1 . Family plays an important part in much fiction, of course, but sometimes the short story form has offered us an insight into family life that the longer novel does not. Here are some for you to taste.
Prelude, by Katherine MansfieldPrelude is one of Katherine Mansfield's longest and finest short stories. Because Prelude is a modernist short story, the emphasis is on characters rather than plots. Mansfield is using the Burnells’ house-move, and the period when they are busy settling into their new home, as a situation to observe family, women and class.
He, by Katherine Anne PorterKatherine Anne Porter (1890-1980) wrote just one novel and fewer than thirty short stories, yet she is regarded as an important twentieth-century American writer, with He among her most celebrated and critically praised works. An important theme of Porter’s work is the search for meaning in a modern and increasingly materialist world.
Signs and Symbols, by Vladimir NabokovIt is a short story by the Russian-American author Vladimir Nabokov (1899-1977), originally published in the New Yorker in 1948. The story centers on an elderly married Russian couple who move to the United States; their son is suffering from paranoid delusions (妄想症) and has been limited to a care center. Signs and Symbols focuses on the couple’s attempt to visit their son and its result.
Down at the Dinghy, by J. D. SalingerThis short story was originally published in 1949. It involves an adult speaking to a child. It is about a young boy who runs from home and goes down to the nearby lake, where he gets into a boat and refuses to speak to his mother. The story ends with the mother bonding with her son.
1. What is special about Prelude?| A．It’s about scientific observation. | B．It’s the longest of the four. |
| C．It involves moving to a new place. | D．It focuses more on figures than plots. |
| A．They are contemporary writers. | B．Their works center on critical thinking. |
| C．They both seek for meaning in modern life. | D．Their works were published in the New Yorker. |
| A．Science fiction fans. | B．Family-based short story lovers. |
| C．Those who plan to be writers. | D．People trying to have a family. |
2 . A Book-list by Trusted Critics
I Can ExplainShinsuke Yoshitake
Has your mom ever caught you picking your nose or biting your nails? In this book, bad habits yield complex explanations that justify their very existence.
And really, how hard is it to believe that nose pickers are actually pushing hidden nose buttons that release “cheerful beams” that make everyone happy?
Where Butterflies Fill the SkyZahra Marwan
What happens when you have to leave your home where the desert reaches all the way to the sea and 100 butterflies always fill the sky? This picture book about immigration deals with its serious subject matter while keeping heart, humor and family close at hand.
It tells the true story of how the girl and her family moved from one land to another.
FarmhouseSophie Blackall
Our lives are our stories. In this one Sophie Blackall manages to spin a single sentence capturing the imagined lives of a houseful of children on a farm. The images and story were inspired by the detritus (废弃物) she discovered in an old farmhouse.
The resulting images are sure to delight children and adults alike, while the story is a reminder of what we leave behind.
My Brother Is AwaySara Greenwood
It’s never easy to explain that a family member is imprisoned, and it can be especially hard for children.
This simple picture book draws on the author’s own childhood to tell the story of a young girl whose brother is in prison. A gentle and hopeful story for kids about very adult situations and complex feelings.
1. What is Where Butterflies Fill the Sky about?| A．A story of 100 butterflies always filling the sky. |
| B．A story of immigration, family, and finding home. |
| C．A story of serious matters of a girl and her mom. |
| D．A story about very adult situations and complex feelings. |
| A．Where Butterflies Fill the Sky. | B．I Can Explain. |
| C．Farmhouse. | D．My Brother Is Away. |
| A．Senior students. | B．Adults. | C．Kids. | D．Foreigners. |
3 . Helping your children learn to read is of great importance. It might mean finding support if they are having difficulties, which can affect their future success.
Choose some activities
As your child begins to read, there are many activities you can choose. The activities include pointing out letters, practicing sounds, singing nursery (童谣), and reading stories together.
When your child is reading more independently, you can help make it enjoyable for them. Listening to your child read aloud, going to the library to check out new books or old favorites, and reading books in series are ways to help your child get more interested in reading and continue growing as a reader.
Find right books
Lots of kids love non-fiction books because they are about the world they know and see around them. There are many books about topics such as animals, sports, other countries and famous people.
