1 . If you want to understand China but can’t afford an expensive international flight, these four books can give you a complete overview of the country.
River Town
River Town: Two Years on the Yangtze by Peter Hessler-This book is a journal of the author’s two years spent teaching English in a small town called Fuling, situated on the banks of the Yangtze River. Hessler writes about his experiences living in a foreign culture and observing the lives of the town’s residents. The book was published in 2001 and has won several awards, including the Kiriyama Prize.
Deng Xiaoping and the Transformation of China
It is a book that tells the story of China’s modernization. It was written by Ezra Vogel and published in 2011. The author describes how Deng Xiaoping’s policies led to significant changes in China’s economy and society. The book has received critical honors and won the Lionel Gelber Prize In 2012.
The Search for Modern China by Jonathan Spence
This book is a comprehensive history of China from the Ming dynasty to the present day. The author, a prominent scholar of Chinese history, provides a detailed analysis of the social, cultural, and political changes that have taken place in China over the past 500 years. The book was first put out in 1990 and has since been revised and updated several times. This book was the top bestseller for years.
Factory Girls: From Village to City in a Changing China
Written by Leslie T. Chang, this book, published in 2008, is reportage on the lives of young women who leave their rural homes to work in factories in China’s cities. Chang, a former New York Times correspondent (someone who is employed by a newspaper or a television station etc. to report news from a particular area or on a particular subject), interviewed hundreds of factory girls to provide insight into the social and economic changes in China.
1. What kind of book is River Town?| A．Science fiction. | B．Nonfiction. |
| C．A travel guide of Fuling. | D．A reference book. |
| A．It was published 500 years ago. | B．It was written by a history teacher. |
| C．It was very popular. | D．It has remained the same since its first publication. |
| A．River Town. |
| B．Deng Xiaoping and the Transformation of China. |
| C．The Search for Modern China. |
| D．Factory Girls: From Village to City in a Changing China. |
2 . In recent years, science fictions are becoming increasingly popular. Science fiction writers using their magical imagination create imaginary worlds that attract a great number of readers especially teenagers. But how can they make it so believable?
The way things work in your imaginary worlds will be based on actual science. So you must be familiar with the scientific laws related to your creation. If you’re writing about humans living on a planet with zero gravity, then you need to know the effects of zero gravity on the human body.
Then the rules in your creation can be different from our daily life, so you have to figure out the exact rules of your imaginary worlds.
When you are writing, remember to make it feel real. You are creating a new real world for the readers.
| A．And you have to follow them. |
| B．You are inviting them to visit the new world. |
| C．You have to get rich imagination to create science fictions. |
| D．Make sure what you are writing is not against basic science. |
| E．Characters in the imaginary worlds always have super power. |
| F．Here you will find the answer if you are longing to create one. |
| G．Your preparation work also involves planning everything in great detail. |
3 . On a rainy afternoon, maybe one of the following books will keep you company leisurely, allowing you to spend your time alone as well as stepping into a different world.
Don’t Shed Your Tears for Anyone Who Lives on These Streets, by Patricio Pron
In April 1945, Italy, a writer disappeared at a conference and was found dead at another place. Thirty years later, a young man interviewed survivors from the conference, trying to uncover the truth about what happened and its consequences. This novel, by a well-known Argentine writer, explores art, crime and politics.
When Breath Becomes Air, by Paul Kalanithi
At thirty-six, Paul Kalanithi was diagnosed (诊断) with stage IV lung cancer. One day he was a doctor treating the dying, and the next he was a patient. This autobiography finds hope and beauty in the face of death as Kalanithi attempts to answer the question “What makes a life worth living?”.
To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee
Set in a small Alabama town in the 1930s, the story focuses on honest, highly respected lawyer Atticus Finch who puts his career on the line when he agrees to represent Tom Robinson, a black man accused of committing a crime.
Nobody Will Tell You This But Me: A true (as told to me) story by Bess Kalb
Bess Kalb saved every voicemail from her grandmother Bobby Bell who died at ninety. In this book, Bobby is speaking to Bess once more, in a voice as loving as it ever was in life and brings us several generations of brave women. They include Bobby’s mother, who traveled alone from Belarus to America to survive, and Bess’s mother, who always fought against convention.
1. What type of book is the first novel?| A．Sci-fi. | B．Biography. | C．Detective books. | D．History books. |
| A．To Kill a Mockingbird. |
| B．When Breath Becomes Air. |
| C．Don’t Shed Your Tears for Anyone Who Lives on These Streets. |
| D．Nobody Will Tell You This But Me: A true (as told to me) story. |
| A．Bobby Bell. | B．Bess Kalb. | C．Bess’s mother. | D．Bobby’s mother. |
4 . The Hitchhiker’ s Guide to the Galaxy (HG2G) by Douglas Adams
This is a comedy science-fiction series about a man’s adventures in space. It was initially a radio comedy broadcast on BBC Radio 4. It is extremely funny and inventive, and has a very British sense of humor, whose true meanings foreign readers can hardly make out though it has been translated into French and Italian and so on. But when I read it I feel a strong connection to my home. It was published in paperback by Pan Books, after BBC Publishing had turned down the offer of publishing a novelization, an action they later regretted.
