Here’re some great books that readers might enjoy this season.
Atana and the Firebird
It was written by Vivian Zhou. Atana is a mermaid (美人鱼) who lives alone on an island. One night,she meets a curious firebird named Ren. They go out to other islands. This attracts the attention of the Witch Queen, who invites them to her palace. But is the Witch Queen the protector she seems to be?
Balto and Togo
The book by Helen Moss connects history with imagination. It is an amazing piece of art. The story is set in Nome,a small community in Alaska. A serious disease breaks out, and it’s up to Balto and Togo, along with the rest of the dogsledding (狗拉雪橇) team, to deliver the life-saving medicine. Will they make it in time?
Gossamer
In her novel Gossamer, Lois Lowry explores how dreams come to be. The book follows several storylines involving tiny dream-giving creatures and the humans. Littlest One is a new dream-giver. From her teacher Thin Elderly, she learns how to collect pieces of memories and turn them into dreams. These are given to an elderly woman, a troubled boy, and a young mother. A new edition of this beloved book is coming out in January.
A Young Adventurer’s Workbook
It’s an interactive book by Sarra Scherb. By making a series of choices,readers shape their own story,creating a title for their adventure, drawing their character, and deciding who the villain (反派) will be. It’s all part of the fun. If you enjoy action, fantasy, and role-playing games, you’ll surely love this book!
1. What do we know about Balto and Togo?| A．It’ll be published in January. | B．It reflects a true event. |
| C．It was written by Vivian Zhou. | D．It describes Helen Moss’ bravery. |
| A．A famous publisher. | B．An author of a book. |
| C．A novel’s character. | D．Lois Lowry’s teacher. |
| A．A Young Adventurer’s Workbook. | B．Atana and the Firebird. |
| C．Balto and Togo. | D．Gossamer. |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】One early morning, I went into the living room to find my mother reading a thick book called Best Loved Poems to Read Again and Again. My interest was aroused only by the fact that the word “Poems” appeared in big, hot pink letters.
“Is it good?” I asked her. “Yeah,”she answered. “There’s one I really like and you’ll like it, too.” I leaned forward. “ ‘Patty Poem,’ “ she read the title. Who is Patty? I wondered. The poem began:
She never puts her toys away,
Just leaves them scattered (散乱的)where they lay,...
The poem was just three short sections. The final one came quickly:
When she grows and gathers(稳重的)poise,
I’ll miss her harum-scarum(莽撞的) noise,
And look in vain for scattered(徒劳地)toys.
And I’ll be sad.
A terrible sorrow washed over me. Whoever Patty was, she was a mean girl. Then, the shock.
“It’s you, honey,” My mother said sadly.
To my mother, the poem conveyed a parent’s affection when her child grows up and leaves. To me, the “she” in the poem was horror. It was my mama who would be sad. It was so terrible. I burst out crying.
“What’s wrong?” my mother asked.
“Oh Mama,” I cried. “I don’t want to grow up ever!”
She smiled. “Honey, it’s okay. You’re not growing up anytime soon. And when you do, I’ll still love you, okay?”
I calmed down.But I could not help thinking about that silly poem. After several years, I read the poem again and was confused. It all fit so well together, like a simple puzzle easy to understand, yet it was still beautiful. I was now attracted by the idea of poetry, words that had the power to make or break a person’s world.
I have since fallen in love with other poems, but “Patty Poem” remains my poem. After all, “Patty Poem” gave me my love for poetry.
1. Why was the writer attracted by the book Best Loved Poems to Read Again and Again?| A．It was a thick enough book. |
| B．It has a significant title. |
| C．I was attracted by something on its cover . |
| D．Her mother was reading it with interest. |
| A．depressed | B．thrilled | C．puzzled | D．terrified |
| A．suffer from great homesickness | B．find the power of poetry |
| C．discover her eagerness to grow up | D．realize her love for puzzles |
【推荐2】You should try your best to create your own family library so that you and your family are always learning. “It is a great mistake to think that education is finished when young people leave school. Education is never finished even if you grow older,” said Mrs Child in The Mother’s Book. “Collecting a library of books in your home is really helpful to your family.”