Adjust your methods
If your child is struggling to read, there is no need to panic.
| A．They can ask teachers for help. |
| B．They are just a few examples of such activities. |
| C．These books may get your child excited about reading. |
| D．Here are some ways to help your children learn to read. |
| E．Make reading interesting |
| F．Help your child read |
| G．Every child learns in his or her own way. |
4 . About a decade ago, Lawson was at a beach in Virginia watching his kids build castles right next to the waves.
“I kept trying to get them to come back because I thought it was a terrible idea,” he remarked. He wanted them to build their sandcastles closer to the dunes. But they found it more exciting to build right where the waves hit, seeing their sandcastles get destroyed, and then rebuilding them with whatever debris washed up from the ocean. “It seemed so symbolic, somehow, of how life works more than just building your perfect sandcastles,” said Lawson. When he decided to turn that sunny day into a children’s book, the idea came to just use pictures. “It seemed like it would work beautifully without words,” he said.
A Day for Sandcastles is illustrated by Qin Leng. It’s the second wordless picture book for Lawson and Leng since 2021’s Over the Shop. Leng’s illustrations stay pretty true to real life. Three siblings spend the day building sandcastles and watching them get destroyed by a flying hat. “To me it’s a celebration of childhood and the simple joys of life. These are the things I like to capture,” said Leng.
Leng spent part of her childhood in France, and she was inspired by European comic books. “What I love to do when I illustrate a picture book is add side stories to the main storyline. I always think about the readers and the longevity of the book, and I want them to be able to discover something new every time they revisit the book,” Leng explained.
At the end of the day, the sleepy-eyed kids pile into the bus that will take them home. “Those last pages are some of my favorite. They capture that feeling like at the end of the day on the beach, when it’s getting dark and you feel completely exhausted,” Lawson said. It must be a universal childhood feeling: happy with sand, sticky from the salt, hot from the sun, and ready to fall asleep the moment you get into the car.
1. Why does Lawson mention the scene where the kids built sandcastles?| A．To suggest a way to enjoy leisure. | B．To remind readers of the childhood. |
| C．To convince us of how life works. | D．To tell us the inspiration for his book. |
| A．They are purchased by kids universally. | B．Readers can only find pictures in them. |
| C．They carry no elements of comic books. | D．The stories are literally works of fantasy. |
| A．Relieved. | B．Pleased. | C．Disturbed. | D．Exhausted. |
| A．Childhood in sandcastles | B．Beautiful childhood memories |
| C．Popular illustrated books | D．Explore the mystery of nature |
5 . Looking for a new poetry book to read? I’ve got you! We’re going to explore some of my favorite poetry collections, which range from the traditional all the way to the totally experimental. And though they differ in terms of tone and subject matter, they’ve got all we call “good parts”.
Night Sky with Exit Wounds by Ocean Vuong
It is the first poetry collection from Ocean Vuong. Vuong’s style is well-suited to the heavy subjects he pursues, particularly when he reflects on the loss of his father and his experiences as a wartime refugee. There’s a certain wonderful quality to his writing.
Lunch Poems by Frank O’Hara
If you like a conversational style, Lunch Poems might be the poetry book for you. Personal, funny, and easy, the collection perfectly shows the casual voice of Frank O’Hara, an outstanding figure of the New School Movement in late 1950s’ New York. As the name suggests, most of the poems were written during his lunch break at work, bringing a realistic image by the writing.
100 Selected Poems by E.E. Cummings
It’s a shame that more people don’t take EE Cummings seriously. Yes, his poetry is sometimes experimental. Unconcerned with “rules”, Cummings tried to capture emotion in its own form.
The Complete Poems by Elizabeth Bishop
In my opinion, any kind of fantastic poetry books must include Elizabeth Bishop. Highly skilled and highly influential, Bishop was one of the most powerful voices of the 20th century. She mostly worked within traditional forms, but the forms led to surprising effects, mixing classic styles with modern ones.
