1 . I opened the big steel door to the school's front office. My hands were a bit sweaty, my heart was pounding in my chest, and my throat and tongue felt tense and dry. It was the first day of school. No, not for me as a student, but rather, for me as a first time reading tutor（助教）volunteering with the Experience Corps program.
I'm so proud to be part of such a worthwhile educational organization. The Experience Corps developed a research-based, statistically proven reading improvement program which consists of fun reading games. In the games, I'd play with each child and they didn't even realize that they were actually learning and improving their reading—we were having too much fun!
"Ms. R,"（as they called me）, "I read my book to my dog, Sunny, and she really liked it, too." Great! That's the idea—keep on reading to others at home to increase accuracy and fluency. "Ms. R, my mom has a baby in her belly. I'm going to be a big sister and will read to him when he comes out." That one made me feel all warm and sweet, and I told the student that she would be the best big sister ever. "Ms. R, why do you have gray hair?" I love the frankness of kids. I just laughed and told them it was better to have gray hair than no hair! We all giggled（傻笑）at that.
The students were tested throughout the year, and results showed that they were making progress in their reading. I hope I played at least a small part in their academic success. When I first volunteered to tutor, I was a bit anxious. I had no teaching experience, but I found out that you don't need any. All you need is the willingness to give of yourself and a desire to work one-on-one with these children who so desperately want to please you.
1. How did the author feel when first working as a reading tutor?| A．Curious. | B．Nervous. |
| C．Satisfied. | D．Pleased. |
| A．Helping improve the reading program. |
| B．Teaching students knowledge of all the subjects. |
| C．Playing various outdoor games with the students. |
| D．Offering reading guidance under the program. |
| A．To describe the pleasure of being a reading tutor. |
| B．To state how the Experience Corps program works. |
| C．To show how close the students are to the volunteer tutor. |
| D．To explain the difficulties and hardship of teaching. |
| A．Experience. | B．Devotion. |
| C．Knowledge. | D．Diligence. |
2 . MOTHER EARTH NEWS GUIDE TO VEGETABLE GARDENING
For years, millions of readers have turned to Mother Earth News for trusted advice on growing vegetables and fruits. This book covers decades of wisdom, bringing together all the essential techniques, complete growing guides, helpful tips, useful photographs，and inspiring illustrations for which Mother Earth News is known.
Plan for self-sufficiency with a garden focused on food! Choose from a variety of plans for kitchen gardens, and look through strategies for small-space gardening, and suggestions on soil pH. Longtime gardeners are sure to find something new on plans for extending the seasons.
That's right, garden through the seasons with dozens of vegetable-and fruit-specific growing guides. Start with your favorites or learn to love something new. In slower-growing or more challenging seasons, Mother is there to help. Whether you need to know the best vegetables to grow in the shade or the top gardening tips for soil health in winter, this book has it all. Subscribe from June1 to June 10 and save 30% off the cover price. If you pay with a credit card, you can save additional 2 dollars.
Category:Organic Gardening，Bookstore
Pages: 272
ISBN-10: 0-7603-5187-2
ISBN-13: 978-0-7603-5187-1
Weight: 1. 94
Item Number: 8179
Price: $27. 9
1. What is Mother Earth News mainly about?
| A．Techniques of taking photos. |
| B．Advice on cooking delicious food. |
| C．Tips on growing vegetables and fruits. |
| D．Suggestions on beautifying your garden. |
| A．$ 17. 53 | B．$ 8. 37 | C．$ 25. 9 | D．$ 19. 53 |
| A．A short story. | B．An introduction to a book. |
| C．A book review. | D．An advertisement for a book. |
Perfect if you like: taking pictures with your camera or phone.
What you’ll find inside: This magazine is full of colorful photos and very pleasing to look at.There are many tips and guides on how to take great pictures, and they are written in simple and easy-to-understand English though there are some technical camera terms.You feel like the writers are talking to you! You can impress your friends with your improved English and your new photography skills!
Fast Company
Perfect if you like: business and learning how successful companies work.
What you’ll find inside: Fast Company is one of the most approachable(易于理解的) magazines about business and companies.It has many interviews of successful people, as well as general news about interesting new companies.It does use a higher level of writing than what is usual for magazines, so give it a try first to make sure you can understand the articles.
Cricket and Cicada
Perfect if you like: excellent literature and short stories.
