1 . The red phone box in Britain is a perfect example of the British traditional culture. However, with the fast development of mobile phones, it has lost its place in people’s everyday life. In order to save their loved red phone boxes, people have thought up many ideas, for example, to turn them into toilets or art houses.
In a village in Somerset, a place in South West England, villagers have found a novel way to save their red phone box. They turned it into a mini library to deal with the shortage of libraries in their area. The idea was given by a local villager, Janet Fisher, who lives opposite the phone box. Villagers rallied together to set up the book box. Over 100 books and a variety of movies and music CDs are available at this tiny library. The books are of different kinds, ranging from cooking books to the classics and children’s books.
People can put the books that they have read inside the phone box, and take away the books that they’d like to read. The books are always changing. There is a regular check on the books to keep the phone box collection fresh.
Anyone is free to come to read books there. The phone box library is open every day around the clock and is lit at night. “It’s very pleasing that the red phone box has been saved. More importantly, it can continue providing a service for us,” said one of the villagers.
1. The red phone box has been a symbol of ________.| A．the European architecture | B．the British culture |
| C．the development of technology | D．British people’s daily life |
| A．separate | B．traditional | C．ridiculous | D．new |
| A．keep its original function |
| B．make up for the lack of library service |
| C．provide a place to exchange ideas |
| D．to enlarge the collection of the local library |
| A．The library is open to the public only at night. |
| B．The library was set up by a local villager living opposite a phone box. |
| C．People can borrow books and other audio-visual products there. |
| D．Regular check is made to keep the books in good order. |
2 . As an active theater-goer and play-reader, I edit this book to share my passion for the theater with others. To do this I have searched through many plays to find the ones that I think best show the power and purpose of the short play.
Each play has a theme or central idea the playwright (剧作家) hopes to get across through dialogue and action. A few characters are used to create a single impression growing out of the theme. It is not my intention to point out the central theme of each of the plays in this collection, for that would, indeed, ruin the pleasure of reading, discussing, and thinking about the plays and the effectiveness of the playwright. However, a variety of types are presented here. These include comedy, satire (讽刺剧), historical and regional drama. To show the diverse nature of the short play, I have included a guidance play, a radio play and a television play.
Among the writers of the plays in this collection, Paul Green, William Saroyan, and Maxwell Anderson have all received Pulitzer Prizes for their contributions to the theater. More information about the playwrights will be found at the end of this book.
To get the most out of reading these plays, try to picture the play on stage, with you, the reader, in the audience. The house lights become less bright. The curtains (幕布) are about to open, and in a few minutes, the action and dialogue will tell you the story.
1. What do we know about the author from paragraph 1?| A．He has written dozens of plays. | B．He is a professional stage director. |
| C．He has a deep love for the theater. | D．He likes reading short plays to others. |
| A．State the plays’ central ideas. | B．Select works by famous playwrights. |
| C．Include various types of plays. | D．Offer information on the playwrights. |
| A．Control their feelings. | B．Use their imagination. |
| C．Apply their acting skills. | D．Bear their audience in mind. |
| A．A short story. | B．An introduction to a book. |
| C．A play comment. | D．An advertisement for a theater. |
3 . As we traveled around the U.S. reporting on the development of towns and cities, we always made the local library an early stop. The traditional impression of libraries as places for quiet reading, research, and borrowing books is outdated. There are three areas where libraries work as energetic centers of America’s towns: technology, education, and community.
Technology
Many people rely on libraries for their computer and Internet use. According to a 2015 Pew Research Center report, more than a quarter of Americans who had visited a public library in the past year had used a computer, the Internet, or a WiFi connection there.
More ambitiously, libraries have also begun offering “makerspaces” shared workspaces that provide technological tools and are designed to facilitate teamwork. I recently toured the makerspace at Washington, D.C.’s flagship Martin Luther King Jr. Library. A group of hobbyists, businesspeople, and a mom with her homeschooled preteens were learning about tools like 3-D printers, laser cutters, and wire benders. Miguel Figueroa, who directs the Center for the Future of Libraries at the American Library Association, says makerspaces are part of libraries’ expanded mission to be places where people can not only consume knowledge, but create new knowledge.