“What is really interesting about having so many books in your home is that a book you buy has a chapter about the deeper knowledge of your favorite subject at school,” said a university graduate. Researchers in a study try to find out what parents do has an influence on how well their children do on tests. One positive aspect they find is the availability of a large number of books at home. This has a stronger connection, especially when you read to your children every day. The more books your older kids have access to at home, the more likely they are just to be reading for fun, rather than having to wait for weekly trips to the library.
John Henry, one educated parent, said, “I have been homeschooling my children using the philosophy (哲理) of A Thomas Jefferson Education. This philosophy of learning is based on the reading of classic books.” Clinton Fadiman said, “When you reread a classic, you do not see more in the book than you did before; you see more in you than before.” Classic books also make you smarter and wiser! The wisdom comes in the examples in the lives of the characters.
“It is within your power to guide your children in their reading and to develop a strong wish in their hearts for good books. It is the most unfortunate if a person doesn’t have a wish for good reading. The reading habit, like charity, should begin at home,” said Mrs Child.
1. What does the author mainly want to show in paragraph 2?| A．It’s necessary to create a family library. | B．Parents should set a good example at home. |
| C．Kids don’t need to go to the library any longer. | D．It’s important to let kids pass tests. |
| A．By imagination. | B．By questioning. |
| C．By referring to others’ words. | D．By presenting research figures. |
| A．East or west, home is the best. | B．One is never too old to learn. |
| C．He who makes no mistakes makes nothing. | D．Well begun, half done. |
| A．Where to Store Your Favorite Books at Home? |
| B．When to Read the classic Books to Your Children? |
| C．Which Is Better, a Home Library or a Public Library? |
| D．Why Not Have Your Own Library of Books at Home? |
【推荐3】Book Recommendation
Second Harvest
Author: Don Agey
Like the first installment. Eclectic Harvest, this book includes rhymed poems which employ different poetic techniques. If you are interested in it, buy it at a discount.
Of Human Nature and Good Habits
Author: Prabhash Karan
Research claims that maintaining only 5 good habits-eating healthily, exercising, drinking properly, not smoking and maintaining a healthy body weight-can not only keep the life in golden years healthy but also extend the lifetime of the old men and women by 12 years and 14 years respectively. The book illustrates some aspects of lifestyles. As you can see, this book is especially suitable for people after retirement.
The Dueling Wizards of Simpletown
Author: Whitney Lee Preston
The Dueling Wizards of Simpletown is a tale of fantasy involving two silly magicians, and a tricky plan by their two-faced servant. There is no doubt that kids will like it.
Marvlt and Goreg Get in Big Trouble with a Dinosaur
Author: Connor Anstiss
Marvlt and Goreg live next door to each other, and are best friends. These two naughty 8-year-olds seem to get into all sorts of troubles. At the zoo, they have a much different encounter. Will they be okay? Read it and find the answer yourself.
1. If you show great interest in poems, which book should you choose ?| A．Marylt and Goreg Get in Big trouble with a Dinosaur. | B．Second Harvest. |
| C．The Dueling Wizards of Simpletown. | D．Of Human Nature and Good habits. |
| A．Eating healthily. | B．Drinking properly. | C．Exercising. | D．Smoke |
| A．The life of the retired people. | B．A magical trip of two magicians. |
| C．The methods of dealing with naughty kids. | D．A story of the animal and children. |
【推荐1】When asked what his father did for a living, Mike explained to his kindergarten teacher that “he steals things, but it’s OK, because he gets paid to do it. ”
He isn’t wrong. His father is a hacker(黑客), who is proud of his job, just like doctors are proud of the work they do. Thanks to security researchers’ hacking practices, leaks in a new version of the most common Wi-Fi code standard(WPA3)were found before criminals could use them to break into home and business networks. In another case, criminals found an unknown weakness in Google’s Android operating systems before security researchers did, giving the bad guys full control of more than a dozen phone models.
However, finding Mike’s father’s personalized plates for his car with the word ‘HACKING’, an employee of the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles quickly took them away, claiming that a license plate displaying “HACKING” publicized criminal activity. While this reaction really isn’t the fault of the well-intentioned employee, it’s a sign of how a deeply rooted misrepresentation of his profession has created a fixed wrong image. It seems that the way that hackers are described in Hollywood has contributed to the word ‘hacker’ paralleling ‘criminal’, where hackers are often referred to as figures in dark rooms engaged in illegal activity while tapping at keyboards.
