1 . The book Yes Means Yes, Everything Else Means No, explores the great philosophy (哲学) of simplicity and decision-making. Authored by an experienced decision maker, this book goes beyond self—help clichés (陈词滥调) and offers a true, actionable way to guide life choices.
At the center of human being lies the continuous process of decision—making. From the ordinary to the life—changing, our choices decide our paths. The book recognizes this basic aspect of our lives and stresses the key role decision—making plays in shaping our present and future.
The title, Yes Means Yes, Everything Else Means No, expresses a great principle. In a world where indecisiveness often leads to confusion and missed opportunities, the book’s philosophy tells between a loud “Yes” and a clear “No”. In nature, this title invites readers to grasp the power of this belief and the art of exact choices. The book advises us to put our energies into “Yes” and stop weakening our efforts with uncertain promises.
Simplicity in decision-making stresses clearness and effectiveness while making choices. When faced with difficult decisions, people often spend too much time processing data, but with no result. By accepting simplicity, decision-makers get the important information, focus on the most related points and avoid unnecessary troubles, enabling quicker judgments and conclusions.
Author Bruce Mulle’s journey began with a lesson passed by his brother. In nature, Yes Means Yes, Everything Else Means No is more than just a theoretical (理论的) exploration of simplicity; it’s a practical guide to improve decision-making skills. The author doesn’t only deliver the philosophy but equips readers with the tools they need to perform it effectively. From techniques to methods, the book offers a useful tool for simplifying the decision- making process.
1. What is the book aimed at?| A．Introducing important social skills. | B．Solving philosophical problems. |
| C．Recommending simple decision—making. | D．Stressing the importance of Yes. |
| A．Tell right from wrong. | B．Have strong beliefs. |
| C．Take good opportunities. | D．Make decisive choices. |
| A．Focusing on key information. | B．Jumping to conclusions. |
| C．Giving up unnecessary dreams. | D．Sticking to one’s own ideas. |
| A．Objective and serious. | B．Instructive and practical. |
| C．Comforting and meaningful. | D．Useful and subjective. |
2 . 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. |
3 . I turned 8 years old the day I skipped school for the first time. It was easily done: Both my parents left for work before my school bus arrived on weekdays, so when it showed up at my house on that cold winter morning, I simply did not get on. The perfect crime!
And what did I do with myself on that glorious stolen day, with no adult in charge and no limits on my activities? Did I get high? Hit the mall for a shoplifting extravaganza (狂欢)?
Nope. I built a warm fire in the wood stove, prepared a bowl of popcorn, grabbed a blanket, and read. I was trilled and transported by a book — it was Hemingway’s The Sun Also Rises — and I just needed to be alone with it for a little while. I ached to know what would happen to Jake Barnes and Lady Brett Ashley and Robert Cohn. I couldn’t bear the thought of siting in a classroom taking another exam when I could be traveling through Spain in the 1920s with a bunch of expatriates (异乡客).
I spent that day lost in words. Time fell away, as the room around me turned to mist, and my role — as a daughter, sister, teenager, and student — in the world no longer had any meaning. I had accidentally come across the key to perfect happiness: I had become completely absorbed by something I loved.
Looking back on it now, I can see that some subtle things were happening to my mind and to my life while I was in that state of absorption. Hemingway’s language was quietly braiding itself into my imagination. I was downloading information about how to create simple and elegant sentences, a good and solid plot. In other words, I was learning how to write. Without realizing it, I was hot on the trail of my own fate. Writing now absorbs me the way reading once did and happiness is their generous side effect.
1. Why did the author skip school on that day?| A．Because she’s fascinated by a novel. | B．Because it’s a biting cold winter morning. |
| C．Because her parents left home early. | D．Because she’s anxious to take the exam. |
| A．Reading a fiction by the fire. | B．Travelling with a bunch of expatriates. |
| C．Being occupied by one’s passion. | D．Breaking the rules and regulations. |
| A．Mending. | B．Destroying. | C．Entering. | D．Blocking. |
| A．The author was tired of his roles in the real-life. |
| B．Becoming a writer is the author’s childhood dream. |
| C．The author skipped school when he was 8 years old. |
| D．Writing has a horrible effect on the author’s life now. |
4 . The following are our monthly top picks among the recent nonfiction publication.
Four Battlegrounds
By Paul Scharre
Scharre examines the trends and expectations for the future applications of AI, whose battlegrounds are data, computing power, talent, and institutions. This study of the struggle over AI is well-written, widely sourced, and detailed. Readers knowledgeable about computer science will find it clarifying, while others will gain understanding of an important subject.
Saving Time
By Jenny Odell
With Saving Time, Odell aims at our concept of time. The idea of making as much output as possible from our time is fully rooted in modern life. Odell mixes cited research, philosophy, ecology, and history, finding the hidden markers of time along the highways and coast of her Bay Area home. Saving Time will find a long life on any library’s shelves.