What you’ll find inside: Cricket and Cicada are literary magazines aimed at teenagers.Each issue is full of wonderful short stories and poems, and beautiful illustrations( 插 图 ).Even though these are technically(严格来说) children’s magazines, they are perfect for learning English because they have high quality writing.
Mental Floss
Perfect if you like: interesting trivia(小知识)and facts.
What you’ll find inside: What does outer space smell like? Why isn’t cat food mouse-flavored?
If you’re the kind of person who asks yourself these questions, you’ll love Mental Floss.Each issue is full of bite-sized trivia and mostly short articles with really interesting facts that you’ll want to share with others.
While the print edition of the magazine stopped publishing in 2016, you can still read Mental Floss online.Click here to get more information.
1. Which of the following is about business and companies?| A．Digital Photographer. | B．Fast Company. |
| C．Cricket and Cicada. | D．Mental Floss. |
| A．It focuses on drawing skills. | B．It can only be bought online. |
| C．It is intended for teenagers. | D．It is full of colorful pictures. |
| A．Fantastic Magazines for Learning English |
| B．Perfect Choices in Collecting Information |
| C．Interesting Books Full of Illustrations |
| D．Wonderful Facts about Literature |
4 . Breaking bad reading habits
Are you eager to become a faster reader? Reading faster isn’t about finishing books without comprehension or enjoyment.
Avoid sounding out the words in your head. Many people sound out the words as they read — either by moving their lips or hearing the words in their head.
Overcome inefficient eye movement. When children learn how to read, they are taught to look at each word individually before moving onto the next.
Avoid distractions. Many people are slow readers simply because they often read in an inappropriate environment. If you want to read quickly and absorb the material in front of you, you need to avoid all kinds of distractions. Don’t try to read in a loud environment.
| A．Avoid reading word by word. |
| B．Don’t read the same sentence two or three times. |
| C．It won’t improve your understanding of the material. |
| D．Otherwise, you’ll find yourself getting distracted and rereading paragraphs. |
| E．However, your eyes are able to take in much more than a single word at a time. |
| F．It’s about learning to pick up the speed and still take in the information in an enjoyable way. |
| G．Although it is an effective way of teaching kids how to read, it is not beneficial to reading faster. |
5 . Don’t you have time for reading? If you are interested in non-fiction books, here are some good choices for you.
A Room of One’s Own
This essay by English writer Virginia Woolf is based on several lectures given to two women’s colleges at Cambridge University in 1928. In the essay, Woolf describes that it’s circumstance not talent alone, that allows men to be more successful at writing. Women, in other words, spend so much time cooking, cleaning, and tending to their children that they have no time left for art. To write well, therefore, a woman must have a “room of her own”. While on its surface, this essay appears to be only about writing, it is actually about wealth and class, freedom and confinement, and the power struggle between sexes.
The Art of War
Written by ancient Chinese warrior Sun Tzu, The Art of War is widely considered to be one of the best books about military strategies in human history. Consisting of 13 chapters, each dealing with a separate aspect about how to fight a war, the book has been translated into every major language and has thousands of editions. For centuries, it has been used to train world leaders for its detailed study of military strategies and effective leadership.
Letter to My Daughter
This book of essays by Maya Angelou, a respectable African-American poet, is written for “the daughter she never had” — the millions of women, both young and old, that she considers to be her “family”. From the viewpoint of a caring, older relative, this book contains lessons selected from her own life experiences, including the birth of her only child, a son, as well as the development and loss of friendship.
A Brief History of Time
If you’re short of time, then why not read about, well, the creation of time? This book, first published in 1998 from brilliant scientist and mathematician Stephen Hawking, explores mind-bending questions about the creation of the universe, including if and when it will end, and if so, how. Despite its heavy subject matter, Hawking addresses these questions in a way that’s easy to understand, even for those who know little about physics.
1. What can we learn about the four books?| A．A Brief History of Time mainly focuses on the matter of time. |
| B．Letter to My Daughter is actually a common family letter. |
| C．The Art of War gives advice on how to be a world leader. |
| D．A Room of One’s Own is more than about writing. |
| A．As a physicist,Hawking is equally famous in writing. |
| B．Maya devotes herself to fighting for women’s rights. |
| C．The book by Sun Tzu is helpful in policy-making. |
| D．Woolf looks down upon men in writing. |
| A．To make comparisons among the four books. |
| B．To recommend the four books to readers. |
| C．To make comments on the four books. |
| D．To promote sales of the four books. |
6 . Want a book? Head to a Rocket Ship in Boulder, Colorado, United States, a cottage (小屋) near Ghen, Belgium, or a tree in Coeurd’ Alene, Idaho, United States. These are just three of the more than 80,000 Little Free Libraries in more than 90 countries. Unlike traditional libraries, these small structures aren't buildings where people check out books from a librarian.
