1 . Reading can be a social activity. Think of the people who belong to book groups. They choose books to read and then meet to discuss them. Now, the website Book Crossing.com turns the page on the traditional idea of a book group.
Members go on the site and register (登记) the books they own and would like to share. Book Crossing provides an identification number (识别码) to stick inside the book. Then the person leaves it in a public place, hoping that the book will have an adventure, traveling far and wide with each new reader who finds it.
Bruce Pederson, the managing director of Book Crossing, says, “The two things that change your life are the people you meet and books you read. Book Crossing combines both.”
Members leave books on park benches and buses, in train stations and coffee shops. Whoever finds their book will go to the site and record where they found it.
People who find a book can also leave a journal entry describing what they thought of it. E— mails are then sent to the BookCrossers to keep them updated about where their books have been found. Bruce Pederson says the idea is for people not to be selfish by keeping a book to gather dust on a shelf at home.
Book Crossing is part of a trend (趋势) among people who want to get back to the “real” and not the virtual (虚拟).The site now has more than one million members in more than one hundred thirty—five countries.
1. Why does the author mention book groups in the first paragraph?| A．To explain what they are. | B．To introduce Book Crossing. |
| C．To stress the importance of reading. | D．To encourage readers to share their ideas. |
| A．An adventure. | B．A public place. |
| C．The book. | D．The identification number. |
| A．Keep it safe in his bookcase. | B．Mail it back to its owner. |
| C．Meet other readers to discuss it. | D．Pass it on to another reader. |
| A．Online Reading: A Virtual Tour | B．Electronic Books: A New Trend |
| C．A Book Group Brings Tradition Back | D．A Website Links People through Books |
2 . I start every summer with the best of intentions: to attack one big book from the past, a classic that I was supposed to have read when young and ambitious. Often the pairings of books and settings have been purely accidental: Moby Dick on a three-day cross-country train trip; The Magic Mountain in a New England beachside cottage with no locks on the doors, no telephones or televisions in the rooms, and little to do beyond row on the salt pond. Attempting The Man Without Qualities on a return to Hawaii, my native state, however, was less fruitful: I made it through one and a quarter volumes, then decided that I’d got the point and went swimming instead.
But this summer I find myself at a loss. I’m not quite interested in Balzac, say, or Tristram Shandy. There’s always War and Peace, which I’ve covered some distance several times, only to get bogged down in the “War” part, set it aside for a while, and realize that I have to start over from the beginning again, having forgotten everyone’s name and social rank. How appealing to simply fall back on a favorite — once more into The Waves or Justine, which feels almost like cheating, too exciting and too much fun to properly belong in serious literature.
And then there’s Stendhal’s The Red and the Black, which happens to be the name of my favorite cocktail of the summer, created by Micheal Cecconi at Savoy and Back Forty. It is easy to drink and knocking back three or four seems like such a delightful idea. Cecconi’s theory: “I take whatever’s fresh at the green market and turn it into liquid.” The result is a pure shot of afternoon in the park, making one feel cheerful and peaceful all at once, lying on uncut grass with eyes shut, sun beating through the lids…
1. What can we infer about the author from the first paragraph?| A．He enjoys reading when travelling. | B．He shows talents for literature. |
| C．He has a cottage in New England. | D．He admires a lot of great writers. |
| A．Get confused. | B．Make no progress. | C．Be interrupted. | D．Be carried away. |
| A．To Read or Not to Read | B．My Summer Holidays |
| C．The Book of Summer | D．It’s Never Too Late to Read5 |
3 . FREE BOOKS BY CHINA ON THE FIGHT AGAINST COVID-19
Ten Tips to Fight Monsters
Author: Dong Ruihan
Description: Dad leaves 10 tips to help us fight the virus. Who will win the battle? The story will gently teach kids how to prevent the disease in a language that they can easily understand. It will help them remain calm in this stage of the epidemic(疫情), and encourage them to help family members to prevent the disease.
Agan Will Win
Author: A Jiao
Description: Told by Chun Ni, Agan Will Win is a story about how Agan, the character of Wuhan’s well-known street food hot dry noodles, fights against the virus and finally wins. Unfortunately infected(感染) with the virus, Agan remains positive and optimistic to the doctors, and at last he defeats the virus. This is a warm and caring picture book that comforts people who are having a difficult time during the epidemic.
Waiting for Dad to Come Home
Author: Chen Ying
Description: The book speaks highly of the front line medical workers for their fighting spirit in battle against COVID-19. The book touches readers with storylines and characters having strong sense of social responsibility, trying to plant that responsible seed in their mind.
A Special Spring Festival
Author: Gao Jing
Description: This book pictures a special Spring Festival during the outbreak of COVID-19. It tells a story of an ordinary family in China, centering around the little boy’s confusion(困惑): why he is not allowed to play outside home. Through reading, both children and grown-ups may cherish more the simplest pleasure in life, be appreciative and try to do all they can do to help.
1. Who is the book Ten Tips to Fight Monsters mainly for?| A．Parents. | B．Children. | C．Teachers. | D．Doctors. |
| A．Dong Ruihan. | B．Gao Jing | C．A Jiao. | D．Chen Ying |
| A．Agan Will Win. | B．Ten Tips to Fight Monsters. |
| C．A Special Spring Festival. | D．Waiting for Dad to Come Home. |
4 . Xinhua Bookstore
Xinhua Bookstore was at first set up as Xinhua Book Company in 1937 in Yan'an. In October of the same year, Xinhua Book Company changed its name to Xinhua Bookstore. The name “Xin-hua Shu-dian” was made in brush writing in 1948 by Chairman Mao Zedong.
