1 . To develop one’s taste in English, the most effective way is to read English books widely. Yet one may be at a loss to choose the proper books, especially as a beginner. As a native Spanish, I would like to share some of my reading experience.

My first English novel was Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, recommended by many English teachers and professors as an ideal book for English learners. But my experience was somewhat horrible. I had great difficulty in understanding the novel, let alone enjoying it. It’s not the vocabulary that troubled me, but rather the way Austen constructs sentences, and her way of thinking, which seemed rather unfamiliar to me at that time. My fading enthusiasm was much recovered after reading Hemingway’s novel-A Farewell to Arms. No long and puzzling sentences. And I particularly liked his brief style. So my first suggestion is, as a beginner, you’d better choose modern novels instead of classical ones.

However, if you limit yourself to novels, you will miss a lot of treasures. Besides, English essays also play a key role. They can at once inform you, entertain you, and improve your taste in English. The best example is Bertrand Russell’s work. Its language is plain, yet you cannot help feeling the elegance and the special sense of humor. His simple language enables his philosophy within the reach of ordinary people. Therefore, here comes my second suggestion-essays are also vital.

Never follow others’ recommendations and opinions blindly, however famous or influential the person might be. We should be open to various ideas, but always think independently and determine for ourselves. As a saying goes, one man’s meat is another man’s poison. With that in mind, we are bound to find out our favorite writers through reading and develop our fine taste in English.

1. What made the first English novel that the author read hard to understand?

A．Difficult conversations.

B．The old-fashioned vocabulary.

C．Not knowing the social background.

D．Sentences and Austen’s way of thinking.

2. What does the underlined word “vital” in Paragraph 3 mean?

A．Important.	B．Challenging.
C．Typical.	D．Convenient.

3. What advice does the author give in the last paragraph?

A．Compare books before buying.

B．Read books that are influential.

C．Don’t blindly follow others’ choices.

D．Choose books that challenge us most.

4. What is the author’s purpose of writing the passage?

A．Give comments on literature works.

B．Tell beginners how to choose English books.

C．Encourage people to read more English books.

D．Recommend first class books to English learners.

3 . A good book can be satisfying. If reading is a habit you’d like to get into, there are some ways to develop it.

●Realize that reading is enjoyable if you have a good book. If you have a difficult book and you are forcing yourself through it, it will seem like a task.     1    

●Set time. You should have some time during every day when you’ll read for at least 5 to 10 minutes.    2     For example, make it a habit to read during breakfast and lunch and even dinner if you eat alone.

●Always carry a book.     3    When I leave the house, I always make sure to have my car keys and one book at hand. The book stays with me in the car, and I take it into the office and to appointments and pretty much everywhere I go.

●    4    Find a place in your home where you can sit in a comfortable chair. Don’t lie down unless you’re going to sleep. There shouldn’t be a television or a computer near the chair, and no music or no noisy family members/ roommates. If you don’t have a place like this, create one.

●Reduce television/ the Internet. If you really want to read more, try cutting back on time on TV or the Internet.     5    Still, every minute you reduce of the Internet/ TV, you could use for reading. This could create hours of book reading time.

A．Go to bookstores.

B．Find a quiet place.

C．This may be difficult for some people.

D．Wherever you go, take a book with you.

E．Have some good tea or coffee while you read.

F．It means you will read no matter how busy you are.

G．If this happens, give up the book and find another one that you’ll really love.