1 . Summer reading
Finding Junie Kim
by Ellen Oh
Middle schooler Junie Kim is facing bullying (欺凌) at school, but she keeps quiet. Then, for a school project, Junie interviews her grandparents, who grew up in Korea during wartime in the 1950s. In their story of struggle, Junie finds the courage to speak up. The book will encourage any kid who has ever been in Junie’s shoes.
Simon B. Rhymin’
by Dwayne Reed
Simon is starting fifth grade and wants everyone to call him Notorious D. O. G. because he wants to be a famous rapper (说唱歌手). But he’s shy about using his voice to express his thoughts. When a teacher asks the class to give a talk, Simon must face his fears. Simon B. Rhymin’ is a great book that will give confidence to readers who are going through similar struggles.
A Shot in the Arm!
by Don Brown
A Shot in the Arm! is a novel about the history of vaccines (疫苗). Readers learn how vaccines have been used throughout history to fight disease. The author also introduces people around the world who helped with the development of vaccines. A Shot in the Arm! is an exciting read that uses colorful drawings to pull the reader in.
The One Thing You’d Save
by Linda Sue Park
If your house were on fire, what one thing would you save? Writer Linda Sue Park explores different answers to this question in poems that show the different voices of a middle school class. Some choose baseball cards or toy animals. One picks a sweater that was passed down for generations. The book is illustrated (给……作插图) with black-and-white art. Readers of all ages will like this book. It helps you realize what matters most.
1. What problem does Simon have?| A．He is bullied at school. | B．He fears receiving vaccines. |
| C．He dislikes doing his homework. | D．He is afraid of expressing his ideas. |
| A．Finding Junie Kim. | B．Simon B. Rhymin’. |
| C．A Shot in the Arm! | D．The One Thing You’d Save. |
| A．It is for teenage readers. | B．It is written in poem form. |
| C．It has many colorful pictures. | D．It was written by Dwayne Reed. |
2 . I was trained as a gymnast in Hunan, China, in the 1970s. The government wanted to transfer (转学) me to a school for athletes while my parents wanted me to become an engineer, because they firmly believed there was only one sure way to happiness: a safe and well-paid job. But my dream was to become a Chinese opera singer. Although I tried everything I could to go to opera school, I knew I was too old to be trained and my dream would never come true.
But that’s so unfair. So I was determined to find another calling — books. I satisfied my hunger for parental advice from the Fu Lei’s Family Letters by Fu Lei and Zhu Meifu, found my role model of an independent woman from Jane Eyre, learned to be efficient from Cheaper by the Dozen, and inspired myself to study abroad after reading Complete Works of Sanmao and Lessons from History.
I came to the U. S. in 1995 where I started comparative reading. Comparing and contrasting give scholars a more complete understanding of a topic. So I thought, well, if comparative reading works for research, why not do it in daily life too? So I started reading books in pairs. They can be about people who are involved in the same event — Benjamin Franklin by Walter Isaacson and John Adams by David McCullough, for example, or friends with shared experiences. I also compare the same stories in different genres or similar stories from different cultures, as Joseph Campbell did in his wonderful book The Power of Myth.
Books have given me a magic portal (入口) to connect with people of the past and the present. I have come to believe that coming true is not the only purpose of a dream. Its most important purpose is to get us in touch with where dreams come from, where passion comes from and where happiness comes from. Even a shattered (遭受极大打击的) dream can do that for you. So may books be always with you.
