1 . An 80-foot floating library, built in 1963 and called Bokbaten in Norway, visited around 250 small communes along the west coast of Norway twice every year before 2020. Many of the villages along the west coast of Norway are most easily accessible by boat rather than car, so in 1959, a group of librarians got government funding to s art a waterborne library service with special on stress on children’s literature.
Large enough to hold around 6, 000 books, the boat also hosted readings, children’s pays, and other cultural events onboard. It traveled along the coast on 64-day tours during the fall and winter months, welcoming up to 150 children at a time and unloading books for each community to keep until the boat made it swayback the next time around. In summer, the library was repurposed as a tourist boat.
But in 2020, it looked like it might be the end for the library. After nearly 60 years in action, the popular boat had its funding cut by the government, which ended the floating library program. “The book boat is a floating house of culture, which means a lot to thousands of children in the communities that don’t have a good library offering,” Norwegian librarian and author Stig Holmas wrote on Facebook at the time. “It has large numbers of visits,” he went on, adding: “What a shame!”
Luckily, 28 local municipalities (市政当局) banded together in support of the beloved library, helping organize 88 cultural events to make people realize the importance of the boat between August and November 2021. Then, in February 2022, the Fritt Ord Foundation, a private Norwegian nonprofit, provided the library with nearly $300, 000 to keep the program running. Later that year, journalist Maria PileS vas and, whose grandfather built the library, was employed as manager for Bokbaten.
The boat is now a traveling bookstore, and it continues to carry on the tradition of inviting authors, actors and musicians to come aboard and perform live readings for children.
1. What do we know about Bokbaten?| A．It also held a variety of activities. |
| B．It was not that popular in the summer. |
| C．It was suggested by the 250 communities. |
| D．It allowed people to keep the book for 64 days. |
| A．Relieved. | B．Shocked. | C．Puzzled. | D．Angry. |
| A．They provided enough funds for the library. |
| B．They helped to promote the value of the library. |
| C．They invited Maria Pile Svasand to manage Bokbaten. |
| D．They set up the Fritt Ord Foundation to raise funds for Bokbaten. |
| A．Why the floating library in Norway is so popular |
| B．The establishment of a floating library in Norway |
| C．How a floating library in Norway was saved |
| D．The influence of a floating library in Norway |
2 . One Saturday last November, I stepped into my local library. I was about to read a book when I heard an elderly man speak to a lady. “This library will soon become a café. Everyone is reading with electronic devices,” he said. Hearing this, I wanted to shout, “I still read library books!” But my words stuck in my throat and I found teenagers around me were talking to friends or staring at their phones.
Reading online feels robotic to me. It’s like I stare at a screen and click “next” for the following page to appear until the very end of the e-book, and at the end of all of that, I just think, “That’s it?” But when I read a printed book, it’s like I’m holding on to the characters. I can imagine the plot better, as I can picture the scenes of each moment in my head with more accuracy and imagination.
Besides, some online books miss components (组成部分) that are in the printed novels. For instance, the physical copy of a fantasy novel I have read contains a map, but the e-book version does not. That is an injustice to e-book users; after reading and understanding the map, the story made a lot more sense for me, in terms of the setting and plot.
And personally, physically turning to the next page is better than clicking “next”. When reading online, I sometimes worry that I click “next” too quickly. It feels more like a race; I want to finish it because the pages just keep making that “flipping” sound and I wonder how long the book really is.
Some printed books have a special smell that makes the novel feel special to me. It’s hard to describe but I’m sure I’m not the only one that thinks so. I know I cannot convince every teen to switch from the digital book to the printed one, but maybe my writing about the difference will at least get some of them to think about it.
