1 . Enjoy these four stories of wonderful friendships between people and creatures.
Albi the Glowing Cow Boy
By Georgia Bwng. Illustrated by Angela Cogo
On a quiet farm in frosty moonlight, a calf (小牛) called Albi is born. A boy called Rufus lives nearby. Soon. Albi and Rufus set off on an incredible journey-but why are the two so deeply connected and how can they each find what they are searching for?
The Boy Who Saved a Bear
By Nizrana Farook
Nuwan works at a library delivering books, but when he unexpectedly crosses the path of a dangerous group of thieves, he must go on the run. Hiding deep in a cave he realizes he’s not alone-he’s sharing his shelter with a scared bear. Nuwan comforted the bear, so this unlikely pair become friends and are soon working together to stop the bad guys and solve a mystery.
Pax
By Sara Pennypacker, Illustrated by Jon Kassen
Peter has a special bond with Pax-a half-tamed fox cub (幼崽). When a war breaks out suddenly, Peter has to move to live with his grandfather, leaving Pax behind. Can the friends find their way back to each other? This story is accompanied by lots of beautiful illustrations.
Wilder
By Penny Chrimes
When a half-wild girl appears from the marshes (沼泽), the people of a nearby village treat her with doubt. She has a mysterious connection to animals, especially the falcon who circles above her. When the river starts to dry up and a dark sickness begins to spread, the girl sets out to save the villagers.
1. Why do Nuwan and the bear become friends?| A．They live in the same place. | B．They have to solve a mystery. |
| C．The bear was comforted by Nuwan. | D．The bear saved Nuwan from the thieves. |
| A．The force of thieves. | B．An unexpected war. |
| C．The decision of Peter’s grandfather. | D．The villagers’ doubt. |
| A．They are created with the same theme. | B．Their plots are only full of adventures. |
| C．They are accompanied by beautiful pictures. | D．Their characters grew up with their animal friends. |
2 . Claudette Colvin by Phillip Hoose
Who says teenagers can’t change the world？This book tells the true story of 15-year-old Claudette Colvin and how her fight for justice (正义) led to the end of separation between races in buses in Alabama in 1956.
Inkdeath by Cornelia Funke
In the final novel of Cornelia Funke’s popular Inkheart trilogy (三部曲)，Meggie and her father，Mo，travel through Inkworld，a dark and dangerous place full of villains (歹徒)．At the heart of this unusual tale is a question：Can you change your own life?
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
This Pulitzer Prize winner is the only book author Harper Lee ever wrote. Set in the South in the 1930s，the story is told by a young girl named Scout. Her dad is a lawyer who takes a difficult case (案子) that shakes up their town and changes their lives.
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’ Engle
Meg’s father is a scientist who has gone missing—and he happens to be lost in a whole other universe！As Meg and her little brother，Charles Wallace，get on a plane for a special task to save their father through space and time，Meg must discover her own strength and courage.
Margaret Bourke White by Christopher C．L.Anderson
Margaret Bourke White was one of the first women photojournalists. She helped pioneer the whole field！This book explains how she caught some of the most important historic moments of the 20th century.
1. Who helps to set up a fair system?| A．Scout. | B．Meggie. |
| C．Claudette Colvin. | D．Margaret Bourke White. |
| A．Inkdeath. |
| B．A Wrinkle in Time. |
| C．To Kill a Mockingbird. |
| D．Margaret Bourke White. |
| A．what Meg and his brother meet in the universe |
| B．how two children save their father |
| C．the scientific knowledge of the universe |
| D．a funny trip through space and time |
| A．History. | B．Science. |
| C．Politics. | D．Literature. |
3 . Books for Children
| Fleabag and the Ring’s End Beth Webb More stories of Fleabag, the talking cat--star of this wonderful set of 3 books. Ages 8-13, 208 pages, paper-back 07459 44116, ￡3.99 | The little White House Elizabeth Goudge A fairy tale and winner of the Carnegie Medal. Ages 8-12, 240 pages, paper-back 07459 45783, ￡4.99 |
| My Very First Christmas Book Lois Rock and Alec Ayliffe A big, bright book, which presents the story simply, and delightfully for very young children. Ages 0-3, 12 pages, 200mmx200mm, board 07459 40560, ￡4.99 | First Festival: Christmas Lois Rock An all-in-one book to help grown-ups and children prepare their Christmas celebration together. Presents, activities and customs. Ages 5-8, 48 pages, 290mmx250mm, hardback 07459 39074, ￡8.99 |
| Star of Wonder Pat Alexander A wonderful collection of Christmas stories and poems. Full of lively pages to read and enjoy. Ages 7-12, 224 pages, paperback 07459 39323, ￡4.99 | The Not-So-Wise Man Alan MacDonald and Andrew Rowland We all know about the 3 Wise Men who traveled to Bethlehem and discovered the baby Jesus Christ. This is the tale of another one, who always missed the point. Ages 5-9, 32 pages, 270mm×210mm, hardback. 07459 38922, ￡8.99 |
