1. 经典阅读的现状；
2.经典阅读的意义；
3.你的呼吁。
注意1．词数80左右；
2．可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
Dear fellow students,
Last week I did a research on students’ reading classics.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Yours,
Li Hua
2 . English history is vast, from its rule under the Romans to the rise, heights and decline of the British Empire. When choosing a book to recommend on my country’s history, I wanted something that could summarize this sweeping history but didn’t get stuck in the details of things that hold me back from thoroughly engaging with this truly rich history. Then, I found Dominic Haynes’ A Brief History of England. It had just what I was looking for and was a real joy to read.
The book is a whistle-stop tour through the whole of English history, from its earliest people to the movement of settlers from Europe. It looks at the Battle of Hastings in 1066, Elizabeth I’s reign (统治) and the lasting impact of Shakespeare. Then it touches on the English Civil Wars and the shift of rule from kings and queens to the parliament (议会) running the country and the establishment of the political parties of the Whigs (辉格党) and Tories (托利党) still functioning today in some form as the currently ruling Conservative Party (保守党). It also covers the Napoleonic Wars and the world wars and even contemplates (思考) England’s post-Brexit (脱欧后的) present and future.
This really is quite the sweeping tome. However, it’s very short. This means it’s easy to navigate and get a hold of a huge amount of history, but it also means it’s very light on the details. At times, this can be frustrating, as there are parts where it feels like just another paragraph or page would really elevate this book. But for an introduction to English history or perhaps a reminder or refresher, it’s great and particularly useful as it is likely to fill in some gaps in your knowledge.
Furthermore, because of the pace of the book, there’s not a dull moment. It’s a real page-turner, covering the succession (交替) of kings and queens, wars, famines (饥荒) and changes in the social order of the country at home and the country’s influence across the world.
One reviewer on Amazon described the book as “a small masterpiece”, and said, “This is a great book for anyone who wants to get a crash course in English history or for those who want a quick reference to that subject.”
So, jump in, dear readers, and get a hold of what made England what it was, what it went on to be, and where it may stand in our global future.
1. What is the main focus of Dominic Haynes’ A Brief History of England?| A．Detailed exploration of England’s political parties. |
| B．An introduction to the British Empire’s rise and fall. |
| C．A brief overview of England’s historical shifts and events. |
| D．In-depth analysis of England’s post-Brexit policies. |
| A．Its pace is slow and frustrating. |
| B．There’s a shortage of information on wars. |
| C．It dives too deeply into political complexities. |
| D．It lacks detailed information due to its shortness. |
| A．A book that is exciting to read. | B．A book that has lots of pages to turn. |
| C．A book that is easy to understand. | D．A book that is complicated. |
| A．Jump into the UK’s past. | B．The ebb and flow of the UK. |
| C．The significance of studying the UK’s history. | D．The UK, you always live in people’s hearts. |
3 . Reading for pleasure can be an important and enjoyable childhood activity. Unlike listening and spoken language, which develop rapidly and easily in young children, reading is a taught skill and is acquired and developed through specific learning over time. Until now it has been unclear what effect—if any—encouraging children to read from an early age will have on their brain development, cognition(认知) and mental health later in life.
To find out this, researchers from the universities of the UK and China looked at data from the Adolescent Brain and Cognitive Development (ABCD) groups in the US. Of the 10,243 participants studied, just under a half had little experience of reading for pleasure or did not begin doing so until later in their childhood. The remaining half had spent between three and ten years reading for pleasure.
The team found a strong link between reading for pleasure at an early age and a positive performance in adolescence on cognitive tests that measured such factors as verbal learning, memory and speech development, and at-school academic achievement. These children also had better mental health, when assessed using a number of clinical scores and reports from parents and teachers, showing fewer signs of stress and depression, as well as improved attention and fewer behavioral problems such as aggression and rule-breaking.
Children who began reading for pleasure earlier also tended to spend less screen time—for example, watching TV or using their smartphone or tablet—during the week and at weekends in their adolescence, and also tended to sleep longer.
The best amount of reading for pleasure as a young child was around 12 hours per week. Beyond this, there appeared to be no additional benefits. Instead, there was a gradual decrease in cognition, which the researchers say may be because they are sedentary and spend little time on other activities that could be cognitively improving, including sports and social activities.