1. What’s the purpose of paragraph 1?| A．To provide background information. | B．To list some examples. |
| C．To make a comparison. | D．To summarize the paragraphs below. |
| A．Fu Lei’s Family Letters. | B．Jane Eyre. |
| C．Cheaper by the Dozen. | D．Complete Works of Sanmao. |
| A．The future of comparative reading. |
| B．The concept of comparative reading. |
| C．The writer’s experiences of comparative reading. |
| D．The writer’s achievements of comparative reading. |
| A．How I Chase My Dreams | B．How Books Open My Mind |
| C．Why I Am Keen on Comparative Reading | D．Why a Shattered Dream Changes My Life |
3 . In the pre-COVID-19 era, children’s personalised books used to be a niche market (小众市 场). Far from their early version that merely had the child’s name stuck on the book cover today’s personalised books feature entire families — including pets. Instead of meeting unknowr characters and new story worlds, the readers meet themselves. With the persuasive power of personalisation, publishers find their way into children’s inner worlds quicker than with non- personalised books
Well-designed personalised books can enhance children’s vocabulary learning. However, it’s also been found that in their talk about the story of a personalised book, they talk about “me, me, me”. Part of this self-centredness is natural at a young age, but part of it is caused by the personalised character of the book. In a recent study, personalised books, as opposed to thei non-personalised versions, do not help children understand the moral of a story or apply it to thei own lives
In most popular personalised books, children are pictured as the heroes and stars of their own stories. What is certain is that in addition to personalised hero books, we need personalised books where the child is a minor character or a character who experiences depression. The problem is that such books are unlikely to be popular and are therefore unlikely to be written. We are thus heading towards a situation where children see themselves in a positive light in their own personalised books and where they see others as failures in non-personalised books. It introduces children to a culture of“me vs you” where shared humanity is replaced by a false narrative of “I am the best!”
The most powerful children’s books are those that hit the sweet spot of personalisation and diversity. Such books teach children out-group empathy (同感) that occurs with story characters whose,experiences are different from their own. Authors can convey such out-group empathy by constructing strong plots that immerse (使沉浸) children in the story, but also challenge them to think beyond their comfort zone. The current personalised books take us from this ideal. They represent an economic interest in individualisation, and might ill prepare young minds for an uncertain future.
1. What makes current children’s personalised books different from their earlier versions?| A．Children can see their own name on the cover. |
| B．More family members are included in the books. |
| C．More new story worlds are introduced to children. |
| D．Publishers give up supplying them to the niche market. |
| A．They tend to focus on themselves. |
| B．They relate it to their own lives. |
| C．They can understand its morals better. |
| D．They tend to use new words they’ve learnt. |
| A．They fail to show common humanity. |
| B．They are characterised by happy endings. |
| C．They make children give in to defeat easily. |
| D．They fail to impress children with depression. |
| A．The reasons for reading personalised books. |
| B．The reasons for standardising the publishing market. |
| C．The necessity of raising the quality of children’s books. |
| D．The necessity of developing empathy among young readers. |
增加：在缺词处加一个漏词符号(^), 并在该句下面写出该加的词。
删除：把多余的词用斜线(\)划掉。
修改：在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意：1. 每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；
2. 只允许修改10处，多者(从第11处起)不计分。
We’ve all heard of the saying, “Reading good books are like having a conversation with the finest men of the past centuries.” It shows the benefit of reading books. By reading books, we can know which is going on at home and abroad. In fact, reading has many benefits. It can bring us knowledges and pleasure. From reading the number of books, we can get much. Reading books enables us broaden our horizons, enriched our life. We can not only understand how to live in a happy life and learn new ways of doing things. When we faced difficulties, we can solve them peacefully. As someone once put it, “A good book is exact a good friend.”
Andy loved to read. Even when he was a baby, his mother would hold him on her lap and show him picture books. The best part was when his mom or dad tucked him into bed and read to him.
Wherever he went, he always took along a book. When he went to his big brother’s baseball game, everyone watched the players. Not Andy! He sat on the benches and looked at his books.
Everywhere Andy went, he carried a blue and white backpack. All of his friends put water, a snack or games in their backpacks. Not Andy! He put in books-lots and lots of books. There were so many books, and his backpack was so heavy that sometimes he couldn’t even stand up straight!
His dad figured out a way to help Andy. Together, they built a little cart. They worked very hard on this and had lots of fun doing this together. It was the perfect size to carry all of his books. They painted the cart blue, and in big white letters, they wrote, “ANDY’S AMAZING BOOKS”. His friends helped him decorate the cart with bright and colorful designs. They all thought it was so cool, which made Andy feel so proud.
Mrs. Rivera, his teacher, allowed Andy to leave his cart in the back of the classroom. When the children finished their work, they were allowed to go to see what books were in the cart for that day. There were usually books about space, soccer, animals, children from around the world, and many more.
Saturday was Andy’s favorite day of the week. That was the day that he went to the public library with his parents. He couldn’t wait to visit the library to see Mrs. Hamilton, the librarian. She was so friendly and helpful. She always showed him the new books in the children’s section. After filling the cart, he asked his mom, “Can I get a library card today?” “Not yet! You are only one month from being 5 years old,” she replied.