1. If you want to make a Christmas plan together with your children, which book do you prefer?
| A．Star of Wonder | B．The Not-So-Wise Man |
| C．First Festival: Christmas | D．My Very First Christmas Book |
| A．07459 40560. | B．07459 38922. |
| C．07459 45783. | D．07459 44116. |
| A．Pat Alexander. | B．Beth Webb. |
| C．Lois Rock. | D．Elizabeth Goudge. |
4 . I must have always known reading was very important because the first memories I have as a child deal with books. There was not one night that I don’t remember mom reading me a storybook by my bedside. I was extremely inspired by the elegant way the words sounded.
I always wanted to know what my mom was reading. Hearing mom say, "I can’t believe what’s printed in the newspaper this morning," made me want to grab it out of her hands and read it myself. I wanted to be like my mom and know all of the things she knew. So I carried around a book, and each night, just to be like her, I would pretend to be reading.
This is how everyone learned to read. We would start off with sentences, then paragraphs, and then stories. It seemed an unending journey, but even as a six-year-old girl I realized that knowing how to read could open many doors. When mom said," The C-A-N-D-Y is hidden on the top shelf," I knew where the candy was. My progress in reading raised my curiosity, and I wanted to know everything. I often found myself telling my mom to drive more slowly, so that I could read all of the road signs we passed.
Most of my reading through primary, middle and high school was factual reading. I read for knowledge, and to make A’s on my tests. Occasionally, I would read a novel that was assigned, but I didn’t enjoy this type of reading. I liked facts, things that are concrete. I thought anything abstract left too much room for argument.
Yet, now that I’m growing and the world I once knew as being so simple is becoming more complex, I find myself needing a way to escape. By opening a novel, I can leave behind my burdens and enter into a wonderful and mysterious world where I am now a new character. In these worlds I can become anyone. I don’t have to write down what happened or what technique the author was using when he or she wrote this. I just read to relax.
We’re taught to read because it’s necessary for much of human understanding. Reading is a vital part of my life. Reading satisfies my desire to keep learning. And I’ve found that the possibilities that lie within books are limitless.
1. Why did the author want to grab the newspaper out of mom’s hands?| A．She wanted mom to read the news to her. | B．She was anxious to know what had happened. |
| C．She couldn’t wait to tear the newspaper apart. | D．She couldn’t help but stop mom from reading. |
| A．her unique way to locate herself | B．her eagerness to develop her reading ability |
| C．her effort to remind mom to obey traffic rules | D．her growing desire to know the world around her. |
| A．explore a fantasy land | B．develop a passion for learning |
| C．learn about the adult community | D．get away from a confusing world |
| A．The Magic of Reading | B．The Pleasure of Reading |
| C．Growing Up with Reading | D．Reading Makes a Full Man |
5 . In between running one of the world’s largest charitable agencies and acting as Microsoft’s technology advisor, Bill Gates manages to find time to read books, both long and short. Now Gates --who has been labeled a “greedy” reader—has released a list of his favorite books of the year. All of the books are standout reads, according to the billionaire, most of which are focused on business and economy.
Here are Bill’s top four picks for the year (with parts of his full review of each book).
Business Adventures, by John Brooks
Brooks’ collection was published in 1969 and remains one of Gates’ favorites. He re-read it again this year, labeling it “the best business book I’ve ever read”.
