1 . A few years ago, I decided to read a novel or a short story collection from every country in the world. But when it_______to reading the world, the biggest _______ for me was that I didn’t know what to read and how to get the books. I had to turn to others for _______.In October, I _______ my blog and posted a short appeal online. I explained who I was, how_______ my reading had been, and I asked anyone who _______ to leave a message suggesting what I might read from other parts of the planet. I had no idea _______ anyone would be interested, but within a few days people started to get in _______.

Books often came from surprising _______. People gave me different ideas about what to do, I got a message from a woman called Rafidah in Malaysia. She said she loved my project and that she could go to her __________English—language bookshop and __________ a book I needed and post it to me.

I accepted __________, and a few weeks later, a package arrived, __________   not one, but two books —Rafidah’s from Malaysia, and a book from Singapore that she had also __________for me. I was__________that a stranger more than 6000 miles away would go to such lengths to help someone she would probably never meet. But Rafidah’s __________proved to be the pattern for that year.

I was deeply __________ by these kind-hearted strangers around the world and I know it’s the power of books that has __________us across the world. I hope more people will __________ me. If we all read more __________ ,we would all be richer for that.

1.

A．read

B．came

C．sold

D．put

2.

A．doubt

B．advantage

C．challenge

D．progress

3.

A．praise

B．help

C．comment

D．apology

4.

A．requested

B．organized

C．decorated

D．registered

5.

A．narrow

B．obvious

C．normal

D．steady

6.

A．chose

B．learned

C．passed

D．cared

7.

A．what

B．that

C．whether

D．which

8.

A．touch

B．influence

C．concern

D．effect

9.

A．customs

B．packets

C．sources

D．shops

10.

A．latest

B．local

C．special

D．private

11.

A．change

B．consider

C．serve

D．choose

12.

A．generally

B．anxiously

C．enthusiastically

D．calmly

13.

A．creating

B．containing

C．including

D．supporting

14.

A．found out

B．carried out

C．looked out

D．picked out

15.

A．amazed

B．attracted

C．confused

D．discouraged

16.

A．kindness

B．happiness

C．politeness

D．brightness

17.

A．puzzled

B．stuck

C．moved

D．warned

18.

A．accessed

B．connected

C．recognized

D．remembered

19.

A．show

B．offer

C．judge

D．join

20.

A．widely

B．safely

C．suddenly

D．quickly

2 . This month we have several new releases for you! Whether you’re looking for a romantic novel, an adventurous novel, a new series from a favorite author or a sports-focused story, you won’t have to look very far to find what you’re looking for. So? What are you waiting for? Get reading!

Surviving Adam Meade by Shannon Klare

Seventeen-year-old Claire Collins has a plan: get into college and leave North Carolina behind. But she doesn’t know how to get rid of the local football star- Adam Meade, who she can’t even avoid (despite many efforts), because Claire’s dad is the high school football coach.

Seventeen-year-old Adam Meade never fails. He always gets what he wants... until he meets Claire, the new girl who makes him upset and confused. But there’s something about her that he just can’t resist...

How to Breathe Underwater by Vicky Skinner

Kate’s father has been pressuring her to be perfect for her whole life, pushing her to be the best swimmer she can be. But when Kate finds her dad cheating on her mom, Kate’s perfect world comes crashing down, and Kate is forced to leave home and the swim team. As the pressures of love, family, and success press down on her, can Kate keep her head above water?

Google It! A History of Google by Anna Crowley Redding

Larry Page and Sergey Brin started out as two Stanford college students with a wild idea. They were going to organize the world’s information. So they created one of the most influential companies in the world. The word “google” has even entered our vocabulary as a verb. Now, find out the true history of Google- from its beginnings through its revolution to a brief glimpse of where they might take us next.

The Soul Keepers by Devon Taylor

Rhett always thought that death was the end of everything. But after he dies, he discovers it’s only the beginning. He awakens in the afterlife and is employed to make a voyage to ferry the souls of the dead. To where exactly, no one knows. But they must protect them from evil soul-eating monsters (怪物). Rhett and his new friends have a hard enough time fighting back the monsters.

