If you enjoy American stories, you'll have noticed that quite a few of them take place on the road. The United States is a vast country whose long highways connect very distant places. Many famous American novels and films are about stories that occur while their characters are traveling along these 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 -the children's father -as he's released from jail.
Nether 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. And the pain of lacking proper financial support makes the journey even harder.
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. "This maturity is tested when a white policeman pulls a gun on him when Jojo puts his hand in his pocket.
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 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 plight of this one family is tired to crimes that stretch over decades.” wrote the newspaper. “These are people pulling all the weight of history.”
1. What can we learn about Sing, Unburied, Sing from the article?| A．It was recently adapted as a film. | B．It's a celebration of American life |
| C．It's one of 2017's best-selling American novels. | D．It is a story of a road trip through Mississippi. |
| A．is the main narrator of the novel | B．is the youngest child in the family |
| C．fights with a white policeman on the road | D．shows an unusually mature mind of a child |
| A．The unhappy marriage of the parents | B．The lack of educational opportunities |
| C．The remaining slavery and racism. | D．The lack of financial support from the government. |
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【推荐1】A few years ago, I started to notice big shifts in teens’ behavior. Around 2014, teens started to spend their time much differently from the generations before. These teens and young adults all have one thing in common: Their childhood or adolescence coincided with the rise of the smart phone. For this reason, I call them iGeneration.
What makes iGen different? Growing up with a smartphone has affected nearly every aspect of their lives. They spend so much time on the Internet, texting friends and on social media that they have less leisure time for everything else. Whether it’s going to parties, shopping at the mall, or watching movies, iGen teens are participating in these social activities at a significantly low rate.
Some parents might worry about their teens spending so much time on their phones because it differs from the way they spent their own adolescence. But it is not just different—in many ways, it’s actually worse. Spending less time with friends means less time to develop social skills. A 2016 study found that sixth graders who spent just five days at a camp without using screens ended the time better at reading emotions on others’ faces, suggesting that iGen’s screen-filled lives might cause their social skills to shrink.
In addition, in the annual Monitoring the Futuresurvey, the percentage of iGen teens who read a non required book every day dropped from 60 percent in 1980 to only 16 percent in 2016. Perhaps as a result, average SAT critical reading scores have dropped 14 points since 2010.
iGen shows another break with the previous generations: Depression, anxiety, and loneliness have shot upward with happiness declining. The teen suicide rate increased by more than 50 percent, as did the number of teens with clinical-level depression.
Parents used to worry about their teens spending too much time with their friends—they were a distraction, a bad influence, a waste of time. But it might be just what iGen needs now.
1. How are iGen teens different from the generations before?| A．They are more skillful in high-tech products. |
| B．They stay in close contact with friends. |
| C．They prefer to live a virtual life than a real one. |
| D．They spend their adolescence with smartphones. |
| A．To stress the importance of reading the required books. |
| B．To explain the reason why iGeneration reads less. |
| C．To introduce the reading situation of iGeneration. |
| D．To show the influence of reading on iGen teenagers’ mental health. |
| A．Depression and anxiety are the common symptoms of mental problems. |
| B．Mental problems can be found in large numbers of iGen teens. |
| C．Net-addicted teenagers are more likely to suffer from mental problems. |
| D．iGen teens’ mental problems are getting more and more attention. |
| A．How the Smartphone Affected an Entire Generation of Kids? |
| B．Parents Are Getting Serious about Teen Smartphone Addiction. |
| C．Smartphones for Teens: Smart or Stupid? |
| D．Smartphones Are Changing iGen Teen’s Lifestyle. |
【推荐2】Does handwriting matter? Not very much, according to many educators. However, scientists say it is far too soon to declare handwriting is not important. New evidence suggests that the link between handwriting and educational development is deep.
Children not only learn to read more quickly when they first learn to write by hand, but they are also better able to create ideas and remember information. In other words, it’s not only what we write that matters — but how.
