| A．Lack of sleep. | B．Too much e-reading. | C．A sad thing. |
2 . Where does the conversation probably take place?
| A．At a bookstore. | B．In the classroom. | C．In a library. |
3 . Helping your children learn to read is of great importance. It might mean finding support if they are having difficulties, which can affect their future success.
Choose some activities
As your child begins to read, there are many activities you can choose. The activities include pointing out letters, practicing sounds, singing nursery (童谣), and reading stories together.
When your child is reading more independently, you can help make it enjoyable for them. Listening to your child read aloud, going to the library to check out new books or old favorites, and reading books in series are ways to help your child get more interested in reading and continue growing as a reader.
Find right books
Lots of kids love non-fiction books because they are about the world they know and see around them. There are many books about topics such as animals, sports, other countries and famous people.
Adjust your methods
If your child is struggling to read, there is no need to panic.
| A．They can ask teachers for help. |
| B．They are just a few examples of such activities. |
| C．These books may get your child excited about reading. |
| D．Here are some ways to help your children learn to read. |
| E．Make reading interesting |
| F．Help your child read |
| G．Every child learns in his or her own way. |
4 . I was reading Natalie Goldberg’s writing guide Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within, and as I worked my way through its sixty-four short chapters, I became less and less attracted by her thoughts and suggestions as a sort of tiredness set in.
Then I realized I had been doing it all wrong. Writing Down the Bones is not a book to be absorbed in one sitting, or even sequentially in a handful of reading sessions. Each of those dozens of distinct chapters should be experienced separately — this is a book for snacking on over a period of time, not gorging on in one or a few meals.
Goldberg shares in the introduction that she put out this book at an ideal time, in the mid-1980s, when many more people than before began to throw their interest in writing. Soon, the wide use of home computers would ease their effort considerably. Since then, the book has been used widely in schools and writing workshops as a source of inspiration, and when it’s read part by part, I think, it provides a steady diet of encouragement and exercises.
Why? Goldberg’s lively anybody-can-do-this essays are sometimes a little strange, but her comments about how daily life can get in the way of fighting to become a great writer are supportive, somehow. “This woman has had false starts and personal crises and self-doubt, just like me,” I tell myself, “but here I am, holding in my hands a book she wrote, a book that a number of people have read, and continue to read.”
Goldberg recommends writing in many of the various environments: not just at home or in a cafe or at a workshop; how about setting up a spontaneous (发自内心的) writing booth at an outdoor fair or festival? It’s just like those kissing booths in the past — except that instead of giving out kisses for a dollar (did people actually do that once upon a time?), you write a poem on a topic of the customer’s choosing. She says the booth was always a hit.
1. Why did the author become less and less attracted by the book at first?| A．Because he didn’t find the materials he liked in the book. |
| B．Because he read the book wholly in a short time. |
| C．Because he found the book was too old and complex to read. |
| D．Because he didn’t have enough time to enjoy the book himself. |
| A．She is a woman full of crazy and imagined. |
| B．She once had many personal problems of her own. |
| C．She had her book read by few people throughout years. |
| D．She is not fond of her daily life at home writing at all. |
| A．It is better to write from the bottom of heart. |
| B．Writing poems better than other forms of writing. |
| C．Kissing booths are always knocked down by others. |
| D．The kissing booth is a good topic for the poem writing. |
| A．Negative. | B．Neutral. | C．Supportive. | D．Indifferent. |
1. What is the possible relationship between the two speakers?
| A．Friends. |
| B．Teacher and student. |
| C．Customer and salesman. |
| A．It’s about poetry. |
| B．It’s written by Shakespeare. |
| C．It may be very valuable. |
6 . Looking for a new poetry book to read? I’ve got you! We’re going to explore some of my favorite poetry collections, which range from the traditional all the way to the totally experimental. And though they differ in terms of tone and subject matter, they’ve got all we call “good parts”.
Night Sky with Exit Wounds by Ocean Vuong
It is the first poetry collection from Ocean Vuong. Vuong’s style is well-suited to the heavy subjects he pursues, particularly when he reflects on the loss of his father and his experiences as a wartime refugee. There’s a certain wonderful quality to his writing.
Lunch Poems by Frank O’Hara
If you like a conversational style, Lunch Poems might be the poetry book for you. Personal, funny, and easy, the collection perfectly shows the casual voice of Frank O’Hara, an outstanding figure of the New School Movement in late 1950s’ New York. As the name suggests, most of the poems were written during his lunch break at work, bringing a realistic image by the writing.
