1 . The Ice Cream Machine is no ordinary tale. It’s a flavorful (好味道的) book made up of six stories, all of which have the same title, but each has a different story centering on one subject, ice cream.

One ice-cream story focuses on a boy and his robot in the distant future. Another is about a father and daughter who invent an ice-cream machine. My favorite story in the book talks about two sisters, Pam and Penelope, who try to enter an ice-cream-eating contest. The six stories go with black-and-white illustrations (插图) from six different artists.

The Ice Cream Machine is inventive and fun. Its author, Adam Rubin, has a lot of experience when it comes to writing about food. His most famous children’s book is Dragons Love Tacos. It was a No.1 New York Times best-seller. “I like to write about food because it’s universally beloved by people of all different cultures,” Rubin says. “It’s something we can all relate to.”

Rubin hopes The Ice Cream Machine inspires kids to write. Its jacket turns into an envelope in which readers can send him their stories. Rubin says writers should write about things they like. “If you’re trying to write something that someone else likes, you might not get it right. Then no one’s happy,” he says. “But if you focus on writing about something that you like, then it’s fun. When it makes you happy, your writing will bring joy.”

I recommend The Ice Cream Machine to anyone who likes creative storytelling. The book goes down just like ice cream: smooth, enjoyable, and with a pleasant aftertaste.

Rubin’s favorite flavor of ice cream? “Chocolate chip,” he says. Don’t tell him, but the best flavor is actually birthday cake！

1. Why does Adam Rubin like writing about food？

A．People around the world show interest in food.	B．Many different books focus on food.
C．Food is the symbol of different cultures.	D．Food is the material base of human life.

2. What does Adam Rubin inspire children to write about？

A．Something connected with food.

B．What other people like.

C．What happens to them.

D．Something they enjoy.

3. What can we learn about The Ice Cream Machine from the text？

A．It has six stories with different titles.	B．It contains many colorful illustrations.
C．It is a No. 1 New York Times best-seller.	D．It is written in a style of creative storytelling.

4. What is the best title for the text？

A．My Favorite Story in a Book	B．Six Flavors in One Book
C．The Best Flavor of Ice Cream	D．The Writer of No. 1 Best-seller

2 . Albert Einstein’s reading list

“Don Quixote” by Miguel de Cervantes

“Don Quixote” is chosen as part of reading in high school Spanish classes worldwide. In this novel, a man named Don Quixote decides that being an old-timey knight (骑士) would be great. Everyone thinks he’s crazy since he’s a few hundred years too late for the old system.

He ends up going on various stupid explorations and finally mistakes a windmill (风车) for a strong man and fights it to death (his death, not the windmill’s).

“A System of Logic” by John Stuart Mill

This 17th-century English philosopher supported the idea that women should have the same rights and opportunities as men. In his book, he argued for total female equality. In response, British journalist Ernest Belfort Bax wrote “The Legal Subjection of Men”, in which he argued that men were actually weaker than women.

“The Grammar of Science” by Karl Pearson

Karl Pearson, a 19th-century English mathematician, thought imagination was very important.

“All great scientists have, in a certain sense, been great artists; the man with no imagination may collect facts, but he cannot make great discoveries,” Pearson said.

Among other things, Pearson imagined that someone who time traveled faster than the speed of light would go backwards in time.

If any of this sounds familiar, it might be because these ideas showed up in Einstein’s world-changing theories.

“Ethics” by Baruch Spinoza

Spinoza thought that the universe (宇宙) was made of one material, so there was no mind-body separation. These ideas may have influenced Einstein a good deal. “Be not surprised at new ideas,” wrote Spinoza, “for it is well known to you that a thing is no longer true because it is not accepted by many.”

1. Who will probably show great interest in Mill’s book?

A．Doctors.

B．Natural scientists.

C．Film directors.

D．Human rights workers.

2. What does Baruch Spinoza encourage readers to do?

A．Fight for social equality.	B．Keep up with the times.
C．Be open to new ideas.	D．Develop strong imagination.

3. Which book mentions an idea similar to Einstein’s?

A．Ethics.

B．Don Quixote.

C．A System of Logic.

D．The Grammar of Science.