scenes slowly.

Focus on one moment at a time.

Describing one moment at a time. Don’t rush into a new character or scene.    4    This way, with the limited word count, you get to bring light to every aspect of flash fiction.

Use strong imagery.

Using strong imagery can help readers better form a picture in their minds. It’ll bring alive the scenes and the characters.    5    Good flash fiction has vivid(逼真的)imagery described in every part of the story

Create a surprise.

Ending the story with a surprise leaves readers thinking about the story. Your purpose for writing is halfway done when you leave readers guessing what else could have happened.

Today, I would like to recommend a book to you, which taught me an important lesson about prejudice and racism.     1     The story is set in Alabama in the southern US, where the author grew up.

The main character in this novel is a lawyer named Atticus Finch from the American South. The American South in the 1960s was known to be a place where many white people looked down upon black people, except for Finch. When the local judge asked him to defend a black man named Tom Robinson, who was wrongly accused of raping a white woman, Finch agreed.     2     Still, Finch fought to discover the truth, even though he was under threat. He proved that Robinson is innocent (清白的). As Finch’s son Jem and daughter Scout grew up, they started to see more racial prejudice around them.     3    

The author Lee was born in Monroeville, Alabama in 1926. In her childhood, she, like Scout and Jem, learned about racial prejudice and the damage it could do. To Kill a Mockingbird was her first and only novel published.     4    

For me, the most memorable quotes in the book are “Mockingbirds don’t do one thing but… sing their hearts out for us.     5    ” The description of childhood innocence in the story through Scout and Jem is connected with the dark evils of prejudice in the town, which provides a dramatic contrast and enables you to understand how dangerous racism and prejudice are. I want to recommend this book because it contains slightly complex and interesting sentence structures. It is a book that you will never forget.

Whether loving, cold or extremely funny, some of the greatest characters in literature are mothers. Below are just a few examples of very different mothers from different authors.

The Railway Children     –by Edith Nesbit

When their father is taken away one evening, the lives of Roberta, Peter and Phyliss are broken suddenly into small pieces. They and their mother are forced to move from their comfortable London home to a simple cottage in the country where their mother writes books to make ends meet.

The Dwelling Place       –by Catherine Cookson

In the 1830s, Cissy Brody and her young siblings(兄弟姐妹) are forced to leave their farm cottage when both of their parents die. Determined that they will not enter the frightening workhouse, young Cissy takes on the parental responsibility and moves them to live in a small cave on the wilderness where they will face many hardships before finding a happy ending.

Little Women          –by Louisa May Alcott

The mother, Mrs March, is the glue that holds the family together through the Civil War as we follow the lives of Jo, Meg, Amy and Beth, her daughters. Their father is away serving as a Chaplain(神父). Having lost their fortune, their mother must use all her resources to keep the family together, which she does extremely well.

Pride and Prejudice       –by Jane Austen

Sometimes talkative and materialistic, yet strangely likeable, Mrs Bennet guides her five daughters, Jane, Elizabeth, Mary, Kitty and Lydia towards suitable marriages. Nothing will stand in her way although sometimes her behavior does scare away suitable suitors. Sometimes touching and at other times extremely funny, it never fails to make readers smile.

8 . Science fiction, or sci-fi, with more themes related to environmental issues, overpopulation, and technological growth, has explosively (爆发地) grown in popularity since the beginning of the 21st century.     1    

Some Chinese Sci-Fi History

    2    Few works were translated. And the Western world had little to no taste for it.

The history of Chinese sci-fi is extensive, but the modern genre first took root during the 1900s. Authors such as Lu Xun promoted sci-fi’s early development in China and translated multiple Western stories like Jules Verne’s From the Earth to the Moon. Following the 1970s, China began its own golden age of science fiction. Movies, clubs, magazines, societies and communities formed around this genre and became increasingly popular among Chinese readers.     3    

Its Entry into the West

Chinese sci-fi has become internationally recognized, mainly because of Ken Liu, who translated The Three-Body Problem, the first contemporary Chinese sci-fi novel to be translated into English.     4    Chinese sci-fi’s introduction into the West began with this novel, and it couldn’t have been given a better international debut (亮相). Liu has become a go-to source for Chinese authors seeking international audiences.

What Makes Chinese Sci-Fi Distinctive (独特的)

The subgenre is unique for using a number of cultural and traditional objects, words, places and beliefs.     5    The stories are also different because many modern Chinese sci-fi authors were heavily affected by the events of the 20th century. Their perspectives (思维方式) and ideas on morals, ethics ( 伦理), government, politics, science and anything in between come from standpoints previously unknown to Western readers.

The Hunchback of Notre­Dame, which     1     (publish) in 1831, tells a tragic story of events in Paris. Esmeralda’s beauty means that many men fall in love     2     her. Quasimodo is sent     3     (kidnap) Esmeralda, but Quasimodo fails and is captured and tortured     4     public. Esmeralda hears his call for water, and offers Quasimodo a drink of water,     5     saves him as well as captures his heart.     6     (late), when Esmeralda is sentenced to death for a crime she did not commit, Quasimodo rescues her from an angry crowd outside the Notre­Dame Cathedral. Esmeralda is safe from execution as long as she stays inside the cathedral.

They were still for several moments, as they considered their predicament in     7     (silent). Although Esmeralda     8     (discover) some fresh defect in Quasimodo, there was so much melancholy and so much gentleness spread over all this that she     9     (gradual) adjusted to it. At last, Quasimodo told Esmeralda that he rescued her because he wanted to repay her for her     10     (kind) when he was being punished.