100 Selected Poems by E.E. Cummings
It’s a shame that more people don’t take EE Cummings seriously. Yes, his poetry is sometimes experimental. Unconcerned with “rules”, Cummings tried to capture emotion in its own form.
The Complete Poems by Elizabeth Bishop
In my opinion, any kind of fantastic poetry books must include Elizabeth Bishop. Highly skilled and highly influential, Bishop was one of the most powerful voices of the 20th century. She mostly worked within traditional forms, but the forms led to surprising effects, mixing classic styles with modern ones.
1. Who enjoys writing in a free way?| A．Ocean Vuong. | B．Frank O’Hara. |
| C．E.E. Cummings. | D．Elizabeth Bishop. |
| A．Lunch Poems. | B．100 Selected Poems. |
| C．The Complete Poems. | D．Night Sky with Exit Wounds. |
| A．It is powerful. | B．It is abstract. |
| C．It is excellent. | D．It is surprising. |
7 . When we think about pirates (海盗), there is a nearly universal image that comes to mind, which has been made to continue throughout pop culture. Pirates have developed quite the reputation for saying things such as “Shiver me timbers!” and “Arrr!” and for having a fake leg—maybe even sporting a parrot on their shoulder. This idea of pirates, both in the way they speak and the way they look, develops mostly from the popular novel Treasure Island and one of its movie adaptations. Unfortunately, it probably doesn’t have much bearing in reality.
Treasure Island was serialized in a magazine from October 1881 to January 1882 and published in a book form 1883. It was written by Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson under the pseudonym pen-name “Captain George North.” The novel follows teenager Jim Hawkins, who finds himself in possession of a map that leads to buried treasure. Sounds familiar, right? Jim leads the reader on a wild adventure, encountering pirates such as the one-legged Captain Long John Silver and Israel Hands, who want to take the treasure for themselves.
While the novel Treasure Island certainly influenced the way we think of pirates—and especially their imaginary tendency for burying treasure and marking it on secret maps—it’s the 1950 movie adaptation of the book, directed by Byron Haskin, that gave us the typical image of pirates and pirate talk. It’s in this movie where audiences first heard pirates employ words such as “matey” and say “arrrr” instead of “yes.” Long John Silver always has a parrot on his shoulder, and other pirates in the movie wear eye patches and have hooks for hands, bringing together some existing piratical stereotypes. Subsequent pirate films, from The Goonies (1985) to Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003), show influence of the mannerisms, speech, and even costuming established by Treasure Island.
1. Which of the following is characteristic of pirates?| A．Carrying an eagle on the shoulder. |
| B．Saying“ Arrr!” in place of “Yes”. |
| C．Having a deep scar on the face. |
| D．Wearing a pair of sunglasses. |
| A．The author of Treasure Island |
| B．The director of Treasure Island |
| C．The hero of the Treasure Island |
| D．One pirate in Treasure Island |
| A．The novel of Treasure Island itself. |
| B．The interesting plot of Treasure Island. |
| C．The movie based on Treasure Island. |
| D．The magazine carrying Treasure Island. |
| A．Influences of Treasure Island. |
| B．The language used by the pirate. |
| C．Some films concerning pirates. |
| D．Robert Louis Stevenson. |
8 . It’s a new age and you need to reinvent yourself. Here are some inspiring books to read that are woven into my creativity, business and marketing habits.
Steal like an Artist
This book by Austin Kleon explains that you don’t need to be a genius, you just need to be yourself. That’s the message from Austin, a young writer and artist who knows that creativity is everywhere, creativity is for everyone. Steal Like an Artist is a guide whose positive message, graphic look and illustrations, exercises, and examples will put readers directly in touch with their artistic side.
The One Thing
This inspirational book by Gary Keller reveals the power of focusing on your “one thing”. His New York Times bestselling books have sold more than 2 million copies. He also reveals the “One” thing that made Keller Williams Realty, Inc., one of the largest real estate companies in the world. What was that? It was writing a book that positioned him and his company as the authority in real estate in the USA.
Do the Work
This short but powerful and inspiring book by Steven Pressfield was revealing about a problem that many of us have—having a lot of great ideas but not doing the work. This book led to my adopting the Mantra “Done is better than perfect”.