注意：1. 续写词数应为150左右；
2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
Andy asked his mother, “On which Saturday am I going to get my very own library card?”
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When Andy woke up that Saturday morning, he was all excited to have his birthday party.
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6 . Below are a few examples of very different mothers from different authors, from the classics to modern day examples.
The Railway Children by Edith Nesbit
When their father is taken away by two strangers one evening, the lives of Roberta, Peter and Phyliss are broken up. They and their mother are forced to move from their comfortable London home to a simple cottage in the country where their mother writes books to make ends meet. This is such a lovely story of how the children adapt to their new way of life by the railways and of how their mother continues to care for them and bring them up, sometimes to the point we could almost believe she is too good to be true!
The Dwelling Place by Catherine Cookson
Set in County Durham in the 1830s, Cissy Brody and her young siblings are driven out from their farm cottage when both of their parents die of cholera. Determined that she and the children will not enter the frightening workhouse, young Cissy takes on the parental responsibility for them and moves them all to live in a small cave on the moors where they will face many hardships before finding a happy ending.
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
In this book, the mother, Mrs March, is the glue that holds the family together through the Civil War as we follow the lives of her daughters, Jo, Meg, Amy and Beth. Their father is away serving as a Chaplain in the war and having lost their fortune, their mother must use all her resources to keep the family together, which she does remarkably well.
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Sometimes garrulous, rude and materialistic, yet strangely likeable, Mrs Bennet leads her five daughters, Jane, Elizabeth, Mary, Kitty and Lydia, to suitable marriages. Nothing will stand in her way although sometimes her rather full-on approach does scare away suitable suitors. Sometimes touching and at other times funny, it never fails to make me smile.
1. How does the mother in The Railway Children support her family?| A．By starting her writing career. | B．By selling the comfortable house. |
| C．By working at the railway. | D．By washing clothes for the rich. |
| A．A rich family. | B．The war period. | C．The imaginary future. | D．The countryside. |
| A．The Railway Children. | B．The Dwelling Place. | C．Little Women. | D．Pride and Prejudice. |
7 . Let us continue with all sorts of great books. These four ones are worth reading.
Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands
Kate Beaton is best known for humor. She tells how hopeless she was to pay off college loans, and she spent two years in her 20s working in the oil fields of Alberta. Beaton also considered how her years in the oil sands affected her own creativity. Her surroundings seemed almost designed to limit her imagination. The book is a vital turning point in the career of an important artist.
Nowhere Better Than Here
In her first middle grade novel, Sarah Guillory has written an exciting story about a brave girl fighting against the effects of climate change. When the worst flood in a century hits, thirteen-year-old Jillian is determined to find a way to keep her hometown Boutin and its spirit alive.
It Won’t Always Be Like This
Malaka Gharib has got a sharp eye for character details. Now in the book, Gharib revisits her teens. She tells about leaving Los Angeles, where she lived with her mother and visiting her father in Egypt every summer. Looking back at this time with adult eyes, she recalls her teen self with a mix of liking and anger.
Just Jerry: How Drawing Shaped My Life
It tells the true story of the author Jerry Pinkney’s childhood growing up in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In the book, Jerry also mentions his reading and writing problems. Only drawing could offer him a sense of calm, control and confidence. Jerry eventually became one of the most celebrated children’s book illustrators (插图画家) of all time.
1. What did Beaton think of her days in oil fields?| A．It was full of mystery. |
| B．It was helpful to her works. |
| C．It narrowed her imagination. |
| D．It gave her inspiration for drawing. |
| A．Just Jerry: How Drawing Shaped My Life. |
| B．It Won’t Always Be Like This. |
| C．Nowhere Better Than Here. |
| D．Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands. |
| A．They both mention the authors’ growth experiences. |
| B．They both describe the scenes of adulthood. |
| C．They both center on climate problems. |
| D．They both tell inspiring stories. |
8 . What do a teacher, a journalist, an artist, a pilot and a mathematics professor have in common? They all became famous British children’s writers.
Enid Blyton
The teacher was Enid Blyton and she started writing in her spare time. Her stories were often about a group of children, and a dog, who visited a different part of the country in each book and had an adventure or solve a mystery — The Famous Five and The Secret Seven.
