1 . Now let us look at how we read. When we read a printed text, our eyes move across a page in short, jerky movement. We recognize words usually when our eyes are still when they fixate (固定). Each time we fixate, we see a group of words, this is known as the recognition span or the visual span. The length of time for which the eyes stop — the duration of the fixation — varies considerably from person to person. It also varies within one person according to his purpose in reading and his familiarity with the text. Furthermore, it can be affected by such factors as lighting and tiredness.
Unfortunately, in the past, many reading improvement courses have concentrated too much on how our eyes move across the printed page. As a result of this misleading emphasis on the purely visual aspects of reading, numerous exercises have been devised to train the eyes to see more words at one fixation. For instance, in some exercises, words are flashed on to a screen for, say, a tenth or a twentieth of a second. One of the exercises has required students to fix their eyes on some central point, taking in the words on either side. Such word patterns are often constructed in the shape of rather steep pyramids so the reader takes in more and more words at a successive fixation. All these exercises are very clever, but it is one thing to improve a person’s ability to see words and quite another thing to improve his ability to read a text efficiently. Reading requires the ability to understand the relationship between words. Consequently, for these reasons, many experts have now begun to question the usefulness of eye training, especially since any approach which trains a person to read isolated words and phrases would seem unlikely to help him in reading a continuous text.
1. The time of recognition span can be affected by the following facts except .| A．lighting and tiredness | B．one’s purpose in reading |
| C．the length of a group of words | D．one’s familiarity with the text |
| A．demands more mind than eyes |
| B．demands a deeply-participating mind |
| C．requires a reader to see words more quickly |
| D．requires a reader to take in more words at each fixation |
| A．The ability to see words is not needed when an efficient reading is conducted. |
| B．The reading exercises mentioned can’t help to improve one’s ability of efficient reading. |
| C．The reading exercises mentioned have done a great job to improve a person’s ability to see words. |
| D．The reading exercises mentioned can’t help to improve both ability to see and to comprehend words. |
| A．The emphasis on the purely visual aspects is misleading. |
| B．Many experts begun to question the efficiency of eye training. |
| C．The visual span is a word or a group of words we see each time. |
| D．The eye training will help readers in reading a continuous text. |
2 . The red phone box in Britain is a perfect example of the British traditional culture. However, with the fast development of mobile phones, it has lost its place in people’s everyday life. In order to save their loved red phone boxes, people have thought up many ideas, for example, to turn them into toilets or art houses.
In a village in Somerset, a place in South West England, villagers have found a novel way to save their red phone box. They turned it into a mini library to deal with the shortage of libraries in their area. The idea was given by a local villager, Janet Fisher, who lives opposite the phone box. Villagers rallied together to set up the book box. Over 100 books and a variety of movies and music CDs are available at this tiny library. The books are of different kinds, ranging from cooking books to the classics and children’s books.
People can put the books that they have read inside the phone box, and take away the books that they’d like to read. The books are always changing. There is a regular check on the books to keep the phone box collection fresh.
Anyone is free to come to read books there. The phone box library is open every day around the clock and is lit at night. “It’s very pleasing that the red phone box has been saved. More importantly, it can continue providing a service for us,” said one of the villagers.
1. The red phone box has been a symbol of ________.| A．the European architecture | B．the British culture |
| C．the development of technology | D．British people’s daily life |
| A．separate | B．traditional | C．ridiculous | D．new |
| A．keep its original function |
| B．make up for the lack of library service |
| C．provide a place to exchange ideas |
| D．to enlarge the collection of the local library |
| A．The library is open to the public only at night. |
| B．The library was set up by a local villager living opposite a phone box. |
| C．People can borrow books and other audio-visual products there. |
| D．Regular check is made to keep the books in good order. |
3 . While more and more scientists are working on nonfiction science books for the general reader, I think we also need a change.
The typical expert-voiced monologues (独白) that scientists write are a wonderful component of the engagement effort, but the form is limited. Such books are largely ready people already willing to pick up a science book, or who are open to the authoritative academic’s voice telling them how to think. There are plenty of people who can engage with science but who find those kinds of books a sometimes unwelcome reminder of the classroom.
Following from my belief that science is for everyone, I suggest that publishers need to work with scientists to expand the kinds of books on offer, assured that there is an audience for them. Progress is possible. Many years ago, I realized it is hard to find books on the nonfiction science shelf that let readers see themselves as part of the conversation about science. So I thought about an entire book of conversations about science taking place between ordinary people. While “overhearing” those conversations, readers learn some science ideas. It’s a resurrection of the dialogue form, known to the ancient Greeks, and to Galileo, as a device for exchanging ideas, but with contemporary settings: cafes, restaurants, trains and so on.