The Lean Startup:How Relentless Change Creates Radically Successful Businesses
The digital age has turned almost every aspect of our world on its head. This extends to our personal lives and how we do business. The author Eric Ries provides a scientific approach to creating and managing successful startups in an age when companies need to innovate more than ever. I found this a great book to challenge my thinking and grow my business.
1. What is required to be creative based on Austin Kleon?| A．To have some talent. | B．To be positive. |
| C．To read many books. | D．To act naturally. |
| A．Austin Kleon. | B．Gary Keller. |
| C．Steven Pressfield. | D．Eric Ries. |
| A．The One Thing | B．Do the Work |
| C．The Lean Startup | D．Steal like an Artist |
9 . You will have a lot of reading to do when you are in high school. You can do more of it in less time if you learn to read rapidly.
Perhaps you have been told about some habits (习惯) which keep a person from reading fast and have been strongly asked to break those habits which you might have.
Do you still have any of these bad habits? Check yourself by answering “yes” or “no” to these questions.
(1) Do you move your lips (嘴唇) when reading silently?
(2) Do you point to words with your finger as you read?
(3) Do you move your head from side to side as you read?
(4) Do you read one word at a time?
If you answer “yes” to any of these questions, start at once to break the habit. If you move your lips, hold your fingers over them, or hold a piece of paper between your lips while you are reading. Then if your lips move, your will know it and can stop them.
If you point to words, hold the two sides of your book, one side with your left hand, the other side with your right hand. Then you won’t have a free finger to use in pointing while reading. If you move your head, place your chin (下巴) in one hand and hold your head still (静止不动的).
If you read no more than one or two three words at a time, you need to work very hard in learning to take in (吸收) more words at each glance (一瞥) as your eyes travel across the lines of words.
Even if you do rather fast now, you can learn to read even faster. As you probably have been told, the secret of fast reading is to take in whole groups of words at each glance. Read in thought groups and force (迫使) your eyes along the lines of words at fast as you can make them go. Anyone who practices doing these things will be able to read faster.
1. You may hold your fingers over your lips while reading so as ________.| A．to tell others to be silent |
| B．to feel whether your lips move or not |
| C．to hold a piece of paper between them |
| D．to keep yourself from talking to others |
| A．Keeping your head still. |
| B．Holding your books with your hands. |
| C．Standing up near a desk. |
| D．Using your finger to point to words. |
| A．You can read more in less time |
| B．You can write faster |
| C．You can understand better |
| D．You can read less in more time |
| A．The way of reading fast. |
| B．The importance of fast reading. |
| C．The way to get rid of bad habits. |
| D．The way to speak quickly. |
10 . Upcoming Book Fairs and Festivals
If you’re an author, you owe it to yourself to check out this list of book fairs and festival s that authors can attend.
Bouchercon World Mystery Convention, October 14—15, San Diego, CA. The World Mystery Convention is a nonprofit, all-volunteer organization which holds an annual convention in honor of Anthony Boucher, the distinguished mystery fiction critic, editor and author. Bouchercon is their annual world mystery convention, where every year readers, writers, publishers, editors, and booksellers gather for a weekend of education, entertainment, and fun!
The Appalachian Writer’s Conference, October 28, Berea, KY. The conference is a literary workshop that offers beginning writers a chance to sharpen existing skills and learn new techniques from award-winning, seasoned novelists, non-fiction writers, memoirists, and poets. The guests will stay at Historic Boone Tavern Hotel and have a chance to meet Kentucky Artisans.
Kansas Book Festival, November 10—12, Topeka, KS. This event, designed to celebrate the best of Kansas literature, arts and history, will offer a variety of activities for Kansans of all ages, including meet-the-author sessions, panel discussions, book signings and sales, and a special tent with projects for children. This event is free and open to the public.
Indie Book Fair, November 19, Orlando, FL. The Indie Book Fair’s mission is to create a space to allow independent authors to sell and showcase their work, build their readership and make everyone aware of their brand. The vision is through multiple book fair events that are FREE to the public and will include virtual buying for readers who cannot attend. The fair will be held 3 times a year.
1. What’s special about the event to be held in San Diego?| A．It lasts the longest. | B．It aims to entertain the volunteers. |
| C．It educates the public on publications. | D．It is intended to honor a well-known author. |
| A．Staying at a hotel for free. | B．Improving their writing skills. |
| C．Winning writing awards. | D．Meeting with independent authors. |
| A．In San Diego. | B．In Berea. | C．In Topeka. | D．In Orlando. |