AA Milne
The journalist AA Milne became famous for writing just two books, the first called Winnie-the-Pooh. There was only one child in his stories, who was actually based on his son, Christopher Robin, before he went to school. The other “people” were either animals or toys.
Beatrix Potter
Artist Beatrix Potter wrote her books about the animals she saw near her country home and she also drew all the pictures for the stories. She gave the animals names, and with the first book, The Tale of Peter Rabbit, she had the idea of selling a doll and a game too.
Roald Dahl
Roald Dahl wrote about his adventures as a pilot, but his most popular stories happened to a boy or girl who met horrible children and adults, or strange animals. Dahl often gave his characters funny names, like Augustus Gloop in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
Lewis Carroll
But the maths professor wrote the strangest stories of all. Lewis Carroll’s two books are about a girl called Alice who meets unusual animals and people in a dream world. Adults enjoy the books as much as children, perhaps because Carroll loved to play with the meanings of words. An original copy of the first book sold for $ 1.5 million a century after it was first published.
1. What was Enid Blyton doing when she began her writing career?| A．She was looking after a dog. |
| B．She was living in different parts of the country. |
| C．She was working in a school. |
| D．She was having an adventure. |
| A．Beatrix Potter based her characters on local wildlife. |
| B．The characters in Roald Dahl’s books often had funny names. |
| C．Lewis Carroll’s first Alice book was first sold for $1. 5 million when published. |
| D．Only one character in AA Milne’s stories was a person. |
| A．Enid Blyton. | B．Beatrix Potter. | C．AA Milne. | D．Lewis Carroll. |
9 . We tend to put celebrities in boxes. There’s the person who makes us laugh, the one who makes us cry, and the one who always wears the outrageous outfit. But it may surprise you to learn that some of your favorite actors, singers, and comedians have another talent—they are also authors. We’re sharing some of our favorite picture books by those people.
The Spectacular Tale of Peter Rabbit by Emma Thompson
It's a bit unfair that Emma Thompson is so unbelievably talented, but then again, because she is, we have more Peter Rabbit to love. Building on Beatrix Potter’s classic tales, Emma Thompson brings the naughty Peter to life for another generation.
Tomatoes for Neela by Padma Lakshmi
Best known for her role as the host of Top Chef and her best-selling cookbooks, Padma Lakshmi has long encouraged children to help in the kitchen. Lakshmi explores family recipes, intergenerational cooking, and the humble tomato in her new picture book.
The World Needs More Purple People by Kristen Bell and Benjamin Hart
I might argue that the world needs more episodes of The Good Place, but I suppose a picture book by its star Kristen Bell will have to do instead. Bell encourages kids to become “purple people”, the people who know who they are and accept others for who they are and, as a result, build more harmonious, loving communities. That sounds like a worthy goal to me.
My Little Brave Girl by Hilary Duff
Every little girl (and even big ones) can use encouragement to be brave, embrace all that the world offers, and remember the vast possibilities available to her. Inspired by her daughter, Hilary Duff delivers a lovely, beautifully illustrated book that provides that reminder.
1. What is Tomatoes for Neela about?| A．Cooking. | B．Acting. | C．Farming. | D．Drawing. |
| A．It is a best-selling book. | B．Two authors created it together. |
| C．It encourages kids to help cook. | D．Its writer is especially talented. |
| A．They make readers laugh. | B．They are written for girls. |
| C．Their authors have other identities. | D．They are adapted from classics. |
增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号 (∧)，并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除：把多余的问用斜线(\)划掉。
修改：在错的词下划一损线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意：1. 每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；
2. 只允许修改10处，多者(从第11处起)不计分。
Last month, I finish reading Romance of the Three Kingdoms writing by Luo Guanzhong. It is a Chinese historical novel based upon the events what happened between the late Eastern Han Dynasty or the Three Kingdoms. It is praised as one of the Four Great Clas-sical Novels of Chinese literature. I’ve learned a lot of from the novel. I really like reading, which can broaden your horizon and make me learn knowledges. A good book is like a wise man, a teacher, a friend and a partner. I do advise chose a good book to read. If everyone does it regular, the history, culture and many other aspects will handed down from generation to generation.
