【推荐1】Nearly two decades ago when the Google Books Project digitized and freely distributed more than 25 million works, book publishers argued that free digital distribution weakens the market for physical books. However, new research from Imke Reimers and Abhishek Nagaraj reveals that the opposite — increased demand for physical books, through online discovery — could be true.

The two researchers focused on a particular part of Google Books’ digitized works: those from Harvard University’s Widener Library, which helped seed the project in its early days. The condition that enabled their experiment: Harvard’s digitization effort only included out-of-copyright works, published before 1923 , which were made available to consumers in their entirety. The works from 1923 and later were still copyrighted and not digitized.

The researchers analyzed a total of 37,743 books scanned (扫描) between 2005 and2009. They looked at sales for the two years before this digitization period and the two years after , and found clear differences in the increased sales between digitized and non-digitized books. Approximately 40% of digitized titles saw a sales increase from 2003-2004 to 2010-2011, compared to less than 20% of titles that were not digitized. The increase in sales was also found to be stronger for less popular books.

“If a book is readily available online, people may decide that it’s a useful book and want to buy it,” Reimers said. “The ‘discovery effect’, which even increased the sales of a digitized author’s non-digitized works, is a strong driver of increased sales. It’s not a huge jump in sales , but it’s still good news for publishers.”

“And book lovers,” Reimers said, “are known for their preference for physical books, as opposed to digital versions, which could also play a role.” She added ,“Whenever I talk to people about my research on books, at some point they all say,’ I just love the feel of a digitized author’s non-digitized works, is a strong driver of increased sales. It’s not a huge jump in sales , but it’s still good news for publishers.”

“And book lovers,” Reimers said, “are known for their preference for physical books , as opposed to digital versions, which could also play a role.” She added, “Whenever I talk to people about my research on books, at some point they all say, ‘I just love the feel of a book in my hand.’”

1. Why did the researchers choose the publications before 1923 for their research?

A．They were all masterpieces.	B．They were mostly searchable.
C．They were not protected by copyright.	D．They were only partly downloaded for free.

2. How did the researchers obtain the research findings ?

A．By interviewing book users.	B．By comparing the sales data.
C．By classifying the book titles.	D．By referring to historical records.

3. Why does the author quote Reimers’ words in the last paragraph?

A．To point out the limitations of the study.	B．To stress people’s different reading tastes.
C．To tell another contributor to the sales rise.	D．To show a growing trend in reading books.

4. What is the best title for the text?

A．Consumers Are Enthusiastic About E-books.

B．Book Publishers Object to Digitizing Books.

C．Physical Bookstores Are Declining in Importance.

D．Digitizing Books Promotes Demand for Physical Copies.

【推荐2】Essay

	A Time to Break Silence The Essential Works of Martin Luther King. Jr. for Students King, Martin Luther Book-2013 A Time to Break Silence presents Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s most important writings and speeches in a user-friendly way for students. Included are some of his most well-known and frequently taught classic works, like “I Have a Dream, "as well as lesser-known pieces such as “The Sword that Heals", which speak to problems young people face today.
	A Work in Progress Franta, Connor Book-2015 In this memoir（回忆录）of life beyond the camera, Connor Franta shares the lessons he has learned on his journey from small-town boy to Internet sensation（引起轰动的人）. Exploring his past with humor, his present with humility（谦逊）, and his future with hope, Connor shows his private struggles while providing heartfelt words of wisdom for young adults.
	Dare Me Devine, Eric Book-2013 When Ben Candido and his friends, Ricky and John, decide to post a YouTube video of themselves surfing on top of a car, they finally feel like the somebodies they are meant to be instead of the social nobodies that they are. Overnight, the video becomes the talk of the school. Every dare brings an increased risk of bodily harm, and the risks become even more complex when a mysterious donor offers money to their dares in exchange for a cut in the online income the videos bring in.
	How to Make A Wish Blake, Ashley Herring Book-2012 Grace, tough and wise, has nearly given up on wishes, thanks to a childhood spent with her unpredictable, drinks-too-much mother Maggie. Then Grace meets Eva, a girl who believes in dreams in spite of her own difficulties in life. When Eva tells Grace that she likes girls, Grace's world opens up and she begins to believe in happiness again. When Grace must choose between Maggie and Eva, will she give up the future for the life she has?

1. In which field might A Time to Break Silence help its readers?

A．Job hunting.

B．Entertainment.

C．Family life.

D．Education.

2. Which book may you want to read if you're interested in how one grows to be a success?

A．A Time to Break silence.	B．A Work in Progress.
C．Dare Me.	D．How to Make a wish.