The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
Have you ever read a description of a landscape or countryside that made you feel like you were actually there? For me, this book does exactly that. It is about a young girl who is taken to live in a big house in my hometown and discovers a secret garden.
Daddy-Long-Legs by Jean Webster
This book takes the form of a series of letters, and follows the story of a young orphan(孤儿), Judy, as she goes to university and discovers a whole world of new experiences. This book always reminds me of my family, especially my mother, because she used to read it to me when I was ill in bed.
The Railway Children by E. Nesbit
This was one of my favorite books when I was younger, and for this reason it still strongly reminds me of England and my childhood. It is also set in Yorkshire where I was born and spent my childhood, and follows three children living next to a railway and their adventures.
1. What do we know about HG2G?| A．It was based on true adventures. |
| B．Its language is abstract and inventive. |
| C．Its humor is hard for foreigners to understand. |
| D．It was adapted for radio after being published. |
| A．Daddy-Long-Legs & HG2G. |
| B．The Secret Garden & The Railway Children. |
| C．The Secret Garden & HG2G. |
| D．Daddy Long Legs & The Railway Children. |
| A．They follow children’s adventures. |
| B．They are British countryside series. |
| C．They refer to the author’s childhood. |
| D．They bring memories of home to the author. |
5 . Kwame Alexander is a best-selling author of 24 books. His novel in verse (诗体) The Crossover won the Newbery Medal in 2015, and was followed by another verse novel in 2016, Booked. In the just-released The Playbook: 52 Rules to Aim, Shoot, and Score in This Game Called Life, Alexander aims to inspire readers to dream big and reach for their goals.
Time For Kids:
What can you tell us about The Playbook?
Kwame Alexander:
I wanted to write a book about how important it is to persevere (坚持) and accept the challenges that come, because they only make you stronger. And I wanted to do it in a really cool and fun way, using sports as a metaphor (隐喻), so students would be interested in reading a book that is telling them how to make their lives better.
TFK:
Where did you get the idea for the book?
Alexander:
In The Crossover, the father of the main characters, Josh and Jordan, gives them these rules for life, called Basketball Rules. Well, I was having breakfast with a friend of mine in New York City. He said, “Kwame, I love those Basketball Rules you have in The Crossover. You should think about writing a whole book on those.” That’s where it all began.
TFK:
Is it hard to mix sports and poetry (诗歌)?
Alexander:
I love sports, and I’ve been writing poetry since I was a kid. So those two things are as natural to me as breathing, laughing and walking.
TFK:
You’ve said teachers need to make learning poetry fun. Did you have a teacher like this as a kid?
Alexander:
My mom. She read poetry to my sisters and me when I was a kid, and she would make the words jump off the page!
TFK:
What advice would you give to young writers?
Alexander:
Read everything you can get your hands on. The best way to become a good writer is to read what other people have written.
1. What can we learn about The Playbook?| A．It is a historical novel. |
| B．It won the Newbery Medal. |
| C．It is actually about rules for life. |
| D．It is based on Alexander’s true life. |
| A．His mom who read poetry to him. |
| B．The teacher who taught him poetry. |
| C．His friend who read The Crossover. |
| D．The two characters in The Crossover. |
| A．It was rather boring. | B．It was quite difficult. |
| C．It was pretty mysterious. | D．It was very interesting. |
| A．Always dream big. |
| B．Gladly accept challenges. |
| C．Read as much as possible. |
| D．Have a wide knowledge of poetry. |
6 . Strongest Female Literary Characters of All Time
There are some of history’s most inspiring and great females who can be found on the pages of these novels.
Elizabeth Bennet
Called “Lizzie” or “Eliza” by her family and friends, Elizabeth Bennet is the stubborn and clever heroine from the 1813 Jane Austen novel Pride and Prejudice. She’s the second eldest of five daughters in the Bennet family and, like the rest of her sisters, she is expected to marry for status and money, not for love. To remain true to herself, she would rather remain single, a concept that was unheard at the time.
Nancy Drew
She first appeared in the 1930s but remains one of the most iconic female characters in all of literature. Created by Edward Stratemeyer, Nancy Drew wasn’t simply a pretty girl. Instead, the bold, physically strong, and fiercely intelligent Nancy used her superior intelligence—not her looks—to solve a series of mysteries.