“A Little Free Library is a box full of books from which, when you find one, you can take a book home with you,” explains Margret Aldrich, Little Free Library spokes-woman. “Or if you have a book to share, you can leave it for someone else to read.”
Little Free Libraries are everywhere: outside homes or beside coffee shops.
The first was set on a post in front of Todd Bol’s home in Hudson, Wisconsin, United States, 10 years ago. The little schoolhouse Bol built held free books anyone could enjoy.
It became a local hit.
A year after setting up his library, Bol and Rick Brooks, a friend and business partner, launched Little Free Library as a nonprofit organization in 2012. Their goal was to make books more widely available while building connections within communities.
They inspired a book-sharing revolution.
Little Free Libraries began to spread all over the place-from Salvador, Brazil, to Grand Marais, Minnesota, United States.
Today, those who want to build one can get free instructions from the Little Free Library website.
“There weren't many public places like libraries where I live” says 10-year-old Umayr Ansari, who put a Little Free Library outside his home in Doha, Qatar. “I had a lot of extra books, and I wanted to share them so people who didn't have their own books could have a chance to read.”
“I liked to build the libraries and get the feeling of, ‘Wow I helped make that,’” says 11-year-old Ava Jelliek, “That gave me confidence.”
1. When and where was the first Little Free Library set up?| A．In 2001; In Wisconsin, United States. | B．In 2002; In Salvador, Brazil. |
| C．In 2011; In Ghen, Belgium. | D．In 2012; In Doha,Qatar. |
| A．The first free library. | B．Todd Bol's home. |
| C．A nearby coffee shop. | D．A cottage near Ghen. |
| A．They are happy to have their own libraries. |
| B．It’s good to make money by building a Little Free Library. |
| C．They are eager to build connections with friends. |
| D．It's a pleasure to help people read books easily. |
7 . By the end of the year, editors of New York Times have picked the 4 best books of 2019, including fiction and non-fiction. Let’s see which one will take your fancy.
Disappearing Earth
By Julia Phillips
In the first chapter of this novel, two young girls vanish, sending shock waves through a town on the edge of the remote and mysterious Kamchatka Peninsula. What follows is a novel of overlapping short stories about the different women who have been affected by their disappearance. Each tale pushes the narrative forward another month and exposes the ways in which the women of Kamchatka have been destroyed — personally, culturally and emotionally — by the crime.
No Visible Bruises
By Rachel Louise Snyder
Snyder’s thoroughly reported book covers what the World Health Organization has called “a global health problem”. In America alone, more than half of all murdered women are killed by a current or former life partner; domestic violence cuts across lines of class, religion and race. Snyder reveals pervasive myths (restraining orders are the answer, abusers never change) and writes movingly about the lives (and deaths) of people on both sides of the equation. She doesn’t give easy answers but presents a wealth of information that is its own form of hope.
Midnight in Chernobyl
By Adam Higginbotham
Higginbotham’s superb account of the April 1986 explosion at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant is one of those rare books about science and technology that read like a tension-filled thriller. Filled with vivid detail and sharply etched personalities, this narrative of astonishing incompetence moves from mistake to mistake, miscalculation to miscalculation, as it builds to the inevitable, history-changing disaster.
Exhalation
By Ted Chiang
Many of the nine deeply beautiful stories in this collection explore the material consequences of time travel. Reading them feels like sitting at dinner with a friend who explains scientific theory to you with no airs and graces. Each thoughtful, elegantly crafted story poses a philosophical question; Chiang arranges all nine into a conversation that comes full circle, after having travelled through remarkable areas.
1. Which of the following tells about the violence from a husband to a wife in a family?| A．Disappearing Earth | B．No Visible Bruises |
| C．Midnight in Chernobyl | D．Exhalation |
| A．Delighted. | B．Awkward. |
| C．Tense. | D．Calm. |
| A．A folk tale. | B．A biography. |
| C．A love story. | D．A sci-fi story. |