3. What do Dare Me and How to Make A Wish have in common?

A．They’re both about friendship.	B．They both came out in 2017.
C．They both have electronic copies.	D．They're both easy to understand.

【推荐3】It was Williams’ mother who got her interested in reading books. A librarian, she read to her three children every day. “Not until we went to school,” Williams said. “Until we went to college.”

When Williams, now 54, became a primary school teacher in Virginia, she wanted her students to fall in love with reading just as she had. But early on, she realized that some kids had little chance to read books.

“Kids who are read to perform much better than those who are not,” she said. To Williams, the solution was simple: Give kids books. In 2017, she gave away 900 used children’s books over three days. Most people would be satisfied with that.

She said, “I wanted to do something.”

So she set a new goal for herself: Give away one million books. It sounds like an unreachable number. However, Williams posted on the Internet: “Don’t complain (抱怨) if you aren’t willing to work hard out on the field.” She got to work, first by advising friends to give away books or money to buy books. Soon, as news of Williams’ project spread, strangers started putting books in front of her door. As quickly as the books came in, Williams gave them to local schools for free.

In the four years, Williams has given away more than 78,000 books-only 922,000 more to reach her goal! And she’s not slowing down. “Reading can take you anywhere,” she said. “You can travel in time and space. If you can read, you can learn almost anything.”

1. What is the purpose of Williams’ project?

A．To make it possible for more children to read books.

B．To encourage teachers to read books to kids.

C．To raise kids’ interest of buying books.

D．To let more people travel in space.

2. Why did Williams post on the Internet?

A．She could make more friends.

B．She was tired of the complaining.

C．She wanted to ask for more help.

D．She needed to buy books online.

3. Which sentence can best describe Williams’ story?

A．Well begun, half done.

B．Time and tide wait for no man.

C．Failure is the mother of success.

D．Where there is a will, there is a way.

4. What might be the best title for the text?

A．A Reading Competition

B．A Reading Lover

C．The Book Lady

D．The Book Travel

【推荐1】I first met Paul Newman in 1968, when George Roy Hill, the director of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, introduced us in New York City. When the studio didn't want me for the film-it wanted somebody as well-known as Paul-he stood for me. I don't know how many people would have done that; they would have listened to their agents or the studio powers.

The friendship that grew out of the experience of making that film and The Sting four years later had its root in the fact that although there was an age difference, we both came from a tradition of theater and live TV. We were respectful of craft (技艺) and focused on digging into the characters we were going to play. Both of us had the qualities and virtues that are typical of American actors: humorous, aggressive, and making fun of each other-but always with an underlying affection. Those were also at the core (核心) of our relationship off the screen.

We shared the belief that if you're fortunate enough to have success, you should put something back-he with his Newman's Own food and his Hole in the Wall camps for kids who are seriously ill, and me with Sundance and the institute and the festival. Paul and I didn't see each other all that regularly, but sharing that brought us together. We supported each other financially and by showing up at events.

I last saw him a few months ago. He'd been in and out of the hospital. He and I both knew what the deal was, and we didn't talk about it. Ours was a relationship that didn't need a lot of words.

1. Why was the studio unwilling to give the role to the author at first?

A．Paul Newman wanted it.

B．The studio powers didn't like his agent.

C．He wasn't famous enough.

D．The director recommended someone else.

2. Why did Paul and the author have a lasting friendship?

A．They were of the same age.

B．They worked in the same theater.

C．They were both good actors.

D．They had similar characteristics.

3. What is the author's purpose in writing the text?

A．To show his love of films.

B．To remember a friend.

C．To introduce a new movie.

D．To share his acting experience.

【推荐2】About five weeks ago, I noticed the skin of our pet lizard was growing dusty. Later, our lizard emerged from its tank with its old skin flowing behind it. I didn’t think about it much until a morning last week when I knocked my favorite teapot off the table. It burst into hundreds of pieces. As I swept up the mess, I wondered why we had been breaking so many things over the months.

The destruction started three months ago. It was my husband’s birthday. He had just lost his job. The uncertainty was starting to wear on us, so I wanted to do something special.

“ Let’s make a cake for Dad! ” I cried. My kids screamed with joy. We baked, iced and sprinkled for most of the day. Candles on the cake! Balloons on the walls! Flowers on the table!

Two hours before my husband came back home from another job interview, my daughter climbed up to grab a glass vase from a high shelf. It fell and crashed beside the cake. Tiny pieces of glass were everywhere. She sobbed loudly as I threw the cake away. My husband had banana pudding for his birthday.