A study led by Karin James, a psychologist at Indiana University, gave support to that view. A group of children, who had not learned to read and write, were offered a letter or a shape on a card and asked to copy it in one of three ways: draw the image on a page but with a dotted outline (虚线), draw it on a piece of blank white paper, or type it on a computer. Then the researchers put the children in a brain scanner and showed them the image again.
It was found that when children had drawn a letter freehand without a dotted outline or a computer, the activity in three areas of the brain were increased. These three areas work actively in adults when they read and write. By contrast, children who chose the other two ways showed no such effect. Dr. James attributes the differences to the process of free handwriting: Not only must we first plan and take action in a way but we are also likely to produce a result that is variable. Those are not necessary when we have an outline.
It’s time for educators to change their mind and pay more attention to children’s handwriting.
1. What do scientists mean by saying “it is far too soon to declare handwriting is not important”?| A．Handwriting is not very important to children. |
| B．Handwriting has nothing to do with education. |
| C．Handwriting should not be ignored at present. |
| D．Handwriting can not be learned in a short time. |
| A．Children read quickly when they write by hand. |
| B．How we write is as important as what we write. |
| C．Children create ideas and remember information. |
| D．A group of students should know what to write. |
| A．Copy the image on a page but with a dotted outline. |
| B．Draw the image on a piece of blank white paper. |
| C．Type the image directly on a computer. |
| D．Put a brain scanner and show the image again. |
| A．is for | B．is against |
| C．is responsible for | D．doesn’t care about |
【推荐3】Three high school seniors from Callisburg, Texas, learned that an old gatekeeper in their school didn’t have enough money to retire, so they decided to help him out.
The three students, Greyson Thurman, Marti Yousko and Banner Tidwell, from Callisburg High School created a GoFundMe page on Feb. 15, which attracted many people after Thurman posted a video of the old man’s cleaning a hallway on the Internet. The video was accompanied by music and text that included a link to the GoFundMe page they created.
“This is our 80-year-old gatekeeper who had his rent raised and had to come back to work. Let’s help Mr James out,” the post read. “No one at his age should have to be cleaning our messes up to continue to live.”
Through the page, they got more than 8,000 donations totaling about $260,000. Most of the donations came from Callisburg’s students and staff. “It’s amazing,” said Jason Hooper, Callisburg High Principal. In his opinion, the need was met because of the three kind kids. All the students who joined in the activity met that need.
The three students said they had to help the old man after he was forced out of retirement due to the rising cost of living in the north Texas area. “It’s just so sad to see an 80-year-oldman having to do things that no 80-year-old person should have to do,” said Tidwell.
Mr James is hardly alone. About 1.5 million retirees have had to rejoin the workforce due to the high inflation(通货膨胀), according to an analysis of the data by the US Department of Labor. About 1 in 6 retirees is considering returning to work in search of greater financial security, according to a survey published this month from Paychex.
Money got from the activity was enough to send Mr James back into retirement. He could get ready to go back to retirement and would live a comfortable life.
1. What is paragraph 2 mainly about?| A．How to create a page. |
| B．What to do for people in need. |
| C．A brief introduction to Callisburg High School. |
| D．The way the three students helped the gatekeeper. |
| A．So many people loving the video. |
| B．The three kids making a difference. |
| C．An 80-year-old gatekeeper still working. |
| D．The total number of the money lent to the gatekeeper. |
| A．The high inflation of the US. | B．The way most retirees are living. |
| C．The living situation of the retirees. | D．What 1 in 6 retirees is considering. |
| A．Society. | B．Economy. | C．Literature. | D．Travel. |
However, people all over the world remember her. Why? It is because Jane Austen is the author of some of the best-loved novels in the English language. These novels include Emma, Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility and Persuasion.
Jane completed her last novel Persuasion in 1816, but it was not published until after her death. Persuasion is partly based on Jane’s naval brother.
Anne, the daughter of Sir Walter Elliot, falls in love with Captain Wentworth, a person of a lower social position. But she breaks off the engagement when persuaded by her friend Lady Russell that such a match is unworthy. The breakup produces in Anne a deep and long-lasting regret. Eight years later, Wentworth returns from sea a rich and successful captain. He finds Anne’s family on the edge of financial ruin. Anne and the captain rediscover their love and get married.
