1 . Want a book? Head to a Rocket Ship in Boulder, Colorado, United States, a cottage (小屋) near Ghen, Belgium, or a tree in Coeurd’ Alene, Idaho, United States. These are just three of the more than 80,000 Little Free Libraries in more than 90 countries. Unlike traditional libraries, these small structures aren't buildings where people check out books from a librarian.
“A Little Free Library is a box full of books from which, when you find one, you can take a book home with you,” explains Margret Aldrich, Little Free Library spokes-woman. “Or if you have a book to share, you can leave it for someone else to read.”
Little Free Libraries are everywhere: outside homes or beside coffee shops.
The first was set on a post in front of Todd Bol’s home in Hudson, Wisconsin, United States, 10 years ago. The little schoolhouse Bol built held free books anyone could enjoy.
It became a local hit.
A year after setting up his library, Bol and Rick Brooks, a friend and business partner, launched Little Free Library as a nonprofit organization in 2012. Their goal was to make books more widely available while building connections within communities.
They inspired a book-sharing revolution.
Little Free Libraries began to spread all over the place-from Salvador, Brazil, to Grand Marais, Minnesota, United States.
Today, those who want to build one can get free instructions from the Little Free Library website.
“There weren't many public places like libraries where I live” says 10-year-old Umayr Ansari, who put a Little Free Library outside his home in Doha, Qatar. “I had a lot of extra books, and I wanted to share them so people who didn't have their own books could have a chance to read.”
“I liked to build the libraries and get the feeling of, ‘Wow I helped make that,’” says 11-year-old Ava Jelliek, “That gave me confidence.”
1. When and where was the first Little Free Library set up?| A．In 2001; In Wisconsin, United States. | B．In 2002; In Salvador, Brazil. |
| C．In 2011; In Ghen, Belgium. | D．In 2012; In Doha,Qatar. |
| A．The first free library. | B．Todd Bol's home. |
| C．A nearby coffee shop. | D．A cottage near Ghen. |
| A．They are happy to have their own libraries. |
| B．It’s good to make money by building a Little Free Library. |
| C．They are eager to build connections with friends. |
| D．It's a pleasure to help people read books easily. |
2 . Don’t you have time for reading? If you are interested in non-fiction books, here are some good choices for you.
A Room of One’s Own
This essay by English writer Virginia Woolf is based on several lectures given to two women’s colleges at Cambridge University in 1928. In the essay, Woolf describes that it’s circumstance not talent alone, that allows men to be more successful at writing. Women, in other words, spend so much time cooking, cleaning, and tending to their children that they have no time left for art. To write well, therefore, a woman must have a “room of her own”. While on its surface, this essay appears to be only about writing, it is actually about wealth and class, freedom and confinement, and the power struggle between sexes.
The Art of War
Written by ancient Chinese warrior Sun Tzu, The Art of War is widely considered to be one of the best books about military strategies in human history. Consisting of 13 chapters, each dealing with a separate aspect about how to fight a war, the book has been translated into every major language and has thousands of editions. For centuries, it has been used to train world leaders for its detailed study of military strategies and effective leadership.
Letter to My Daughter
This book of essays by Maya Angelou, a respectable African-American poet, is written for “the daughter she never had” — the millions of women, both young and old, that she considers to be her “family”. From the viewpoint of a caring, older relative, this book contains lessons selected from her own life experiences, including the birth of her only child, a son, as well as the development and loss of friendship.
A Brief History of Time
If you’re short of time, then why not read about, well, the creation of time? This book, first published in 1998 from brilliant scientist and mathematician Stephen Hawking, explores mind-bending questions about the creation of the universe, including if and when it will end, and if so, how. Despite its heavy subject matter, Hawking addresses these questions in a way that’s easy to understand, even for those who know little about physics.
1. What can we learn about the four books?| A．A Brief History of Time mainly focuses on the matter of time. |
| B．Letter to My Daughter is actually a common family letter. |
| C．The Art of War gives advice on how to be a world leader. |
| D．A Room of One’s Own is more than about writing. |
| A．As a physicist,Hawking is equally famous in writing. |
| B．Maya devotes herself to fighting for women’s rights. |
| C．The book by Sun Tzu is helpful in policy-making. |
| D．Woolf looks down upon men in writing. |
| A．To make comparisons among the four books. |
| B．To recommend the four books to readers. |
| C．To make comments on the four books. |
| D．To promote sales of the four books. |