I decided it would be engaging for the reader to actually see who’s having those conversations, and where, instead of describing them in words. This led me to realize that I was thinking about a powerful form of visual storytelling: Graphic novels for adults have matured and exploded in popularity in recent years. Spiegelman’s “Maus: A Survivor’s Tale” and Bechdel’s “Fun Home” are just two well-known examples.
But the storytelling tools of the graphic book have been little used to convey nonfiction science ideas to a general adult audience. The vast majority of contemporary graphic books with a science focus are presented instead as “explainer/adventure comics” for younger audiences. This is an important genre, but graphic books about science should not be limited to that.
And while there are several excellent graphic books for adults that include science, they typically focus instead on the lives of famous scientists, with discussion of the science itself as a secondary goal. Some excellent recent examples that balance the two aspects well include Ottaviani arid Myrick’s “Feyrunan” and Doxiadis and Papadimitriou’s “Logicomix”. The scarcity of science-focused non-biographical (非自传体的) graphic books for adults is especially true in my field of physics. So I decided that here was an opportunity to broaden the kinds of nonfiction science book available to engage the public.
1. It can be inferred from Para.2 that the expert-voiced monologues don’t appeal to _________.| A．those who are interested in scientific ideas |
| B．those who have no talents for scientific research |
| C．those who would like to know how scientists think |
| D．those who think science classes in school are uninteresting |
| A．announcement | B．comeback | C．explanation | D．representation |
| A．A collection of scientists’ life stories. | B．A book written by a Nobel Prize winner. |
| C．An adventure novel focusing on science. | D．A comic book conveying scientific ideas. |
| A．A well-known writer who writes to promote science among the public. |
| B．A possible way to get nonfiction science books to appeal to the public. |
| C．A new approach to have the public get interested in new scientific ideas. |
| D．An easy access for the public to have a general idea of what science is. |
4 . One of the most well-known figures of American history, Thomas Jefferson was the third President of the United States and the author of the Declaration of Independence. His life was an inspiring one and at the same time a little bit contradictory to his statements and way of living life, and thus he has formed the subject of a lot of authors’ books.
Jefferson and his time
| This is a Biography of the life of Jefferson published in 6 volumes over a very long period of 34 years staring from 1948 till 1982. Read it For: It is an entire collection introducing all aspects of Jefferson’s life in great details from his childhood till his last days. For history enthusiasts, this is a wonderful book that will give you insight into the life of one of the most memorable American leaders. Don’t Read it For: This series is a biography and strictly a work of non-fiction. It is reading about the life of a person and might get boring for some. |
American Sphinx
| An interesting yet strange book, this piece of writing is not an attempt to shed light on the life of Jefferson but rather an attempt to understand his mind. Jefferson was one who spoke something but did the complete opposite of it. Read it For: This book tries to analyze Jefferson’s life but does not do it in a way that criticizes him or idolizes him. This National Award winning book perfectly balances the act of examining someone’s acts and general behavior and trying to figure out the reason behind his contradictory statements and acts. Don’t Read it For: If you are searching for a book about Jefferson’s life, this is not for you. It covers a few events of his life, not his entire life. This Political Biography by Meacham takes you on a journey into the world that Jefferson lived in and saw it through his eyes. It shows how Jefferson formed the world around him and handled situations and people to shape the American political system as it is today. |
The Art of Power
| Read it For: The depth with which this book is written is commendable. It is noted that the work done by Meacham in this book puts you inside Jefferson’s head and makes you understand what it would be like to be Jefferson. Don’t Read it For: While this book shows the genius of Jefferson, it can come off as bias, showing Jefferson in a very positive light and his opponents in a very negative light. |
| A．“Jefferson and His Time” | B．“American Sphinx” | C．“The Art of Power” | D．none of the above |
| A．learn how Thomas got through his childhood in details |
| B．understand why Thomas’ words and deeds were not always matched |
| C．know how ordinary people criticize or idolize him |
| D．learn how Jefferson formed the world around him and addressed situations |
| A．may feel bored while they are reading it |
| B．cannot get a complete description of Thomas’ life |
| C．learn Thomas’ political life mainly from historians’ perspective |
| D．cannot get an objective point of view about Thomas’ gift |
5 . The habit of reading is one of the greatest resources of mankind: we enjoy reading books that belong to us much more than if they are borrowed. Some people regard a borrowed book as a
Given the importance of owned books to a man, everyone should begin collecting a private library, making up his own
| A．teacher | B．guest | C．relative | D．servant |
| A．maintenance | B．resolution | C．formality | D．structure |
| A．under your roof | B．on your behalf | C．beyond your reach | D．within your grasp |
| A．trends | B．goals | C．definitions | D．points |
| A．discipline | B．discouragement | C．relief | D．reminder |
| A．On the other hand | B．In result | C．Meanwhile | D．Furthermore |
| A．benefit | B．profit | C．show | D．excuse |
| A．meaningful | B．secondary | C．sufficient | D．tough |
| A．stick to | B．refer to | C．devote to | D．adapt to |
| A．imaginative | B．economic | C．intellectual | D．public |
| A．familiar | B．effective | C．flexible | D．accessible |
| A．decoration | B．truth | C．training | D．expense |
| A．simplicity | B．creativity | C．experiment | D．life |
| A．conscious | B．calm | C．wild | D．excited |
| A．purposeful | B．resourceful | C．fresh | D．memorable |
6 . During my first decade in prison, I busied myself with exercising and hanging out in the big yard. I hardly grew as a person. It wasn’t until I began college in prison in my 30s that I started to realize my full potential.