1. What did the research focus on?| A．The state of children’s reading ability. | B．The development of reading for pleasure. |
| C．Effects that early reading has on children. | D．Difficulties in listening, speaking and reading. |
| A．Improve their performance at school. | B．Better their mental pressure. |
| C．Better their observation ability. | D．Reduce their screen and sleeping time. |
| A．Sitting still for a long time. | B．Developing hobbies. |
| C．Taking physical exercise. | D．Participating in community activities. |
| A．Benefits of early reading for pleasure. |
| B．Ways for children to master a taught skill. |
| C．Important and enjoyable childhood activities. |
| D．Cognitive tests measuring academic achievement. |
4 . Soon there will be a Review Blitz! In a month, we are searching for reasonable reviews that reflect your sincere opinions. Just keep in mind that the deadline for your reviews is October 23, 2023.
Rules:
To enter, you must be a teen (aged 13-19) with a Teen Creativity account.
Submissions ought to be relevant to the topic.
Each review must be no more than 250 words.
There is no restriction on the number of pieces you can submit.
Guidelines:
Give a brief summary of the book. Avoid explaining the entire plot or telling your reader how the book ends.
Inform the reader what you like or dislike about the book.
Recommend the book to specific readers. Does the book lend itself well to older teens? Would science fiction enthusiasts show interest in this book? It’s helpful for readers to think about the book in light of other books they’ve read.
Remember that it’s okay to have a strong opinion! Don’t start sentences with “I think”, “I believe” or “In my opinion”.
Prizes:
All participants will be given a certificate.
First prize winners will respectively have one review published in Teen Creativity magazine and obtain a free 6-month magazine subscription.
Second-place winners will each receive a free 3-month magazine subscription.
You’ll receive these prizes before December 28, 2023.
Submit your works to www.teencreativity.com. We hope reviewing books brings you joy.
1. Which of the following meets the requirement of Review Blitz?| A．A person can present no more than one piece of work. |
| B．Each piece of work can have a maximum of 250 words. |
| C．Reviews must be written by people under 20 years old. |
| D．Works must be uploaded by the end of October 2023. |
| A．The likes and dislikes of the book. |
| B．The recommendation to all readers. |
| C．Statements containing “In my opinion”. |
| D．A summary that demonstrates the whole plot. |
| A．Self-learners. | B．Teaching staff. |
| C．Professional trainers. | D．Bookish adolescents. |
1. 小说名称；
2. 内容梗概；
3. 小说对你的影响。
注意：
1. 写作词数应为80词左右；
2. 短文题目已为你写好，请在答题卡的相应位置作答。
My Favorite Novel
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1. What can be said about the man?
| A．He loves reading. |
| B．He has no time to read for fun. |
| C．He prefers movies to books. |
| A．Legal documents. |
| B．Thrillers. |
| C．Biographies. |
| A．A book on Mona Lisa. |
| B．A book on a rock band. |
| C．A book on a murder. |
| A．Next Monday. |
| B．Next Friday. |
| C．On the weekend. |
7 . Returning to a book you’ve read many times can feel like drinks with an old friend. There’s a welcome familiarity - but also sometimes a slight suspicion that time has changed you both, and thus the relationship. But books don’t change, people do. And that’s what makes the act of rereading so rich and transformative.
The beauty of rereading lies in the idea that our bond with the work is based on our present mental register. It’s true, the older I get, the more I feel time has wings. But with reading, it’s all about the present. It’s about the now and what one contributes to the now, because reading is a give and take between author and reader. Each has to pull their own weight.
There are three books I reread annually .The first, which I take to reading every spring is Emest Hemningway’s A Moveable Feast. Published in 1964, it’s his classic memoir of 1920s Paris. The language is almost intoxicating (令人陶醉的)，an aging writer looking back on an ambitious yet simpler time. Another is Annie Dillard’s Holy the Firm, her poetic 1975 ramble (随笔) about everything and nothing. The third book is Julio Cortazar’s Save Twilight: Selected Poems, because poetry. And because Cortazar.
While I tend to buy a lot of books, these three were given to me as gifs, which might add to the meaning I attach to them. But I imagine that, while money is indeed wonderful and necessary, rereading an author’s work is the highest currency a reader can pay them. The best books are the ones that open further as time passes. But remember, it’s you that has to grow and read and reread in order to better understand your friends.
