2 .

The Shepherd’s Life by James Rebanks

Reviewed by Helena

No lyrical, romantic account, but a hard-bitten, dull and down-to-earth story of a family, a community and an environment. A story of cycles — of seasons, years, people, generations, stretches back centuries. A story of farming which only exists now in the remoter, wilder regions of the UK, where the land is too hard and the environment too harsh for farming to be an “agribusiness”. Where success, survival of farms, their sheep are dependent on knowledge passed down through generations and shared between farmers and shepherds in a small, close-knit and mutually-dependent community. A story of people hefted to their land every bit as much as their sheep are hefted to their fells.

A Month in the Country by J.L.Carr

Reviewed by L. R. Fisher

It is unbelievably simple and delightfully slow-paced, full of Lawrence-like description of a vanished (消失的) country landscape. The focal points are a casual and peculiar friendship between two war-scarred, shell-shocked men Tom Birkin and Moon. In a book barely 100 pages long, the author not only manages to give us a story that flows like a stream, but also achieves impressive characterization, bitter feelings of war and a corresponding celebration of peace, a little suspense, and even a twist in the tail.

A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson

Reviewed by T. Bently

Having read all of Bill Bryson’s travel books, this was the last one left. I hadn’t read this because I had been told it was one of his weakest one. But I decided, through no other reason that I needed a hit of Bryson, to read it. People couldn’t have been more wrong. From the very beginning of assessing the feasibility, arranging for Katz to accompany him to the purchasing of his equipment and the purchasing of “a large knife for killing bears and hillbillies”, Bryson is at his absolute best. His cute eye is a wise witness to this beautiful but fragile trail. His encounters along the trail and Katz anti-social, childish antics (滑稽动作) make the first 150 pages more than a laugh-out-loud hike. I couldn’t have been more surprised. An adventure, a comedy, and a celebration, A Walk in the Woods is destined to become a modern classic.

1. In The Shepherd’s Life, James Rebanks takes readers through a shepherds’ life ________.

A．featuring a hard struggle in the remote and beautiful area

B．alternated by the seasons and changed by the generations

C．little noticed, and deeply attached to the harsh land

D．spent in a profitable agricultural and friendly community

2. From the review of A Month in the Country we can learn that Tom and Moon ________.

A．have lived in a slow-paced country throughout their life

B．are war survivors with troubled memories

C．were deafened by the explosion of a shell in the war

D．will make the end of their story more fascinating to read

3. By saying “People couldn’t have been more wrong”, the reviewer wants to say that ________.

A．Bryson’s travel book is the best seller in travelling literature

B．Bryson’s travelling experience is laughable

C．it’s a pity that people turn a blind eye to Bryson’s travelling experience

D．A Walk in the Wood combines artistic quality well with natural beauty

4 .

	In Factfulness, Professor Hans Roslingasks raises questions like ‘How many girls finish school?’ and ‘What percentage of the world’s population is poor?’ It turns out that the majority of us get the answers to these questions completely wrong. Why does this happen? Factfulness sets out to explain why, showing that there are several human instincts that distort(扭曲)our perspective. This book focuses on our instinctive biases(偏见), offering practical advice to help us see the good as well as the bad in the world.
	Are things getting worse every day? Is progress an impossible goal? In Enlightenment Now, Steven Pinker looks at the big picture of human progress and finds good news. We are living longer, healthier, freer and happier lives. Pinker asks us to stop paying so much attention to negative headlines and news that declares the end of the world. Instead, he shows us some carefully selected data. In 75 surprising graphs, we see that safety, peace, knowledge and health are getting better all over the world. Economic inequality, he claims, is not really a problem, because it is not actually that important for human well-being.
	For more than two hundred years those who hold negative thoughts have been winning the public debate. They tell us that things are getting worse. But as a matter of fact, life is getting better. Income, food availability and lifespan are rising; disease, violence and child mortality are falling. Best-selling author Matt Ridley doesn’t only explain how things are getting better; he gives us reasons why as well. He shows us how human culture evolves in a positive direction thanks to the exchange of ideas and specialization. This bold book looks at the entirety of human history-from the Stone Age to the 21st century—and changes the concept that it’s all going downhill.
	The majority of people believe that developing countries are in a terrible situation: suffering from incredible poverty and wars. The reality is that a great transformation is occurring. Over the past 20 years, more than 700 million people have increased their income and come out of poverty. This is happening across developing countries around the world. In his book The Great Surge, Stevens Radelet describes how all of this is happening and, more importantly, it shows us how we can speed up the process.

1. What is the common feature of the four books?

A．They focus on the present situations concerning developing countries.

B．They emphasize the importance of dealing with problems in poor countries.

C．They try to direct readers to a positive path in terms of human development.

D．They appeal to show more sympathy and understanding for poor countries.

2. Which author supports his arguments by providing factual evidence?

A．Hans Roslingasks.

B．Steven Pinker.

C．Matt Ridley.

D．Stevens Radelet.

