1. How many skills are recommended in this talk?
| A．One. | B．Two. | C．Three. |
| A．Read the first two paragraphs and the last two paragraphs carefully. |
| B．Read only the first sentence of the other paragraphs. |
| C．Read all the details. |
| A．Read the last two paragraphs carefully. |
| B．Get our eyes to move fast. |
| C．Sweep our eyes across each line. |
| A．How to read faster. | B．What is reading? | C．Why we should read. |
2 . The novel Restart was written by Gordon Korman and published in 2018. The book tells the story of Chase, a middle school student who loses his memory after an accident. At the beginning of the story, Chase gets knocked unconscious when he falls off a roof. When he wakes up, he can remember his name, but he doesn’t remember his past or his identity.
When Chase recovers and returns to school, he begins to learn about his own history through the reactions of the other students. As it turns out, Chase, once a star athlete, used to have fun hurting weaker students. Some people are afraid of him, some are angry with him, and some treat him like a hero. He finds that he doesn’t really like the people who used to be his best friends.
After his accident, Chase also has a different personality. He is no longer mean to other kids. However, everyone expects him to act the same as before. It takes time for the other students to learn to trust this new version of their old classmate. Each chapter is narrated (叙述) by a different character, so we get to hear every side of the story.
Gordon Korman has said that he enjoys writing for junior high school students because this is the age when kids begin to form their own opinions. In Restart, Korman addresses the themes of friendship, making mistakes, and getting a second chance. The novel explores the stories of a former bad guy and his victims, and gives readers a close look at the ways trust can be lost and rebuilt. The big picture comes together in little bits and pieces as each character offers their own details.
Everyone makes mistakes, and sometimes each of us would like to start over. In Restart, Korman shows us how to correct our mistakes and make it up to the people we have hurt.
1. What helps Chase rediscover his past?| A．His memory of the accident. | B．His fellow students’attitude towards him. |
| C．His status as a school hero. | D．His best friends’ account of his school life. |
| A．It features vivid pictures. | B．It consists of obvious comparisons. |
| C．It is written from the view of an adult. | D．It contains narrations of different characters. |
| A．Friendship and trust can be regained. | B．Lost memories can be brought back. |
| C．Some mistakes can never be corrected. | D．High school is the best age to restart. |
| A．A news report. | B．A book review. | C．A fairy story. | D．A diary entry. |
3 .
Biography
When Salinger learned that a car park was to be built on the land, the middle-aged writer was shocked and quickly bought the neighboring area to protect it…
J D. Salinger: A Life by Kenneth Slawenski (Random House, $27)
Mystery
“You’re a smart boy.
A thought suddenly occurred to Annika, “You recognized the man in the car, didn’t you?”
The boy hesitated, twisting his fingers, “Maybe,” he said quietly.
Red Wolf by Liza Marklund (Atria Books, $25.99)
Short Stories
She wants to say to him what she has learned, none of it in class: Some women are born stupid, and some women are too smart for their own good. Some women are born to give, and some women only know how to take.
You Are Free by Danzy Senna (Riverhead Books, $15)
Humor
Do your kids like to have fun?
Happy: And Other Bad Thoughts by Larry Doyle (Ecco, $14.99)
| A．Come to Fun Times |
| B．Mini Book Excerpts |
| C．They are more like gymnastics |
| D．She didn’t know which direction was up |
| E．Some women learn who they want to be from their mothers |
| F．Benny’s death was no accident, and you’re the only one who saw it happen |
| G．The townspeople never forgot the rescue and came to help their most famous neighbor |
4 . These 3 Books Are Perfect For Your Back-To-Middle-Schooler
Pham has written and illustrated more than 100 books for kids. Here are three of her favorite reads she recommends for kids heading back to school. The books are all about sort of creating empathy and figuring out how to enter back into the school world in such a crazy time right now.
A High Five for Glenn Burke, by Phil Bildner
It talks about this really special kid named Silas Wade, and he enters the world through baseball and he gets the world excited by baseball. And he's a very special kid because of it. And he uses baseball as a way to come out. And specifically, he uses the story of Glenn Burke, who was this amazing player for the Dodgers (道奇队) way back then, and he was the man who was credited as creating the high five.
