1 . I was about 13 when an uncle gave me a copy of Jostein Gaarder’s Sophie’s World. It was full of ideas that were new to me, so I spent the summer with my head in and out of that book. It spoke to me and brought me into a world of philosophy (哲学).
That love for philosophy lasted until I got to college. Nothing kills the love for philosophy faster than people who think they understand Foucault, Baudrillard, or Confucius better than you — and then try to explain them.
Eric Weiner’s The Socrates Express: In Search of Life Lessons from Dead Philosophers reawakened my love for philosophy. It is not an explanation, but an invitation to think and experience philosophy.
Weiner starts each chapter with a scene on a train ride between cities and then frames each philosopher’s work in the context (背景) of one thing they can help us do better. The end result is a read in which we learn to wonder like Socrates, see like Thoreau, listen like Schopenhauer, and have no regrets like Nietzsche. This, more than a book about understanding philosophy, is a book about learning to use philosophy to improve a life.
He makes philosophical thought an appealing exercise that improves the quality of our experiences, and he does so with plenty of humor. Weiner enters into conversation with some of the most important philosophers in history, and he becomes part of that crowd in the process by decoding (解读) their messages and adding his own interpretation.
The Socrates Express is a fun, sharp book that draws readers in with its apparent simplicity and gradually pulls them in deeper thoughts on desire, loneliness, and aging. The invitation is clear: Weiner wants you to pick up a coffee or tea and sit down with this book. I encourage you to take his offer. It’s worth your time, even if time is something we don’t have a lot of.
1. Who opened the door to philosophy for the author?| A．Foucault. | B．Eric Weiner. |
| C．Jostein Gaarder. | D．A college teacher. |
| A．To compare Weiner with them. |
| B．To give examples of great works. |
| C．To praise their writing skills. |
| D．To help readers understand Weiner’s book. |
| A．Its views on history are well-presented. |
| B．Its ideas can be applied to daily life. |
| C．It includes comments from readers. |
| D．It leaves an open ending. |
| A．Objective and plain. |
| B．Daring and ambitious. |
| C．Serious and hard to follow. |
| D．Humorous and straightforward. |
2 . Books are excellent gifts. Here are four of the year’s most talked-about titles.
Ordinary Monsters | By J. M. Miro
Miro has temporarily abandoned literary fiction in favour of a new series of historical fantasy novels. Ordinary Monsters is about a group of children with magical gifts who come together and pool their powers to escape the bad shape-shifting man that’s going after them.
Son of Elsewhere: A Memoir in Pieces | By Elamin Abdelmahmoud
The soundtrack to The O. C., a drama series, and the strange beauty of Highway 401 were important factors in developing selfhood of Abdelmahmoud. This book describes his own experience of moving from Khartoum, Sudan, to Kingston, Canada, in the early 2000s at age 12.
A Magic Steeped in Poison | By Judy I. Lin
Harry Potter has his magic stick. And Ning, the heroine of Lin’s first novel, has tea, which in her world carries magical properties. Lin has created a pleasing Young Adult fantasy rich in Chinese mythology (神话). In this book, Ning enters a competition to find the most gifted tea master, Shennong.
A Ballet of Lepers | By Leonard Cohen
Unlike many other posthumous (死后出版的) works, you can count on Cohen’s to be worth your wait. Before his death, he said that the novel contained in the book, which was never published, was likely better than The Favourite Game, a novel he published during his lifetime. This book also includes a radio play script (剧本) and a handful of short stories.
1. Which book is a mirror of the author’s life story?| A．Ordinary Monsters. | B．Son of Elsewhere: A Memoir in Pieces. |
| C．A Magic Steeped in Poison. | D．A Ballet of Lepers. |
| A．They are about teamwork. |
| B．They are based on an imaginary world. |
| C．They both involve Chinese characters. |
| D．They draw inspiration from other novels. |
| A．It is a collection. | B．It is Cohen’s best novel. |
| C．It is a fantasy novel. | D．It is adapted from a play. |
3 . Reading is not just an important professional skill. It is also a way to enjoy informative, creative, and inspiring works of literature that enrich our life experiences. Like any skill worth mastering, a reading habit requires time to develop.