1. Why will the library be replaced by a café?| A．Few people head for it. | B．It lacks good management. |
| C．Few people read its books. | D．It holds little attraction for the youth. |
| A．They include additional contents. |
| B．They leave a lively impression. |
| C．They have a special pleasant smell. |
| D．They can improve readers’ imagination. |
| A．Making her tired of reading. | B．Leading her to read aimlessly. |
| C．Bringing more fun to her. | D．Stopping her digging into reading. |
| A．To inspire teenagers’ interest in reading. |
| B．To show advantages of printed books. |
| C．To reduce the impact of electronic devices. |
| D．To encourage teens to change the reading medium. |
3 . Four Essential Novels for Students
While the last thing a kid wants is advice from their parents, try suggesting one of these powerful books or leaving it on their bed. You just may be rewarded with a hug!
Clean Getaway
by Nic Stone
In Clean Getaway, an-11-year-old boy named Scoob goes on a road trip with his mom. As they make their way across the American South, Scoob faces upsetting information about the area’s history and his family’s heritage.
The Cat Ate My Gymsuit
by Paula Danziger
The story of Marcy, a middle school student whose parents don’t understand her, but whose favorite teacher, Ms Finney, does, will resonate(产生共鸣)with anyone who’s ever felt like an outsider. When Ms Finney got fired, Marcy found the strength she didn’t know she had to fight the decision.
Strange Birds
by Celia C. Perez
Over a sleepy summer in a sleepier Florida town, an unlikely friendship forms between four very different girls as they team up to protest an outdated and environmentally-unfriendly tradition carried out by the Floras, the local Scout group. At turns moving and funny Strange Birds mixes themes of friendship and small, everyday rebellions(反叛)that make a huge difference.
Girl Stuff
by Lisi Harrison
Middle grade readers will fall in love with Fonda, Drew, and Ruthie — three best friends who find life in seventh grade a lot harder than they thought it would be. As each girl deals with issues around friendship and new experiences, they’ll learn that there is nothing as special as the support of friends!
1. Who is the text written for?| A．Students. | B．Teachers. | C．Parents. | D．Environmentalists. |
| A．She lost her job. | B．Her teacher punished her. |
| C．Her parents misunderstood her. | D．She had a fight with her classmates. |
| A．They are love stories. | B．They are about friendship. |
| C．They show travel experiences. | D．They focus on environmental protection. |
4 . Popular Libraries in the World
The idea of a public library —— where anyone in the community is trusted to borrow books, often for long stretches of time, for free —— is fairly magical. Some of the libraries in the world are pretty popular now.
The British Library, London, the UK
The British Library is comparable to the Library of Congress in terms of the size of their holdings, many of which are unique. According to its annual report, the British Library welcomes millions of visitors every year, but the figure in 2016-2017 represents a small but disappointing reduction in the overall visitor numbers.
The State Library of Victoria, Melbourne, Australia
According to its annual report, the State Library of Victoria’s visitors broke the 2 million in 2016-2017 visit record for the first time in its history, making it the busiest library in Australia. It also recorded many online visits, accessed collection items and uses of digitized collection items.
The New York Public Library, New York, the USA
The New York Public Library reports that it has hosted millions of visitors and circulated large numbers of items over their locations. According to a press, the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building —— the main branch of the library —— yearly receives the greatest number of visitors.
The National Library of China, Beijing, China
Established as the Imperial Library of Peking in 1909, the National Library of China is now the largest library in Asia, with holdings of over 30 million items. The library’s annual report puts its total visitors across multiple locations at several million every year.
1. What do we know about the British Library?| A．It holds many rare collections. |
| B．Its visitors are constantly on the rise. |
| C．It has the largest collection of books in Europe. |
| D．Its coverage is the smallest in the world’s libraries. |
| A．They possess two branches. |
| B．They gain plentiful visitors. |
| C．They are the busiest libraries in their countries. |
| D．They face a decline in tourism in the 20th century. |
| A．Finance. | B．Culture. |
| C．Architecture. | D．Technology. |
5 . Considered the world’s most widely read Spanish-language author, Isabel Allende is known for her many novels including “Eva Luna”, “Of Love and Shadows” and “A Long Petal of the Sea”. With “The Wind Knows My Name”, Allende has added a new dimension to her already varied works.
