Four Best Books of 2023
The Berry Pickers
by Amanda Peters
After their youngest daughter, Ruthie, disappears during a summer of berry-picking in Maine, a Micmac family from Nova Scotia struggles to move forward. Indigenous Voices Award winner Amanda Peters delivers an un-put-down-able novel of identity, forgiveness, and insistent hope.
The House of Doors
by Tan Twan Eng
This atmospheric novel, set in 1920s Malaysia, tells of a famous author bent on uncovering secrets for storytelling materials. Tan Twan Eng weaves love, duty, betrayal and colonialism into the narrative.
The Revolutionary Temper: Paris, 1748-1789
by Robert Darnton
This interesting history of the decades leading up to the French Revolution offers a populist account of a crazy political moment. Darnton goes beyond what everyday people thought and said to attract readers to what anxious Parisians read, wore, ate and sang on the way to toppling (推翻) the rule of Louis XVI.
The Soul of Civility
by Alexandra Hudson
What can the world’s oldest book teach us about civility (礼貌) today? Alexandra Hudson’s thoughtful and fluent book on how to live well together draws on literature from The Teachings of Ptahhotep, written 4,500 years ago in Egypt, to Martin Luther King Jr’s Letter From Birmingham Jail.
1. What is the main theme of The Berry Pickers?| A．The life of a carefree girl. |
| B．The history of berry-picking in Maine. |
| C．The situation before the French Revolution. |
| D．The stories of identity, forgiveness and hope. |
| A．A family in Maine. | B．Malaysia in the 1920s. |
| C．The French Revolution. | D．Egypt 4,500 years ago. |
| A．Alexandra Hudson. | B．Robert Darnton. | C．Tan Twan Eng. | D．Amanda Peters. |
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【推荐1】Whether you’re new to the world of sustainability or wanting a quick refresher on how to do things better, these books about eco-friendly living are a valuable resource.
The Humane Home: Easy Steps for Sustainable & Green Living by Sarah Lozanova
This short, small book would be useful to anyone building or renovating a home and wanting a general overview of how to do it with minimal impact. Author Sarah Lozanova is an environmental journalist in Marine. The book contains numerous little projects, from building garden beds to preserving home-grown produce to saving water by putting a brick in a toilet tank. There are beautiful illustrations throughout the short chapters for DIY projects.
An Almost Zero Waste Life: Learning How to Embrace Less to Live More by Megean Weldon
The book is packed with information in short, easily-digestible paragraphs, and the chapters are accompanied by cute pictures. One thing that jumped out at me was the total absence of brand names. In urging people to choose bamboo toothbrushes and package-free cosmetics, Weldon never mentions a single company.
Things You Can Do: How to Fight Climate Change and Reduce Waste by Eduardo Garcia
This attractive and practical book offers an overview of how global warming occurs, how energy is produced, and what both of those things mean to our modern-day consumption habits. Eduardo Garcia, who contributes regularly to Treehugger, is a strong believer in the power of individual choices to effect change.
The Less Waste No Fuss Kitchen: Simple Steps to Shop, Cook, and Eat Sustainably by Lindsay Miles
This is less a cookbook and more a handbook for how to set up, stock, and use your kitchen in a way that reduces waste and minimizes work. Lindsay Miles is a zero waste lifestyle blogger whose book offers a step-by-step guide for people who wish to change the way they interact with food.
1. Which book should be useful for a cook?| A．The Humane Home: Easy Steps for Sustainable & Green Living. |
| B．An Almost Zero Waste Life: Learning How to Embrace Less to Live More. |
| C．Things You Can Do: How to Fight Climate Change and Reduce Waste. |
| D．The Less Waste No Fuss Kitchen: Simple Steps to Shop, Cook, and Eat Sustainably. |
| A．A writer. | B．A photographer. |
| C．A journalist. | D．A blogger. |
| A．Lindsay Miles shares his food on his blog every day. |
| B．It doesn’t take too long to read Sarah Lozanova’s book. |
| C．Megean Weldon’s book recommends some eco-friendly companies. |
| D．Eduardo Garcia thinks children have great power to make a difference. |
【推荐2】If you're a book lover, you have a pile of books on your bedside, or a bookshelf in your library with a “to read” sign on it. Yet you can't stop yourself from adding to the pile. This can lead to feelings of guilt over your new purchases. But I'm here to tell you to stop worrying.
What you have is an antilibrary, and it's a very good thing. The term comes from writer Umberto Eco. He is the owner of a large personal library. He separates visitors into two groups: those who react with “Wow! What a library you have! How many of these books have you read?” and the others who get the point that a private library is not something to show off but a research tool. Read books are far less valuable than unread ones. Indeed, the more you know, the larger the rows of unread books. Let us call this collection an antilibrary.
