1 . Have you ever thought about writing your own fantasy novel? One of the best things you can do is to take inspiration from others. Here are some of the best fantasy books for you.
Sabriel by Garth Nix
While attending boarding school, Sabriel receives a package which contains bells, her father's swords, and a message instructing her to stop a dangerous act on destroying the Old Kingdom' S magical rules. This classic fantasy provides readers with more adventures to explore.
Also available from: Amazon ; Walmart.
Pet by Akwaeke Emezi
This book is about ideas of justice, good and bad. Jam lives in the town of Lucille, where the old statues have been torn down and the bad things no longer exist. But when a creature named Pet appears from one of her mother's paintings, on the hunt for a monster, Jam will have to rethink all she's been taught.
Also available from: Amazon; Barnes & Noble.
Akata Witch by Nnedi Okorafor
Fans of Harry Potter will be swept away by this adventurous tale about four new friends who discover they have access to powerful magic. Born in New York City, Sunny Nwazue felt out of place and isolated-until she was invited into a hidden world and handed a dangerous task.
Also available from: Amazon; Walmart.
Seraphina by Rachel Hartman
This novel takes readers into a world where dragons and humans live side by side. Seraphina is half human and half dragon, with a dragon mother able to take human form and a human father who can't stand dragons. Seraphina will probably become a teen fantasy classic.
Also available from: Bookshop; Target.
1. Which book describes a creature hunting for a monster?| A．Pet. | B．Sabriel. | C．Akata Witch. | D．Seraphina. |
| A．Jam. | B．Sabriel. | C．Seraphina. | D．Sunny Nwazue. |
| A．From Amazon. | B．From Target. |
| C．From Walmart. | D．From Barnes & Noble. |
2 . When her classmates were having a good time, Molly sat at the picnic table alone. She remained embarrassed around her classmates. She seemed unsure of what to do or say, yet I could see her eyes longing for acceptance. Many students had already decided that her friendship would not be worth（值）the energy required to overcome the embarrassment. Others laughed at her. Most ignored her—except for one.
Brianna was making the other students laugh, as usual. “Brianna, do you see Molly down there? Would you mind walking down there and inviting her to come up here with the rest of us? I said.
Brianna sighed. I could tell she didn’t want to waste her precious time to do what I was asking of her, but I also knew her heart. She often thought of others before herself—a rare character for anyone, much less a kid.
Knowing this choice was hard for her, I pulled out a D-buck, our class currency（货币）. Though this was not the ideal way to deal with this situation. I needed her cooperation（合作）. “Here, I’ll pay you for your time.” I said to her. She offered an insincere smile, grasped the green paper, and headed down the hill.
As the rest of the children screamed and laughed, my eyes locked on Brianna as she neared the picnic table. Molly could be difficult to get along with, and I wouldn’t have been surprised if she sent Brianna back alone, refusing her invitation. When she encouraged herself to a standing position, I sighed with relief.
Minutes later, I felt a tap on my shoulder. “Here. Mrs. D.” Brianna handed me the D-buck. “Why?” I asked. “I shouldn’t keep this.” Her eyes fell to her feet, guilt showing from her quiet voice. “I don’t want Molly to think I only went to get her so I could earn the money. She’s my friend.”
A moment later, they were all laughing again, and who should I see among them, laughing for the first time that week? Molly.
1. According to the author, what was Molly like?| A．She ignored the jokes from other kids. |
| B．She felt embarrassed at being laughed at. |
| C．She desired to be accepted by other kids. |
| D．She had no interest in making friends. |
| A．Her talent. | B．Her cooperation. |
| C．Her honesty. | D．Her kindness |
| A．Worried. | B．Satisfied. |
| C．Excited. | D．Confused. |
| A．To avoid losing it one day. |
| B．To get a pure friendship with Molly. |
| C．To make friends with her teacher. |
| D．To escape from being punished by her teacher. |
3 . Charlie is a teacher and his wife, Maria is an artist. The night before last, just before the longest day of the year, Charlie was sitting in a deckchair enjoying the warm summer air when Maria touched his shoulder and he could tell immediately she was a little worried about something. He asked her what the matter was and she replied that there was a strange thing on the jacket that was hanging in the bedroom. They had both lived in the West Indies (西印度群岛) and had seen a lot of strange creatures in their house before. But now they were living in England and so Charlie just laughed and said he would have a look at the “thing”.
He walked to the bedroom. He saw a jacket hanging in the bedroom and went up to it to have a closer look at the “thing”. The moment he touched it, the thing sprang into life. Now Charlie experiences fear like the rest of us but when this creature opened its wings, he jumped out of his skin and ran screaming from the room like a small child doing about 100 miles an hour.
For a moment the next-door neighbours thought that Charlie was murdering his wife because of the noise they could hear. In fact, it was a bat that frightened Charlie.
Eventually Charlie managed to trap the bat in a box and took it to the garden to let the bat fly. Maria, who had been playing the guitar while Charlie was upstairs, asked Charlie if he had found out what the thing was. “Oh, nothing to worry about”, he said casually hoping that the terror could not be seen in his eyes, “it was just a bat.”
1. Why was Maria a little worried one night?| A．Because she couldn't find her guitar. | B．Because she saw something strange. |
| C．Because it was too hot for her. | D．Because she had quarreled with her husband. |
| A．stood up | B．was very frightened |
| C．threw off his clothes | D．was very excited |
| A．It was killed by Charlie. | B．It was badly wounded. |
| C．It was set free by Charlie. | D．It was kept as a pet. |
| A．Charlie was afraid that his wife would laugh at him if she knew the truth |
| B．the neighbours would report to the police about Charlie murdering the bat |
| C．the bat wouldn't come to Charlie's room again because it was frightened |
| D．Maria heard her husband screaming downstairs and became frightened |
4 . In the summer between my first year and second year in college, I was invited to be an instructor at a high school camp. On the first day, when we were dancing and playing games, I noticed a boy under the tree who was small and thin. His shyness made him appear weak. I walked towards him, introduced myself and invited him to join in the activities and meet some new people. He quietly replied, "No, I really don't want to do this." I could understand that he was in a new world but I knew it wouldn't be right to force him, either. Actually, the boy didn't need a close talk but a friend.
At lunch the next day, I was leading camp songs when 1 saw the boy under the tree sitting alone. I tried again with the same invitation, but he refused once again. That evening I was told the boy's name was Tommy. Then I asked the campers to pay special attention to the boy and spend time with him when they could.
The days went by and the time came when we had to leave. We held a big, warm party to celebrate the closing of the camp. All the campers shared their wonderful moments. To my surprise. 1 found the boy from under the tree dancing joyfully with two girls. I couldn't believe it was the same person.
In October of my second year, I received a phone call from Tommy's mother. She told me that Tommy was hit by a car and killed. I offered my deep sadness. The mother said: “'Tommy mentioned you so many times. I want you to know that he went back to school and made new friends with confidence. You made a difference for Tommy during his last months.”
At that moment, I realized how easy it was to give a bit of yourself every day. You may never know how much each gesture may mean to someone else. I hope that everyone can pay attention to their own “boy under the tree”.
1. Before the writer came to the high school summer camp，he was a (n) _______.| A．instructor | B．camper | C．student | D．reporter |
| A．Once | B．Twice | C．Three times | D．Many times |
①The boy danced joyfully with two girls.
②The boy went back to school and made new friends.
③The boy refused to join in the activities.
④The boy's mother made a phone call to the writer.
| A．①②③④ | B．②③①④ | C．③①②④ | D．④③②① |
| A．thankful | B．helpful | C．faithful(忠实的) | D．harmful |