She skillfully creates and twists the unfortunate stories of two apocryphal children in her newest novel. They are fictionally named Samuel Adler and Anita Diaz, aged 5 and 7 respectively. Both of them are left alone, torn from their families by war or immigration as we witness the dramatic sacrifices parents sometimes must make to protect their sons and daughters and give them the best lives possible.
Early on in this work, a Nazi mob (暴徒) attacks the Jewish (犹太的) neighborhood where Samuel lives with his parents. Afterwards the father turns up in a hospital, but then is taken to a concentration camp and the mother sends the boy to safety in England. Samuel never sees his parents again. Decades later on the U.S.-Mexico border, Anita Diaz, 7, is separated by her mother under the U.S. government’s previous no tolerance policy that tore child migrants from their parents. The little girl is sent to live in a group home for children while her mother keeps missing. Through a series of circumstances, Samuel and Anita eventually meet through Leticia, a woman who migrated to the U.S. as a child herself after losing most of her family in El Salvador.
Allende moves the story back and forth between Europe and the United States, switches between the past and present, as two very different children in very different places and circumstances search for the safety of home and family. It’s a very different kind of book for Allende, who often places her stories in her native Latin America.
1. What can be learned about Allende?| A．She has traveled around the world. | B．She is a productive writer. |
| C．She reads works written in Spanish. | D．She creates novels of the same style. |
| A．Not real. | B．Not happy. | C．Not perfect. | D．Not lucky. |
| A．They grow up together in the US. | B．They make sacrifices for their parents. |
| C．They meet each other through a women. | D．They live unhappily with their families. |
| A．By placing background in Latin America. | B．By setting in different times and places. |
| C．By following hero and heroine’s search. | D．By discussing children’s circumstances. |
6 . Borrowing Policies
The Henry G. Bennett Memorial Library provides materials and services to meet the information needs of graduate and undergraduate students, face-to-face and online learners as well as teachers and community members.
Borrowing for Students
General Collection: 21 days (fall and spring); 14 days (summer)
Curriculum Collection: 7 days (fall and spring); 7 days (summer)
Borrowing for Teachers
General Collection: 90 days (fall and spring); 90 days (summer)
Curriculum Collection: 90 days (fall and spring); 90 days (summer)
OK-Share Card
Any teachers or students of any OK-Share institution may use the collections of any OK-Share library on site. Upon completion of the OK-Share card application at their home library, teachers or students will be given an OK-Share card.
Services
OK-Share card borrowers are allowed two books in their possession at one time. Electronic tools may not be available to the OK-Share card borrowers.
Inform the library you use immediately if your card is lost or stolen. A $5.00 charge for a second OK-Share card must be paid to the lending library.
Books should be returned to the library where the library materials were borrowed. Materials returned by mail should be sent by first-class, insured mail. Materials sent by post office must be insured for at least $100.
Billing
The library is not responsible for informing borrowers that materials are overdue. OK-Share card borrowers are billed for fines for materials returned late.
1. What is the similarity for teachers and students to borrow materials?| A．They can keep them for 90 days anyway. |
| B．They all can borrow them in winter. |
| C．They can keep them in autumn for 14 days. |
| D．They can keep either general or curriculum collections. |
| A．Borrowing two books at a time. | B．Using necessary electronic tools. |
| C．Getting another card for free. | D．Getting materials mailed for free. |
| A．Tell them the date in advance. |
| B．Punish them by fining them. |
| C．Forbid them to borrow books again. |
| D．Force them to hand in the OK-Share card. |
7 . Los Angeles residents Joe Blackstone and Jamie Mohn have long recognized the lasting impact storytelling can have on a child’s life. Shortly after getting married, the couple began volunteering to read books to elementary school kids. Then, when they became parents themselves, they created the J3 Foundation to help organizations devoted to children’s growth. But after learning two-thirds of fourth graders who cannot read effectively end up on welfare, Blackstone and Mohn decided to take a more hands-on approach: in 2018, they launched J3’s Cozy Reading Club.