Education
In my conversations with librarians around the country, the most urgent topic was the education of America’s youngest children. Patrick Losinski, the CEO of the Columbus, Ohio, metropolitan library system, told me that when a 5-year-old walks into kindergarten, takes a book, and holds it upside down, “you know there is no reading readiness there.” I heard of many projects like Books for Babies, which is run by Friends of the Library in tiny Winters, California: Volunteers offer new babies a box with a T-shirt, a cap, two books, and an application to join the library.
In Charleston, West Virginia, despite recent funding losses that severely cut library staff, librarians still provide materials to teachers all across the 900-square-mile county. In Columbus, Mississippi, the library gives high-school students access to Civic War-era documents slave sale records, court cases, and secrets of the community making real the history of their state.
Community
The library in West Hartford, Connecticut, offers conversational-English classes for immigrants. The library in Seattle provides citizenship classes. The library in Duluth, Minnesota, has a seed-lending program for local gardeners. In libraries, I have practiced yoga, drunk in coffee shops, and watched youngsters with laptops arrangetheir virtual start-up offices at long reading-room tables.
1. What is the passage mainly about?| A．How libraries are designed. | B．How libraries have developed. |
| C．How libraries function in new ways. | D．How libraries become a popular spot. |
| A．Make T-shirts. | B．Work together. |
| C．Visit exhibitions. | D．Publish books. |
| A．They run short of funds. | B．They help children learn history. |
| C．They provide children with 3-D printers. | D．They offer readers sports facilities. |
| It celebrates your children’s curiosity as they: - Explore beautiful illustrations and incredible photography that showcase the mysteries of space. - Reveal engaging storybook-style descriptions that explain key discoveries about the universe. This space encyclopedia is the perfect combination of storybook-style text with out-of-this-world illustrations. Compared with reading alone, reading the book with family doubles the pleasure as family ties are strengthened through exploring the unknown together. Explore the vastness of space whilst uncovering: -Excellent Jacket Detail: gold book cover & luxury metallic gold edges -Striking photography & illustrations inside -A quality gift to be passed down through the generations More in the Series The Mysteries of the Universe is part of the beautiful and informative Anthology series. Complete the series and cultivate your children's curiosity as they explore the natural world with Wonders of Nature or let them walk with the dinosaurs with Intriguing Animals. |
| A．offers information about over 100 objects of the universe |
| B．describes a story happening in the outer space |
| C．provides close-up pictures of people and objects around children |
| D．uncovers secrets of natural world and animals |
| A．The book can be obtained second-hand with the lowest price of $12.29. |
| B．The book belongs to a series, all books of which explore the mysteries of outer space. |
| C．The book has been graded by over 4000 people. |
| D．The book is currently qualified for free shipping. |
| A．Increasing reading experience through pictures. |
| B．Improving family connections by joint exploration. |
| C．Attracting readers through the style of telling stories. |
| D．Providing simple book cover but quality content. |
5 . 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. |
| 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. |
| A．Informative. | B．Heavy going. |
| C．Humorous. | D．Mind-twisting. |
| 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 |
6 . Olly Neal grew up in Arkansas. He didn’t care much for high school. One day during his senior year, he cut class and walked into the school library. He discovered a book written by Frank Yerby. The book was The Treasure of Pleasant Valley and it attracted Neal’s attention. But there was one problem — if Neal took the book to the check out counter (收银台), his friends would know he was reading books.
“Then my fame (名誉) would be down,” Neal said. “I wanted them to know that all I could do was fight and cuss (咒骂).” Finally, Neal decided to steal the book.
A week later, Neal had finished the book. He brought it back to the library. But when he put it back, there was another book by Yerby. He took it as well. The same thing happened again. He read four of Yerby’s books that term — checking out none of them.
But Neal’s sneaky action turned out not to have been so sneaky after all. Attending his 13-year high school get-together, Neal met the school’s librarian, Mildred Grady. She saw Neal take that book. She said, “My first thought was to call him out, and then I realized what his situation was. So I decided that if Neal was showing an interest in books, I would find another one for him and put it in the same place where the one he had taken was.”
This was not an easy matter, because Frank Yerby’s books were not especially available. But the woman’s efforts paid off: Neal went on to attend law school and later became a great judge. When Grady died, Neal told the story and he said, “I thank Mrs. Grady for helping me get into the habit of enjoying reading, so that I was able to go to law school and survive.”