If you think you already know everything about a subject, you're cutting yourself off from a stream of information at an artificial point. So a growing library of books you haven't read means you're consistently curious about the unknown. And that attitude is a great foundation for a lifelong love of learning.
So don't feel guilt over your unread books. Those books will be there for you when you do want them, and as you build your library of read and unread books, you can start using it as you would use a bigger library. Certain books may become references more than read-throughs. Or you may find that a book you bought five years ago has special relevance today. Letting the role of books evolve in your life is a healthy sign of curiosity. That's good for you and good tor the world around you.
1. What does the underlined word "antilibrary in Paragraph 2 refer to?| A．Feelings of guilt over new books. | B．A pile of books on the bookshelf. |
| C．The collection of unread books. | D．A large personal library. |
| A．The unread books you bought years ago are of no use. |
| B．You don't have to read every book from cover to cover. |
| C．Read books are of more use than unread books. |
| D．You shouldn’t purchase new books until the unread ones are covered. |
| A．Approving. | B．Doubtful. |
| C．Critical. | D．Indifferent. |
【推荐3】Reading is the key to success. Apparently every successful person develops a passion for reading. This is because reading is a key element to obtain the information required to understand something. For instance: Lawyers have to study and learn every law on their specific branches. Sometimes the law changes according to people's needs. A good lawyer has to be informed with the latest news in the court. A doctor has to be informed of the latest advances in medicine.
Reading is very important for all mankind. Everything is relative in this world, especially reading. Reading can open many doors and it can lead you into a path of success. Studies have confirmed that reading to your unborm child is very good. This way your child will develop a passion for reading later on.
How do you develop a passion for reading? There is only one way you can develop your passion for reading. Let me explain this to you. If you want to learn how to ride a bike, you have to get on the bike as many times as possible until you have learned. It works the same way with reading. If you want to improve your reading, take a book and read it all the way through. When you finish reading your first book, take another book and do the same. Try to read as much as you can. If you are going out, grab a magazine, a book, an article or something to read.
There is a very important factor behind the reading- reading comprehension. It's what makes you understand the meaning behind the text. Let's suppose that you read a document and you are supposed to explain the meaning of the document. How would you explain the document if you couldn't capture the message of the author?
1. The first two paragraphs mainly talk about__________.| A．the key to success | B．the importance of reading |
| C．what reading comprehension is | D．how to develop a passion for reading |
| A．a very important factor behind the reading |
| B．a strong passion for reading |
| C．the latest information in reading |
| D．something that makes people understand what they read |
| A．Famous people who love reading. | B．Ways to improve reading comprehension. |
| C．The importance of reading at school. | D．Popular reading websites. |
【推荐1】Thanks to this new hands-free suitcase, carrying around heavy luggage may soon become a thing of the past. Designed by an Israeli company NUA Robotics, this “smart” suitcase will follow you everywhere you go.
The carry-on suitcase, currently a prototype (雏形), connects to a smart phone app via Bluetooth. It has a built-in camera sensor that can “see” you and follow you around on flat surfaces like airport floors. It comes with an anti-theft alarm to prevent someone carrying it away when you’re not looking and it has a backup battery that you can use to charge all your devices.
“It can follow and carry things for people around while communicating with their smart phone, and avoiding obstacles,” explained Alex Libman, founder of NUA Robotics. “We’re combining sensor network, computer vision, and robotics. So if you download our app, press the follow-me button, the luggage recognizes the specific user and knows to follow and communicate.”
NUA is still testing the device and trying to improve features like speed and customization (定制), but they hope to make the suitcase available to customers in a year’s time. If it proves successful, they want to use the Bluetooth pairing technology to automate lots of other devices, like shopping carts at the supermarket. These devices are especially meant to be useful to the physically disabled and elderly. “Any object can be smart and robotic,” Libman said, “We want to bring robots into everyday life.”
The Israeli tech company made it clear that the finished product will look just like a regular suitcase. They’re planning to partner with a carry-on luggage maker, since the device that makes it “smart” weighs just 2.5 pounds and can be fitted on old-fashion luggage.
With NUA’s smart suitcase, carrying round heavy luggage isn’t a burden. But how their invention will handle tough obstacles like stairs? It will be interesting to wait.