Each session of the two-hour, after-school program is free and includes outdoor activities and a healthy snack. Then, it’s time for some comfortable reading. After teachers read a book aloud and the group talks about the storyline freely, the kids find a spot to sit while grabbing a book of their choice to look through. In the end, they get to choose two books to borrow and take home.
In its first year, J3’s Cozy Reading Club served 15 students in one L. A.-area classroom. As of 2022, it had expanded to 17 schools across four different districts, impacting a total of at least 400 students, the vast majority of whom live in underserved communities. With impressive statistics backing it up 90% of the students have significantly improved their reading scores, and 95% say they’ve started reading for fun since taking part in the program——its founders have much to celebrate.
“Having more than 5,000 culturally relevant books available to them is so exciting. I love it when our students can see themselves and their classmates’ lives reflected in the books they are reading. The hope of changing one kid at a time makes all the work worthwhile,” Blackstone said.
Currently, J3 is in the process of raising $864,000, so the Cozy Reading Club can expand to an additional 24 Los Angeles schools and double its book collection to 10,000. This is worthwhile. The National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP) reported that 68% of U. S. fourth graders weren’t skilled at reading in 2022, up from 66% in 2019.
1. What can be inferred about Blackstone and Mohn?| A．They are children’s writers. | B．They teach reading in a school. |
| C．They value kids’ development. | D．They’ve donated much to charities. |
| A．Learn the history of books. | B．Discuss a book’s plot. |
| C．Cook and have snacks. | D．Buy interesting books. |
| A．Its great achievements. | B．Its various services. |
| C．Its long-term goals. | D．Its current programs. |
| A．To state reading is significant. | B．To show J3 is a necessary cause. |
| C．To assess J3’s potential abilities. | D．To criticize America’s education. |
8 . A recent study suggests that when it comes to the benefits of reading, just doing it matters more than the content. Researchers have found that reading novels helps the brain development in understanding others and imagining the world. They also have found that people who spend a few hours per week reading books live longer than those who don’t read.
But how to build a habit of reading? Like any habit, the trick is in figuring out what suits you. The hardest part about reading is actually picking up a book. You have to sit down, pick up a book and start reading. “I always have a book next to wherever I put my phone,” My friend Jimmy once told me. “So if I want to check my phone,I physically can see the book there. Nine times out of ten. I end up reading the book instead of using my phone for nothing.”
Another challenge is time, and in that case, audio-books (有声书) can be a good choice. Audio-books are great for filling the mind while you’re on the way to work , washing dishes or working out at the gym.
If you’re still stuck on the way to developing a reading habit, the best way is to revisit your old favorite books to get your youthful reading pleasure. You should free yourself from the opinion that only important or educational books are worth reading. There’s no shame in rereading the books that made you fall in love with reading in the first place. Restarting the practice of reading is a little like picking up painting. It takes some work to get into the best state, but once you begin, the results are beautiful and satisfying.
1. What is the most difficult part in forming the reading habit?| A．Getting reading skills. | B．Finding a great book. |
| C．Having limited time. | D．Getting reading started. |
| A．They are time saving. | B．They provide more pleasure. |
| C．They help brain development. | D．They offer more book choices. |
| A．It helps restart reading. | B．It is of great convenience(方便). |
| C．It improves the taste for art. | D．It can increase your patience. |
| A．Method of killing free time | B．Advantages of using audio-books |
| C．Way to choose educational books | D．Advice on developing a reading habit |
9 . It’s hard to believe that I wrote Number the Stars more than twenty years ago. It seems like yesterday that I answered the phone on a snowy January morning and received the news that it had won the1990 Newbery Medal (美国纽伯瑞儿童文学奖).
……
I think readers of every age may match themselves with the important persons in the books they love and ask themselves: Would I have done that? What choice would I have made?
