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. |
1. Why do college students need to be efficient readers?
| A．Because they work full-time. |
| B．Because they have to do much reading. |
| C．Because they are asked to read three or four times. |
| A．Pay attention to small details while reading. |
| B．Read at least several chapters at one sitting. |
| C．Get key information by reading just once or twice. |
| A．By choosing one’s own system of marking. |
| B．By underlining the key words and phrases. |
| C．By highlighting details in a red color. |
| A．By reviewing only the marked parts. |
| B．By working with their partners, |
| C．By reading the textbooks carefully again. |
1. 照片内容要求；
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注意：
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NOTICE
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The School English Website
December 15th, 2023
4 . It’s a familiar plot in movies and books: A bright-eyed man moves to the big city in search of fame and fortune. In the noises and lights, all hopes and dreams come true. But why do we stick to this old story? In Four Lost Cities, author Annalee Newitz explores ancient settlements to find out why people flood into big cities — and why they leave.
The book is divided into four enjoyable, snack-sized sections, one for each city. Each section is accompanied by a handy map, drawn by artist Jason Thompson in an engaging cartoon style.
Rather than dry history, Newitz makes a special effort to highlight the oddities and innovations that made these cities unique. Take Catalhöyük, the oldest city they feature, which boomed between 7500 and 5700 BC in what is now Turkey. This ancient city existed for nearly 2, 000 years despite lacking things that we might consider necessary for a city, such as roads, special public spaces or shopping areas.
The section on Cahokia (AD 1050 to 1350) —located in what is now Illinois — offers an unexpected reason for a city’s emergence. Many people link cities with capitalism and trade. Cahokia’s 30-meter-tall pyramids, 20-hectare (公顷) squares and a population (at the time) bigger than Paris suggest that spiritual revival (复苏) can also build a large city. Cahokia and Angkor, which reached its peak from AD 800 to 1431 in what is now Cambodia, also show how cities can form when power gets concentrated in a few influential people.
Each city, of course, eventually fell. But Newitz also reveals something else: Collapsing infrastructure (基础设施) provided the final push that kept people away. Here we spot our potential future, as climate crises and political instability threaten our own urban networks. But Newitz’s vivid imaginings, bright language and boundless enthusiasm manage to keep the tone optimistic. These cities did end, yes. Yet the people lived on.
1. Why is a bright-eyed man mentioned in paragraph 1?| A．To introduce the topic. | B．To raise some doubts. |
| C．To make a comparison. | D．To present a phenomenon. |
| A．By citing data. | B．By defining a term. |
| C．By giving an example. | D．By telling a story. |
| A．Trade. | B．Capitalism. |
| C．A large population. | D．Concentration of power. |
| A．It features a cartoon style. | B．It offers insight into our future. |
| C．It consists of no original ideas. | D．It promotes the ancient cultures. |
“What shall I read” You might have asked
To start with, ask your friends, parents and teachers
These ideas should point you in the right direction. However, you must also decide for yourself what kind of books to read. You do not have to read a book just because everyone recommends it. Instead, look for books on topics
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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7 . 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. |
8 . Settling down with a great novel enables you to consider ideas that might have never crossed your mind had you not chosen it in the first place.
First, find members. Reach out to your existing reading-loving friends and post a notice in your local library or bookstore. If you’re open to a more digital-friendly approach, put the word out about your new club via Twitter or Facebook.
Then set group guidelines. To guarantee your new group is all on the same page, take time to discuss what you want to get out of regular club gatherings before your first official meeting. Will your time together be spent largely focusing on the novel at hand?
As far as how often you meet, that schedule is up to your members to determine what’s realistic-plus how long it will take to complete the book. As for location, meeting up at your home is always an option.
| A．Don’t feel bound to act as host, though. |
| B．Which scene has stuck with you the most? |
| C．Picking books may seem like the trickiest part. |
| D．You’ll gain a sense of community from book clubs. |
| E．Will refreshments ultimately be the most important? |
| F．You may get people beyond your daily contact to join your circle. |
| G．And sometimes you just want to discuss what you’ve read with others. |
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 . Robot science fiction has long been a favorite for readers. If you want to check out any of these titles for free, you can do so with Audible’s one-month free trial. Click here to download Audible’s app to try for $0.00.
I. Robot
The author of I, Robot, Isaac Asimov, is an indisputable giant within the world of robot science fiction due to his creation of the three laws of robotics. I, Robot is a landmark work of robot sci-fi which explores every facet of robots and their place in the world of humans, from their conception through to their possible replacement of humanity.
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? is an absolute landmark work of robot science fiction and has gained even greater recognition due to being made into the classic motion picture Blade Runner. The story’s hero is tasked with hunting down sentient robots that have gone immoral.
The Night Sessions
The Night Sessions by Ken MacLeod envisions a world in which religions and those who believe in them have been pushed to the edge of society. This is also a world populated by sentient robots that sometimes help humanity but are often shunned by their very creators.
Sea of Rust
Sea of Rust is set in a future world in which humanity has been totally wiped out by an unimaginably powerful artificial intelligence system and the robots it has at its command. In this world without mankind, the two most powerful artificial intelligence systems fight for control. It is both a tight story of survival and an optimistic adventure.
1. Which book has become more popular after being made into a movie?| A．I, Robot | B．Sea of Rust |
| C．The Night Sessions | D．Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? |
| A．It is a story of human survival. |
| B．It is set in a world full of robots. |
| C．It is about a harmonious world without mankind. |
| D．It’s about robots and humans fighting for control. |
| A．A website. | B．A newspaper. |
| C．A book review. | D．A journal of literary criticism. |
