1 . My eleven-year-old son reads a lot, but for the past year he’s only been reading comics or graphic (图解的) novels. In my view, these are the books made up, mainly, of cartoons and speech bubbles and are lacking in full pages of text. As a PhD in classical literature, I turn my nose up at my son’s comics, considering them just picture books.
My son has argued well for his cause. His claim is that comics are literature or close enough and they do contain many of the basic elements of any novel: plot, backstory, dialogue and etc. But my view is that language is unique. The complicated details of plot, emotion, and inner thought that words alone can convey are surely lost when graphics take their place. And if the pictures are already there for you, what work is left to the imagination?
According to the view of some experts on parenting, we should encourage our kids to love books in all shapes and forms, without limiting the type of books they should love. I see their point, but I also worry that laziness might be playing a role here and that’s a motivation I’m less happy to enable. Comics are simply easier to read than other kinds of books; they demand less attention and my suspicion is that they become appealing for that very reason. While this is a fine way to help early or reluctant (不情愿的) readers get into better habits of reading, I’m not so sure the same is true for older kids. In an age of instant satisfaction from fragmentation (碎片化) reading, we are all losing the ability to focus on longer texts, and that’s worrisome.
My son is in his academic and emotional development. I want him to be reading things that will challenge him and force him to think deeply and critically, which will help him improve. Isn’t this what reading is for? Do his comic books have such power?
1. What is the author’s attitude toward comics according to paragraph 1?| A．Dismissive | B．Approving | C．Unclear | D．Objective |
| A．Plot can only be expressed by language. |
| B．All the details cannot be conveyed by graphics. |
| C．Language can show the basic storyline more clearly. |
| D．Graphics fail to develop children’s interest in reading. |
| A．He likes reading books with full pages of text. |
| B．He thinks comics give much space for imagination. |
| C．He believes comics share many similarities with novels. |
| D．He claims comics are easier to read than other kinds of books. |
| A．To advise kids to get rid of reading comics. |
| B．To show the significance of reading for children. |
| C．To share her worry about her son’s choice of reading. |
| D．To compare the differences between comics and novels. |
2 . When I was young, I was a terrible student. I didn’t
Each Christmas, I would get a package from Grandmother. “Another
Although I was not interested in
During my second term in college, I
I
| A．like | B．avoid | C．stop | D．suggest |
| A．phone | B．bag | C．book | D．toy |
| A．look for | B．break down | C．play with | D．clean up |
| A．Suddenly | B．Gradually | C．Curiously | D．Finally |
| A．memorize | B．sell | C．improve | D．publish |
| A．children | B．Christmas | C．school | D．gifts |
| A．provided | B．filled | C．left | D．helped |
| A．slept | B．sat | C．waited | D．spoke |
| A．received | B．asked | C．showed | D．wanted |
| A．rest | B．explain | C．cry | D．travel |
| A．agree | B．hope | C．afford | D．happen |
| A．tell | B．give | C．read | D．lend |
| A．forgot | B．needed | C．repeated | D．doubted |
| A．hurried | B．pretended | C．continued | D．refused |
| A．teacher | B．writer | C．manager | D．doctor |
3 . Science Books for Kids of All Ages
To help you choose the perfect education al books for your child, we’ve created this handpicked list of the best science books for kids. The titles featured here spark curiosity, encourage leaning, and are lots of fun, too.
About Time: A First Look at Time and Clocks
Author: Bruce Koscielniak; Price: US $8.55
Long ago people used the sun, the moon, and the water to tell time. Soon after we began using our knowledge about the natural world to build clocks and to create calendars made up of months and years. Centuries later, we have clocks and calendars all around us. This book tells the amazing story of how it all happened!
Animalium: Welcome to the Museum
Author: Katie Scott;Price: US $8.99
This book opens the doors of the natural history museum for your child all year round! It features 200 full-color specimens accompanied by lively, informative text and more. Discover the animal kingdom inglorious detail with unique illustrations that combine science and art.