The Breadwinner, by Deborah Ellis
It’s a book that feels strangely prescient (有先见之明的), even though it was first published more than 20 years ago. And it's a story of a young Afghan girl named Parvana whose family lives under Taliban rule. And it's really just the remarkable story of the lengths to which Parvana goes to help her family survive. She’s a normal little 11-year-old girl. She's got an older sister who bothers her. She wants to be out in the world, and she can't be. She doesn't understand why she needs to wear this headdress, why she needs to cover herself. She is only allowed out at the age of 11, because she's too young to need to be covered up. So she’s able to go with her father to the marketplace. And that's where the story takes place. Her father was once a professor, once they had this very nice life. One day he's taken by the Taliban, and so she is forced to cut off her own hair and pretend to be a boy to keep her family alive. She doesn't realize she's being a hero. She doesn't realize she's doing anything special. She just knows she has to do this.
New Kid, by Jerry Craft
It’s about a seventh grader named Jordan Banks who loves to draw, and dreams of becoming an artist. But instead of art school, his parents decide to send him to a famous private school focused on academics where he frankly just doesn't fit in. It's almost as though in this story, no one's really a bad guy ... this kid, Jordan Banks, he goes through the school and he doesn't hate anyone. He feels empathy for everyone.
1. What can you infer from the passage?| A．Glenn Burke was an excellent baseball player. |
| B．A High Five for Glenn Burke is a kind of magazine. |
| C．It is Phil Bildner who created the high five. |
| D．Silas Wade has participated in few competitions. |
| A．She couldn’t adapt to her new life. |
| B．She was ambitious to defend her country. |
| C．She was devoted to her family. |
| D．She believed what she had done could save her people from Taliban rule. |
| A．Primary school students. | B．High school students. |
| C．Undergraduates. | D．Graduates. |
5 . The only thing I ever stole in my life was a book. I was six years old and it was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen, bound in wonderful red Moroccan leather. No one would read it in a million years — it was about the abolition (废除) of slavery — but it was
I was born in South Africa and
Reading
The very first book I totally
Probably the most
It has a great
| A．boring | B．magic | C．difficult | D．popular |
| A．observed | B．locked | C．raised | D．discovered |
| A．interest | B．pleasure | C．pride | D．delight |
| A．missing | B．abandoned | C．deserted | D．stolen |
| A．nothing | B．anything | C．something | D．everything |
| A．saved | B．disturbed | C．wasted | D．recorded |
| A．at most | B．in brief | C．in contrast | D．at least |
| A．ruined | B．inspired | C．adopted | D．acknowledged |
| A．membership | B．championship | C．scholarship | D．friendship |
| A．With | B．Without | C．Beyond | D．Upon |
| A．beaten | B．hunted | C．cured | D．loved |
| A．referred to | B．identified with | C．put aside | D．gave up |
| A．amusing | B．innocent | C．unhappy | D．awkward |
| A．broke out | B．ruled out | C．put out | D．turned out |
| A．faith | B．hope | C．frustration | D．life |
| A．beautiful | B．awful | C．annoying | D．unusual |
| A．actually | B．consequently | C．gradually | D．occasionally |
| A．history | B．fantasy | C．dream | D．plot |
| A．by the way | B．on the contrary | C．in a way | D．by no means |
| A．homes | B．churches | C．schools | D．books |
6 . Bring A New Story Home With You Today
Rhyme Rhythm Reason﹣More than Some of the Sum of My poems
Paul Drakeford
www．xlibris．com．au
Hardback： ＄27.59 Paperback： ＄13.79 E﹣book： ＄4.99
Here we have a few giggles and chuckles for those who remember the three Rs and wished there were something better． Have fun reading Paul Drakeford's Rhyme Rhythm Reason!
Atlantis﹣Insights from a Lost Civilization
Shirley Andrews
www．authorhouse．com
Hardback： ＄31.99 Paperback： ＄20.99 E﹣book：＄3.99
Shirley Andrews uncovers the living legacy in Atlantis： Insights from a Lost Civilization， a compelling new look at a legendary country once situated on the Atlantic Ridge．
Operation Wappen﹣A War That Never Was
Robert Maddock
www．xlibris．com
Hardback： ＄51.99 Paperback： ＄41.99 E﹣book： ＄3.99
A Story about CIA/MI6 Middle East 1957 military adventure to overthrow the Syrian Government a return of knights to the battlefield like Osama bin Laden． The author was an eyewitness．
Inbetweenness﹣﹣A Meditative Approach to Everyday Life
Sunnie D， Kidd/Jim Kidd
www．xlibris．com
Hardback： ＄29.99 Paperback： ＄19.99 E﹣book： ＄3.99
Sunnie D Kidd coined the term "Inbetweenness"． Inbetweennes is a shared resonating spiritual fie of movement and vibration， which is the root of all spiritual experiences and scientifie investigation．
Learning to Trust the Tiny Voice of God﹣Allowing Communication with the Holy Trinity and the Saints．
Billy Patty
www．xlibris．com
Hardback： ＄29.99 Paperback： ＄19.99 E﹣book： ＄13.99
This poetry book is for my darling wife sixty﹣nine years， my four children， grandchildren， great and great﹣great grandchildren． They have been my inspiration and my comfort in life in my old age．
1. Suppose you are a poem lover，you would prefer the works of．| A．Robert Maddock&Billy Patty |
| B．Paul Drakeford&Billy Patty |
| C．Paul Drakeford&Robert Maddock |
| D．Sunnie DKidd&Robert Maddock |
| A．Operation Wappen． |
| B．Atlantis． |
| C．Rhyme Rhythm Reason． |
| D．Betweenness． |
| A．All the books can be bought on the same website． |
| B．One can buy 3 books in hardback with＄70． |
| C．Operation Wappen is based on a true story． |
| D．Learning to Trust the Tiny Voice of God is intended for the authors husband． |
7 . 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. Here are four books we recommend that you take on your trip.
