【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】To honor the best books for young adults and children, TIME has created this list of classics: Best Young-Adult and Children’s Books.

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

Sherman Alexie’s coming-of-age novel shows family and traditions through young Arnold Spirit, torn between his life in an Indian community and his largely white high school. The specifics are sharply drawn, but this novel, with its themes of self-discovery, speaks to young readers everywhere.

Harry Potter

What more can be said about J. K. Rowling’s unique series? How about this: seven years after the final book was published, readers young and old still go crazy at the slightest rumor of a new Potter story.

The Book Thief

For many young readers, Markus Zusak’s novel provides their first in-depth reflection of the Holocaust (大屠杀). Although terror surrounds Liesel, a young German girl, so too does evidence of friendship, love and charity — recovering lights in the darkness.

A Wrinkle in Time

Madeleine L’Engle’s super-realist adventure has provided generations of children with their first-ever exciting experiences, as Meg travels across the fifth dimension (维度) in search of her father. But the science fiction also has a message: Meg learns independence and bravery in the process.

Charlotte’s Web

Readers are still drawn to the simplicity and beauty of spider Charlotte’s devotion to her pig friend Wilbur. Though family farms may be less common than they were in 1952, E. B. White’s novel remains timeless for its lasting reflection on the power of friendship and of good writing.

Holes

Louis Sachar’s story of a family curse, fancy sports shoes and poisonous lizards moves forward and backward through time, telling of how Stanley Yelnats IV ended up in a prison camp. It’s an introduction to a complex story, filled with fun, warmth and a truly memorable criminal.

Matilda
With apologies to the lovable Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, this may be Roald Dahl’s most inspiring book for young people. Poor Matilda feels troubled and ignored by her family — a sense that many preteens share. They don’t share her supernatural powers, but that’s the lasting appeal of this escapist fun.
The Outsiders

Published when author S. E. Hinton was just 18, this coming-of-age novel offers evidence that even the youngest writer can provide valuable wisdom. Her striking look at Ponyboy and gang life in the 1960s has continued to have a powerful effect for decades on readers of all kinds, whether they identify more with the Greasers or the Socs.

The Phantom Tollbooth

In a humorous, sharp fairy tale that shows language and mathematics through a story of adventure in the Kingdom of Wisdom, Jules Feiffer’s unusual drawings do as much as Norton Juster’s plain language combined with complex ideas to carry readers through Digitopolis and the Mountains of Ignorance.

The Giver

Lois Lowry’s tale of self-discovery in society has a memorable central character, Jonas, and an unforgettable message — that pain and harm have an important place in individual lives and in society, and to forget them is to lose what makes us human.

1. Which of the following shares the same theme with The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian?

A．A Wrinkle in Time

B．The Giver

C．The Book Thief

D．Harry Potter

2. According to the passage, The Phantom Tollbooth ______.

A．contains a lot of fancy pictures	B．talks only about maths problems
C．describes a journey in complex language	D．sets its background in the Kingdom of Freedom

3. It can be learned from the passage that ______.

A．Charlotte fell in love with Wilbur	B．Matilda was well cared for in her family
C．Stanley Yelnats IV got punished	D．S. E. Hinton was best at telling fairy tales

4. What is the main purpose of the passage?

A．To advertise for some booksellers.

B．To introduce some famous writers.

C．To admire some classics for kids and young adults.

D．To recommend some great works of TIME magazine.

【推荐2】People have grown taller over the last century, with South Korean women shooting up by more than 20cm on average, and Iranian men gaining 16. 5cm. A global study looked at the average height of 18-year-olds in 200 countries between 1922 and 2022.

The results reveal that while Swedes were the tallest people in the world in 1922, Dutch men have risen from 12th place to claim top spot with an average height of 182. 5cm. Latvian women, meanwhile, rose from 28th place in 1922 to become the tallest in the world a century later, with an average height of 169. 8cm.

James Bentham, a co-author of the research from Imperial College, London, says the global trend is likely to be due primarily to improvements in nutrition and healthcare. “An individual’s genetics has a big influence on their height, but once you average over whole populations, genetics plays a less key role. ”he added.

A little extra height brings a number of advantages, says Elio Riboli of Imperial College. “Being taller is associated with longer life expectancy, ” he said. “ This is largely due to a lower risk of dying of cardiovascular (心血管的)disease among taller people. ”

But while height has increased around the world , the trend in many countries of north and sub-Saharan Africa causes concern, says Riboli. While height increased in Uganda and Niger during the early 20th century, the trend has reversed in recent years, with height decreasing among 18-year-olds.

“One reason for these decreases in height is the economic situation in the 1980s, ”said Alexander Moradi of the University of Sussex. The nutritional and health crises that followed the policy of structural adjustment, he says, led to many children and teenagers failing to reach their full potential in terms of height.