Bang!: How We Came to Be
Author: Michael Rubino; Price: US $16.00
“Bang! And that was it, the beginning of everything.” So begins this beautifully illustrated story of evolution. This book conveys not only the facts but also the excitement of the scientific explanation of our world, from the origin of the universe to the present reality of our planet.
Bedtime Math: The Truth Comes Out
Author: Laura Overdeck; Price: US $10.99
This book makes learning about math as fun as dessert after dinner! It combines math and cool facts for one fun and wild adventure. Now kids can discover the science behind all their favorite things: marshmallows, soda, ice cream, and more. With over 100 math problems on a variety of topics, kids will find math isn’t just fun — it can be found everywhere!
1. What can kids learn in the book About Time?| A．The tough life of ancestors. | B．The origin of the sun and the moon. |
| C．The old ways to measure time. | D．The wildlife in the natural world. |
| A．They are children’s novels. | B．They are popular for cheap price. |
| C．They are collected in the museum. | D．They are illustrated stories for kids. |
| A．Bang. | B．Bedtime Math. | C．Animalium. | D．About Time. |
4 . Here are the books that often appear on high-school reading lists for 12th-grade students, and are often discussed in greater depth in college literature courses. The books on this list are important introductions to world literature.
The Seagull
By Anton Chekhov
Price:$40.4
The book is a scene-of-life read set in the Russian countryside at the end of the 19th century. All characters are dissatisfied with their lives. Some want love. Some want success.No one, however, ever seems to get happiness. Some people view The Seagull as a tragic (悲剧的) play about always unhappy people. Others see it as a humorous and bitter book,making fun of humans’ foolishness.
Candide
By Voltaire
Price:$48.6
Voltaire offers his view of society in Candide. The book was published in 1759, and it is often considered the author’s most important work. A simple-minded young man, Candide is sure his world is the best of all worlds, but a trip around the world opens his eyes about what he believes to be true.
Jane Eyre
By Charlotte Bronte
Price:$128.6
Charlotte Bronte’s heroine was one of the first in English literature to serve as first-person narrator(讲述者) of her own life story. Jane falls in love with a rich man, Rochester,but on her own terms, and only after he has proven himself worthy of her.
The Bluest Eye
By Toni Morrison
Price:$28.6
It tells a story of Pecola Breedlove, a young African American girl who dreams of having blue eyes-a sign of acceptance in a world ruled by white conceptions of beauty.
1. What is special about The Seagull?| A．People have different ideas about it. |
| B．Characters in it are happy with their life. |
| C．All characters make their dreams true finally. |
| D．It tells the life in America at the end of the 19th century. |
| A．The bad luck he met in life. | B．A book he read accidentally. |
| C．A journey around the world. | D．A dream he had at night. |
| A．The Seagull. | B．Candide. |
| C．Jane Eyre. | D．The Bluest Eye. |
5 . Sitting close with your little ones from an early age and enjoying a book together is always a great way to spend time, but do you know reading to your children has a whole range of benefits that will give them a flying start in life?
Firstly, it’s a great introduction to vocabulary. Seeing an adult sounding out the words and linking them to the shapes on the page begins to build up vocabulary that they will use for the rest of their life.
Then there are a variety of good effects of hearing stories which improve their minds and develop social awareness and skills. At a time when they are perhaps stuck indoors more than ever before, reading is the best way to motivate (激发) children’s imagination. They can travel to the moon, meet the Gruffalo and pop into a chocolate factory all before they’ve even had lunch!
There’s no better way to walk a mile in someone else’s shoes than reading their stories and seeing things from another’s point of view is a great way to build empathy (共鸣), tolerance and other qualities needed. There are some fantastic children’s books which show characters acting as strong role models. These stories can encourage future leaders and thinkers, so every child can feel they can achieve their dreams, from the Little Leaders series to Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls (叛逆女孩).
