1 . To develop one’s taste in English, the most effective way is to read a wide variety of English books. Yet one may be at a loss to choose the right books, especially as a beginner. As a native Spanish, I would like to share some of my 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 disastrous. 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 makes sentences, and her way of thinking, which seemed too hard for me at that time. My enthusiasm was much recovered after reading Hemingway’s novel A Farewell to Arms. No long and complicated sentences. And I particularly liked his brief and straightforward (简洁的) style. So my first suggestion is, as a beginner, you’d better choose contemporary novels instead of classical ones.

However, if you limit yourself to novels you will miss a lot of treasures. English essays can at once inform you, entertain you, and improve your taste in English. The best example is Bertrand Russell’s work. His simple language enables his philosophy within the reach of ordinary people. Here comes my second suggestion — essays are necessary.

Never follow others’ suggestions and opinions blindly, however famous or influential (有很大影响的) the person might be. We should be open to various ideas, but always think and determine by 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．Complicated conversations.	B．Sentences and Austen’s thinking style.
C．The old-fashioned vocabulary.	D．Not knowing the social background.

2. Which word can best describe the author’s first English novel reading experience?

A．Enjoyable.

B．Unique.

C．Terrible.

D．Inspirational.

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

A．Don’t be affected by others’ ideas easily.	B．Read books that are instructive.
C．Choose books that challenge us most.	D．Compare books before buying.

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 . 你校英文报正在开展题为“My Favourite Book”的征文比赛。请你写一篇短文投稿，内容包括：
1．该书简介(书名、内容等);
2．读后感受。
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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4 . Jose Alberto Gutierrez’s life would never be the same again after finding a copy of Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy in the garbage 20 years ago. It happened while he was driving his garbage truck through wealthier neighborhoods at night and seeing deserted books. It sparked his desire to start rescuing books from the garbage. He took home between 50 and 60 books every morning after his nine-hour shift. Eventually, he turned his book collection into a community library.

Colombia’s capital city of Bogota has 13 million residents and 19 public libraries. However, these libraries tend to be far away from where rural and poorer communities live. The option of buying new books is non-existent for families struggling to make ends meet. Having access to a library of books and being taken away to another world while immersed in a book is a luxury for the kids who visit Gutierrez’s library.

Gutierrez grew up poor, and his family could not afford to educate him beyond primary school. Nevertheless, his mother was a keen reader and read stories to him every night. Her love for books left a deep impression on Gutierrez, who never let a lack of formal education stop him from reading classics by the likes of Victor Hugo, Mario Vargas Llosa and Gabriel Garcia Marquez.

Today, his community library, called “The Strength of Words”, occupies most of his home and is piled from floor to ceiling with fiction and non-fiction titles. Everything from school textbooks to story books can be found in his collection of more than 20,000 books!

The Strength of Words library opens every weekend. It is not just school-going children who are enjoying the benefits of The Strength of Words library. Adults are also welcome to expand their horizons and develop new skills to build a better life for themselves.

Despite having done so much for his community, Gutierrez is not yet content to call it a day. He continues to search through bins for reading material and has even travelled to book fairs in Mexico and Chile to sell his idea of building library from unwanted books.

1. What inspired Gutierrez to build the community library?

A．Famous novelists he liked very much.

B．The dilemma he faced on the night shift.

C．Abandoned books he came across at work.

D．The hobby he has taken up since childhood.

2. What is mainly talked about in paragraph 3?

A．Gutierrez’s mother was a good reader.

B．Gutierrez was greatly influenced by his mother.

C．Gutierrez led a difficult life during his childhood.

D．Gutierrez had a disadvantage of poor education.

3. Which of the following can best describe Gutierrez?

A．Responsible and ambitious.	B．Humble and thoughtful.
C．Committed and sensitive.	D．Creative and courageous.

4. What does Gutierrez’s story tell us?

A．A book holds a house of gold.

B．Constant dropping wears the stone.

C．Good things come to those who wait.

D．One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.

6 . It is very challenging when it comes to trying to master the English language. However, there are some things you can do to improve your English learning. The following books are an excellent way for people trying to learn English or get better at it.

Oxford Picture Dictionary

This is a great book for those who like to learn things visually. You can use the pictures to learn many new words each day. There is also a bilingual version for those who want to learn using their own native language.

Word Power Made Easy.

This useful dictionary provides one of the best ways to learn over l,000 of the words which are most commonly used in English. The book has many interesting activities and games and gives tips on avoiding spelling errors.

NTC Vocabulary Builders

Students who are more advanced in the English language will greatly like the NTC Vocab-ulary Builders. If you want to build your English vocabulary, then this book is a good choice.