1. Who enjoys writing in a free way?| A．Ocean Vuong. | B．Frank O’Hara. |
| C．E.E. Cummings. | D．Elizabeth Bishop. |
| A．Lunch Poems. | B．100 Selected Poems. |
| C．The Complete Poems. | D．Night Sky with Exit Wounds. |
| A．It is powerful. | B．It is abstract. |
| C．It is excellent. | D．It is surprising. |
6 . You will have a lot of reading to do when you are in high school. You can do more of it in less time if you learn to read rapidly.
Perhaps you have been told about some habits (习惯) which keep a person from reading fast and have been strongly asked to break those habits which you might have.
Do you still have any of these bad habits? Check yourself by answering “yes” or “no” to these questions.
(1) Do you move your lips (嘴唇) when reading silently?
(2) Do you point to words with your finger as you read?
(3) Do you move your head from side to side as you read?
(4) Do you read one word at a time?
If you answer “yes” to any of these questions, start at once to break the habit. If you move your lips, hold your fingers over them, or hold a piece of paper between your lips while you are reading. Then if your lips move, your will know it and can stop them.
If you point to words, hold the two sides of your book, one side with your left hand, the other side with your right hand. Then you won’t have a free finger to use in pointing while reading. If you move your head, place your chin (下巴) in one hand and hold your head still (静止不动的).
If you read no more than one or two three words at a time, you need to work very hard in learning to take in (吸收) more words at each glance (一瞥) as your eyes travel across the lines of words.
Even if you do rather fast now, you can learn to read even faster. As you probably have been told, the secret of fast reading is to take in whole groups of words at each glance. Read in thought groups and force (迫使) your eyes along the lines of words at fast as you can make them go. Anyone who practices doing these things will be able to read faster.
1. You may hold your fingers over your lips while reading so as ________.| A．to tell others to be silent |
| B．to feel whether your lips move or not |
| C．to hold a piece of paper between them |
| D．to keep yourself from talking to others |
| A．Keeping your head still. |
| B．Holding your books with your hands. |
| C．Standing up near a desk. |
| D．Using your finger to point to words. |
| A．You can read more in less time |
| B．You can write faster |
| C．You can understand better |
| D．You can read less in more time |
| A．The way of reading fast. |
| B．The importance of fast reading. |
| C．The way to get rid of bad habits. |
| D．The way to speak quickly. |
7 . Here are some books that are carefully picked for your kids.
Corduroy
It’s about a little bear, Corduroy, in a toy shop. He has lost one of his buttons. This makes him very sad because he wants to be taken home by a kid. So he decides to find a new button. Corduroy contains some hard words. So you’d better use a dictionary while reading it.
Price: $18; a 10% discount on Sunday
Curious George
Curious George, a monkey, is a little too interested in everything, which causes humans to bring him from the forest to a big city. However, there he calls the fire department, is sent to prison, escapes from prison and is carried into the sky by balloons. Though the book uses a lot of short and simple sentences, some of its words are not simple.
Price: $20; a 20% discount on Sunday
The Story of Ferdinand
Ferdinand, a bull, loves to smell the flowers in the grasslands. One day people come to pick a male cow for bullfights. Ferdinand doesn’t want to be chosen, but a bee stings (蜇) him. It causes him to jump around crazily, so he’s picked. In Ferdinand’s first fight, he lies down to smell the flowers instead of fighting. So he is sent back to the grassland. The book has many similar stories that bring laughter. And it has everything that makes a children’s book great for English learners—simple and hard words.
Price: $16; a 10% discount on Sunday
Green Eggs and Ham
In this book, a cat named Sam really likes green eggs and meat. So he offers them to a friend. Read the book to see if his friend likes the meal or not. This book is a poem. Despite the simple vocabulary, the words are used in a way that feels smart.
Price: $15; a 5% discount on Sunday
1. Which book is about a small toy bear?| A．Curious George. | B．Corduroy. |
| C．Green Eggs and Ham. | D．The Story of Ferdinand. |
| A．He lies to the audience. | B．He jumps around crazily. |
| C．He refuses to fight. | D．A bee stings him. |
| A．To help. | B．To advertise. | C．To comment. | D．To educate. |
8 . The years 1347—1351 saw Europe suffer from the worst disease—the Black Death. At least one third of the population in Europe lost their lives. Even the Catholic priests(牧师) with all their influence could not survive either.