3. Which of the following can be a possible title for Book 3?

A．The Rational Optimist.	B．Human History: Where Are We?
C．A Public Debate.	D．Out of Povetty: What and How?

7 . Franz Kafka wrote that “a book must be the axe (斧子) for the frozen sea inside us. ” I once shared this sentence with a class of seventh graders, and it didn’t seem to require any explanation.

We’d just finished John Steinbeck’s novel Of Mice and Men. When we read the end together out loud in class, my toughest boy, a star basketball player, wept a little, and so did I. “Are you crying?” one girl asked, as she got out of her chair to take a closer look. “I am,” I told her, “and the funny thing is I’ve read it many times.”

But they understood. When George shoots Lennie, the tragedy is that we realize it was always going to happen. In my 14 years of teaching in a New York City public middle school, I’ve taught kids with imprisoned parents, abusive parents, irresponsible parents; kids who are parents themselves; kids who are homeless; kids who grew up in violent neighborhoods. They understand, more than I ever will, the novel’s terrible logic—the giving way of dreams to fate.

For the last seven years, I have worked as a reading enrichment teacher, reading classic works of literature with small groups of students from grades six to eight. I originally proposed this idea to my headmaster after learning that a former excellent student of mine had transferred out of a selective high school -- one that often attracts the literary-minded children of Manhattan’s upper classes -- into a less competitive setting. The daughter of immigrants, with a father in prison, she perhaps felt uncomfortable with her new classmates. I thought additional “cultural capital” could help students like her develop better in high school, where they would unavoidably meet, perhaps for the first time, students who came from homes lined with bookshelves, whose parents had earned Ph. D.’s.

Along with Of Mice and Men, my groups read: Sounder, The Red Pony, Lord of the Flies, Romeo and Juliet and Macbeth. The students didn’t always read from the expected point of view.

About The Red Pony, one student said, “it’s about being a man, it’s about manliness.” I had never before seen the parallels between Scar face and Macbeth, nor had I heard Lady Macbeth’s soliloquies (独白) read as raps (说唱), but both made sense; the interpretations were playful, but serious. Once introduced to Steinbeck’s writing, one boy went on to read The Grapes of Wrath and told me repeatedly how amazing it was that “all these people hate each other, and they’re all white.” His historical view was broadening, his sense of his own country deepening. Year after year, former students visited and told me how prepared they had felt in their first year in college as a result of the classes.

Year after year, however, we are increasing the number of practice tests. We are trying to teach students to read increasingly complex texts, not for emotional punch (碰撞) but for text complexity. Yet, we cannot enrich the minds of our students by testing them on texts that ignore their hearts. We are teaching them that words do not amaze but confuse. We may succeed in raising test scores, but we will fail to teach them that reading can be transformative and that it belongs to them.

1. Why were the students able to understand the novel Of Mice and Men?

A．Because they spent much time reading it.

B．Because they had read the novel before.

C．Because they came from a public school.

D．Because they had similar life experiences.

2. The girl left the selective high school possibly because ________.

A．she was a literary-minded girl	B．her parents were immigrants
C．she couldn’t fit in with her class	D．her father was then in prison

3. To the author’s surprise, the students read the novels ________.

A．creatively

B．passively

C．repeatedly

D．carelessly

4. The author writes the passage mainly to ________.

A．introduce classic works of literature

B．advocate teaching literature to touch the heart

C．argue for equality among high school students

D．defend the current testing system

8 . Is Listening to a Book Better than Reading It?

Picture yourself sitting at home in a quiet reading space, ignoring the world around you, absorbed in a tale. You read the introduction, instantly became interested and now you’re in the middle of an absolute page-turner. But, there’s a hot debate — physical books vs. e-books vs. audiobooks. Does the device you’re using to read affect your reaction to the book?

    1     There’s attention span, reasoning, reading fluency, memory and language comprehension. Reading is known to strengthen communicative ability, vocabulary and increase emotional intelligence and social awareness. So, whichever way you’re reading, there are definitely benefits.

But, let’s look at the pros to reading with your eyes — that’s physical books and e-books.     2     This is because when you can actually see the words, your attention is held more closely. Add to this the fact that with physical books you can go back and find any part you missed, especially if your mind wanders, which will likely happen at some point or other.

On the other hand, there’s the audiobook. Headphones in, you’re switched off from life and the story really comes alive, almost like watching a film — in your head. From a scientific perspective, listening to an audiobook is likely to help you develop a fellow feeling as you hear the emotion of the narrator.     3     Hearing the story engages different parts of the brain, increasing the intensity and imagery, making you enjoy it more. Yet, going back to attention period, with an audiobook it’s true that it’s much harder to go back and listen again.

    4     Perhaps, next time you find yourself browsing bookshop shelves, also consider the format. It may just change your whole literary experience.

A．They help us become continuous readers.

B．They can help to remember information better.

C．Generally, reading uses several areas of the brain.

D．We can more easily understand the changes in tones.