When you read, read for the main idea of each paragraph, along with its supporting reasons. When you are building up reading skills, it can be helpful to read with a pencil in hand to take notes or underline the key idea of each paragraph.
Look up unfamiliar words
It is quite normal to meet with some unfamiliar words when reading. Merriam Webster online is a wonderful and thorough resource for defining unfamiliar words.
Become familiar with literary devices
Particularly if you are a fan of novels and short stories, becoming familiar with common literary tools like metaphor, simile, parallel structure and personification is an important part being a better reader.
Don’t rush
Reading for learning and enjoyment is never a sprint (冲刺). Instead, take your time, advance your skills and their development at your own pace.
| A．Read for content |
| B．Read to get the author’s attitude |
| C．You will be an excellent reader if you stick. |
| D．Simply underline or make a list of these words. |
| E．Understanding them can enrich the reading experience greatly. |
| F．To enjoy your reading, practicing good reading skills is a must. |
| G．Do not get discouraged if you are a slow reader, especially at first. |
4 . Three in five people in the UK hold a library card. For some, they’re a shelter from the stresses of day-to-day life.
Most libraries in the UK allow members of the general public to come and go as they like.
Libraries develop with times. They have changed greatly since decades ago.
Libraries are one of very few spaces left in towns and cities where members of the public can come together and actually be and feel like a community. They have notice boards to offer services like exercise classes or learning centers.
| A．Libraries help people learn. |
| B．Libraries help educate the kids. |
| C．They create a great sense of community. |
| D．You can go in, settle down and read a book without being charged a penny. |
| E．Most libraries now have computers and allow people to borrow CDs and DVDs. |
| F．Libraries help us save money as we’re borrowing books rather than buying them. |
| G．For others, particularly the homeless and people in poverty, a lifeline to the world. |
5 . Reading books is one of the best hobbies. It not only helps you pass your time but also helps you increase your knowledge in a meaningful manner.
● Fall into the habit of borrowing books to read.
This is a very old school practice but still it can be highly effective. When you borrow a book, there is obviously a deadline set.
● Read everywhere.
Keep a book in your bag and read it anywhere you go. This will help you to pass your time in a very productive manner.
●
This can easily be described as a new school technique. You can read out to your brother or sister and this will enable you to finish your book as well as increase the knowledge and understanding of your brother or sister.
● Choose your books very carefully.
| A．Therefore, it is necessary to develop the reading habit. |
| B．Realize the importance of reading books. |
| C．Read out to someone else. |
| D．Find an excuse to read every day just by visiting book clubs. |
| E．This can encourage you to read it often to finish the book on time. |
| F．It doesn’t matter whether you are traveling or are about to sleep. |
| G．Yes, life is too short to read a book that doesn’t impress you. |
1. 同学们的读书现状;
2. 读书的好处;
3. 发出倡议。
写作要求：
1. 词数100左右;
2. 可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
Dear fellow students,
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Student Union
7 . How to read more and learn more
Today, more and more Chinese people enjoy sending and receiving messages on the phone. It can help them to get the latest news and communicate with friends. But I think I should read more books besides the textbooks, the more, the better. It can open my eyes and improve my language skills.
◆ Clear your purpose for reading
◆
No matter what you are reading, it is important to enjoy what you read. Your friends may tell you the books they love, but those books might not necessarily be the ones you enjoy.
◆ Give up books that you don’t enjoy
You may have chosen books that you are interested in, and they are right to your purpose. But while you are reading them, there may still be some books that you don’t enjoy reading. Whenever you realize that you aren’t enjoying the book you are reading, give it up.
◆ Set a reading goal
It is interesting that I read the books borrowed from libraries faster than those I bought. The reason is the books I bought don’t have a due date! I don’t need to return those books.
| A．Read only what you are interested in |
| B．Read the books borrowed from others. |
| C．Remember reading shouldn’t be a chore (烦恼事). |
| D．Of course, it also can help me to get good grades. |
| E．We need to get the latest news and communicate with friends. |
| F．Before you start reading, ask yourself why you are reading this book. |
| G．Having a reading goal helps you work out how much reading you need to do in a week or even a day. |
8 . Each morning Grandpa was up early sitting at the kitchen table, reading his book. His grandson wanted to be just like him and tried to copy him in every way he could.