Through my journey in college, I became a keen reader and writer, striving to escape prison life by expanding my mind beyond the toxic (有毒的) environments I’d been confined to. I started studying feminism and restorative justice. One concept that really hit home for me was toxic masculinity (男子气概). I come from an abusive home and a neighborhood consumed by gangs, drugs and gun violence. I wanted to understand better why I had used violence to solve my problems.
I have found, however, that strangers stand between me and many of the books I want to read.
Books, like everything an imprisoned person receives— personal mail, emails, photos, news and education materials — are evaluated by prison officials and rejected or shared with us. Corrections departments typically claim they ban books that contain sexual content, racial hatred or depictions of violence, criminal activity, anti-authority attitudes or escape. In practice, PEN America wrote in a 2019 report on prison book restriction policies, the restrictions “have been wide-ranging, from perverse to absurd to constitutionally troubling, with bans being applied in ways that are against logic.”
In Texas, books by Alice Walker, Pablo Neruda and even the former senator Bob Dole have been banned. Throughout the country, prison officials have rejected or tried to ban books about biology (too much nakedness in the anatomical drawings), the Holocaust (some of the victims were pictured naked), sketching, dragons and even the moon (it could “present risks of escape,” according to one New York prison). At one point, Colorado prison officials blocked a prisoner from reading two of President Barack Obama’s memoirs because they were “potentially harmful to national security,” although they later reversed that decision.
Claiming such bans are necessary for the safety and security of prisons seems ridiculous. If anything, many banned books could contribute to a safer environment in prisons and in the societies imprisoned individuals are released into. Practically every author I have encountered while in prison, from Don Miguel Ruiz to Angela Y. Davis, has played a role in my efforts to grow and become a better person— someone who can live in society by adding to it, as opposed to taking from it.
Without college and without access to books and materials that expanded my mind beyond the razor wire (钢丝网) and towering concrete walls, I might still be wasting my time on the yard. My worldview would still be dictated by toxic masculinity and the violence and harm that surround it. That’s not who I want to be when I leave this prison. It’s not who I want to see sent back into society.
1. Why did the author turn to violence when he was young?| A．Because his parents and neighbours told him to do so. |
| B．Because he had read a lot of books about hatred and violence. |
| C．Because he had been bullied a lot by peers during his childhood. |
| D．Because the environment where he grew up was filled with violence. |
| A．Some books may post threats to national security. |
| B．Some books may lead to extreme religious behaviour. |
| C．Some pictures may contain sexually inappropriate content. |
| D．Some books may potentially encourage prisoners to escape. |
①to broaden the prisoners’ horizon ②to prevent prisoners from escaping
③to encourage prisoners to contribute to society ④to reduce violent behaviour
| A．①②③ | B．①③④ | C．①②④ | D．②③④ |
| A．Reading books is important for a teenager’s growth. |
| B．Toxic masculinity is harmful to a person’s growth. |
| C．It is unreasonable for authorities to restrict reading for prisoners. |
| D．It’s never too late to realize one’s academic potential even in prison. |
假设你是明启中学的学生李华，你校图书馆打算开展一次主题为“阅读的力量”的读书活动，现向全校学生征集活动方案，写一封信给图书馆，推荐活动方案，内容须包括：
1．具体的活动安排；
2．活动的意义。
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
8 . I was about 13 when an uncle gave me a copy of Jostein Gaarder’s Sophie’s World. It was full of ideas that were new to me, so I spent the summer with my head in and out of that book. It spoke to me and brought me into a world of philosophy (哲学).