E．All in all, it seems that there are advantages to both physical books and audiobooks.

F．According to a research from Oxford University, audio books affect our reading reaction most.

9 . Amazon Charts

The Top Five Most Sold & Most Read Books of the Week

No.1
It--Now a major film BY STEPHEN KING

Stephen King’s terrifying, classic #1 New York Times bestseller, “a landmark in American literature” (Chicago Sun-Times)-about seven adults who return to their hometown to fight a nightmare they had first been troubled with as teenagers - an evil without a name: it.

Readers of Stephen King know that Derry, Maine, is a place with a deep, dark hold on the author. It reappears in many of his books, including Bag of Bones, Hearts in Atlantis and 11/22/63. But it all starts with It.

No.2
A Column of Fire—#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER BY KENFOLLETT

In 1558, the ancient stones of Kingsbridge Cathedral looked down on a city split by religious conflict. As power in England shifted dangerously between Catholics and Protestants, royalty and commoners clashed, testing friendship, loyalty and love...

No.3
A Game of Thrones—NOW THE ACCLAIMED HBO SERIES GAME OF THRONES BY GEORGE R.R. MARTIN

From a master of contemporary fantasy comes the first novel of a landmark series unlike any you’ve ever read before. With A Game of   Thrones, George R. R. Martin has launched a genuine masterpiece, bringing together the best the genre has to offer. Mystery, intrigue, romance and adventure fill the pages of this magnificent saga, the first volume in an epic series sure to delight fantasy fans everywhere.

No.4
The Cuban Affair-INSTANT #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER BY NELSON DEMILLE

Brilliantly written with his signature humor and real experience from his research trip to Cuba... Nelson DeMille is a true master of genre.

No.5
Sleeping Beauties
BY OWEN KING, STEPHEN KING

In this spectacular father/son collaboration, Stephen King and Owen King tell the “highest of high-stakes stories: What might happen if women disappeared from the world of men?”

In a future so real and near that it might be now, something happens when women go to sleep. And while they sleep, they go to another place, a better place, where harmony prevails and conflict is rare...

1. According to the article, which book is co-authored?

A．It.	B．A Game of Thrones.
C．The Cuban Affair.	D．Sleeping Beauties.

2. According to the passage, which books have been adapted for television or the big screen?

A．It and A Game of Thrones.

B．A Column of Fire and The Cuban Affair.

C．A Game of Thrones and Sleeping Beauties.

D．Sleeping Beauties and A Column of Fire.

3. According to the article, which of the following statements is true?

A．The Cuban Affair is a novel written with a serious tone.

B．The story in A Column of Fire is set in a modern European country.

C． “It” describes a frightening story set in a location familiar to the readers of Stephen King.

D．The author of A Game of Thrones has also written other books, including Bags of Bones.

10 . Steph Clemence always intended to go to college. But life tends to throw barriers in the way. Her mother remarried several times. By the time she was a senior in high school, Steph had lived in 25 places. Her stepfather died in a car accident, leaving her mother to support three daughters on a modest income. Paying for college became out of the question.

One afternoon, Dorothy Clark, her English teacher, walked into the classroom, handing out a paper sheet titled “Mrs. Clark’s Book List”, and said, “Some of you might not go on to higher education, but you can continue to learn.” She created a list of 153 fiction and nonfiction books, covering science, history, economics, politics, and literature. It would, she believed, form the equivalent (等同) of two years at a liberal arts college.

So she began in 1970. Starting at the top, Steph would read every book in the order they appeared. Each of those books fueled her passion to learn more about the person, subject matter, or time in history. Unlike many people who open a book in bed before it’s time to sleep, Steph prefers to read while sitting in a chair with a cup of coffee by her side. She doesn’t race through a book, as she wants to savor the experience.

Now Steph is 70 and she never did get to college. But she has only four books left to read from the list. She expects to complete them sometime in 2023.

In Madame Curie, the author, Eve Curie, writes, “Each of us must work for his own improvement, and at the same time share a general responsibility for all humanity, our particular duty being to aid those to whom we think we can be most useful.” The way Steph sees it, Mrs. Clark felt it was her particular duty to help young students. Steph wishes she could thank Mrs. Clark and share with her how reading the works on her list has changed her life. “It was never just a list I got from some teacher in school. It’s always been Mrs. Clark’s Book List,” says Steph.

1. What prevented Steph going to college?

A．Her family’s frequent move.	B．Her stepfather’s death.
C．Her mother’s remarriage.	D．Her family’s financial conditions.

2. Why did Mrs. Clark create the book list?

A．To prepare students for college.	B．To encourage students to continue learning.
C．To serve as a reading task for students.	D．To share her favorite books with students.

3. What does Steph think of “Mrs. Clark’s Book List”?

A．Informative.	B．Heavy going.
C．Humorous.	D．Mind-twisting.

4. What is the best title for the passage?

A．A good reading habit counts	B．An influential reading list makes a difference
C．An impressive English teacher does wonder	D．A wonderful university experience matters