Jane Austen once compared her writing to painting on a little bit of ivory（象牙）, two inches square. Readers of Persuasion will see that neither her skill of delicate, ironic(讽刺的) observations on social custom, love, and marriage nor her ability to apply a sharp focus to English manners and morals has abandoned her in her final finished work.
Persuasion has produced three film adaptations: a 1995 version starring Amanda Root and Ciaran Hinds, a 2007 TV miniseries with Sally Hawkins and Rupert Penry-Jones, and a 1971 miniseries with Ann Firbank and Bryan Marshall.
People who are interested in Jane Austen can still visit many of the places she visited and lived. These places include the village of Steventon, although her family house is now gone. Many of the places Jane visited in Bath are still there. You can visit Jane Austen’s home in Chawton, where she did her best writing, and Winchester, where she died.
1. What is the theme of Persuasion?
| A．Never regret what you’ve chosen. |
| B．True love lasts forever. |
| C．Be matched for marriage. |
| D．Love waits for no man. |
| A．Her application of symbolism. |
| B．Her delicate observations. |
| C．Her focus on manners and morals. |
| D．Her use of irony. |
| A．Her family house is now in the village of Steventon. |
| B．Many of the places she visited in Bath are still available. |
| C．The latest film adaptation of Persuasion was produced in 1995. |
| D．Her last novel Persuasion is considered her most successful one. |
| A．Jane Austen’s unique writing style |
| B．the original residence of Jane Austen |
| C．Jane Austen’s last novel: Persuasion |
| D．the popularity of Jane Austen’s novels |
【推荐2】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. |
The Girl with A Brave Heart----BY RITA JAHANFORUZ Brief Description: After showing kindness to a strange old woman, Shiraz receives the gift of beauty but her lazy and unkind stepsister, Nargues, suffers a less pleasant fate in this adaptation of the fairy tale. Paperback $7. 99 Hardcover $ 12.05 $7.99(in stock) |
Small Acts of Amazing Courage----BY GLORIA WHELAN Brief Description: It is India, 1918, six months after the end of World War I, and Rosalind waits for the return of her father. While her father has been at war, Rosalind saw India slowly change. A man named Gandhi is coming to power, talking about nonviolence and independence from Britain. Rosalind longs to live the life that her heart tells her, not what her parents plan for her, but no one seems to listen. As she comes of age during this period of history, will she find the courage to claim her own identity and become her own person? $6.99(in stock ) Paperback $6. 99 Hardcover $10.00 |
I Am in Here----BY BONKER, ELIZABETH Brief Description: I Am in Here is the spiritual journey of a mother and daughter who refuse to give up hope, who celebrate their victories, and who keep trying to move forward despite the obstacles. Although she cannot speak, Elizabeth writes poetry that shines a light on the inner world of autism and the world around us. That poetry and her mother's storytelling combine in this book to show that there is always a reason to take the next step forward--with hope. Paperback $15.99 Hardcover $21.15 |
A Thousand Mornings----BY MARY OLIVER Brief Description: In this latest collection, Mary Oliver returns to the imagery that has come to establish her life's work, the coastline of her Massachusetts home. Oliver shares the wonder of dawn, the grace of animals, and the power of attention. With amazing clarity, humor and kindness, these poems explore the mysteries of our daily experience. Paperback $16. 00 Hardcover $20.00 |
| A．Rosalind's father might have lost life in the war. |
| B．Gandhi insisted on violence against Britain. |
| C．Rosalind saw the bright future in the country. |
| D．People there were suffering from the war. |
| A．Her luxurious life. |
| B．The high-paid job. |
| C．Her wonderful future. |
| D．The attractive scenes. |
| A．Small Acts of Amazing Courage and I Am in Here |
| B．Small Acts of Amazing Courage and The Girl with A Brave Heart |
| C．The Girl with A Brave Heart and A Thousand Mornings |
| D．A Thousand Mornings and Small Acts of Amazing Courage |