Three days ago, the light in our living room suddenly went out. After several frustrating hours of unsuccessful attempts to fix it, my husband suggested watching the Michael Jordan documentary series The Last Dance.

The poignancy (酸楚) of Jordan retiring from his beloved basketball to play baseball and what had pushed him to make such a tough decision took me by surprise. As I watched him take off his basketball uniform and replace it with a baseball uniform, I saw him leaving behind the layer that no longer served him, just as our lizard had. Neither of them chose the moment that had transformed them. But they had to live with who they were after everything was different. Just like us. I realized that we have to learn to leave the past behind.

Humans do not shed skin (蜕皮) as easily as other animals. The beginning of change is upsetting. The process is tiring. Damage changes us before we are ready. I see our lizard, raw and nearly new.

Jordan said that no matter how it ends, it starts with hope. With our tender, hopeful skin, that is where we begin.

1. Why did the author’s husband have banana pudding for his birthday?

A．The birthday cake was ruined.	B．The author made good puddings.
C．Pudding was his favorite dessert.	D．They couldn’t afford a birthday cake.

2. Why does the author mention The Last Dance in the passage?

A．To prove a theory.	B．To define a concept.
C．To develop the theme.	D．To provide the background.

3. The underlined part “leaving behind the layer” in Paragraph 6 means

A．giving up an opportunity	B．looking for a new job
C．getting rid of a bad habit	D．letting go of the past

4. What could be the best title of the passage?

A．Treasure Past Experiences	B．Move on Whatever Happens.
C．Love Helps Us through Hardships.	D．Breaking Things Makes No Difference.

【推荐3】I went to Costa Rica for three months to work for a conservation project for marine turtle(海龟). The project takes place on the Caribbean coast in a wildlife reserve in Gandoca。It is a very remote place, close to the border with Panama. Basically, the work was to keep watching every night to find the turtles coming out. Once we found a turtle, we had to collect the eggs to bring them to one of our two hatcheries (孵化所).We also had to measure the turtle, keep a sign on their body and check if they have any injuries.

Another part of the work was the hatchery duty. The people in the hatchery had the responsibility for preventing any animals or people getting in it. When the first babies began to hatch, they had to take care of the babies.

I must say that sometimes it was hard. Not the work itself, but the mosquitoes, and the fact that we could never have a complete night of sleep or that we had to keep watching even if it was raining. And it rains a lot on the Caribbean coast. But that’s not so important. Working on this project was a wonderful experience. First of all, we had the unique opportunity to meet the leatherback turtle, which is an endangered species. It's a really impressive animal. The female inspires a sort of respect, because she is so heavy and the effort she has to do to go out of the water to lay her eggs is incredible. I fell in love with them really.

Then, working in the reserve was also a chance to practice my Spanish, not only with the Spanish-speaking people among the other research assistants, but also with people of the community. The contact with all the volunteers was great too. We were all there to share the same experience. Everyone was a part of it and we shared strong emotions and feelings together. I will never forget it and know that I will get in touch with some of them for a long time.

Last but not least, Gandoca is a paradise on earth一the beautiful beach, deep rainforest, lots of animals, peaceful atmosphere and so on. I hope that many other people will have the opportunity to live this experience and all I want to add is to go there!

1. What is the main idea of the text?

A．Voluntary experiences in Gandoca.

B．Happy contact with other volunteers.

C．Ways to hatch turtle eggs into baby turtles.

D．Duty in the wildlife reserve.

2. What did volunteers have to do?

A．Collect the turtle eggs from the hatcheries.

B．Mark the turtles and check them up.

C．Keep strangers getting in the hatchery.

D．Keep a record of the turtles’ activities.

3. What does author think of the work in the reserve?

A．Difficult and tiresome.	B．Difficult but wonderful.
C．lonely and tiring.	D．Interesting and comfortable.

4. What does the author encourage us to do at the end of the text?

A．To have a look at the paradise.	B．To enjoy the peaceful atmosphere.
C．To talk with the native people.	D．To take part in the project.

【推荐1】“If you could have any three things, what would you want?”

Eleven-year-old Ruby Kate Chitsey loves asking that question, but it’s not a game she plays at recess (课间). She asks it at nursing homes in the Harrison, Arkansas, where she lives. Even more amazing, she then sets out to make the residents’ wishes come true.

Ruby Kate often comes along with her mother, Amanda, who works at nursing home in the summer. “I’ve never found them scary at all, so I’m able to just go up to them and ask if they need anything,” she says.