Wisdom of the Wild
By Sheri Mabry
This title provides easygoing spiritual guidance inspired by everyday wonders of the natural world. Each section concentrates on an aspect of nature with a desirable quality, consisting of a one-page, science-based observation with advice and encouragement. Readers seeking inspiration will appreciate this charming offering.
Microjoys
By Cyndie Spiegel
During hard times, Spiegel began searching for a way to gently hold sadness in one hand and joy in the other. In a series of thoughtful essays, Spiegel begins with observations about various experiences, opening her heart to share emotional events made by what she calls “microjoys”. And finally, she urges readers to open their hearts and welcome glimpses (一瞥) of joy and beauty.
1. Whose book should you read if you are a fan of future technology?| A．Paul Scharre’s. | B．Jenny Odell’s. |
| C．Sheri Mabry’s. | D．Cyndie Spiegel’s. |
| A．Microjoys. | B．Saving Time. |
| C．Four Battlegrounds. | D．Wisdom of the Wild. |
| A．Getting life lessons from nature. | B．Pressing hard for more time in life. |
| C．Learning the power in the age of AI. | D．Finding the bright side when life is uneasy. |
5 . Let’s review some of the year’s best books so far.
The Astronaut’s Guide to Leaving the Planet
In this book, retired astronaut and pilot Terry Virts paints a lively picture of life aboard the International Space Station. And he describes what it takes to conduct a successful mission. Young space enthusiasts will enjoy this guide. Ambitious astronauts will treasure it.
Lasagna Means I Love You
In this touching realistic novel by Kate O’Shaughnessy, Mo and her grandma, Nan, live together. But after Nan dies, Mo’s uncle can no longer take care of her. To deal with these changes, she starts cooking, using family recipes that she collects from friends and through her food blog. There’s only one problem: She doesn’t have family recipes of her own. Hoping to define what really makes a family, Mo learns there’s no perfect recipe.
The Enchanted Life of Valentina Mejia
In this fast-paced adventure by Alexandra Alessandri, 12-year-old Valentina and her brother Julian are searching for mysterious creatures. Falling into another world during an earthquake, they discover a different, magical Colombia. Valentina learns that all of the legends about her country are true. But will they be able to leave this place and return home?
Just Jerry
It’s written by Jerry Pinkney, who writes about his growing up in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, during the 1940s and 1950s. He struggled with dyslexia (阅读障碍), but he always pursued his artistic calling. When he got a job at a newsstand, his boss gave him a chance to draw and sell his work. He was able to go to college to study art, and eventually built a career in publishing.
1. What do we know about Mo?| A．She grows up with her uncle. | B．She tries to find what family is. |
| C．She cooks to support her grandma. | D．She makes a living by selling recipes. |
| A．Terry Virts’. | B．Kate O’Shaughnessy’s. |
| C．Jerry Pinkney’s. | D．Alexandra Alessandri’s. |
| A．A biography. | B．A folk tale. | C．A love story. | D．A horror story. |
6 . Books influence people by showing us what is possible in the world. Here are four great reads that are worth a try.
I Am Golden by Eva Chen
This book is illustrated by Sophie Diao. As a children’s book author, Eva Chen shows people that family is important to her. In this book, she explores that through the eyes of Mei, a young girl being both a “teacher and translator” for her parents. The picture book tells an inspiring story that seeks to teach children about self-love.
I Am Quiet by Andie Powers
Andie Powers is a writer for children and she draws inspiration from her own experience as the mother of a quiet child, Alice. Illustrated by Betsy Petersen, this picture book tells that silent Emile’s mind can be as rich and expansive as that of any other children. The story honors and encourages the beauty of knowing oneself for exactly who he or she is.
The Star That Always Stays by Anna Rose Johnson
It is set in the early 1900s and tells a vivid story directly inspired by the author’s family history. Anna Rose Johnson’s writing is gentle, unhurried and reflective with touches of humor and heartbreak, showcasing the heroine of the book, Norvia Nelson, a brave girl making her way to complex family dynamics, pressures and universal daily-life challenges.
Carrie Soto Is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid
This book follows a legendary but unpopular tennis player as she comes out of retirement to attempt a comeback. Unable to stand her record being broken, Carrie Soto brings her dad back as her coach and trains with a former rival. From the story, readers discover the cost of fame, the struggles of being a female athlete, and that it’s OK to fail sometimes.
1. What do I Am Golden and I Am Quiet have in common?| A．The author. | B．The main content. |
| C．The illustrator. | D．The target audience. |
| A．Its tone is serious. |
| B．It is based on a true story. |
| C．It is set in the 19th century. |
| D．Its heroine has a weak personality. |
| A．Mei. | B．Emile. | C．Norvia Nelson. | D．Carrie Soto. |
7 . 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. |
8 . Four Not-So-Scary Books for Halloween
These seasonal picks are fun to read and aren’t meant to be frightening.