Against this background, Giovanni Boccaccio, an Italian writer, decided to collect stories from history to both comfort victims and challenge the church.
In the book,10 people get together at a faraway place to stay away from the disease and share stories there to deal with boredom.
| A．Each person prepares a story based on certain themes everyday, including wisdom and love. |
| B．The Decameron, as a symbol of the Renaissance(文艺复兴) period, has an influence that goes far beyond one specific country or area. |
| C．It was no surprise, then, that people’s belief in the church began to break down. |
| D．Everyone can learn a lesson from the book. |
| E．When I first read this book, the world was fighting against COVID-19. |
| F．This is what inspired his most famous book, The Decameron. |
| G．The Decameronis one of the most famous literary work in the Italian Renaissance period. |
9 . Reading is vital but how can one choose the right books to read and where can one find them? A few famous people may give you some helpful tips.
● Read books from past eras.
●
Reading too wide a variety in too short a time would keep the teachings from leaving a lasting impression on you. Seneca the Younger, a first-century Roman philosopher, suggested that “you must linger (持续看) among a limited number of master thinkers, and understand their works, if you would obtain ideas which shall win firm hold in your mind.
● Shop at secondhand bookstores.
Virginia Woolf believed the works in secondhand bookstores have an attraction which the usual volumes of the library lack. Browsing through these books gives you the chance to run into something that wouldn’t have risen to the attention of librarians and booksellers.
● Check out authors’ reading lists.
In his 1940 guide How to Read a Book, American educator Mortimer J. Adler talked about how to choose books. He attached importance to those that oilier authors consider worth reading.
● Make the final decision by yourself.
| A．Great authors are great readers. |
| B．Participate in a reading challenge. |
| C．Leave some room for older works. |
| D．Don’t jump too quickly from book to book. |
| E．Analyze your options with Amazon Best Seller Rankings. |
| F．There’s no “best books” list that everyone should follow. |
| G．Usually they are much more selective in organizing their collections. |
10 . You can get a clear picture about Deep Work by Cal Newport in 5 minutes. Deep Work tells us professional activities performed in a state of distraction-free concentration that you push your cognitive (认知的) capabilities to their limit. These efforts create new value and improve your skill. The ability to perform deep work is becoming increasingly rare at exactly the same time it is becoming increasingly valuable in our economy. As a consequence, the few who develop the skill, and then make it the core of their working life will thrive (蓬勃发展).
The book tells us the core abilities for thriving in the new economy, which are the ability to quickly master hard things, the ability to produce a high level, in terms of both quality and speed. If you can’t learn, you can’t thrive. If you don’t produce, you won’t thrive — no matter how skilled or talented you are. If you haven’t mastered deep work, you’ll struggle to learn hard things. To learn hard things quickly, you must focus intensely without distraction.
The key to developing a deep work habit is to move beyond good intentions and add routines and habits to your working life designed to minimize a state of unbroken concentration. To master the art of deep work, therefore, you must take back control of your time and attention from the many entertainments on the Internet that attempt to steal them. Adopt a tool only if its positive impacts on these factors substantially outweigh its negative impacts. It’s crucial that you figure out in advance what you’re going to do with your evenings and weekends before they begin.
In the end of Deep Work, we can know that the ability to concentrate is a skill that gets valuable things done. If you’re struggling to use your mind to its fullest capacity to create things that matter, then you’ll discover, as others have before you, that depth generates a life rich with productivity and meaning.
1. What is presented in the first paragraph?| A．Theoretical introduction. | B．Daring anticipation. |
| C．Practical examples. | D．Detailed analyses. |
| A．Those who’re willing to help others. | B．Those who’re very skilled or talented. |
| C．Those who’re the best at what they do. | D．Those who struggle to learn hard things. |
| A．Making a flexible schedule. | B．Quitting social media. |
| C．Using on-demand distraction. | D．Forming a simple habit. |
| A．A book review. | B．A news report. |
| C．An exam paper. | D．An economic article. |