Last May, Ruby Kate noticed a resident named Pearl staring out a window. She seemed sad. “What are you looking at?” Ruby Kate asked. Pearl said she was watching her dog being led away by his new owner after a visit. Pearl didn’t know when she would see her dog again. Pearl was a Medicaid recipient (医疗补助受益人), who got only$40 a month to spend on personal items. Ruby Kate and Amanda asked around and discovered that many residents are unable to afford even the smallest luxuries. So Ruby Kate decided to do something about it.

She started by asking residents what three things they wanted most. “That’s a lot simpler than going, ‘Hey, what do you want?” she explains. “They can understand you better.” Amanda worried that people would ask for things an 11-year-old wouldn’t be able to provide. Instead, they asked for chocolate bars, McDonald’s fries, and even just a prayer (祷告).

“It broke me as a human,” Amanda says with wet eyes. “We left the nursing home that day and went straight to a store and bought as many items as we could.”

Using their own money, the Chitseys made the wishes of about 100 people come true in three months. Then they started asking for donations. The good people of Harrison responded enthusiastically, and they raised $20,000 in 24 hours and more than $250,000 in five months.

1. Why does Ruby often ask the same question?

A．She likes hearing everyone’s stories.	B．She wants to help residents in nursing homes.
C．She finds it interesting to repeat the question.	D．It makes her famous in the community.

2. What can be inferred about Pearl in paragraph 4?

A．Pearl was in good health.	B．Pearl didn’t have enough money to keep her dog.
C．Pearl was too old to raise a dog.	D．Pearl sold her dog for small luxuries.

3. What moved Amanda most?

A．The simplicity and sincerity of the residents’ requests.

B．The popularity Ruby achieved for her kind behaviors.

C．The residents’ gratitude for Amanda’s assistance.

D．The generosity and enthusiasm of the good people of Harrison.

4. What message does the author seem to convey in the text?

A．Action speak louder than words.	B．A friend in need is a friend indeed.
C．Nothing is difficult to a willing heart.	D．Kindness is the language of the heart.

【推荐3】A Wisconsin mom makes mini-me toys as unique as the children who embrace them.

As a social worker using play therapy in the 1990s to help children through their cancer treatment, Amy Jandrisevits wished she could comfort her patients with dolls that bore their all-too-familiar hair loss and surgery scars. “I would clear up Goodwill for bald Cabbage Patch Kids because that was the closest thing I could find. ”she says. “I thought these kids need something that looks like they do. ”The idea stuck with Jandrisevits after she left social work in 2001 to start a family. Then in 2015, a mom whose daughter lost a leg to amputation(截肢) asked Jandrisevits, handy with a sewing machine, if she could craft a mini-me doll for the girl.

After Jandrisevits posted a photo of the legless doll on Facebook, orders poured in for likeness with everything from albinism(白化病) to birthmarks. “Differences make kids feel isolated and judged, ”she says, “with a doll, a child sees I am not the only one who looks this way. . . and beautiful enough to be a doll.” Jandrisevits, 46, has since crafted nearly 400 custom dolls with her New Berlin, Wis, dining room table, with donors often covering the $ 100 cost through Jandrisevits’s nonprofit A Doll Like Me. The mom of three insisted on making each doll herself with help from her mother and a friend.

For Keagan Cameron, 2, whose rare skin condition has him covered in birthmarks, Jandrisevits matched the doll’s spot exactly. “That was the most amazing thing,” says Keagan’s mom, Joy.

Brian Grassi of Coventry, R. I. , says she wept like a baby when a doll came in the mail for his daughter Emma, born three months later in October without her lower left arm. “Seeing my daughter with her doll, it makes me think about her future, not her limitations.”

1. What inspired Jandrisevits to make Mini-me toys?

A．Her own family condition.	B．Her hair loss and surgery scars.
C．Her daughter's losing a leg to amputation.	D．Her working experience as a social worker.

2. According to the passage, we can infer that .

A．making Mini-me toys cost a lot.

B．mini-me toys have won great popularity.

C．Jandrisevits made the Mini-me toys all by herself.

D．A Doll Like Me is an organization to raise fund for children in need.

3. What is the passage mainly about?

A．Mini-me toys comfort kids.	B．Dolls make kids happy.
C．Children enjoy dolls’ company.	D．A mom likes making mini-me toys.

4. How would you describe Jandrisevits?

A．Helpful and cautious.	B．Responsible and grateful.
C．Warmhearted and determined.	D．Ambitious and tough.