1 . Where does the conversation probably take place?

A．In a bookstore.

B．In a library.

C．In a cinema.

2 . Three very strong women — my mother, my grandmother and Melinda — deserve big credit for helping me become the man I am today. But Blanche Caffiere, a very kind teacher and librarian I’ve never written about before, also had a huge influence on me.

Mrs. Caffiere died in 2006, shortly after reaching her 100^th birthday. Before she passed away, I had an opportunity to visit her and thank her for the important role she played in my life.

When I first met Mrs. Caffiere, she was the elegant and engaging school librarian at Seattle’s View Ridge Elementary, and I was a fourth grader. I was desperately trying to go unnoticed, because I had some big weaknesses, like dysgraphia (书写障碍), and had a totally messy desk with books around. And I was trying to hide the fact that I liked to read — something that was cool for girls but not for boys.

Mrs. Caffiere took me under her wings and helped make it okay for me to be a messy, nerdy boy who was reading lots of books. She pulled me out of my shell. She started by asking questions like, “What do you like to read?” and “What are you interested in?” Then she found me a lot of books. For example, she gave me great biographies she had read. Once I’d read them, she would make the time to discuss them with me. “Did you like the book? Why? What did you learn?” She listened to what I had to say patiently. Through those book conversations in the library and in the classroom we became good friends.

Teachers generally don’t want to burden their students with extra reading beyond the homework they’ve given. But I learned from Mrs. Caffiere that my teachers had so much knowledge to share. Looking back on it, there’s no question that my time with Mrs. Caffiere helped spark my interest in libraries and my focus on helping every child in America get the benefit of great teachers. I should give great thanks to the devoted teacher and librarian who helped me find my strengths when I was nine years old. It’s remarkable how much power one good person can have in shaping the life of a child.

1. Which of the following best describes the writer when he was in his fourth grade?

A．Elegant and engaging	B．Shy and untidy
C．Weak and desperate	D．Curious and friendly

2. What does the underlined sentence in paragraph 4 probably mean?

A．She forced the writer to read more books.

B．She helped the writer to overcome his weaknesses.

C．She turned the writer into a book lover.

D．She encouraged the writer not to hide his love of reading.

3. What do we know about Mrs. Caffiere?

A．She had the greatest influence on the writer.

B．She influenced the writer’s decision on helping American children.

C．She used to give the writer too much homework to help him learn.

D．She hadn’t seen the writer since he left the school.

4. Which can be a suitable title for the text?

A．A Teacher Who Changed My Life.

B．The Story of a Kind Teacher.

C．My School Life with Great Teachers.

D．Every Student Deserves to Be Encouraged.

3 . Running to the library

There are literally thousands of books about running, each with their unique stories and angles. Here are four that might interest you.

· Advanced Marathoning-2nd Edition

by Pete Pfitzinger, Scott Douglas ($38. 13)

Shave minutes off your time using the latest in science-based training for serious runners. Advanced Marathoning has all the information you need to train smarter and arrive on the start line ready to ruin the marathon of your life. Including marathon-pace runs and tempo runs, Advanced Marathoning provides only the most effective methods of training. You'll learn how to improve your running workouts with strength, core, flexibility, and form training.

· Determined to Win: The Overcoming Spirit of Jean Driscoll

by Jean Driscoll ($10. 99)

Jean Driscoll was named 25th of the top 100 women athletes in the century by Sports Illustrated for Women. Born with spina bifida (脊柱裂), Jean was never supposed to walk. But because of her intense determination, she not only learned to walk but to fly-in a wheelchair across the finish line.

In her autobiography, Jean chronicles (按事件发生顺序记载) her flight from physical paralysis(瘫痪) to true spiritual freedom. She shows us what perseverance can achieve.

· Boston Marathon Portraits: Pictures of Inspiration

by Raymond Britt ($19. 99)

Boston Marathon Portraits features dramatic images of an exceptional race: the Boston Marathon. On race day, Boston comes alive with anticipation, excitement and determination. This book presents these emotions and the action of the Boston Marathon, focusing on striking scenes and photos of runners before the race, at the starting line, the finish line and when the celebration of finishing begins.

· Women Runners

by Irene Reti, Bettianne Shoney Sien ($11. 18)

This book of literary fiction, poems, and essays by women runners captures the essence of running, and the many hopes and dreams of women.

1. Which book would be your best choice if you were looking for tips on marathon training?

A．Advanced Marathoning-2nd Edition.

B．Determined to Win: The Overcoming Spirit of Jean Driscoll.

C．Boston Marathon Portraits: Pictures of Inspiration.

D．Women Runners.

2. Which category does Determined to Win: The Overcoming Spirit of Jean Driscoll fall into?

A．A science fiction.

B．A self-help book.

C．A biography.