1. Why does the author like rereading?| A．It evaluates the writer-reader relationship. |
| B．It’s a window to a whole new world. |
| C．It’s a substitute for drinking with a friend. |
| D．It extends the understanding of oneself. |
| A．It’s a brief account of a trip. |
| B．It’s about Hemingway’s life as a young man. |
| C．It’s a record of a historic event. |
| D．It’s about Hemingway’s friends in Paris. |
| A．Debt |
| B．Reward. |
| C．Allowance. |
| D．Face value. |
| A．He loves poetry. |
| B．He’s an editor. |
| C．He’s very ambitious. |
| D．He teaches reading. |
8 . You should try your best to create your own family library so that you and your family are always learning. "It is a great mistake to think that education is finished when young people leave school. Education is never finished even if you grow older," said Mrs Child in The Mother's Book. "Collecting a library of books in your home is really helpful to your family. ”
"What is really interesting about having so many books in your home is that a book you purchase has a chapter about the deeper knowledge of your favorite subject at school," said a university graduate. Researchers in a study tries to identify what parents do has an influence on how well their children do on standardized tests. One positive aspect they find is the availability of a large number of books at home. This has a stronger connection, especially when you read to your children every day. The more books your older kids have access to at home, the more likely they are just to be reading for fun, rather than having to wait for weekly trips to the library.
John Henry, one educated parent, said, "I have been homeschooling my children using the philosophy of A Thomas Jeffer son Education. This philosophy of learning is based on the reading of classic books. ” Clinton Fadiman said, "When you reread a classic, you do not see more in the book than you did before； you see more in you than before. " Classic books also make you smarter and wiser! The wisdom comes in the examples in the lives of the characters.
"It is within your power to guide your youth in their reading and to cultivate in their hearts a desire for good books. It is the most unfortunate if a person is not possessed with the desire for good reading. The reading habit, like charity, should begin at home," said Mrs Child.
1. What does the author mainly want to show in paragraph 2?| A．Kids don't need to go to the library any longer. |
| B．Parents should set a good example at home. |
| C．It's necessary to create a family library. |
| D．It's important to let kids pass standardized tests. |
| A．By quoting others ’words. | B．By questioning. |
| C．By imagination. | D．By analyzing research data. |
| A．East or west, home is best. |
| B．One is never too old to learn. |
| C．He who makes no mistakes makes nothing. |
| D．Charity is the soul, rather than the virtues of hand. |
| A．Where to Store Your Favorite Books at Home? |
| B．When to Read the Classic Books to Your Children? |
| C．Which Is Better, a Home Library or a Public Library? |
| D．Why Not Have Your Own Library of Books at Home? |
9 . How do you deal with hunger of your stomach？ Eat your favorite meal and keep quiet after that？
Once you read a book， you run your eyes through the lines and your mind tries to explain something to you.
This is nothing but creativity.
So guys， do give food to your thoughts by reading， reading and more reading.
| A．Hunger of the mind can be actually solved through wide reading. |
| B．Also this makes a great contribution to your vocabulary. |
| C．Reading can help you make more friends as well. |
| D．Now what are you waiting for？ |
| E．Just like your stomach， your mind is also hungry. |
| F．Why not do some reading while you are hungry？ |
| G．The interesting part of the book is stored in your mind as a seed. |
Walk into any bookstore, and you can hardly avoid “bumping into” Charles Dickens. Many of Dickens’ works still sell well today.
As someone who teaches Dickens, the question of why we still read him is often on my mind.
The question annoyed me for years, for years, and for years I told myself answers, but never with complete satisfaction. We read Dickens because he is not just a man of his own times, but also a man for our times. We read Dickens because we can learn from experiences of his characters almost as easily as we can learn from our own experiences.
Dickens shines a light on who we are during the best of times and worst of times.
| A．Then a hand shot up. |
| B．I know that wasn’t really the reason. |
| C．And they are placed on outstanding shelves. |
| D．That question was never more troubling. |
| E．That’s why we still need to read him today. |
| F．I already know who it is I’ll meet in those novels. |
| G．These are all wonderful reasons to read Dickens. |
