1 . Here’s a list of 4 books that I think are not only helpful but important for today’s teenagers. These books contain powerful stories and practical concepts for critical thinking.
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
Eventually, every teen will have to come to terms with suffering and loneliness. This book shows how to approach even the most challenging trials of life. Angelou’s memoir of her childhood is heartbreaking, but the strength of her spirit and her optimism and hope help readers make sense of life. Maya shows us that it’s possible to develop something inside that can shine brightly, even in the darkest night.
The War of Art by Steven Pressfield
This book highlights a very uncomfortable truth about life：if you want to create something, you will face many roadblocks. Whether it’s naysayers, self-doubt, or laziness, there are lots of things that will keep us from doing what we long to do. Pressfield helps us easily and clearly identify the enemy of creativity, and outlines a battle plan to defeat this enemy within.
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
This is very nearly the perfect book for teenagers and a classic American novel. The story is told with such goodness (and warmth and humor) that it’s nearly universally loved. It is so powerfully written that it can actually achieve something unbelievable in its readers: it can build empathy for the “other”. And if there’s one thing teens need in today’s world, it’s more empathy.
Essentialism by Greg McKeown
Do you ever feel busy but not productive? Essentialism shows you how to achieve the pursuit of less. The pursuit of less allows us to regain control of our own choices so we can channel our time, energy, and effort into making the highest possible contribution toward the goals and activities that matter.
1. Which of the following is based on the author’s own life?| A．Essentialism. | B．The War of Art. |
| C．To Kill a Mockingbird. | D．I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. |
| A．To show how to make a battle plan. |
| B．To explain why being creative is important. |
| C．To show how to break through one’s blocks. |
| D．To explain why one should stay away from naysayers. |
| A．Harper Lee’s. | B．Maya Angelou’s. |
| C．Greg McKeown’s. | D．Steven Pressfield’s. |
2 . I’ve always been a bookworm. As an English Literature graduate, reading is one of the only things I feel truly qualified to do. There’s no place I’d rather be than buried in the pages of an attention-getting story. Yet lots of people find it difficult to fit reading into their daily routine.
Dedicated (专用的) reading time. Setting aside some dedicated time every day is a good place to start.
Listen to an audiobook.
| A．Connect with book-lovers online. |
| B．Take inspiration from other readers. |
| C．So how can we make reading a regular habit? |
| D．What can we do to choose books for our needs? |
| E．Even just 15 minutes will see you finish an average-length book in 20 days. |
| F．You can also add a bit of competition by following what friends are reading. |
| G．For those tough to find pure reading time, audio books allow you to multitask |
| A．In the library. | B．In the street. | C．In the bookstore. |
4 . The Storyteller’s Secret by Carmine Gallo
4.5 out of 5 stars 474 ratings
How did a Venice Beach T-shirt vendor become television’s most successful producer? How did an entrepreneur who started in a garage create the most iconic product launches in business history, and how did a shy man overcome a paralyzing fear of public speaking to captivate sold-out crowds at Yankee Stadium?——They told brilliant stories.
The Psychology of Persuasion by Peter Daniel Andrei
5.0 out of 5 stars 865 ratings
Why do some people effortlessly make people convinced while others can’t? Why do some people easily speak with confidence, fluency, influence, and impact, while others struggle to speak well? Why do some presentations build support, generate consensus, and motivate positive action, while others don’t? — Decades of leading scientific studies present an answer.
The Elements of Style by William Strunk Jr. & E. B.White
4.7 out of 5 stars 9,707 ratings
This is The Elements of Style, the classic style manual, now in a fourth edition. A new foreword by Roger Angell reminds readers that the advice of Strunk & White is as valuable today as when it was first offered. The book has grown to become the American English writing style guide often required in U.S. high school and university composition classes.
Eliminate Negative Thinking by Derick Howell
4.4 out of 5 stars 990 ratings
Do you find it hard to fall asleep because your brain won’t stop worrying? Do you feel stuck in an endless loop of uncontrollable negative thoughts? You’re not alone. Around 18% of the population suffer from anxiety. This book offers actionable strategies that will help you eliminate the deep-seated causes of your anxiety and manage your day-to-day worries.
1. What is Peter Daniel Andrei’s book based on?| A．Scientific research. | B．Experts’ suggestions. |
| C．Celebrities’ speeches. | D．Personal experience. |
| A．Some brilliant stores. | B．Some typical examples. |
| C．Some advanced theories. | D．Some practical techniques. |
| A．The Storyteller’s Secret. |
| B．The Psychology of Persuasion. |
| C．The Elements of Style. |
| D．Eliminate Negative Thinking. |
Reading a paper book may be a forgotten luxury for many people thanks to today’s busy lifestyles, but listening to a book, while shopping or jogging, is a growing trend. Now, audio books can be easily downloaded from the Internet at the same, if not lower, prices as the print editions.