1. On the Road, 1957, by Jack Kerouac
The book is a popular spiritual guide book about youth. The character in the book drives across the US continent with several young people and finally reaches Mexico. After the exhausting and exciting trip, the characters in the book begin to realize the meaning of life.
2. Life is Elsewhere, 1975, 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 during his trip to Central Europe. The book invites you to deeply reflect on your current life and to honor Kundera, a Czech-born writer and who went into exile in France in 1975.
3. My Name is Red, 1998, by Orhan Pamuk
The book, featuring a peak masterpiece of the Nobel Prize winner for 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.
4. The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, 2013, by Rachel Joyce
The novel tells a story of a 60-year-old man who lives a boring and unhappy life, until one day, he received his old friend’s letter who got cancer. In deep shock and sorrow, he went out to send his reply letter. 627 miles in 87 days, he walks depending on one belief that “his friend can survive as long as he walks”.
1. Which hook can make you think of your own life?| A．On die Road. | B．Life is Elsewhere. |
| C．My Name is Red. | D．The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry. |
| A．Jack Kerouac. | B．Milan Kundera. |
| C．Orhan Pamuk. | D．Rachel Joyce. |
| A．In 1957. | B．In 1975. |
| C．In 1998. | D．In 2013. |
| A．He was in deep sorrow. | B．He walked to keep healthy. |
| C．He witnessed a series of murder. | D．He expected his friend to live longer. |
8 . Speed-reading is a vital skill in the Internet age. We skim over articles and e-mails to try to grasp key words and the essential meaning of a certain text. Bombarded（轰炸）with information from our electronic devices, it would be impossible to cope if we read word by word, line by line. But a new trend calls on people to unplug and enjoy reading slowly.
A recent story from The Wall Street Journal reported on a book club in Wellington, where members meet in a café and turn off their smartphones. They sink into cozy chairs and read in silence for an hour. Unlike traditional book clubs, the point of the Slow Reading Club isn’t exchanging ideas about a certain book, but to get away from electronic devices and read in a quiet, relaxed environment. According to the Journal, the Wellington book club is just one example of a movement started by book lovers.
Slow readers, such as The Atlantic’s Maura Kelly, say a regular reading habit sharpens the mind, improves concentration, reduce stress levels and deepens the ability to understand others.
Yet technology has made us less attentive readers. “Screens have changed our reading habits from the linear, left-to-right sequence, to a wild skimming and skipping pattern as we hunt for important words and information, which leads to weaker comprehension than reading plain text. The Internet may have made us stupider,” says Patrick Kingsley from The Guardian.
Slow reading means a return to an uninterrupted pattern, in a quiet environment free of distractions. Aim for 30 minutes a day, advises Kelly. “You can squeeze in that half hour pretty easily if only during your free moments–whenever you find yourself automatically starting your laptop to scan your favorite site for something to pass the time—you pick up a meaningful work of literature,” Kelly said. “Reach for your e-reader, if you like. Kindles make books like War and Peace less heavy. “
1. What’s the real purpose of the book club in Wellington?| A．To turn off its members’ smartphones. |
| B．To let its members relax in cozy chairs. |
| C．To make people share ideas about books. |
| D．To provide a quiet, relax environment for readers. |
| A．sharpening the mind | B．reducing stress levels |
| C．broadening the view | D．improving concentration |
| A．the Internet slows our reading speed |
| B．the Internet is full of mistaken information |
| C．electronic devices have changed our reading patterns |
| D．electronic devices enable us to have a better understanding |
| A．Time to Go Slow Reading | B．Electronic Devices Takeover |
| C．Kindles for Readers | D．Reading Matters More |