One day the grandson asked, “Grandpa, I try to read the book just like you, but I don’t understand it, and I forget what I understand as soon as I close the book. What good does reading the book do?”
The grandpa quietly turned from putting coal in the stove and replied, “Take this coal basket down to the river and bring me back a basket of water.”
The boy did as he was told, but all the water leaked out before he got back to the house. The grandpa laughed and said, “You’ll have to move a little faster next time,” and sent him back to the river with the basket to try again. This time the boy ran faster, but again the basket was empty before he returned. Out of breath, he told his grandpa that it was impossible to carry water in a basket, so he went to get a bucket instead. The grandpa said, “I don’t want a bucket of water; I want a basket of water. You’re just not trying hard enough.” The boy again dipped the basket into the river and ran hard, but when he reached his grandpa the basket was empty again. Out of breath, he said, “Grandpa, it’s useless!”
“So, you think it is useless?” the grandpa said, “Look at the basket.”
The boy looked at the basket and for the first time he realized that the basket was different. It had been transformed from a dirty old coal basket and was now clean.
“Grandson, that’s what happens when you read the book. You might not understand or remember everything, but when you read it, you’ll be changed, inside and out.”
1. What puzzled the grandson most was _________.| A．why he forgot what he read soon | B．whether it was useful to read books |
| C．what kind of book he could understand | D．how he could read books like his grandpa |
| A．To get him to realize the use of reading books. | B．To punish him for not reading carefully. |
| C．To clean the dirty basket in the river. | D．To train him to run faster. |
| A．The old are always wiser than the young. | B．It is foolish to carry water with a basket. |
| C．You can’t expect to remember all you read. | D．Reading books can change a person gradually. |
| A．Grandpa and Grandson | B．Carrying Water in a Basket |
| C．Baskets and Books | D．Reading for Total Changing |
9 . One day when I was 12, my mother gave me an order: I was to walk to the public library, and borrow at least one book for the summer. This was one more weapon for her to defeat my strange problem—inability to read.
In the library, I found my way into the “Children’s Room”. I sat down on the floor and pulled a few books off the shelf at random. The cover of a book caught my eye. It presented a picture of a beagle. I had recently had a beagle, the first and only animal companion I ever had as a child. He was my “secret sharer”, but one morning, he was gone, given away to someone who had the space and the money to care for him. I never forgot my beagle.
There on the book’s cover was a beagle which looked identical(相同的) to my dog. I ran my fingers over the picture of the dog on the cover. My eyes ran across the title, Amos: the Beagle with a Plan. Unknowingly, I had read the title. Without opening the book, I borrowed it from the library for the summer.
Under the shade of a brush, I started to read about Amos. I read very, very slowly with difficulty. Though pages were turned slowly, I got the main idea of the story about a dog who, like mine, had been separated from his family and who finally found his way back home. That dog was my dog, and I was the little boy in the book. At the end of the story, my mind continued the final scene of reunion, on and on, until my own lost dog and I were, in my mind, running together
My mother’s call returned me to the real world. I suddenly realized something: I had read a book, and I had loved reading that book. Everyone knew I could not read. But I had read it. Books could be incredibly wonderful and I was going to read them.
I never told my mother about my “miraculous(奇迹)” experience that summer, but she saw a slow but remarkable improvement in my classroom performance during the next year. And years later, she was proud that her son had read thousands of books, was awarded a PhD in literature, and authored his own books, articles, poetry and fiction. The power of the words has held.
1. The author’s mother told him to borrow a book in order to ________.| A．encourage him to do more walking | B．let him spend a meaningful summer |
| C．help cure him of his reading problem | D．make him learn more about weapons |
| A．it reminded him of his own dog |
| B．he found its title easy to understand |
| C．it contained pretty pictures of animals |
| D．he liked children’s stories very much |
| A．He was forced by his mother to read it. |
| B．He identified with（对某事有同感） the story in the book. |
| C．The book told the story of his pet dog. |
| D．The happy ending of the story attracted him. |
| A．My Passion for Reading | B．Mum’s Strict Order |
| C．Reunion with My Beagle. | D．The Charm of a Book. |
1. 读报的经历；
2. 喜爱的栏目；
3. 期望和祝福。
注意：写作词数应为80左右。
21st Century and Me
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