1 . Top cookbooks of 2023
The Wok: Recipes and Techniques by J.Kenji Lopez-AltThe Wok’s appeal is not innovation; you can find many dishes like Kung Pao Shrimp and Cumin Lamb on many Chinese restaurant menus. But you don’t have to leave your home. As far as I’m concerned, it’s worth the sticker price to learn the techniques.
Turkey and the Wolf: Flavor Trippin’ in New Orleans by Mason HerefordChef Mason Hereford has put to paper some of the magic that draws locals and tourists alike to his popular New Orleans sandwich shop, Turkey and the Wolf. The cookbook is full of recipes accessible to home cooks. The meatloaf is my favorite.
Mi Cocina: Recipes and Rapture from My Kitchen in Mexico by Rick MartinezWith seven sections focused on different regions across the country, Rick Martinez guides you through some of the essential recipes for each. The recipes are lovely, but what I love most are the stories alongside each of them. Food is deeply personal and with Mi Cocina, Martinez is sharing his life in food and inviting you to come along.
I Am from Here: Stories and Recipes from a Southern Chef by Vishwesh BhattWestern India and the Southern U.S. share more culinary (烹饪的) similarities than you’d think, from rice varieties to fresh tomatoes. Here, these ingredients explode in a delicious combination of seasonings and essential cooking techniques.
1. Whose book provides guidance on Chinese cooking?| A．Rick Martinez’s. | B．Vishwesh Bhatt’s. |
| C．Mason Hereford’s. | D．J.Kenji Lopez-Alt’s. |
| A．The Wok. | B．Turkey and the Wolf. |
| C．Mi Cocina. | D．I Am from Here. |
| A．They share some stories. |
| B．They feature Indian and American food. |
| C．They stress food’s role in connecting cultures. |
| D．They emphasize the importance of fresh ingredients. |
2 . 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. |
3 . I opened the big steel door to the school's front office. My hands were a bit sweaty, my heart was pounding in my chest, and my throat and tongue felt tense and dry. It was the first day of school. No, not for me as a student, but rather, for me as a first time reading tutor（助教）volunteering with the Experience Corps program.
I'm so proud to be part of such a worthwhile educational organization. The Experience Corps developed a research-based, statistically proven reading improvement program which consists of fun reading games. In the games, I'd play with each child and they didn't even realize that they were actually learning and improving their reading—we were having too much fun!
"Ms. R,"（as they called me）, "I read my book to my dog, Sunny, and she really liked it, too." Great! That's the idea—keep on reading to others at home to increase accuracy and fluency. "Ms. R, my mom has a baby in her belly. I'm going to be a big sister and will read to him when he comes out." That one made me feel all warm and sweet, and I told the student that she would be the best big sister ever. "Ms. R, why do you have gray hair?" I love the frankness of kids. I just laughed and told them it was better to have gray hair than no hair! We all giggled（傻笑）at that.
The students were tested throughout the year, and results showed that they were making progress in their reading. I hope I played at least a small part in their academic success. When I first volunteered to tutor, I was a bit anxious. I had no teaching experience, but I found out that you don't need any. All you need is the willingness to give of yourself and a desire to work one-on-one with these children who so desperately want to please you.
1. How did the author feel when first working as a reading tutor?| A．Curious. | B．Nervous. |
| C．Satisfied. | D．Pleased. |
| A．Helping improve the reading program. |
| B．Teaching students knowledge of all the subjects. |
| C．Playing various outdoor games with the students. |
| D．Offering reading guidance under the program. |
| A．To describe the pleasure of being a reading tutor. |
| B．To state how the Experience Corps program works. |
| C．To show how close the students are to the volunteer tutor. |
| D．To explain the difficulties and hardship of teaching. |
| A．Experience. | B．Devotion. |
| C．Knowledge. | D．Diligence. |
4 . 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. |