写作内容：(1) 你是否喜欢或支持听有声书；(2) 用2－3个理由或论据支撑你的观点。
写作要求：1.字数120左右。
2. 行文流畅，逻辑清晰。
3. 用词地道，句式多样。
4. 书写工整，卷面整洁。
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
6 . About Penguin Random House UK
The one you can’t put down. The one you’ll never forget.
Some time ago — in 1934, to be precise — our founder was waiting for a train and couldn’t find anything good to read. What was needed, he realized, were quality books at a reasonable price. And so he decided to change things — the following year Penguin was founded, starting a paperback revolution that would sweep the world.
The one you listened to this morning. The one you’ re cooking from tonight.
Today, our logo — originally sketched at London Zoo — can be found on bestsellers and undiscovered gems, pride of place in much-loved bookshops, neighbourhood supermarkets and almost certainly on your shelf at home. Whatever. wherever and however you like to read, we’ve got something for you.
The one that makes you laugh out loud. The one that makes you sob even louder.
Almost a century after that train journey, in a very different world indeed, our mission (使命) remains the same. Through decades and lifetimes, celebrations and crises, Penguin has always, always made books for everyone — Books that can change your mood or your mind, your commute or your community, the way you eat or the way you sleep. Today, tomorrow or your entire life.
Explore our publishing houses
Our nine creatively and editorially independent publishing houses seek out and enable talented people to tell their stories and make sure they are heard. From bestselling writers and excellent illustrators (插画家) to big thinkers and political commentators, leading business people and well-being experts, we are home to some of the world’s best-known authors.
1. What can be known about Penguin Random House UK from the text?| A．The length of its history. |
| B．The name of its founder. |
| C．The accurate circulation of its books. |
| D．The different stages of its development. |
| A．Challenging. | B．Controversial. |
| C．Conservative. | D．Consistent. |
| A．best received throughout the globe. |
| B．all well illustrated with no exception. |
| C．written by people from different walks of life. |
| D．designed to develop creativity in readers. |
7 . All the Light We Cannot See is about a blind girl named Marie-Laure, who lives in Paris, France, in the 1930s. When the Nazis invaded in 1940, she and her father are forced to leave the city. They escape to a countryside town to hide with Marie-Laure’s great uncle, Etienne. After several months, Marie-Laure’s father gets arrested. She continues to live with Etienne, and they start passing on secret signals to aid the French Resistance movement.
Werner Pfennig is German orphan with a hobby of listening to science and music programs on an old radio. Developing a talent for fixing radios, he is later hired by the Nazis to help them track enemy radio signals during the war. One day, he picks up a signal that is coming from Etienne’s home in France.
Anyway, Marie-Laure and Werner meet and develop a strong relationship. These two poor souls try to find a way to escape this horrible war together, but can they?
Anthony Doerr, the author of All the Light We Cannot See is from Cleveland, Ohio. Critics have praised Doerr’s writing for his short, sharp sentences and attention to detail. All the Light We Cannot See is his second novel, which was published in 2014. It quickly became a New York Times best-seller and won a Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.
The amazing novel gives readers a look at the ugly face of war. Throughout the book, we see how war can destroy people’s lives in the blink of an eye. Characters such as Etienne and Marie-Laure’s father disappear in an instant and are never heard from again. However, war is also shown to bring out the best in people. The characters who survive must show great courage and strength when they face challenges.
Another important idea is the importance of science and technology. Doerr suggests that technologies, such as the radio, are helpful to society if they are used with good intentions. However, if technologies fall into the hands of evil they can cause great destruction.
1. How do Marie-Laure and Etienne help fighting against Nazis?| A．By tracking radio signals. |
| B．By fixing electronic devices. |
| C．By providing information. |
| D．By joining French army. |
| A．Historical background. |
| B．Touching details. |
| C．Beauty of language. |
| D．Complex plots. |
| A．Technologies are a double-edged sword in war. |
| B．Technology plays a key role in war. |
| C．Science and technology should not be valued. |
| D．War destroys everything on its way. |
| A．Everyday Hero. |
| B．Hit Movies. |
| C．Great Writers. |
| D．Book Club. |
8 . When it comes to Albert Einstein (1879-1955), it's easy to imagine an old, crazy-haired genius. But before he ever came up with the theory of relativity, Einstein was a 23-year-old patent clerk, working for the minimum wage. Young Einstein decided to earn some extra cash tutoring physics. He put up an ad, and Maurice Solovine, a student of philosophy, responded. The two did not do much traditional studying, but instead chatted about philosophy. Conrad Habicht, a mathematician and a friend of Einstein, joined their debates. They jokingly called themselves the Olympia Academy.
We’ve gathered together some books the members of the Olympia Academy read and discussed. Maybe the literature that inspired Einstein can inspire you to be clever, too.