But actually, hacking is just an activity. What separates any activity from a crime is, very often, permission. People are free to drive, but they do not have permission to drive 150 miles per hour, which is a criminal offense. Since a driver is just a driver, why must a hacker be a criminal? Someone who engages in the illegal use of hacking should not be called a ‘bad hacker’ but a ‘cybercriminal’. Contrary to popular belief, most hackers like Mike’s father undoubtedly play an important role in keeping companies and people safe.
1. What did Mike’s son think of Mike’s job?| A．Admirable. | B．Amazing. | C．Acceptable. | D．Annoying. |
| A．Its weakness. | B．Its importance. | C．Its variety | D．Its security. |
| A．To entertain the renders. | B．To question the employee’s claim. |
| C．To clarify the concept of hacking. | D．To trace the wrong image of hackers. |
| A．Hacking mostly counts. | B．Hacking is actually a crime. |
| C．Hacking is popular with people. | D．Hacking needs licenses. |
【推荐2】So long as teachers fail to distinguish between teaching and learning, they will continue to undertake to do for what only children can do for themselves. Teaching children to read is not passing reading on to them. It is certainly not endless hours spent in activities about reading. Douglas insists that "reading cannot be taught directly and schools should stop trying to do the impossible."
Teaching and learning are two entirely different processes. They differ in kind and function. The function of teaching is to create the conditions and the climate that will make it possible for children to devise the most efficient system for teaching themselves to read. Teaching is also a public activity: It can be seen and observed.
Learning to read involves all that each individual does not make sense of the world of printed language. Almost all of it is private, for learning is an occupation of the mind, and that process is not open to public scrutiny. If teacher and learner roles are not interchangeable, what then can be done through teaching will aid the child in knowledge. Smith has one principal rule for all teaching instructions. "Make learning to read easy, which means making reading a meaningful, enjoyable and frequent experience for children."
When the roles of teacher and learner are seen for what they are, and when both teacher and learner fulfill them appropriately, then much of the pressure and feeling of failure for both is eliminated. Learning to read is made easier when teachers create an environment where children are given the opportunity to solve the problem of learning to read by reading.
1. The problem with the reading course as mentioned in the first paragraph is that____.| A．it is one of the most difficult school courses |
| B．students spend endless hours in reading |
| C．reading tasks are assigned with little guidance |
| D．too much time is spent in teaching of reading |
| A．inquiry | B．observation |
| C．control | D．suspect |
| A．teachers should do as little as possible in helping students learn to read |
| B．teachers should encourage students to read as widely as possible |
| C．reading ability is something acquired rather than taught |
| D．reading is more complicated than generally believed |
Take the shopping cart as an example. Sylvan Goldman was a grocery store owner. Like most businessmen, he wished that his customers would buy more so that he could make more money. He knew what if they could carry more goods easily as they were shopping, when his sales would go up. While thinking about the problem one night, he had an idea. Working with a local handyman named Fred Young, he designed the first shopping cart. Today, retailers who use shopping carts sell more goods and make more profits.
Nature has also inspired inventors throughout history. This is what happened to George de Mestral one day. While hunting with his dog in the Swiss Alps, he noticed how the burs (刺球) of certain plants stuck to his clothing and to his dog’s fur. After examining them under a microscope, he found they had tiny hooks that could easily stick to the fibers of clothing or animal hide. For the next ten years, George de Mestral searched for the best way to produce his idea. The result of his original inspiration was Velcro, which is used in many modern objects, including sportswear, shoes, automobiles, and even space suits.
These examples show us that there are at least two possible inspirations for human creativity in the world of inventions — profit and nature. No doubt, the future will continue to breathe new life into the economies of the world with fresh ideas and inventions. How many of their creations will be inspired by natural phenomena? The world’s problems require creativity and we can expect best solutions from future generations.
1. Why did sales go up in Sylvan Goldman’s grocery store after he began providing shopping carts?
| A．Because grocery stores without shopping carts made less money. |
| B．Because he lowered the prices of his goods. |
| C．Because customers liked the shopping cart’s creative design. |
| D．Because customers were able to carry more items when shopping. |
| A．The bur. | B．The shopping cart. | C．Velcro. | D．Spoon. |
| A．The future does not promise many useful inventions. |
| B．There are many interesting inventions in the world today. |
| C．Companies often invent things out of profit. |
| D．Nature inspires creativity. |