“Shortly after we met, Warren Buffett lent me this collection of New Yorker business articles from the 1950s and 1960s. I loved them as much as he did. Brooks’ insights about business have aged beautifully, and they are as true today as ever.”
Capital in the Twenty-First Century, by Thomas Piketty
Piketty’s novel hit the shelves in August 2013 and sparked much discussion concerning income inequality throughout this year. Gates also got to sit down with Piketty himself after reading the non-fiction work to discuss the topic.
“As I told him, although I have concerns about some of his secondary points and policy prescriptions, I agree with his most important conclusions: inequality is a growing problem and that governments should play a role in reducing it.”
How Asia Works, by Joe Studwell
Studwell’s work, which was published in May this year, addresses how countries such as Japan, South Korea and China have continued to achieve high growth, and why other countries have failed to do the same.
“The agriculture section of the book was particularly insightful. It provided ample food for thought for me as well as the whole agriculture team at our foundation. And it left us thinking about whether parts of the Asian model can apply in Africa.
Making the Modern World: Materials and Dematerialization, by Vaelav Smil
Smil’s books are a constant favorite of the Microsoft founder—one of his books makes Gates’ list almost every year. Making the Modern World came out late last year and explores the global use of materials, from silicon to wood, and plastic.
“If anyone tries to tell you we’re using fewer materials, send him this book. With his usual skepticism and his love of data, Smil shows how our ability to make things with less materials—say, soda cans that need less aluminum—makes them cheaper, which actually encourages more production.”
1. Of the books, ______ is best praised by Bill Gates.| A．How Asia Works |
| B．Capital in the Twenty-First Century |
| C．Business Adventures |
| D．Making the Modern World: Materials and Dematerialization |
| A．charity in the world |
| B．business and economy |
| C．poverty in the world |
| D．Bill Gates’ life experience |
| A．why African agriculture cannot be developed fast |
| B．How they can apply Asian economic model in African countries |
| C．why Asia is so slow in agricultural development |
| D．How some Asian countries have rapidly grown in economy |
6 . Londoners are great readers. They buy vast numbers of newspapers and magazines and of books — especially paperbacks(平装本), which are still comparatively cheap in spite of ever-increasing rises in the costs of printing. They still continue to buy “proper” books, too, printed on good paper and bound(装订)between hard covers.
There are many streets in London containing shops which specialize in book-selling. Perhaps the best known of these is Charring Cross Road in the very heart of London. Here bookshops of all sorts and sizes are to be found, from the celebrated one which boasts of being “the biggest bookshop in the world” to the tiny, dusty little places which seem to have been left over from Dickens’ time. Some of these shops stock(贮存), or will obtain, any kind of book, but many of them specialize in second-hand books, in art books, in foreign books, in books on philosophy, politics or any other of the myriad(无数的)subjects about which books may be written. One shop in this area specializes only in books about ballet!
Although it may be the most convenient place for Londoners to buy books, Charring Cross Road is not the cheapest. For the really cheap second-hand volumes, the collector must venture(敢于去) off the beaten track, to Farringdon Road, for example, in the East Central district of London. Here there is nothing so impressive as bookshops. Instead, the booksellers come along each morning and pour out their sacks of books onto small barrows(流动集售货车)which line the gutters(贫民窟). And the collectors, some professionals and some amateurs(业余爱好者), have been waiting for them. In places like this one can still, occasionally, pick up for a few pence an old volume that may be worth many pounds.
1. “Londoners are great readers” means that ________.| A．Londoners are great because they read a lot |
| B．There are a great number of readers in London |
| C．Londoners are readers who read only great books |
| D．Londoners read a lot |
| A．is in the suburbs of London |
| B．is famous for its bookshops |
| C．contains various kinds of shops |
| D．is the busiest street in London |
| A．venture in a most busy street |
| B．venture away from a busy street |
| C．take the risk of going to the beaten track |
| D．take the risk of wasting time to hunt them in less noticeable streets |
| A．keep fine bookshops |
| B．keep only small bookshops |
| C．sell books on hand-carts |
| D．sell the same books as the bookshops on Charring Cross Road |
| A．Bookshops in London |
| B．The biggest bookshop in the world |
| C．Charring Cross Road |
| D．Buying books in London |