1. Who wrote a romantic story between teenagers?

A．Shannon Klare.	B．Vicky Skinner.
C．Devon Taylor.	D．Anna Crowley Redding.

2. Why does Kate’s perfect world crash down?

A．Her pressure in school and swim team.	B．Her father’s cheating on her mother.
C．Her father’s high expectations.	D．Her bad relationship with her father.

3. Which novel would you like to read if you are interested in thrillers?

A．The Soul Keepers.	B．Surviving Adam Meade.
C．How to Breathe Underwater.	D．Google It! A history of Google.

3 . Back in 1959.when I was 13, I attended a school in Brooklyn.Because of the Sabbath on Friday, we had an early______from school.Most of the students would go to local parks to play basketball or baseball.I always______myself instead in a small public library,______for hours before sundown, the beginning of the Sabbath.

There was a kind of______ in that library that led me to worlds that I thought I'd never see.I was______to the Green Mountain Boys, to Isaac Asimov robots, to the swashbuckling novels of Thomas B.Costain and to a whole list of______ of the mind.I found a paradise(乐园) of silence where I could______ my inner self and find the treasures of other worlds.

However after watching the______generation of teens.______in the troubled waters of technology, I had little confidence in the______of the book.I felt sure that the physical object would be a thing of the past which the Twitter(推特)world had already:______, limiting the imagination of this______to the few characters that they could ______ in the shortest period.

But on a Saturday in August, I was shocked into the______ that my fears might be unnecessary .

Stony Brook University ______a competition for teens representing local public libraries.The participation of my granddaughter, Kayla, brought it to my ______.

In the Student Activities Center, hundreds of young people came in character costumes,______ready to respond to a multitude of questions about books they had read.They had spent the summer in______.

Imagine, a(n)______summer reading when they could have lazed with their smart phones and followed the president into the Twitter universe.Instead, they followed their imaginations and______themselves to the books .Perhaps there is hope for the world.

1.

A．start

B．release

C．reply

D．warming

2.

A．stopped

B．imagined

C．amused

D．noticed

3.

A．dreaming

B．discussing

C．reading

D．struggling

4.

A．book

B．quiet

C．guide

D．light

5.

A．introduced

B．bound

C．persuaded

D．forced

6.

A．fights

B．analyses

C．images

D．adventures

7.

A．lose

B．desert

C．ignore

D．explore

8.

A．current

B．last

C．next

D．coming

9.

A．ruined

B．drawn

C．stuck

D．abused

10.

A．publication

B．survival

C．list

D．content

11.

A．destroyed

B．reached

C．attracted

D．overtaken

12.

A．librarian

B．generation

C．university

D．neighborhood

13.

A．consume

B．play

C．recognize

D．defeat

14.

A．hope

B．promise

C．awareness

D．inspiration

15.

A．proposed

B．abandoned

C．delayed

D．hosted

16.

A．childhood

B．memory

C．home

D．attention

17.

A．hopefully

B．enthusiastically

C．unwillingly

D．physically

18.

A．advance

B．vain

C．preparation

D．presentation

19.

A．entire

B．full

C．hot

D．busy

20.

A．delivered

B．betray

C．devote

D．left

4 . The chance of a snowy holiday season in most American cities is practically impossible this year, so any festive atmosphere to be enjoyed will have to be the imaginary sort. Luckily, there are books for that.

The Complete Fairy Tales by Hans Christian Andersen

Any reader of fairy tales knows Andersen’s responsible for the snowy scenes in "The Snow Queen", the story of children Kai and Gerda, who must face the goddess-like woman who controls all snowflakes after Kai is kidnapped.

Family Life by Akhil Sharma

It’s a beautiful yet tragic novel about an Indian family immigrating to America, only to face entirely new hardships. Sharma’s novel isn’t entirely set in the wintertime, but his poetic descriptions of winter weather as lovely yet isolating make it a great choice for a December read.

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

Go ahead and give up movie adaptation that has been produced recently and read or re-read the classic itself. You know the story: a scientist driven by his ambition discovers a method for creating life, and spends two years cobbling together a living creature, who later feels anger about him.