That love for philosophy lasted until I got to college. Nothing kills the love for philosophy faster than people who think they understand Foucault, Baudrillard, or Confucius better than you — and then try to explain them.
Eric Weiner’s The Socrates Express: In Search of Life Lessons from Dead Philosophers reawakened my love for philosophy. It is not an explanation, but an invitation to think and experience philosophy.
Weiner starts each chapter with a scene on a train ride between cities and then frames each philosopher’s work in the context (背景) of one thing they can help us do better. The end result is a read in which we learn to wonder like Socrates, see like Thoreau, listen like Schopenhauer, and have no regrets like Nietzsche. This, more than a book about understanding philosophy, is a book about learning to use philosophy to improve a life.
He makes philosophical thought an appealing exercise that improves the quality of our experiences, and he does so with plenty of humor. Weiner enters into conversation with some of the most important philosophers in history, and he becomes part of that crowd in the process by decoding (解读) their messages and adding his own interpretation.
The Socrates Express is a fun, sharp book that draws readers in with its apparent simplicity and gradually pulls them in deeper thoughts on desire, loneliness, and aging. The invitation is clear: Weiner wants you to pick up a coffee or tea and sit down with this book. I encourage you to take his offer. It’s worth your time, even if time is something we don’t have a lot of.
1. Who opened the door to philosophy for the author?| A．Foucault. | B．Eric Weiner. |
| C．Jostein Gaarder. | D．A college teacher. |
| A．To compare Weiner with them. |
| B．To give examples of great works. |
| C．To praise their writing skills. |
| D．To help readers understand Weiner’s book. |
| A．Its views on history are well-presented. |
| B．Its ideas can be applied to daily life. |
| C．It includes comments from readers. |
| D．It leaves an open ending. |
| A．Objective and plain. |
| B．Daring and ambitious. |
| C．Serious and hard to follow. |
| D．Humorous and straightforward. |
9 . Literature opens up a new world for the reader. Whenever I feel upset by anything or stressed out about the little or big things in life, going back to my books gives me an escape from the harsh reality I am surrounded with.
For me, English Literature isn’t just reading extensively or collecting knowledge from various sources and assembling them, it is so much more. Since my childhood, I have been fascinated by how the authors, poets, and, more importantly, playwrights convey passion and sentiments. I personally find it so difficult to convey my feelings and emotions in a set of words, but it continues to fascinate me as to how they accomplish to cede their sentiments almost perfectly in a string of words. For example: “Lines along my face, they dull my eyes, yet keep on dying, because I love to live.” She says that by facing the challenges and pain presented by life to her, there are now lines of resignation and sadness on her face. The sufferings given by life are such that her eyes have lost their light and have become dull. Yet the wonders of life give her the power to continue.
What I like the most about literature is that we are shaken out from our comfort zone when we read literary masterpieces. A lot of books may not glorify the protagonists but give an insight into why a particular character behaved in a certain manner.
Being an ardent lover of history, I have always been intrigued by the evolution of English literature over the ages. Take the books by Charles Dickens or Jane Austen for example, you can clearly see they have always shown the other side of the world, the sufferings experienced by the working class. Even their comedies do not feel like comedies at all. However, after the Victorian era ended and Modernism started, the modern literature’s influence (I believe) was WW1 and WW2. When you read “Gone with the Wind” and read about people like Ashley Wilkes, you begin to question the purpose of fighting wars. They have always written of times which transcend their own. They have shown rebellions of their ardors averse to the understandings of the society. These rebellions against the society’s established dogmas have been one of the main themes of the literature of those times. But there is a clear contrast between the Victorian literature and the modern literature. All of the writers always took on the moral code, character and conscience. The evolution of literature is totally unique in its own way.
English Literature has opened my mind towards intellectual activities and has helped to define my feelings and emotions with beautifully weaved words.