1. Why did Neal steal the book instead of checking it out?| A．To prove he was a skillful thief. |
| B．To show the book to his friends. |
| C．To keep being known as a troublemaker. |
| D．To avoid communicating with the librarian. |
| A．Secret. | B．Dangerous. | C．Brave. | D．Illegal. |
| A．She taught Neal how to survive. |
| B．She persuaded Neal to be honest. |
| C．She encouraged Neal to study law. |
| D．She helped Neal develop reading habits. |
| A．Reading changes people’s life |
| B．A librarian changed a boy’s life |
| C．A senior student became a judge |
| D．Frank Yerby’s books attracted a boy |
7 . When I was an eight-year-old girl, Mother told me to put my coat on because we were going to go somewhere special. Usually, that meant we were going to see someone important or that I would at least get a new toy. I asked which one it would be that day, and she told me that I would be getting something better than a toy. She said I would get “access to a world of toys”．
But we did not end up at any toy store. Nor did we finally see anyone we knew. Instead, Mother pulled her car at Marcy Public Library. Mother led me directly to the reception desk. “I’d like to get my daughter a library card,” she told the man behind the desk. He asked her to fill out a form and smiled at me. “What kind of books do you like?” he asked. I was too shy to reply then. I simply smiled back and shrugged my shoulders. “Well, you’ll figure it out in time” he said.
I do not remember what I checked out that first day, but I know that in the years that followed I read everything I could find of interest at that old library. I read through all the Nancy Drew books before advancing to Judy Blume, then the classics: Charles Dickens, Mark Twain, Shakespeare. Then I read books on history, books of poetry, and books about art. The library opened up a world that I never knew existed.
So Mother was right. Getting a library card was like getting access to a world of toys.
1. Why did the author’s mother ask her to put on the coat?| A．To eat delicious food. | B．To go to someplace special. |
| C．To swim. | D．To meet important people. |
| A．at Marcy Public Library. | B．at any toy store. |
| C．at that old library. | D．Judy Blume. |
| A．The author is outgoing and active. | B．The author is shy when asked. |
| C．The author only read books on history. | D．Her mother was unwilling to let her read. |
| A．Getting a library card. | B．Making a lot of money. |
| C．Getting a car. | D．Getting a good book. |
8 . The Man Who Ate his Boots is a fascinating account of expeditions that went wrong. The book examines the 19th century search for a route to Asia by way of the Northwest Passage through the Arctic Ocean. Author Anthony Brandt describes the many attempts by both land and sea that ended in failure and tragedy, including the 1845 expedition led by Sir John Franklin. Brandt shows how these brave, yet sometimes foolish, explorers could have avoided starvation, frostbite, and even death if they had copied the survival techniques of the local Inuit people. Some of the more surprising details the book reveals include:
IGLOOS The explorers, despite repeatedly watching the Inuit build igloos, insisted on using canvas tents. Tents freeze in sub-zero temperatures and give little protection to anyone inside them. If they had learned to build igloos, the explorers would have been warm even in the worst Arctic weather.
SEALSKIN If the explorers had worn sealskin and furs like the Inuit, they wouldn’t have suffered from the frostbite that was common among them, but rare among the Inuit.
DOG TEAMS Why didn’t the British use dog teams to pull their sleds? Pulling sleds themselves was a tradition among many explorers right into the early 20th century. It cost Scott and his men their lives on their return from the South Pole in 1912.
The British did get something right, however, when Captain Edward Parry grew salad vegetables in boxes on board his ship. It was known that fresh vegetables and fresh meat prevented scurvy (坏血病)，although at that time the reason for this (vitamin C) had not been discovered. Parry’s men wouldn’t have been as healthy if they hadn’t eaten the salads.
1. In The Man Who Ate his Boots’ the author mainly ________.| A．introduces some foolish explorers |
| B．focuses on some unsuccessful expeditions |
| C．analyzes the Inuit people’s survival techniques |
| D．explores the advances in equipment used for expeditions |
| A．They should have learned more about how seals survived in cold water. |
| B．They should have set up more canvas tents to keep themselves warm. |
| C．They should have helped the Inuit people build igloos. |
| D．They should have used dogs to pull the sleds for them. |
| A．Edward Parry found a way to prevent scurvy by accident |
| B．Edward Parry’s successful voyage was a rare case at that time |
| C．Edward Parry was the first captain that grew salad vegetables on board |
| D．Edward Parry’s men could have been more healthy if they took vitamin C |
9 . That everyone’s too busy these days is a cliche. But one specific complaint is made frequently: There’s never any time to read. A professional reader, the novelist and critic Tim Parks, wrote in a New York Review of Books essay: “Every moment of serious reading has to be fought for, planned for.” Parks wrote that in June; last month, I finally found time to read it.