An American Childhood by Annie Dillard

Dillard’s first book is, as its title suggests, about her change from being a self-centered child to being an adult more concerned with the world around her than with her own personal concerns. Her parents are key figures in the story. One famous scene takes place during what the author calls “a big snow” in 1950.

1. Who wrote a novel about “The Snow Queen”?

A．Annie Dillard.	B．Donna Tartt.
C．Akhil Sharma.	D．Hans Christian Andersen.

2. What do we know about Frankenstein?

A．It has been adapted to a movie.	B．It’s about the secret history.
C．It’s about an Indian family.	D．It’s a fairy tale.

3. From An American Childhood, we know the main characters are ________.

A．self-centered children	B．adults
C．scientists	D．Dillard’s parents

5 . As you know, science plays     1     very important role in our education. Do you want to keep up with the latest research and discoveries in science? There are many good websites     2     you can check out the latest in the science world.

One great site is Science News for Kids. This site reports science news     3     (cover) a wide range of subjects. The articles are aimed     4     younger readers, but adults will find this site     5     (suit) for them as well. Another wonderful site, one that I check out every day,    6     (call) Science Daily. The site is     7     (constant) updated with news, often about exciting     8     (finding) that change how we view the world.

These sites post the latest stories and also keep all the past articles they post    9     (early). That way you can find articles just about anything that     10     (be) related to the science fields you are interested in.

6 . It seems that you can hardly go to any bookstore without encountering Charles Dickens. From Oliver Twist to A Tale of Two Cites, Dickens’ works still enjoy great popularity today and are placed on notable shelves.

As someone who teaches Dickens, the question of why we still read him is often on my min. Nearly 10 years ago, I told my students that Dickens, works started crazes in Victorian readers. Then a hand shot up in the middle of the room. “But why should we still read his stuff?” A student asked. I was speechless because I had never considered the question myself. The answer I gave was only acceptable. “Because he teaches you how to think,” I said.

The question annoyed me for years, and for years I told myself answers, but never with complete satisfaction. We read Dickens because he not only was a man of his own times, but also is a man for our times. We read Dickens because his exploration of the human mind is deep. We read Dickens because we can learn from the experiences of his characters. These are all wonderful reasons, but not exactly the reasons why I read Dickens.

My search for an answer continued in vain, until one day a text message came from a student of mine. “We still read Dickens’ novels,” she wrote, “because they tell us why we are what we are.” Simple as it was, that was the explanation I had thought for years.

Like most people, I think I knew who I was without knowing it. I was Oliver Twist, always wanting and asking for more. I was Nicholas Nickleby, convinced that my father was watching me from beyond the grave. I was Pip, in love with someone far beyond my reach. I was all of these characters, and I began to understand more about why I was who I was because Dickens had told me so much about human beings. Dickens shines a light on who we are during the best and worst of times. That’s why we still need to read him today.

1. What does the underlined word “encountering” mean in Paragraph 1?

A．Focusing on	B．Coming across
C．Appealing to	D．Subscribing to

2. What can we infer from Paragraph 2?

A．There was a heated discussion about Dickens.

B．The author was annoyed by the rude student.

C．The author wasn’t satisfied with his own answer.

D．None of the students showed interest in Dickens.

3. Why do we have to read his books?

A．Because he teaches us how to think.

B．Because he is the best writer of his day.

C．Because his language is easy to understand.

D．Because we can know why we are what we are.

4. What’s the main idea of the passage?

A．The benefits of reading Dickens’ novels.

B．The reason why we still read Dickens today.

C．The great influence Dickens has on teenagers.

D．The reason why Dickens enjoys great popularity.

7 .

One Day I was Thinking About… Alice Hartley www.authorhouse.com Paperback | E-book $19.95 | $3.99 This book shares poems inspired by events and family members who came to visit but never stayed. Brief encounters have brief poems. Others are about love and hate. Let them bring a smile to your face!	Smiling Again Expressions Through Poetry James E. Tincher www.xlibris.com Hardback| Secondhand Copy $29.99 | $19.99 Smiling Again shares the poetry collection of James E. Tincher, a man who suffered from depression, anxiety and how he was able to cope up with it by expressing himself through writing poetry.
Mom’s Poetry Kathleen Dunleavy www.xlibris.com Hardback | Paperback | E-book $24.99 | $15.99 |$3.99 This inspiring book written by Kathleen Dunleavy brings together twenty years of poems reflecting on the path of her life. Included also are several Thanksgiving prayer-poems, poems on family happy moments and sad occasions.	Rhyme Rhythm Reason More Than Some of the Sum of My Poems Paul Drakeford www.xlibris.com Hardback | Paperback | E-book $27.59 | $13.79 | $4.99 Here we have a few giggles and chuckles for those who remember the three Rs. Have fun reading Paul Drakeford’s Rhyme Rhythm Reason, a playful poetry collection—amusing and sometimes inspiring!

