1 . Jack London, one of America’s major writers of adventure tales, was born in California in 1876. During his life, London worked at many jobs. His broad life experiences would become the background for his writing.
London, loved to read. As a teenager, he spent many hours educating himself at the Oakland, California, public library. He attended college at the University of California at Berkeley, but he stayed for only six months. He though Berkeley was “not lively enough” and wanted to do something more exciting.
London wrote stories about working people and the hard times they had making a living. He knew their problems first hand. He worked as a sailor, farmer, factory employee, railroad worker, and gold prospector, to name just a few of his many jobs.
London grew up near the waterfront in Oakland. He loved the water. When he was fifteen years old, he bought a small sailboat called a sloop. Later he sailed to Japan on a schooner, which is much large sailing boat. Like many people of the time, London caught the Klondike Gold Rush Fever. In 1897, he headed for Alaska. He didn’t find gold, but he discovered something even more valuable. He discovered that people enjoyed listening to the stories he made up with his vivid imagination. London entertained the miners with story after story. Later, using his experiences during the Gold Rush, he created many more colorful stories.
London resolved to live a full, exciting life. He once said, “I would rather be a superb meteor (流星), every atom of me in magnificent glow,than a sleepy and permanent planet.” Each day, he pushed himself. Once London determined that he was going to be a writer,nothing could stop him. His goal was to write at least one thousand words everyday. He refused to stop even when he was sick. In eighteen years, the writer published fifty-one books and hundreds of articles. He was the best-selling and highest-paid author of his day. Many people also considered him to be the best writer. White Fang and The Call of the Wild are his most famous stories and are about surviving in the Alaskan wilderness. Readers can enjoy Jack London’s energy and his talent for telling wonderful stories each time they open one of his novels.
1. Why was Jack London able to write on many topics?A.He pushed himself to reach goals. |
B.He had a variety of experiences and jobs. |
C.He was drawn to the Klondike Gold Rush. |
D.He was the best-selling and highest-paid author. |
A.That he was hired to sail to Japan. |
B.That he traveled to Alaska in 1897. |
C.That he spent much of his time writing. |
D.That he was not interested in college life enough. |
A.is expert at universe. |
B.aims high and strive to succeed. |
C.is excited about life of the wildness. |
D.face a choice between life and death. |
A.To support the statement that London was the “best writer”. |
B.To describe life during the Klondike Gold Rush. |
C.To provide information on Jack’ s life. |
D.To identify books written by Jack London. |
2 . The World-Famous Nine
By Ben Guterson, illustrated by Kristina Kister
Zander’s grandmother owns the most incredible department store in the world. When a string of mysterious accidents start happening at the store, Zander’s grandmother tells him that a monster called Darkbloom may have returned. The monster, which can control people, wants a magical object that disappeared from the store decades ago. Zander notices that walls on many floors contain mysterious symbols and takes them down in his notebook. Will the 11-year-old boy be able to solve the puzzle and secure the object before Darkbloom does? Packed with suspense, fascination, and a family drama, this mystery may remind you of a cross between Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
Ask the Author
The Week: What inspired this book?
Ben Guterson: When I was growing up, Seattle had two big department stores. Something about these big buildings held many possibilities for mystery and discovery to me.
The Week: Why is Zander close to his grandmother?
Ben Guterson: I didn’t want Zander to be alone, so he’s got his loving grandmother there to give him some guidance and keep him safe.
The Week: Do you enjoy mysteries?
Ben Guterson: Yes, I like stories with a mysterious feel to them. I don’t think I have ever been drawn to straightforward realism.
1. What can we learn about Zander?A.He grows up in Seattle. | B.He lives alone at a store. |
C.He wishes to be a magician. | D.He wants to defeat Darkbloom. |
A.A kid loving true-life stories. | B.A kid enjoying fictional works. |
C.A kid interested in grandma’s dishes. | D.A kid drawn to online store shopping. |
A.A writer’s profile. | B.An interview outline. |
C.A children’s story. | D.A book recommendation. |
3 . Read Yuan Longping’s information and answer the questions.
Name | Yuan Longping | Nationality | Chinese |
Occupation | Scientist | Birthdate | Sept.7, 1930 |
education | Graduated from southwest agricultural college in 1953 | ||
Life goal | Finding ways to produce more rice | ||
Dream | To export his hybrid rice (杂交水稻) so that it can be grown around the globe | ||
Achievement | In 1973, he developed hybrid rice which produced 20% more than normal rice | ||
Hobbies | Listening to violin music, playing mahjiong, swimming and reading |
1. Which of the following is Yuan Longping’s favourite music?
A.Pop music. | B.Country music . | C.Violin music. | D.Piano music. |
A.His name. | B.His nationality. | C.His birthplace. | D.His occupation. |
A.Yuan Longping developed hybrid rice in 1972. |
B.Yuan Longping graduated from Southwest College in 1953. |
C.Yuan Longping was born in 1930. |
D.Yuan Longping dreamt to win a big prize. |
A.Yuan Longping was an expert in agriculture. |
B.Yuan Longping hoped his hybrid rice could be grown only in China. |
C.Yuan Longping graduated from college when he was 23 years old. |
D.Yuan Longping’s life goal was to find ways to grow more rice. |
A.added | B.linking | C.related | D.connecting |
A.mature | B.maturity | C.grown-up | D.grow |
A.set | B.closed | C.removed | D.reset |
A.consisted of | B.made up of | C.composed of | D.were consisted of |
A.return | B.recreate | C.resolve | D.release |
A.A teacher. | B.A reporter. | C.A student. |
Name | Koala | Panda | Elephant |
Country | Australia | China | South Africa |
Description(描述) | It is cute and small. It eats leaves. It likes sleeping in the trees. | It’s fat and cute. It’s black and white. It eats bamboo. | It’s very quiet and strong. It eats grass and leaves, Its nose is very long. |
Time | Only weekends 8: 00 a. m. — 4: 00 p. m. | ||
Tickets | Adults: $ 10. 00 Children: Over 10: $ 5. 00 Under 10: free |
1. The elephant is from _______.
A.China | B.Australia | C.South Africa | D.Japan |
A.Koala | B.Panda | C.Elephant | D.Tiger |
A.9: 30 am on Saturday | B.5: 00 pm on Sunday |
C.8: 50 am on Tuesday | D.7: 00 pm on Monday |
A.$10 | B.$15 | C.$50 | D.$20 |