1 . “A good book might clarify something you knew little about, transform your world view, or move you in ways you didn’t think possible. The Soul of an Octopus(章鱼)delivers on all three, ”the magazine New Scientist commented.

After writing about birds, pigs and tigers, US naturalist Sy Montgomery decided to choose these many-footed animals as the subject of her latest book, The Soul of an Octopus: a surprising exploration into the wonder of consciousness.

“Here is animal with poisonous liquid like a snake，a beak(喙)like a parrot，and ink like an old-fashioned pen. It can weigh as much as a man and extend as long as a car, yet it can pour its baggy，boneless body through an opening the size of all orange. It can change color and shape. It has a tongue covered with teeth. It can taste with its skin.” Montgomery explained to the National Geographic on why octopuses inspired her.

What Montgomery is able to show in The Soul of an Octopus is that octopuses are creatures who exhibit personality, intelligence and emotion, despite having nervous systems completely different from our own. She uses different experiments to show that they possess consciousness as well as individual personalities. For example, based on her research, she finds out that Octavia, an octopus caught in the wild, is friendly and good at multi-tasking. And Kali, another octopus，who has been living at the New England Aquarium, is playful and loves exploring.

Montgomery is a good storyteller. Through her study of, and communication with, these extraordinary creatures she shares what she learns from both science and her experiences. Her skillful writing presents facts together with personal description, which makes the book very informative but easy to read.

1. Why is The Soul of an Octopus thought highly of ?

A．It is themed with a many-footed animal.

B．It mainly explores consciousness and wonders.

C．It compares octopuses with birds, pigs and tigers.

D．It offers new knowledge and changes your viewpoints.

2. Octopuses impress Montgomery greatly because.

A．they have unique physical functioning

B．their liquid can be used as good ink

C．they behave more like snakes and parrots

D．their body can be shrunk to the size of an orange

3. What does Montgomery think of octopuses according to Paragraph 4?

A．They are friendly with each other.

B．They are similar to humans in a way.

C．They communicate with humans well.

D．They have different nature from humans.

4. Which of the following best describes the book?

A．Vivid but unreal.	B．Scientific and readable.
C．Boring and ridiculous.	D．Interesting but fictional

2 . 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.

2. Where was the name of the book Gone with the Wind taken from?

A．An adventurous story.	B．The Civil War.
C．A poem.	D．The Pulitzer Prize.

3. Who will be interested in the book Rich Dad Poor Dad?

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.

3 . Disease, poverty, hate, love－Charles Dickens’ stories opened his readers eyes to the most important themes of his age. Two hundred years on, his stories still speak volumes across the world, proving that Dickens’ legacy（遗产）was far greater than just “great-literature”.
February 7 marks the 200^th anniversary of the writer’s birthday. To mark this date, BBC writer Alex Hudson listed six things Dickens gave the modern world. Let’s take a look at two of them.
A White Christmas
Dickens is described as “the man who invented Christmas” － not the religious festival, but the cultural aspects that we associate with the festive season today.
In the early 19^th century, Christmas was barely worth mentioning, according to critic and writer Leigh Hunt. The committee which ran the Conservative Party even held ordinary business meetings on Christmas Day－unthinkable in the West nowadays, when everyone but the most necessary workers takes at least three days off.
Many people believe that Dickens’ popular descriptions of the festive period became a blueprint for generations to come. In his classic novel, A Christmas Carol, he not only put forward the idea of snow at Christmas, but also painted a picture of glowing warmth－“home enjoyments, affections and hopes”.
In his biography of Dickens, Peter Ackroyd wrote: “Dickens can be said to have almost single-handedly created the modern idea of Christmas.”
“Dickens” poverty(贫穷)
Dickens was one of the first to take an honest look at the underclass and the poor of Victorian London.He helped popularize the term “red tape” to describe situations where people in power use needless amounts of bureaucracy(官僚作风) in a way that particularly hurts the weaker and poorer members of society.
“Dickensian” has now become a powerful word for describing an unacceptable level of poverty. In 2009, when the president of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers in the UK wanted to talk about poverty in some areas of Britain, she did not use words like “terrible” or “horrific”, but rather described it as “life mirroring the times of Dickens”.
1. The article is mainly about____________

A．a brief introduction to Charles Dickens

B．Charles Dickens’ influence on the world

C．the characters in Charles Dickens’ stories

D．Charles Dickens’ achievements in literature

2. Why is Dickens called “the man who invented Christmas”?

A．Because he created both religious and culture festival.

B．Because all his novels have something to do with Christmas.

C．Because one of his novels helped to shape Christmas celebrations.

D．Because he was the first man to have proposed celebrating Christmas.

3. We can learn from the passage that______.

A．Dickensian is widely used to describe the Christmas

B．Charles Dickens’ novels reflect the true life at his age

C．Every person can take three days off for Christmas

D．The theme of Charles Dickens’ stories is about poverty

4 . The True Story of Treasure Island

It was always thought that Treasure Island was the product of Robert Louis Stevenson’s imagination. ______, recent research has found the true story of this exciting work.

Stevenson, a Scotsman, had lived ______ for many years. In 1881 he returned to Scotland for a ______.With him were his American wife Fanny and his son ______.

Each morning Stevenson would take them out for a long ______ over the hills. They had been ______ this for several days before the weather suddenly took a turn for the worse. Kept indoors by the heavy rain, Lloyd felt the days ______.To keep the boy happy, Robert asked the boy to do some ______.

One morning, the boy came to Robert with a beautiful map of an island, Robert ______that the boy had drawn a large cross in the middle of ______. “What’s that?” he asked. “That’s the ______ treasure,” said the boy. Robert suddenly ______ something of an adventure story in the boy’s ______.While the rain was pouring, Robert sat down by the fire to write a story. He would make the ______ a twelve-year-old boy, just like Lloyd. But who would be the pirate (海盗)？

Robert had a good friend named Henley, who walked around with the ______ of a wooden leg. Robert had always wanted to ______ such a man in a story. ______ Long John Silver, the pirate with a wooden leg, was ______.

So, thanks to a ______ September in Scotland, a friend with a wooden leg, and the imagination of a twelve-year-old boy, we have one of the greatest ______ stories in the English language.

1.

A．However

B．Therefore

C．Besides

D．Finally

2.

A．alone

B．next door

C．at home

D．abroad

3.

A．meeting

B．story

C．holiday

D．job

4.

A．Lloyd

B．Robert

C．Henley

D．John

5.

A．talk

B．rest

C．walk

D．game

6.

A．attempting

B．missing

C．planning

D．enjoying

7.

A．quiet

B．dull

C．busy

D．cold

8.

A．cleaning

B．writing

C．drawing

D．exercising

9.

A．doubted

B．noticed

C．decided

D．recognized

10.

A．the sea

B．the house

C．Scotland

D．the island

11.

A．forgotten

B．buried

C．discovered

D．unexpected

12.

A．saw

B．drew

C．made

D．learned

13.

A．book

B．reply

C．picture

D．mind

14.

A．star

B．hero

C．writer

D．child

15.

A．help

B．problem

C．use

D．bottom

16.

A．praise

B．produce

C．include

D．accept

17.

A．Yet

B．Also

C．But

D．Thus

18.

A．read

B．born

C．hired

D．written

19.

A．rainy

B．sunny

C．cool

D．windy

20.

A．news

B．love

C．real-life

D．adventure