D．A historical fiction.

3. Who is Irene Reti?

A．A novelist.

B．An editor.

C．A marathon winner.

D．A photographer.

8 . It’s a cliché (陈词滥调) that everyone’s too busy these days. But one specific complaint is made especially mournfully: There’s never any time to read.

What makes the problem thorny is that the usual time-management techniques don’t seem sufficient. The web’s full of articles offering tips on making time to read: “Give up TV” or “Carry a book with you at all times.” But in my experience, using such methods to free up the odd 30 minutes doesn’t work. Sit down to read and work-related thoughts keep spinning (旋转) — or else you’re so exhausted that a challenging book’s the last thing you need. The modern mind, Tim Parks, a novelist and critic, writes, “is showing more tendency toward communication... It is not simply that one is interrupted; it is that one is actually ready for interruption.” Deep reading requires not just time, but a special kind of time which can’t be obtained merely by becoming more efficient.

In fact, “becoming more efficient” is part of the problem. Thinking of time as a resource to be maximised means you approach it for your specific purpose, judging any given moment should be well spent which advances toward some goal. Deep reading, by contrast, depends on being willing to risk inefficiency, goallessness, even time-wasting. Try to arrange it in as a to-do list item and you’ll manage only goal-focused reading — useful, sometimes, but not the most fulfilling kind. “The future comes at us like empty bottles along an unstoppable and nearly endless conveyor belt (传送带),” writes Gary Eberle in his book Sacred Time, and “we feel a pressure to fill these different-sized bottles (days, hours, minutes) as they pass, for if they get by without being filled, we will have wasted them.” No mindset could be worse for losing yourself in a book.

So what does work? Perhaps surprisingly, scheduling regular times for reading. You’d think this might fuel the efficiency mindset, but in fact, Eberle notes, such habitual behaviour helps us “step outside time’s flow” into “soul time.” You could limit distractions by reading only physical books, or on single-purpose e-readers. “Carry a book with you at all times” can actually work, too – providing you dip in often enough, so that reading becomes the common state from which you can temporarily get away to take care of business, before getting dipped again. On a really good day, it no longer feels as if you’re “making time to read,” but just reading, and making time for everything else.

1. Which can best replace the underlined word “thorny” in Paragraph 2?

A．tough

B．pleasant

C．slight

D．essential

2. Why do the usual time-management techniques fail to work?

A．The modern mind is not shaped.

B．Repetition is required in deep reading.

C．People always forget to carry a book with them.

D．Deep reading is not fully guaranteed.

3. What does the “fill the empty bottles” metaphor in Paragraph 3 imply?

A．To update their to-do lists.	B．To fulfill their passing time.
C．To carry out their big plans.	D．To pursue carefree reading.

4. Which statement may Eberle agree with?

A．People should devote themselves to reading for fear of wasting time.

B．Scheduling regular times for reading is helpful in achieving deep reading.

C．Deep reading can only be achieved after dealing with all the daily businesses.

D．Distractions can be avoided by developing online reading habits.

9 . Four Books about Super Scientists

You’ll find the lives of these top minds to be as inspiring as they are exciting in the following books.

The Extraordinary Life of Alan Turing

Second World War code-breaker Alan Turing features on the Bank of England’s new £50 note as a computer pioneer. This biography follows him from his childhood as a quiet boy who loved maths to becoming one of the most important scientists in history.

100 Scientists Who Made History

Bringing together mini-biographies of 100 scientists and innovators, this book will give you an overview of the history of science. Including astronauts, biologists, chemists, coders, doctors and physicists, it features fun facts about everyone from Hippocrates and Leonardo da Vinci through to Marie Curie and Stephen Hawking.

Rosalind Franklin: A Life Story

Rosalind Franklin was the scientist whose contribution to a crucial discovery in DNA — the chemical that tells your body how to grow and develop — was not recognized until after her death. This book shines a light on the extraordinary story of her life and achievements, using timelines, illustrations and fascinating facts.

40 Inspiring Icons: Super Scientists

Each part of this colourful illustrated book introduces you to a different “super scientist” and their discoveries. This is a fun and easy way to learn about all sorts of ideas, including Louis Pasteur’s vaccinations and Ada Lovelace’s invention of mysterious codes.

1. Which book will attract readers who are interested in computer science?

A．Rosalind Franklin: A Life Story	B．100 Scientists Who Made History
C．40 Inspiring Icons: Super Scientists	D．The Extraordinary Life of Alan Turing

2. Whose contribution was recognised after death?

A．Marie Curie’s.	B．Louis Pasteur’s.
C．Rosalind Franklin’s.	D．Stephen Hawking’s.

3. Where can the text probably be found?

A．In a novel.	B．In a magazine.
C．In a biography.	D．In a diary.