1. What do the four books have in common?

A．They share the same topic.

B．They share the same website.

C．They all have digital editions.

D．They are literature of the same type.

2. Which book is about the author’s personal experiences in times of difficulties?

A．One Day I was Thinking About?

B．Rhyme Rhythm Reason.

C．Smiling Again.

D．Mom’s Poetry.

3. Which author got inspirations from occasions of family gatherings for the book?

A．Alice Hartley.

B．James E. Tincher.

C．Kathleen Dunleavy.

D．Paul Drakeford.

8 . The Art of Slow Reading

If you are reading this article in print, chances are that you will only get through half of what I have written. And if you are reading this online, you may not even finish a fifth.     1     They suggest that many of us no longer have the concentration to read articles through to their conclusion.

So are we getting stupider? Actually, our online habits are damaging the mental power we need to process and understand textual information. Round-the-clock news makes us read from one article to the next without necessarily engaging fully with any of the content. Our reading is frequently interrupted by the noise of the latest email and we are now absorbing short bursts of words on Twitter and Facebook more regularly than longer texts.     2     But we are gradually forgetting how to sit back, think carefully, and relate all the facts to each other.

    3     A desperate bunch of academics want us to take our time while reading, and re-reading. They ask us to switch off our computers every so often and rediscover both the joy of personal engagement with printed texts, and the ability to process them fully. What's to be done then? Most slow readers realize that total rejection of the web is extremely unrealistic. They feel that getaway from technology for a while is the answer.     4     Personally, I'm not sure whether I could ever go offline for long. Even while writing this article, I am switching constantly between sites, skimming too often, absorbing too little. Internet reading has become too rooted in my daily life for me to change. I read essays and articles not in hard copy but as PDFs. I suspect that many readers are in a similar position.     5     You can download a computer application called Freedom, which allows you to read in peace by cutting off your Internet connection. Or if you want to avoid being disturbed by the Internet, you could always download offline reader Instapaper for your iPhone. If you're still reading my article, that is slow reading.

A．The Internet is probably part of the problem.

B．Now some campaigns are advocating slow reading.

C．These are the two findings from the recent research projects.

D．But if you just occasionally want to read more slowly, help is at hand.

E．Some of them have suggested turning their computers off for one day a week.

F．Slow reading can help connect a reader to neighborhood and become popular.

G．Because of the Internet, we have become very good at collecting information.

9 . From good reading we can derive pleasure, companionship, experience, and instruction. A good book may absorb our attention so completely that for the time being we forget our surroundings and even our identity. Reading good books is one of the greatest pleasures in life. It increases our contentment when we are cheerful, and lessens our troubles when we are sad. Whatever may be our main purpose in reading, our contact with good books should never fail to give us enjoyment and satisfaction.

With a good book in our hands we need never be lonely. Whether the characters portrayed are taken from real life or are purely imaginary, they may become our companions and friends. In the pages of books we can walk with the wise and the good of all lands and all times. The people we meet in books may delight us either because they resemble human friends whom we hold dear or because they present unfamiliar types whom we are glad to welcome as new acquaintances. Our human friends sometimes may bore us, but the friends we make in books need never weary us with their company. By turning the page we can dismiss them without any fear of hurting their feelings. When human friends desert us, good books are always ready to give us friendship, sympathy, and encouragement.

