1 . Based on a true story, the novel Safe as Houses by Eric Walters is an amazing book. It is about a 13—year—old girl named Elizabeth Hardy who babysits the McBride children David and Suzie. One rainy, stormy evening they walk home from school. When they arrive home, water floods (淹没) the backyard, cuts the power and floods roads, which stops Mr. and Mrs. McBride from coming home. Soon the flooding begins to invade the McBrides' home and Elizabeth, David, Suzie and their dog Daisy try very hard to escape and survive the flood,
My favorite character is David because I find him very funny and brave, and although he can be stubborn and rude at times, he is still a nice and friendly person. As much as I want to be like David I could never be like him. At least, I don't think I could ever do something as brave as he does.
I think Eric Walters does a great job in describing the characters and telling the story. I really feel like this all just happened in front of my eyes. Ever since I started reading Safe as Houses I never wanted to put the book down, and considering I was not a big fan of reading that did not happen very often. Safe as Houses changed my opinion in regard to reading and now I enjoy reading very much.
Eric Walters' writing career (生涯) all started in 1993 when Eric was teaching a grade 5 class. His students were not good readers and did not like reading, so Eric created a book called Stand Your Ground for his students and used some of the students' names to create the story. Ever since Eric published (出版) that book he has become a big time writer and has published many amazing different books like Camp X, Tiger Trap, Camp 30, We All Fall Down and Flyboy.
1. What happened on that particular evening?| A．A 13—year—old girl got lost. |
| B．A terrible rainstorm broke out. |
| C．Three children were trapped on the way home |
| D．The McBrides' home was completely destroyed by floods. |
| A．His creativity. | B．His great skill. |
| C．His personality. | D．His good behavior. |
| A．He is a man full of courage. |
| B．He used to enjoy reading very much. |
| C．He is very like David in Safe as Houses. |
| D．He has been greatly affected by Safe as Houses. |
| A．To record his students stories. | B．To encourage his students to read. |
| C．To state the importance of reading. | D．To teach his students they can be writers. |
2 . Science has a lot of uses. It can uncover laws of nature, cure diseases, make bombs, and help bridges to stand up. Indeed science is so good at what it does that there’s always a temptation (诱惑) to drag it into problems where it may not be helpful. David Brooks, author of The Social Animal: The Hidden Sources of Love, Character, and Achievement, appears to be the latest in a long line of writers who have failed to resist the temptation.
Brooks gained fame for several books. His latest book The Social Animal, however, is more ambitious and serious than his earlier books. It is an attempt to deal with a set of weighty topics. The book focuses on big questions: What has science revealed about human nature? What are the sources of character? And why are some people happy and successful while others aren’t?
To answer these questions, Brooks surveys a wide range of disciplines (学科). Considering this, you might expect the book to be a dry recitation of facts. But Brooks has structured his book in an unorthodox (非常规的), and perhaps unfortunate, way. Instead of introducing scientific theories, he tells a story, within which he tries to make his points, perhaps in order to keep the reader’s attention.So as Harold and Erica, the hero and heroine in his story, live through childhood, we hear about the science of child development and as they begin to date we hear about the theory of sexual attraction. Brooks carries this through to the death of one of his characters.
On the whole,Brooks’ story is acceptable if uninspired. As one would expect, his writing is mostly clear and, to be fair, some chapters stand out above the rest. I enjoyed, for instance, the chapter in which Harold discovers how to think on his own. While Harold and Erica are certainly not strong or memorable characters, the more serious problems with The Social Animal lie elsewhere. These problems partly involve Brooks’ attempt to translate his tale into science.
1. The author mentions the functions of science at the beginning of the passage to__________.| A．illustrate where science can be applied |
| B．demonstrate the value of Brooks’ new book |
| C．remind the reader of the importance of science |
| D．explain why many writers use science in their works |
| A．Its strong basis. |
| B．Its convincing points. |
| C．Its clear writing. |
| D．Its memorable characters. |
| A．Contradictory. |
| B．Supportive. |
| C．Cautious. |
| D．Critical. |
| A．Problems with the book. |
| B．Brooks’s life experience. |
| C．Death of the characters. |
| D．Brooks’s translation skills. |