Bentham believes the global trend of increasing height has important implications. “How tall we are now is strongly influenced by the environment we grew up in, ” he said. “If we give children the best possible start in life now, they will be healthier and more productive for decades to come. ”

1. What does the global study tell us about people’s height in the last hundred years?

A．There is a remarkable difference across continents.

B．There has been a marked increase in most countries.

C．The speed of increase in people’s height has been quickening.

D．The general increase in women’s height is bigger than in men’s.

2. What does James Bentham say about genetics in the increase of people’s height?

A．It counts less than generally thought.

B．It outweighs nutrition and healthcare.

C．It impacts more on an individual than on a population.

D．It plays a more significant role in females than in males.

3. What does Elio Riboli say about taller people?

A．They tend to live longer.

B．They enjoy an easier life.

C．They risk fewer cancers.

D．They have greater expectations in life.

4. What does the underlined word in paragraph 5 mean?

A．backspun

B．risen

C．confirmed

D．stabilized

【推荐3】With renewable energy the big problem is storing the electricity for when the sun does not shine and the wind does not blow. A solution, one group of scientists thinks, could have lain beneath our feet all along. Michael Harbottle from Cardiff University is leading the project, which seeks to turn soil into a kind of battery by using the microbes (微生物) within.

The planned system involves running a current between buried electrodes (电极) .This makes certain bacteria come alive in the soil. Just as sunlight provides the energy for plants to make sugar from carbon dioxide and water, the electrical energy lets the bacteria transform carbon dioxide into a chemical. This chemical becomes in effect a chemical store of energy, and when the energy is needed, a different circuit (电路) is switched on, giving different bacteria the energy to break down the chemical. This process frees electrons, which flow through the circuit, providing electricity on demand.

“The bugs will eat the food, pass the electrons, and it will power the lightbulb at the same time,” said Harbottle, “It’s no real difference from what they’re doing when they’re consuming food and producing energy to grow. It’s just we are making use of that energy to get a little bit for ourselves.”

For now, though, there are more fundamental questions. As with all energy storage systems, the viability (可行性) could depend on how much energy is lost in the process. Unlike in other energy storage systems, it also depends on whether anything else eats these bacteria and what happens when it rains. “It’s not in a box. It’s not contained. The things you reuse can be moving around; they can be spreading to all sorts of places. The challenge,” Harbottle admitted, “is that it’s an uncontrolled environment.”

1. What is the purpose of the project?

A．To develop new land.	B．To find new storage system .
C．To remove carbon dioxide.	D．To discover new microbes.

2. Which aspect of the planned system is paragraph 2 mainly about?

A．Its effect.	B．Its process.
C．Its equipment.	D．Its difficulty.

3. What are Harbottle’s words used for in paragraph 3?

A．Explaining the previous concept.

B．Providing some knowledge for the readers.

C．Adding some background information.

D．Introducing a new topic for discussion.

4. What problem might Harbottle try to solve next?

A．How to keep the bacteria steady.

B．How to control temperature change.

C．How to develop more bacteria.

D．How to produce more electricity.

【推荐1】根据短文内容，从短文后选项中选出能放入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有两项为多余选项。注意：将答案写在答题卡上相应题号下，写在本试卷上无效。
Little Lady Starts Big War

Harriet Beecher Stowe had poured her heart into her anti-slavery book "Uncle Tom's Cabin."    1    The publisher was so doubtful that he wanted her to split the publishing costs with him, and all she hoped was that it would make enough money for her to buy a new silk dress.

But when the first 5,000 copies were printed in 1852. They sold out in two days. In a year the book had sold 300,000 copies in the United States and150,000 in England.    2    Within six months of its release, a play was made from the book which ran 350 performances in New York and remained America's most popular play for 80 years. It might appear that "Uncle Tom's Cabins was universally popular, but this was certainly not true. Many people during those pre-Civil War days--particularly defenders of the slavery system--condemned it as false propaganda and poorly written melodrama (传奇剧作品).

Harriet did have strong religious views against slavery (When asked how she came to write the book, she replied: "God wrote it."), and she tried to convince people slavery was wrong, so perhaps the book could be considered propaganda.    3    
Though she was born in Connecticut in 1832, as a young woman she moved to Cincinnati, Ohio, when her father accepted the presidency of newly founded Lane Theological Seminary (神学院). Ohio was a free state, but just across the Ohio River in Kentucky, Harriet saw slavery in action.    4     In 1851, Harriet Beecher Stowe began her book.

Its vast influence strengthened the anti-slavery movement and angered defenders of the slave system.    5    

In fact, when Abraham Lincoln met Harriet at the White House during the Civil War, he said, "So, this is the little lady who started this big war."

A．She had read a lot about the slavery system.

B．Today some historians think that it helped bring on the American Civil War.

C．But if so, it was true propaganda, because it accurately described the evils of slavery.

D．For a while it outsold every book in the world, except the Bible.

E．But neither she nor her first publisher thought it would be a big success.

F．She lived 18 years in Cincinnati, marrying Calvin Stowe, professor of a college.

G．She began her replies.