1. The underlined word “resignation” in paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to ________.| A．dismission | B．retirement | C．happiness | D．obedience |
| A．Adaptability to the status quo. | B．Reflections on the characters’ behaviors. |
| C．Relief from the actualities. | D．Knowledge about the times. |
| A．The leading character in the literary works outweighs the minor roles in inspiring readers |
| B．In the context of a set era, almost all writers have identical literary genre |
| C．The end of the Victorian era marked the beginning of questioning the purpose of the battlefield |
| D．I find it hard to convey emotions while I was absorbed in the expressiveness of the literature |
| A．How English literature speaks my heart? | B．How literary giants help me advance ahead? |
| C．Why literature is a microcosm of society? | D．Why I love studying English Literature? |
10 .
Travel Back in Time | |
| TOMORROW THEY WON’T DARE TO MURDER US By Joseph Andras In 1956, National Liberation Front Member Fernand Iveton planted a bomb near Algiers. The hoped-for explosion was intended only to be a piece of symbolism, so he put it in an unused shed. He was arrested before it could go off and then mercilessly tortured and hanged. Andras’s fictionalized retelling of Iveton’s story was published in French in2016 to immediate acclaim, winning the prestigious Prix Goncourt. It’s now been translated into English. The book is just 137 pages long, but every one of them is tense, a nightmare of noble intentions gone horribly wrong. | INSIDE MONEY By Zarchary Karabell Given complete access to the 200-year accomplishment of the U.S.’s oldest private bank, Karabell weaves a fascinating tale of the East Coast WASP establishment includes characters such as Alan Greenspan and Averell Harriman, one-time governor of New York. The firm has remained privately held, so its inner workings have been a mystery until now. |
Or See the Future | |
| THE FLIP SIDE OF FREE By Michael Kende It’s not a new insight that we pay for “free” apps and sites with our personal data, but Kende has a more detailed take than most. The digital development specialist at the World Bank Group looks at how the web came to be free via unified standards and the coming social considerations that will need to be faced once the public understands how much “free” actually costs. | THE CODE BREAKER By Walter Isaacson Isaacson’s previous biographies have focused on such men as Steve Jobs and Leonardo da Vinci. Here he tells the story of Jennifer Doudna, a biochemist who won a Noble Prize for the gene-editing technology known as Crispr. The book is an excellent reader on the complex subject, its benefits (fighting disease) and its ethical hurdles (designer babies). |
Anything Other Than Covid | |
| LETTERS TO CAMONDO By Edmund de Waal There are very few ceramic artists working today and even fewer ceramic artists with a part time as an author. Best known for his exquisitely crafted porcelain and his bestseller The Hare with Amber Eyes, de Waal’s latest piece of fiction combines the two sides of his professional life. This book consists of imaginary letters to the real-life Moise de Camondo, a rich Jewish banker who ran one of the most successful institutions in the Ottoman Empire and was also an art sponsor. | ANTIQUITIES By Cynthia Ozick Most people experienced some form of Covid isolation. Ozick, 92, who’s been shortlisted for the Pulitzer and Man Booker International prizes, has created a character who's similarly tortured, though it’s old age, rather than a pandemic, that finds him holed up indoors. As he recalls his life, he is drawn to memories of his cousin, a famous archaeologist and to a mysterious schoolmate. |
Or More About Plagues | |
| LET THE RECORD SHOW: A POLITICAL HISTORY OF ACT UP NEW YORK, 1987-1993 By Sarah Schulman Michael Lewis is something of a master at the onset of the AIDS crisis that no one, other than the tortured, seemed to care. ACT UP, a political and activist effort, was born from that apathy. Schulman's comprehensive, timely Book records the group’s hundreds of demonstrations, and almost as many political groups. | THE PREMONITION: A PANDEMIC STORY By Michael Lewis Thirty years ago, fear and death played out at capturing complex events in the very recent past. Here he turns the pandemic into a tale of good and evil: Evil, in this case, is the administration; good is a crew of scientists, doctors and public health experts. The narrative follows three central characters-a biochemist, a public health worker, and a U.S. federal employee. |
| A．drew inspiration from something real. |
| B．reveal something ugly about their society |
| C．are works written against a background of war. |
| D．provide thrilling plots even though they are short in length. |
①cybersecurity
②artificial robot
③disease-curing
④economic development
| A．①② | B．①③ | C．②③ | D．③④ |
| A．Both are fictionalized works. |
| B．Both are about artistic creations |
| C．Both deal with the theme of isolation |
| D．Both are written against the background of Covid-19. |
①One is a true story and the other is fictional.
②One is about history and the other focuses on the present.
③One is about the causes of the plague and the other focuses on the results.
| A．①② | B．①③ | C．②③ | D．①②③ |