And ten-the age of Annemarie in Number the Stars-is an age when young people are beginning to develop a strong set of personal ethics (道德观；价值观)…They are beginning to realize that the world they live in is not always good and safe.
So they follow a story about a ten-year-old girl who is caught in a dangerous situation, and she must make decisions. Young readers become cheerful when Annemarie takes a deep breath, enters the woods, faces the danger, stands up to the enemy and wins her victory.
……
Today, the book has been published in many countries and translated into many languages. It found its way into the hands and hearts of children who had read about but never experienced war...Books do change lives, I know; and many readers have told me that Number the Stars changed theirs when they were young, that it made them think about both cruelty (残酷；残忍) and courage. “It was something that shaped my idea of how people should be treated,”wrote a young woman recently, telling me about her own fourth-grade experience with the book.
The Danish friend who first told me the story of her childhood, and who became the Annemarie in my book, is an old woman now. So am I. We both love thinking of the children reading the story today, coming to it for the first time and realizing that once, for a short time and in a small place,a group of prejudice-free (不存偏见的) people created a touching story of love and kindness towards others.
Lois Lowry
1. What is the name of the book and who is the writer?| A．Number the Stars; Lois Lowry. | B．Newbery Medal; Lois Lowry. |
| C．Number the Stars; Annemarie. | D．Newbery Medal;Annentarie. |
| A．She called a writer on a snowy January morning. |
| B．She became cheerful after she read the book. |
| C．She was a good friend of a Danish woman. |
| D．She experienced many difficulties in a war. |
| A．ethics and friendship | B．enemy and victory |
| C．cruelty and courage | D．life and memories |
| A．The book is about a story of the writer’s own child experience. |
| B．The book is well-received and popular around the world. |
| C．The Introduction is written in the voice of the third person. |
| D．The Introduction is complete and we can read all of it. |
10 . Invited by an author-friend, I recently attended a program of readings by local African-American writers. As the audience in the library expanded, I noticed that I was among a minority of white and elderly supporters. After years of university teaching, volunteering in many organizations, and working as a psychologist in inner-city settings, I was comfortable amid many sorts and curious about what I might learn from these authors.
I settled into my seat as the chairman introduced a handsome and passionate man — Kendall Glaspie. He greeted us and then began to read from his five-chapter book of poems — Loved-Unloved: A Black Man’s Puzzle. I sat mesmerized, as the sounds and meanings of his words washed over me. Suddenly I reached back 60 years to a part of me, a college student of the second year, who first discovered Lawrence Ferlinghetti and A Coney Island of the Mind. Like Ferlinghetti, his work was meant to voice something. The moment felt magical.
After the program, I stood in his author-line to speak with him, purchase a copy, and ask if I could write about my experience while listening to him. He generously granted (准予) permission. Back home, I devoted myself to reading the poems, giving them the attention they deserved.
Kendall’s book did not disappoint. He sees it as “a collection of poems that explore complex dynamics that influence the identity and feelings of ordinary people in North America”. It investigates what the construct of love means to us as individuals and as a collective. Although I am not that remarkable — nor am I even of his generation —— I have spent my personal and professional life studying, discovering, and witnessing the healing power of love. I identified strongly with both the universal and much in the personal that he described. The depth of his grasp of the journey toward wholeness embracing all parts of ourselves but allowing our choices of action to be based on consciousness, left me impressed.
1. What do we know about the reading program?| A．It was often hosted in inner-city settings. |
| B．It was an uneasy attendance for the author. |
| C．It involved a few white and elder attendees. |
| D．It invited university teachers to give lectures. |
| A．Fascinated. | B．Shocked. | C．Puzzled. | D．Bored. |
| A．Choices of action. | B．The construct of love. |
| C．The identity of the individuals. | D．The meaning of life. |
| A．A guide to solving puzzles. | B．An essay on explorations of love. |
| C．An introduction to a program. | D．A blog on reading experiences. |
