4 . 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

2. Which number would you dial if you want to order a book for your 2-year-old child?

A．07459 40560.	B．07459 38922.
C．07459 45783.	D．07459 44116.

3. If your child wants to read stories of animals, whose book will be your choice?

A．Pat Alexander.	B．Beth Webb.
C．Lois Rock.	D．Elizabeth Goudge.

5 . 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.

2. According to Paragraph 3, the author’s reading of road signs indicates ________.

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.

3. The author takes novel reading as a way to___________.

A．explore a fantasy land	B．develop a passion for learning
C．learn about the adult community	D．get away from a confusing world

4. What could be the best title for the passage?

A．The Magic of Reading	B．The Pleasure of Reading
C．Growing Up with Reading	D．Reading Makes a Full Man

6 . While you may know how to find the best app for your phone, do you know how to pick a book you'll really like? Here are some tips.

1. Start with your interests.     1     You can pick something that’s all about your interests, whether it’s ancient martial arts, computers, or fashion design. You name it, there are surely to be books about it.

2. What's your "type"? Do you prefer fiction or nonfiction? Fiction books like novels or short-story collections can transport you to another world, or help you imagine something beyond your own experience. Not all fiction is the same-maybe you like the classics, fantasy or mystery (悬疑) novels.     2    . Try a range of types of fiction and see what you prefer. Nonfiction books give you the who, what, when, and why of something.     3    , but that doesn't mean they're dull . Nonfiction books can bring to life the eruption of Mount St. Helens in Washington or help you see inside a Chinese dynasty. Many of them read like novels from start to finish.

3.     4    . What was your mother's favorite book when she was your age or your dad's? How about a brother's or sister's? Find out and give it a read-then you can share your thoughts about the book. After all, what is a better way to connect with that cousin you only see in the summer than trading reading recommendations and discussing your reactions?

4. Join the club-online or in person. Get your friends together and share information about authors, writing styles, and story types.     5    . Join a group with your friends and people you trust (avoiding sharing personal information with people you don't know, of course).

A．Explain your interests

B．Find a family favorite

C．They tell stories using facts

D．Maybe historical fiction is more your thing

E．A library can attract you with a lot of great books

F．Reading on your own isn't like reading for school

G．Most social networking sites also have book-club sections

7 . How to Improve Speed Reading Skills

Speed reading is one of many skills that can improve your reading comprehension and shorten your study time.    1    

Look at groups of words, not single words.    2     However, if you can get into the habit of reading groups or chunks of words at one time, then you can read much faster. Start by trying to look at a group of three or four words at once, then work up to looking at an entire line of works. Focus on words that give the sentence meaning, such as the nouns and verbs and pay less attention to the filler words, such as a, the, and, etc.

Scan for keywords.

Scanning is a highly effective way of extracting answers from a text without really reading it. If you know exactly what you are looking for﹣a name, a date, a statistic, or a specific word-you can find it quickly by skipping over large chunks of the text. To scan, first visualize the word, number, or phrase you would like to find.    3     The information you are looking for should pop out at you.

    4    

You can train yourself to read faster by timing yourself as you go. Start by getting your base time. Set a timer for fifteen minutes, and speed read as you normally do.    5     Do not count the words, just the pages or paragraphs. Record your figures: for instance, you night write "15 min/6.5 pages."

A．Race the clock.

B．Cheek your comprehension.

C．Here are some speed reading techniques.

D．Then, run your eyes rapidly over the text.

E．When the timer goes off, cheek to see bow far you have got.

F．If you read a text one word at a time, then this will slow your reading speed down.

G．One of the reasons is that you have to pause to understand what a passage is saying.

8 . 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

2. The books mentioned in the text are all about______.

A．charity in the world

B．business and economy

C．poverty in the world

D．Bill Gates’ life experience

3. In How Asia Works, the author analyses ______.

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

9 . Everyone can benefit a lot from reading books. The following is about the various benefits of reading books.

    1     Whenever you read something, you learn information that you otherwise wouldn’t have known. It can be a fact about history or a theory you didn’t know existed. If you want to learn new words, reading books is a great way to enlarge your vocabulary.

Reading keeps your mind in good condition. Similar to solving puzzles, reading books allows your mind to practice its processing skills.    2    .

One of the primary benefits of reading books is its ability to develop your critical thinking skill.     3     Wherever you are faced with a similar problem in real life, your mind is able to put its mystery-solving skills to a test.

One of the real benefits of reading books is that the information in it can be accessed over and over again. For example, reading a cookbook allows you the luxury of reviewing the procedures whenever you need to.    4     Don’t even think about writing the information down because you may lose the paper you wrote down on sooner or later.

These are just some of the wonderful benefits of reading books.     5       If you can’t even go outside, you can download free e-books on line and read them on your computer. That way, you can set how advantageous reading can be for yourself.

A．Reading books keeps your mind absent.

B．You can improve your memory by reading.

C．Reading books provides you with new knowledge.

D．Following a recipe from a cooking show will be difficult.

E．Reading mystery novels, for example, sharpens your mind.

F．Going without books for too long will turn your mind into a whirl (混乱).

G．Why don’t you drop by the bookstore or library and pick a book up?

10 . Do you know how to pick a good book you’ll really like? Here are some tips.

Start with your interest.     1    . You can pick something that you love to read, not for school. They can be ancient martial (武术) arts, computers, or fashion design. You name it, there are books about it.

Pick your type. Do you prefer fiction or nonfiction (or both)? Fiction books, like novels, can transport you to another world or help you imagine something beyond your own experience. Nonfiction books give you the who, what, when, and why of something.     2    . Many of them read like novels from start to finish.

Read the description. The reviews and quotes on the back and inside covers of many books give you an idea of what the book is about. They can also help you pick future books, too. If you find a book you really like, take a minute to read the quotes and see which authors praised the book.     3    .

Find a family favorite. Which book did your mother love best when she was at your age?     4    . Find out and give them a read — then you can share your thoughts about the book.

Find a quiet place and make time for the book.     5    . You can put on some good music, get yourself some tea and let yourself be carried away by the book. You’ll see that time does fly when you’re reading something you love!

A．How about your brothers and sisters?

B．They tell stories using facts — but that doesn’t mean they’re boring.

C．Reading is a good way to improve your English.

D．Most reading is best enjoyed when you can concentrate on it.

E．Often, they’ll have similar styles and you might find books you like by those authors, too.

F．So you should read as much as possible when you are free.

G．Reading on your own isn’t like reading for school.