Halloween Ball
By Perdita Cargill and Honor Cargill, illustrated by Katie Saunders
(Tiger Tales)
In this new Diary of an Accidental Witch series, Bea is on the planning committee for her school’s Halloween Ball. She’s excited and a little scared too. Bea wants to come up with good ideas, but she’s nervous her dad will find out about her magic powers.
Ages 9 and under
Lumber-Jackula
By Mat Heagerty, illustrated by Sam Owen
(Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers)
Jack’s mom is a lumberjack, and his dad is a vampire. But Jack doesn’t want to follow in their footsteps.(He loves to dance more than anything and will have to get up a lot of courage to follow his dreams. The art in this graphic novel has many fun details.
Ages 8-12
The Pug Who Wanted to Be a Pumpkin
By Bella Swift
(Aladdin)
Peggy, a pug, is worried that going trick-or-treating with Chloe, the little girl in her family, will be scary. After all, Peggy is afraid of monsters, ghosts, and most certainly the dark. Will she be brave enough to put on her pumpkin costume and be by Chloe’s side on Halloween?
Ages 7-10
The Pumpkin War
By Cathleen Young
(Wendy Lamb Books)
In Madeline Island, Wisconsin, it’s a tradition to grow pumpkins that can be hollowed out and used as a type of paddle boat. During last year’s boat race, Sam’s pumpkin ran into Billie’s pumpkin and broke it. Billie hasn’t forgiven Sam for what happened. Will they become friends again before this year’s race?
Ages 8-12
1. Which book is recommended to five-year-old readers?
| A．Halloween Ball. | B．Lumber-Jackula. |
| C．The Pug Who Wanted to Be a Pumpkin. | D．The Pumpkin War. |
| A．Care. | B．Friendship. | C．Courage. | D．Family. |
| A．Western Festival. | B．Book Club. |
| C．Seasonal Favourites. | D．Novel Review. |
9 . Thrillers and romance and mystery, oh my!
Scan the text first. Before you kick off the speed-reading adventure, give the text a quick scan.
Silence your inner subvocalizer. Subvocalizing is the act of silently saying words in your head as you read. It means you are taking the time to read each word and “hear” it in your head. Subvocalizing is a handy way to ensure you understand what you read, but it’s also a habit that can slow you down.
And remember: Becoming a speed reader is like learning to salsa dance. Start slow, find your rhythm, and soon you’ll be breezing through pages like a literary Zorro!
| A．Expand your vocabulary. |
| B．A larger vocabulary really counts. |
| C．Try to put your inner voice on vacation. |
| D．Reading outside your usual categories and topics helps. |
| E．There are almost too many great books to read in a lifetime. |
| F．Fast reading helps you complete your booklist more efficiently. |
| G．Look for titles, subtitles, and any visual cue that offers a roadmap. |
10 . I own a well-read copy of Virginia Hamilton’s The People Could Fly: American Black Folktales. It’s a classic in many households, as it should be. It’s not just the stories that I return to over and over again; it’s the magical illustrations by the dynamic Leo and Diane Dillon. I included this book in the research for my most recent and next projects. The title serves as a repeatedly mentioned saying for my creative life. When I’m writing about Black people and Black children in particular, I have to always remember that in our stories, we could fly. This is the magic of storytelling, and this is the possibility that books for children can capture—that in spite of everything and because of everything, we can transcend (超越) it all and fly.
Hamilton observed the oral tradition in her many novels, and I try to do the same not only when writing but also while reading. I am attracted by books about people of color whose words and stories include a certain mix of musicality and ancestral memories. When our stories become classics, they are not just timely and timeless. They include time itself. Our stories document our presence. They say that we are here, we were here, and we will always be here. This presence is where historical narratives, social justice books, fantasy and science fiction, and even Afro futuristic stories gather.
Our books document humanity. Diverse books for children area collective witness to the human experience. My hope for the future of books about Black people, and especially children, is that we continue to champion both nonfiction stories that tell truths and fiction stories that highlight our mythology (神话) and cultural heritage (遗产), where we are both grounded in the reality of our lives and can shape shift, use magic, and take flight in order to rise above it all. With every story and with every book, our children are reminded time and time again that, indeed, we people could fly.
1. How does the text describe The People Could Fly: American Black Folktales?| A．It is a very popular classic. | B．Its author is very unrealistic. |
| C．Its illustrations are complex. | D．It is based on research projects. |
| A．To compare the differences of different types of books. |
| B．To explain why stories about people of color are timeless. |
| C．To prove Hamilton’s writing styles are unique and diverse. |
| D．To highlight the significance of presence displayed in books. |
| A．Nonfiction stories should be strictly limited. |
| B．They should be much easier for most kids to read. |
| C．They should attach importance to the topic of time. |
| D．Fiction stories should promote ancestral memories. |
| A．Lifestyle. | B．Entertainment. | C．Opinion. | D．Politics. |