Josephine March
Jo March is the second eldest daughter in the March family and is a central focus in the novel Little Women, published by Louisa May Alcott in 1868. At 15, she is strong-willed, confident, and literary and unlike her sisters, she is outspoken and uninterested in marriage. Jo both struggles with and challenges society’s expectations of how women in the 19th century should carry themselves, making her one of literature’s most daring female characters.
Hester Prynne
Recognized by some critics as one of the most important characters in female literature, Hester Prynne is the leading character in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s 1850 novel, The Scarlet Letter. Married but separated by distance from her husband, Hester has an affair with a minister and becomes pregnant.
1. Why would Elizabeth Bennet rather remain single?| A．She is too stubborn. | B．She doesn’t want to cheat herself. |
| C．She doesn’t want to marry for love. | D．She was the eldest daughter of the family. |
| A．Kind. | B．Outspoken. | C．Clever. | D．Proud. |
| A．Jane Austen. | B．Edward Stratemeyer. |
| C．Louisa May Alcott. | D．Nathaniel Hawthorne. |
a. Elizabeth Bennet b. Nancy Drew
c. Josephine March d. Hester Prynne
| A．dcab | B．adbc | C．cdba | D．adcb |
Writing in the late 1800s, Jules Verne was remarkably successful in his 10 guesses about future technologies of air conditioning, automobiles, the Internet, television, and underwater, air, and space travel. Unbelievably, of all places from which to choose, Jules Verne guessed Tampa, Florida, USA as the launching site of the first project to the Moon, which was only 200 kilometers away from the actual 1969 location at Cape Canaveral, Florida.
One of the best-known science fiction books is Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell. Published in 1949, it was not meant as a prediction, but as a warning: Orwell was describing what he saw as the outcome of the ideas, trends, and emerging technologies of his time. Many invented terms from this novel have become common in everyday use, such as “big brother” and “doublethink”. Even the author’s name has been made into an adjective—Orwellian—and has become a warning descriptor for situations where privacy is lost and the individual has no power and is completely controlled by the government. Nineteen Eighty-Four was translated into sixty-five languages within five years of its publication, setting a record that still stands.
What helps bring science fiction into being is usually a new discovery or innovation. The author creates an analysis of the potential influence and consequences and then wraps it in a pleasant story. For example, the beginning of space exploration was followed a few years later by the Star Trek television program and movie series. The science fiction author’s self-determined role is search the world of future possibilities upon the road which we are traveling.
1. From the first paragraph, we know that science fiction might be ________.| A．a forecast of how a new discovery could influence mankind |
| B．a brief review of the present drawbacks of technology |
| C．a thoughtful look at the past and a prediction of the future |
| D．an analysis of how a new technology could be used to harm human. |
| A．A prediction of future technologies. |
| B．A warning of unfair and cruel ruling. |
| C．The motive of scientific development. |
| D．An imaginary perfect world of freedom. |
| A．H.G. Wells predicted the Internet in the late 1800s |
| B．Nineteen Eighty-Four adopted some popular terms |
| C．Star Trek movie series were based on space exploration |
| D．Cape Canaveral was mentioned in Jules Verne’s fiction |
| A．A reference of technology. |
| B．A moral compass. |
| C．A record of science development. |
| D．A form of thinking about possibilities. |
8 . The True Story of Treasure Island
It was always thought that Treasure Island was the product of Robert Louis Stevenson’s imagination.
Stevenson, a Scotsman, had lived
Each morning Stevenson would take them out for a long
One morning, the boy came to Robert with a beautiful map of an island, Robert
Robert had a good friend named Henley, who walked around with the
So, thanks to a
| A．However | B．Therefore | C．Besides | D．Finally |
| A．alone | B．next door | C．at home | D．abroad |
| A．meeting | B．story | C．holiday | D．job |
| A．Lloyd | B．Robert | C．Henley | D．John |
| A．talk | B．rest | C．walk | D．game |
| A．attempting | B．missing | C．planning | D．enjoying |
| A．quiet | B．dull | C．busy | D．cold |
| A．cleaning | B．writing | C．drawing | D．exercising |
| A．doubted | B．noticed | C．decided | D．recognized |
| A．the sea | B．the house | C．Scotland | D．the island |
| A．forgotten | B．buried | C．discovered | D．unexpected |
| A．saw | B．drew | C．made | D．learned |
| A．book | B．reply | C．picture | D．mind |
| A．star | B．hero | C．writer | D．child |
| A．help | B．problem | C．use | D．bottom |
| A．praise | B．produce | C．include | D．accept |
| A．Yet | B．Also | C．But | D．Thus |
| A．read | B．born | C．hired | D．written |
| A．rainy | B．sunny | C．cool | D．windy |
| A．news | B．love | C．real-life | D．adventure |