English Vocabulary in Use

This is one of the best-selling books by Cambridge University Press. The book is good for students of the English language of all levels who want to have a wider vocabulary. You can choose to learn British English or American English. Improving your English is one of the best ways to make sure that you will do great in life. It can open many doors for you. For those who are not native English speakers, these books will come in handy. With hard work, anyone can be a master of the English language.

1. What is special about Oxford Picture Dictionary?

A．It is designed for language beginners.	B．It offers advice on language learning.
C．It provides many pictures to help learn language.	D．It gives learners a lot of interesting daily tasks.

2. Which book provides ways to stay away from mistakes in spelling?

A．Oxford Picture Dictionary.	B．Word Power Made Easy.
C．NTC Vocabulary Builder.	D．English Vocabulary in Use.

3. Who is the text written for?

A．Those who want to teach English.	B．Those who want to do great in life.
C．Those who want to take on new challenges.	D．Those who want to improve their English vocabulary.

7 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. What does the woman want the man to do?

A．Find a book.

B．Introduce a book.

C．Buy a book.

2. What does the man think of the novel?

A．Popular.

B．Boring.

C．Difficult.

3. How many times can one borrow the same book yearly?

A．Once.

B．Twice.

C．Three times.

8 . “You can either travel or read, but either your body or soul must be on the way.” The popular saying has inspired many people to read or go sightseeing. Traveling, just like reading, is a refreshing journey, and a temporary retreat from the busy world. Here are four books we recommend that you take on your trip.

Destination: Kenya, Africa
Recommended book: West with the Night, 19429, by Beryl Markham

This book is about a direct, stylish and engrossing story of a marvelous life well-lived. Markham described her childhood in Kenya and her experiences as a bush pilot in the 1930s—evoking the landscape, people, and wildlife in rich detail.

Destination: Central Europe
Recommended book: Life is Elsewhere, 1969, by Milan Kundera

Jean-Jacques Rousseau once said, “Man is born free, and everywhere he is in chains.” The book describes a young artist’s romantic but miserable life, about how he reads, dreams and has a relationship. The book invites you to deeply reflect on your current life.

Destination: Provence, France
Recommended book: A Year in Provence, 1989, by Peter Mayle

Provence, well-known for its lavender (薫衣草), is not only a tourist attraction, but more a symbol of a lifestyle. The book doesn’t teach you how to deal with the hardships in life, but to avoid them happily. With a cup of wine and a rocking chair, time flows slowly here. The author and his wife are living a reclusive life here. When you make a trip following the author’s footsteps, you may encounter him in Provence.

Destination: Istanbul, Turkey
Recommended book: My name Is Red, 1998, by Orhan Pamuk

The book, featuring a peak masterpiece of the Nobel Prize winner in Literature, Orhan Pamuk, has been translated into more than 50 languages and published around the world. It tells a story of a young man, who has been away from home for 12 years, coming back to his hometown in Istanbul. What embraces him is not only love, but a series of murder cases as well. The book inspires people to have a deeper thinking on life.

1. If you want to explore Central Europe, you would like to take ________ book on your trip.

A．Beryl Markham’s	B．Milan Kundera’s
C．Peter Mayle’s	D．Orhan Pamuk’s

2. What is Provence famous for?

A．Lotus.

B．Wine.

C．The rocking chair.

D．Lavender.

3. Which book will attract people who are interested in the Nobel Prize in Literature?

A．Life Is Elsewhere.	B．West with the Night.
C．My Name Is Red.	D．A Year in Provence.

9 . 假如英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌写的以下作文。文中共有10处语言错误，每句中最多有两处错误。每处错误仅涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。
增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号(∧)，并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除：把多余的词用斜线(\)划掉。
修改：在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意：1. 每处错误及修改均仅限一词;
2. 只允许修改10处，多者(从第11处起)不计分。

I love reading. So the library was my favorite place in my spare time. Whenever I am freely ,I will go there and bury myself in the books,which makes me relaxing.One day I went to the library as usual. When I was selecting books, little boy caught my attention. Stand in front of a shelf,he was doing her best to put a book back in place. Therefore, he was too short to place it. I walked to him,asking him if he needed help. He thanked me and handed me the books. I said that I was glad to helping him,a boy who was thirsty for knowledge. Hearing of this,he smiled.

10 . 假如你是你校学生会主席李华，在你校“读书月”活动到来之际，为呼吁学生多读书、读好书，请你以学生会的名义，为学校“英语天地”宣传栏写一封倡议书，内容包括：
1．读书的好处；
2．发出倡议。
注意：
1．词数80左右；
2．可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。