1 . Flights of imagination take wing with picture books
Room for Everyone (ages 4-8)
Written by Naaz Khan, illustrated by Merce Lopez
Hop on the dala-dala (a kind of minibus taxi) on the way to the blue crystal waters of Zanzibar! Rhythmic language dances across the pages as more and more people and their belongings pile into (挤进) the vehicle on the way to the beach. It seems there can’t possibly be room, but “after some moving around and fun, they make enough room for everyone.” This is a book you will be happy to read again and again because it’s so full of sunlight and energy.
Gladys the Magic Chicken (ages 4-9)
Written by Adam Rubin, illustrated by Adam Rex
It’s a big, sweeping story that’s just right for sharing a belly laugh (捧腹大笑) with the whole family. Set in ancient times, the story centers around a much-celebrated chicken named Gladys. At 48 pages, this is longer than the standard picture book, which helps give it a bigger feeling.
Maybe Maybe Marisol Rainey (ages 4-10)
Written and illustrated by Erin Entrada Kelly
Readers might know Erin Entrada Kelly from her Newbery Medal-winning chapter book, “Hello, Universe”. In this start of a series aimed at younger readers, Kelly again creates rich characters, but this time with short chapters and cute line drawings that work perfectly for early independent chapter-book reading.
A Boy Named Isamu (ages 3-7)
Written and illustrated by James Yang
One of the unexpected charms of this book is that it is told in the second person. The lines between audience and character, observer and artist, and reader and listener soften to allow us to explore isolation (孤独) and creativity along with the protagonist (主人公). This book might help everyone understand how one might be “alone but not lonely”.
1. What can be learned about Room for Everyone?| A．It consists of simple words. | B．It is an award-winning book. |
| C．It features cute line drawings. | D．It is full of fun and happiness. |
| A．Merce Lopez. | B．Adam Rex. | C．Erin Entrada Kelly. | D．James Yang. |
| A．It is told in the second person. | B．It involves short chapters. |
| C．It has two characters. | D．It is for older readers. |
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 . The following are the comments on The Berry Pickers.
Donna David
Reviewed in the United States on January 3, 2024
I enjoyed the story. The characters were interesting and the story of the people working in the blueberry fields in Maine was of great interest to me. But there’s a problem. In the story, they speak about coming to Maine for 2 months. The blueberry season was and is 3 — 5 weeks. I think the author should have been a little more thoughtful in her research to make it more accurate (精确的).
Mom2AC
Reviewed in the United States on January 16, 2024
This is such a beautiful and heartbreaking story of two families—one filled with love, pain, and loss, the other with secrets. The story was beautifully written and had me in tears at the end. I love books that have me thinking about the characters once the book is finished.
Diana Jaycox
Reviewed in the United States on December 17, 2023
I read The Berry Pickers as part of a Kindle Reading Challenge. The Berry Pickers was not my normal pick of reading material. That is what I love about the Kindle Reading Challenges; I am forced to try new authors. This is not the kind of novel you can read in one setting. No, The Berry Pickers, requires you to read slowly, enjoying the richness of Amanda Peters’ words, and her great settings.
EH
Reviewed in the United States on February 10, 2024
As I began reading, I thought I’d mistakenly bought a book for young adults. It’s not badly written, but it is too simple for its subject matter. It’s also overly long, and would have worked better as a novel.
1. What is Donna David’s complaint about The Berry Pickers?| A．It’s very long. | B．It’s inaccurate. |
| C．It’s too simple. | D．It’s poorly-organized. |
| A．Donna David and EH. | B．Diana Jayeox and EH. |
| C．Mom2AC and Diana Jaycox. | D．Donna David and Diana Jaycox. |
| A．To share comments on a book. | B．To record personal experiences. |
| C．To complain about bad service. | D．To introduce a reading activity. |
4 . So, do you want to know how to read classic books? Maybe you are excited to deal with classic literature but you don’t know where to start.
Slow down the pace. The biggest difference between modern literature and classic literature is the pace. Modern reading can often feel like a short race.
Listen to the audio(有声的)book. Sometimes the best way to devote yourself to a classic book is to listen to it. Many classic books were intended to be read aloud. Books used to be very expensive, so people shared them. This meant that a family might gather together to listen to a few chapters every night.
Choose your favourite. Finally, the key to reading classic books and actually enjoying them is to choose one that actually appeals to you. Classic Books can get mixed up into a single genre(流派)“Classic”.
| A．Look up dates and history. |
| B．But that’s really not the case. |
| C．Don’t be afraid to look things up. |
| D．However, classic literature is more of a marathon. |
| E．A character list can keep who is related to whom in check. |
| F．Listening to audio books is a lovely way to continue that tradition. |
| G．Or perhaps you’ve tried reading classics before and don’t really get the main points. |
5 . 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. |
6 . My eleven-year-old son reads a lot, but for the past year he’s only been reading comics or graphic (图解的) novels. In my view, these are the books made up, mainly, of cartoons and speech bubbles and are lacking in full pages of text. As a PhD in classical literature, I turn my nose up at my son’s comics, considering them just picture books.
My son has argued well for his cause. His claim is that comics are literature or close enough and they do contain many of the basic elements of any novel: plot, backstory, dialogue and etc. But my view is that language is unique. The complicated details of plot, emotion, and inner thought that words alone can convey are surely lost when graphics take their place. And if the pictures are already there for you, what work is left to the imagination?
According to the view of some experts on parenting, we should encourage our kids to love books in all shapes and forms, without limiting the type of books they should love. I see their point, but I also worry that laziness might be playing a role here and that’s a motivation I’m less happy to enable. Comics are simply easier to read than other kinds of books; they demand less attention and my suspicion is that they become appealing for that very reason. While this is a fine way to help early or reluctant (不情愿的) readers get into better habits of reading, I’m not so sure the same is true for older kids. In an age of instant satisfaction from fragmentation (碎片化) reading, we are all losing the ability to focus on longer texts, and that’s worrisome.
My son is in his academic and emotional development. I want him to be reading things that will challenge him and force him to think deeply and critically, which will help him improve. Isn’t this what reading is for? Do his comic books have such power?
1. What is the author’s attitude toward comics according to paragraph 1?| A．Dismissive | B．Approving | C．Unclear | D．Objective |
| A．Plot can only be expressed by language. |
| B．All the details cannot be conveyed by graphics. |
| C．Language can show the basic storyline more clearly. |
| D．Graphics fail to develop children’s interest in reading. |
| A．He likes reading books with full pages of text. |
| B．He thinks comics give much space for imagination. |
| C．He believes comics share many similarities with novels. |
| D．He claims comics are easier to read than other kinds of books. |
| A．To advise kids to get rid of reading comics. |
| B．To show the significance of reading for children. |
| C．To share her worry about her son’s choice of reading. |
| D．To compare the differences between comics and novels. |
7 . 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. |
8 . 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. |
9 . 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. |
10 . 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. |