One of the most valuable gifts bestowed by books is experience. Few of us can travel far from home or have a wide range of experiences, but all of us can lead varied lives through the pages of books. Whether we wish to escape from the seemingly dull realities of everyday life or whether we long to visit some far-off place, a book will help us when nothing else can. To travel by book we need no bank account to pay our way; no airship or ocean liner or stream-lined train to transport us; no passport to enter the land of our heart's desire. Through books we may get the thrill of hazardous adventure without danger. We can climb lofty mountains, brave the perils of an Antarctic winter, or cross the scorching sands of the desert, all without hardship. In books we may visit the studios of Hollywood; we may mingle with the gay throngs of the Paris boulevards; we may join the picturesque peasants in an Alpine village or the kindly natives on a South Sea island. Indeed, through books the whole world is ours for the asking. The possibilities of our literary experiences are almost unlimited. The beauties of nature, the enjoyment of music, the treasures of art, the triumphs of architecture, the marvels of engineering, are all open to the wonder and enjoyment of those who read.

1. Why is it that we sometimes forget our surroundings and even our identity while reading?

A．No one has come to disturb you.

B．Everything is so quiet and calm around you.

C．The book you are reading is so interesting and attractive.

D．Your book is overdue; you are finishing it at a very fast speed.

2. How would you account for the fact that people like their acquaintances in books even more?

A．They resemble human friends exactly.

B．They are unfamiliar types we like.

C．They never desert us.

D．They never hurt our feelings.

3. Which of the following is true?

A．Your wish to visit some far-off place can be realized through the pages of the books.

B．To escape from the dull realities of everyday life you should take up reading.

C．Books can always help you to live a colorful life.

D．You may obtain valuable experience from reading good books.

4. The word “weary” means ______.

A．“to attract someone’s attention”

B．“to distract someone’s attention”

C．“to make someone very tired”

D．“to make someone interested”

5. “... the whole world is ours for the asking” implies that ____________.

A．in books the world is more accessible to us

B．we can ask to go anywhere in the world

C．we can make a claim to everything in this world

D．we can make a round-the-world trip free of charge

10 . Law School Essays that Made a Difference
Price: US $ 13.95
Paperback 256 pages
The Princeton Review
ISBN: 0375763457
Face it， and a lot of students have great LSAT scores. The best way for you to stand out in a crowd of applicants to top law schools is to write an exceptional(特别的，出众的) personal statement. This book puts you in the admissions office's seat. It gives you the intimate details一test scores， GPAs (grade point average)， demographic information， and personal statements一of 34 law school hopefuls， then shows you why they got into the colleges they applied to， and why some didn't. It's invaluable information that will help students evaluate (评估)their own chances of admission to the most selective law schools in the United States.
Business School Essays that Made a Difference
Price: US $ 13.95
Paperback 304 pages
The Princeton Review
ISBN: 0375763511
What makes business school applications so brutal (无情)? For most applicants， it's the number， length， and complexity(复杂性) of the essays they have to write when applying for a course. Most top schools require multiple essays and this book is your best bet for succeeding with them. It contains: 1. Forty-four real-life essays critiqued (评论) by admissions officers from schools like Tuck， Chicago， and Massachusetts Institute of Technology. 2. Eight case studies of business school applicants saying what worked for them and what did not. 3. Translations of essay questions telling you what they are really asking.
College Essays that Made a Difference
Price: US $ 13.95
Paperback 384 pages
The Princeton Review
ISBN: 0375763449
This book helps students get into the college they want by showing them what essays helped actual students achieve their dreams. The book tells you what colleges want to see using interviews with actual admissions officers. The book has sections on the basics of essay writing—grammar and punctuation (标点符号〉一as well as the sections looking at what topics you should write about and how you should communicate your personality in your work. It finishes by looking at the work of a great many successful applicants to America's top colleges， and some unsuccessful students to tell you what to avoid.
1. With the three books， the Princeton Review aims at ________.

A．offering students guides in making a difference in their jobs after university graduation

B．offering guides on the writing of application essays for American universities

C．showing students how to pass LSA T in the US

D．showing college graduates what helped actual students achieve their dreams

2. LSAT is most probably ___________.

A．an admission test given by a law school

B．a test for admitted law students

C．information on business and college

D．information on GPA

3. What's the purpose of writing the three texts?

A．To sell the books.

B．To make the books easier to read.

C．To show the importance of the schools.

D．To introduce new authors