1. Why can this carry-on suitcase follow you?| A．Because there is a camera sensor inside. |
| B．Because there exists an anti-theft alarm. |
| C．Because it can recognize your smell. |
| D．Because a battery plays a key part. |
| A．can go everywhere |
| B．is on sale now |
| C．can make our hands free during traveling |
| D．was designed by Alex Libman |
| A．It is an Israeli tech company producing mobile phones. |
| B．It has improved the features of the device. |
| C．It will make the suitcase available to customers in a month. |
| D．It wants to bring more smart and robotic devices into everyday life. |
| A．A text-book. | B．A website. |
| C．A biography. | D．A poster. |
【推荐2】This week in our Foreign Student Series, we talk about getting an American education online. A student named Hendra has written to us from Indonesia asking about a good online university. Finding the right online program requires research. Talking to advisers and recruiters (招募者) can help. Keep in mind, though, that they might have a financial interest to direct you to certain programs.
The Council on Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) recognizes a group in Washington, D.C., to accredit (授权) schools that offer distance learning. One hundred and ten programs in the United States and six other countries are accredited by the Distance Education and Training Council.
We asked the executive director, Michael Lambert, for advice on choosing a distance learning program. He says the first thing is to go on the CHEA Web site to find if a school is accredited. The address is c-h-e-a dot o-r-g. Next, make sure the school offers what you need. Do you need a degree, or will a certificate or license be enough?
Another consideration is cost. Often the published price does not include all the costs --like books. Technology requirements can also add to the costs. Will you need to get new software or a high-speed Internet connection or even a new computer to take the classes you want?
Also, consider the level of interaction that an online program offers. You might never meet the teacher or other students in person.
Finally, and this is our own advice, find out what others say on the Internet for comments or news stories about schools that interest you. Just remember that what people say is not always fair or true.
1. This passage is probably from ________.| A．a magazine | B．a newspaper |
| C．a text book | D．a radio program |
| A．how to get an American education online |
| B．what to learn in an American university |
| C．the introductions to schools offering distance learning |
| D．the advantages of online education |
| A．The cost for books and technology requirements. |
| B．The cost for books and a new computer. |
| C．The cost for new software and a high-speed Internet connection. |
| D．The cost for technology requirements and even a classroom. |
| A．Ask the members of CHEA. | B．Go on the website of chea.org. |
| C．Ask Michael Lambert for help. | D．Talk to advisers and recruiters. |
| A．to get a certificate or a license is much easier than to get a degree |
| B．it’s not fair for the schools to charge extra money beside the published price |
| C．the level of interaction that an online program offers is quite considerable |
| D．people’s comments about schools are always unbelievable |
【推荐3】Atmospheric (大气层的) rivers are long and narrow bands of water vapor (水蒸气) in Earth’s atmosphere, which are called “large rivers in the sky”. These rivers form over warm ocean waters. They are huge. They can be 930 miles long and one-third that wide.
Like real rivers, they carry huge amounts of water. These large streams of small water drops are blown by wind over land. When that happens, the water vapor cools down and condenses (凝结). Atmospheric rivers can be good. They bring water to dry areas. However, they can cause huge, fast-moving storms. Some cause snowfalls that bury towns. They are also the main cause of floods on the U.S. West Coast.
Atmospheric rivers are hard to predict. But scientists are working to change that. Marty Ralph, a scientist who works at the University of California, directs the Center for Western Weather and Water Extremes (CW3E). They created the first computer model to predict atmospheric rivers on the U.S. West Coast. This model uses a program that runs on a computer to create a model of a real-world event. CW3E also studies atmospheric rivers using planes. Pilots drop instruments into atmospheric rivers to collect information like temperature and wind speed, which helps with forecasting.
Will climate change affect atmospheric rivers? Climate change happens naturally over a long period of time. But today, it is largely caused by human activities and is causing the Earth to warm, which affects atmospheric rivers.
Atmospheric rivers are pushed by the wind. Those winds are driven by the temperature differences between the poles and the equator (赤道). But the poles are also warming faster than areas near the equator. That makes the temperature difference between the areas smaller. This can make winds weaker.
Climate change might not cause more atmospheric rivers. But there may be very, very wet seasons and very, very dry seasons. Such a seesaw in rainfall could make it harder to manage what water there is.
1. What can we learn about atmospheric rivers?| A．They can be 930 miles long and 465 miles wide. |
| B．They are easy to predict as scientists are working on it. |
| C．They are bands of water vapor forming over warm ocean waters. |
| D．They are the main cause of floods in the U.S. |
| A．Why it is hard to predict atmospheric rivers. |
| B．Whether scientists can predict atmospheric rivers. |
| C．How technology helps the prediction of atmospheric rivers. |
| D．How scientists are working on the forecasts of atmospheric rivers. |
| A．Growth. | B．Drop. | C．Prediction. | D．Change. |
| A．A textbook. | B．A science magazine. | C．An academic article. | D．A news report. |