Now is the perfect time to build up a library of excellent reads ready for children to enjoy now and in the future. They will create memories to last a lifetime. On top of the benefits for your little ones, it
| A．Parents. | B．Children. |
| C．Teachers. | D．Leaders. |
| A．Start. | B．Visit. |
| C．Build. | D．Leave. |
| A．Going to bed easily at bedtime. | B．Building good qualities. |
| C．Building a strong body. | D．Bringing back sweet memories. |
| A．Children’s reading habits. |
| B．Children’s reading materials. |
| C．Benefits of reading to children. |
| D．Ways of reading children’s books. |
6 . High School Summer Reading List
We studied reading lists from around the country and found the following books. There’s a good chance you will open one of them this summer.
The Joy Luck Club, by Amy Tan
It focuses on four Chinese-American immigrant families who start a club known as “the Joy Luck Club”, playing the Chinese game of mahjong (麻将) for money while feasting on a variety of foods. The four Chinese women have to solve a lot of problems caused by different cultures.
Life of Pi, by Yann Martel
After a ship full of zoo animals sinks at sea, an Indian boy is trapped on a lifeboat with a Bengal tiger (孟加拉虎). During the hard period, he suffers a lot. But at last, he arrives at land. The book was the winner of 2002 Booker Prize.
The Secret Life of Bees, by Sue Kidd
During the civil rights (公民权) movement of the mid-1960s, a young white Southern girl goes on the lam (逃走) with her family’s African-American housekeeper, hoping to solve the mystery of her mother who gave her up.
The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak
It’s about a young girl who lives in Nazi Germany during World War II. She steals books and shares them with neighbors as well as with a Jew who hides in her family’s basement.
1. If you want to know the difference between cultures, which book should you choose?| A．The Joy Luck Club. | B．Life of Pi. |
| C．The Secret Life of Bees. | D．The Book Thief. |
| A．A mother who gave up her daughter. |
| B．The cause of the civil rights movement. |
| C．A runaway African-American housekeeper. |
| D．A young girl who tried to learn about her mother. |
| A．To explain why these books are popular. |
| B．To show the importance of reading books. |
| C．To encourage high school students to read. |
| D．To introduce some books for high school students. |
7 . 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. |
8 . 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. |
(1)阅读经典的人越来越少的原因；
(2)阅读经典的好处；
(3)你的建议。
注意：(1)词数100左右；
(2)可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
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10 . Four Books about Super Scientists
You’ll find the lives of these top minds to be as inspiring as they are exciting in the following books.
The Extraordinary Life of Alan Turing
Second World War code-breaker Alan Turing features on the Bank of England’s new £50 note as a computer pioneer. This biography follows him from his childhood as a quiet boy who loved maths to becoming one of the most important scientists in history.
100 Scientists Who Made History
Bringing together mini-biographies of 100 scientists and innovators, this book will give you an overview of the history of science. Including astronauts, biologists, chemists, coders, doctors and physicists, it features fun facts about everyone from Hippocrates and Leonardo da Vinci through to Marie Curie and Stephen Hawking.
Rosalind Franklin: A Life Story
Rosalind Franklin was the scientist whose contribution to a crucial discovery in DNA — the chemical that tells your body how to grow and develop — was not recognized until after her death. This book shines a light on the extraordinary story of her life and achievements, using timelines, illustrations and fascinating facts.
40 Inspiring Icons: Super Scientists
Each part of this colourful illustrated book introduces you to a different “super scientist” and their discoveries. This is a fun and easy way to learn about all sorts of ideas, including Louis Pasteur’s vaccinations and Ada Lovelace’s invention of mysterious codes.
1. Which book will attract readers who are interested in computer science?| A．Rosalind Franklin: A Life Story | B．100 Scientists Who Made History |
| C．40 Inspiring Icons: Super Scientists | D．The Extraordinary Life of Alan Turing |
| A．Marie Curie’s. | B．Louis Pasteur’s. |
| C．Rosalind Franklin’s. | D．Stephen Hawking’s. |
| A．In a novel. | B．In a magazine. |
| C．In a biography. | D．In a diary. |