What makes the problem thornier is that the usual time-management techniques don’t seem sufficient. The web’s full of articles offering tips on making time to read: “Give up TV” or “Carry a book with you at all times”. But in my experience, using such methods to free up the odd 30 minutes doesn’t work. Sit down to read and the flywheel of work-related thoughts keeps spinning — or else you’re so exhausted that a challenging book’s the last thing you need. “The modern mind,” Parks writes, “is overwhelmingly inclined toward communication ... It is not simply that one is interrupted; it is that one is actually inclined to interruption.” Deep reading requires not just time, but a special kind of time which can’t be obtained merely by becoming more efficient.
In fact, “becoming more efficient” is part of the problem. Thinking of time as a resource to be maximized means you approach it instrumentally, judging any given moment as well spent only in so far as it advances progress toward some goal. Immersive reading, by contrast, depends on being willing to risk inefficiency, goallessness, even time-wasting. Try to slot it as a to-do list item and you’ll manage only goal-focused reading — useful, sometimes, but not the most fulfilling kind. “The future comes at us like empty bottles along an unstoppable and nearly infinite convey or belt,” writes Gary Eberle in his book Sacred Time, and “we feel a pressure to fill these different-sized bottles (days, hours, minutes) as they pass, for if they get by without being filled, we will have wasted them”. No mind-set could be worse for losing yourself in a book.
So what does work? Perhaps surprisingly, scheduling regular times for reading. You’d think this might fuel the efficiency mind-set, but in fact, Eberle notes, such ritualistic behaviour helps us “step outside time’s flow” into “soul time”. You could limit distractions by reading only physical books, or on single-purpose e-readers. “Carry a book with you at all times” can actually work, too-providing you dip in often enough, so that reading becomes the default state from which you temporarily surface to take care of business, before dropping back down. On a really good day, it no longer feels as if you’re “making time to read,” but just reading, and making time for everything else.
1. The usual time-management techniques don’t work because _________.| A．what they can offer does not ease the modern mind |
| B．what challenging books demand it repetitive reading |
| C．what people often forget is carrying a book with them |
| D．what deep reading requires cannot be guaranteed |
| A．update their to-do lists | B．make passing time fulfilling |
| C．carry their plans through | D．pursue carefree reading |
| A．encourage the efficiency mind-set | B．develop online reading habits |
| C．promote ritualistic reading | D．achieve immersive reading |
| A．reading becomes your primary business of the day |
| B．all the daily business has been promptly dealt with |
| C．you are able to drop back to business after reading |
| D．time can be evenly split for reading and business |
10 . World Book Day was created by UNESCO on 23rd April 1995 as a worldwide celebration of books and reading. It is marked in over 100 countries around the globe. In an effort to move celebrations of reading into the evening and focus more on adults instead of children, World Book Night starts in the UK in 2011.
 |  At The Reading Agency, we want to create a world where everyone is reading their way to a better life. Research shows that reading for pleasure can promote better health and wellbeing, aids in building social connections and relationships with others and is associated with a range of factors that help increase the chances of social mobility. World Book Night is about encouraging more people to become readers. By participating on 23 April, whether on your own or with others, you’ll be playing a part in contributing to our mission of coping with life’s big challenges through the proven power of reading. What are the benefits of reading for pleasure? 19% of readers say that reading stops them from feeling lonely. Higher literacy skills are associated with a range of positive societal benefits, including having a stronger sense of belonging to society and being more likely to trust others. Studies have found that reading for pleasure enhances empathy (共情), understanding of the self, and the ability to understand one’s own and others’ identities. Regular readers for pleasure reported fewer feelings of stress and depression than non-readers, and stronger feelings of relaxation from reading than from watching television or engaging with technology intensive activities. … |
| A．To deal with challenges in life. |
| B．To introduce the power of reading. |
| C．To encourage more adults to become readers. |
| D．To promote people’s physical and mental health. |
| A．In a newspaper. | B．In a magazine. | C．In a website. | D．On TV. |
| A．BOOKS | B．IMPACT | C．RESOURCES | D．GET INVOLVED |