A Treatise of Human Nature by David Hume
David Hume, a 18th-century Scottish philosopher, was always suspicious. He believed “everything we know is really just a matter of probability”. He argued “reason doesn’t motivate people’’, which led to all sorts of questions, such as “So what’s motivating you to write this?”
“The chief benefit, which results from philosophy, arises in an indirect manner, and more from its secret insensible influence, than from its immediate application,” Hume wrote.
Analysis of Sensations by Ernst Mach
An Austrian philosopher Ernst Mach wrote about how mysterious senses are. In an attempt to figure out how humans experience balance, Mach cleverly built a turning chairs , which used shades of gray bands to show that the colors people saw were deeply affected by the colors around them.
Science and Hypothesis by Henri Poincare
Henri Poincare, a 19th-century French philosopher, was also a theoretical physicist, an engineer and a mathematician. At college, he was fantastic at math. He created his special theory and wrote Science and Hypothesis. Some of his thoughts actually sowed the seeds for Einstein’s theory of relativity, such as the idea that time is relative.
1. What did the members of the Olympia Academy have in common?| A．They lived on high wages. |
| B．They tended to laugh at each other. |
| C．They loved reading and studying. |
| D．They were 18th-century mathematicians. |
| A．Reason motivates people. |
| B．Every human sense is mysterious. |
| C．People should see everything with doubt. |
| D．The chief benefit of philosophy arises directly. |
| A．Conrad Habicht. | B．David Hume. | C．Ernst Mach. | D．Henri Poincare. |
9 . Essex Library Services Reading Friends
What is the role about?
Reading Friends is an exciting UK-wide programme from The Reading Agency. It’s been piloted in some other parts of the country over the last few years and now is being extended to Essex.
Developed with funding from the National Lottery Community Fund, Reading Friends deals with loneliness by bringing people together to read, chat and share stories. Essex Library Services is looking for volunteers to support the roll- out of the Reading Friends programme across Essex.
What will it involve?
*Chatting to people, either one to one, or in groups, using reading to get people talking. Contact will be via phone or computer initially. After restrictions are lifted, it is planned to do in-person sessions (活动时间) in libraries.
*Using reading — whether books, magazines, newspapers, or anything else — to start conversations. Nothing needs to be read before the session.
What skills and experience do you need?
*An interest in people
*Good communication and people skills
*Love of books and reading is not necessary, but would be a bonus
What will you get from volunteering?
*The satisfaction of contributing to the community and potentially preventing loneliness
*The chance to share the joy of reading
*Develop your experience and skills to enhance your resume (简历)
*A certificate of appreciation for coming along and helping out, which looks great on a resume
1. Who does the Reading Friends programme aim to help?| A．People feeling lonely. | B．People wanting to change a job. |
| C．People wanting to publish their stories. | D．People having special educational needs. |
| A．Having previous work experience. | B．Reading related books in advance. |
| C．Living in restrictions-lifted areas. | D．Being communicative. |
| A．A trip to Essex. | B．A certificate of appreciation. |
| C．A fund from the government. | D．An opportunity to work in libraries. |
10 . I am a boy who likes reading and I read all kinds of books. When I do this, I have ended up with two speeds—fast and slow depending on how worthwhile I find the book. I like to analyze and ponder over the words and contents of the books, which can sharpen my mind.
When I read the book Intrinsic Motivation(《内在动机》), I ask myself, “What kind of book is it?” Well, first of all, I have to say Dan Pink writes well, which is probably not surprising as he is a speechwriter for an American leader. The text is neither academically difficult nor overly casual. It states information clearly without effort. The subject matter of the book is motivation, and it starts with a discussion of how external motivation is less effective for modern knowledge work, where wide intelligent decision-making and innovation are essential.
The book shows that the tricky nature of how we are truly motivated is uncovered with plenty of examples and descriptions of sound research. For example, it is shown how payment can signal that a task is undesirable and so reduce intrinsic motivation. The heart of the book is the analysis of intrinsic motivation, in particular through the three key elements of autonomy, mastery and purpose. The rest of the book then takes an applied position, showing how these principles can be applied in the workplace. The book ends up with a comprehensive summary, covering the contents from several different angles and providing an easy future reference.
This is the sort of book I like most. Unsurprisingly, perhaps, I took quite a long time to read and re-read this excellent book. It covers the subject of motivation strongly and well. and is now one of my definitive references in a rather large library.
1. What does the underlined phrase “ponder over” in paragraph I mean?| A．Think about. | B．Speak out. | C．Cut down. | D．Take over. |
| A．The effects of external motivation. | B．The elements of worthwhile books. |
| C．The author’s understanding of the book. | D．The author’s intelligence for reading books. |
| A．By listing statistics. | B．By making assumptions. |
| C．By drawing comparisons. | D．By highlighting instances. |
| A．A book review. | B．A biography. | C．A novel. | D．A news report. |