Beijing Bookworm
Founded about 18 years ago, the Beijing Bookworm is listed in the Top 10 Bookstores around World chosen by Lonely Planet. The Bookworm Literary Festival held yearly also attracts many visitors. Unlike many other bookstores, it serves not only as a place where you can read and buy books, but also a restaurant and cafe. If you want to relax yourself from the busy life,the bookworm is a great choice!
Eslite Bookstore
Eslite Bookstore is one of the largest bookstore chains in Taiwan, China. Eslite was set up by Robert Wu Ching-yu(1950-2017)at the age of 39. The first shop lied in Dunhua South Road, with a focus on books about art. Since then, the company has set up more shops. Eslite Bookstore was the first to set up a 24-hour bookstore in Taiwan, China at its Dunhua store, where readers can enjoy books all day.
Wangfujing Foreign Bookstore
Wangfujing Foreign Bookstore has a history of nearly 50 years, and it is the preference of many foreigners in Beijing. This one has a great number of books written in English covering literature, history, politics, art and even cooking. Most of them are published by Chinese publishing houses, while there are also some original imported books from foreign countries. There are several branches in Beijing.
1. What's special about the bookstore Beijing Bookworm?| A．Being the largest one worldwide. |
| B．Being more than a bookstore. |
| C．Offering books by Lonely Planet. |
| D．Holding the Literary Festival monthly. |
| A．Opening mainly to artists. |
| B．Being a bookstore chain. |
| C．Attracting night-time readers. |
| D．Honoring Robert Wu Ching-yu. |
| A．Xinhua Bookstore. |
| B．Beijing Bookworm. |
| C．Eslite Bookstore. |
| D．Wangfujing Foreign Language Bookstore. |
5 . Do you get lots of reading assignments as part of your homework? You might wish that you could read faster.
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In fact, speed reading has been advertised since 1959, when US educator Evelyn Wood introduced a speed reading program. Several US presidents have even asked their staff to take speed reading courses.
Schotter explained that reading is a complicated task. It involves four stages: seeing a word, retrieving its meaning from your memory, relating it to other words in the same sentence, and then moving on to the next word.
Some people who claim to be able to speed read are simply skimming. Skimming involves reading a passage quickly and only looking for certain words or sentences. Skimmers can figure out the main idea of a passage—especially if it’s a topic they’re familiar with—but they will not be able to recall all of the details.
| A．Speed reading is not actually possible. |
| B．So is there a way to become a faster reader? |
| C．This is where speed reading comes into play. |
| D．This process uses many parts of the brain at one time. |
| E．However, there is no real science behind speed reading. |
| F．Some people claim that you can learn to read at super-high speeds. |
6 . I grew up in a small town in New Hampshire, and every morning, sometimes before I woke up, my dad left for work. I didn't know much about what my dad actually did all day. But one thing I did know about my dad's day was that he often spent his lunch break looking for books for me. He would often come home in the evening with a book for me in his bag. When he handed the "gift" over to me, I immediately investigated its cover, checked out the description on the back, and sometimes started reading right then.
I was not always as appreciative of those books as I should have been, especially in my younger years. One time, Dad brought home a paperback（平装书）called Bunya the Witch. I scanned the cover quickly before declaring, "Ugh! It's just another stupid farm book," and dropping it on the ground. I was rightfully reprimanded for being an ungrateful kid, and I learned that valuable lesson about not judging a book by its cover—Bunya the Witch turned out to be one of my favorites.
As I got older, my dad favored books focused on strong young female characters, like Invincible Louisa by Cornelia Meigs, Up a Road Slowly by Irene Hunt, and Homesick: My Own Story by Jean Fritz, books I remember to this day.
It's not just the books themselves that stay in my memory. It's the girl reading them, and what she felt as she read. I think back to hours spent in my childhood bedroom, reading about young women who faced lives much more difficult than mine. I learned from their courage and drew inspiration from their bravery.
To this day, I love to read. I love the excitement of opening up a new book and getting lost in whatever story the author wants to tell me. And quite often, when I've read something really wonderful, the first person I pass it along to is my dad. I figure I owe him.
1. What do we know about the young author from Paragraph 1?| A．She asked for gifts every evening. |
| B．She was interested in books. |
| C．She cared about her dad's work. |
| D．She enjoyed investigating incidents. |
| A．Ignored. | B．Defended. | C．Excused. | D．Scolded. |
| A．Treasure one's present life. |
| B．Never judge a book by its cover. |
| C．One should fight against life's hardships. |
| D．Teens can also achieve really great things. |
| A．Dad, me, and love of reading | B．Dad—my first teacher in life |
| C．Reading—a source of knowledge | D．Readers, books, and a key to success |
| A．Animals. | B．Her favourite writer. | C．Sisterhood. |
8 . My little cousin is already three years old. Last week, when I was shopping with my aunt, 1 suggested she buy some wordless books for him. She refused and said wordless books were useless. If you also think so, then you're wrong.
Anyone who has “read” a picture book can tell you that you don't need words to tell a story. Preschoolers(学前儿童)can follow a story told in pictures. And even though kids aren't reading words, it turns out that wordless books can help them develop important skills. Here are some reasons why little kids should read wordless books.
Through reading wordless books, young kids and preschoolers can learn how a book works: from front to back, left to right, and top to bottom. Following a story helps kids understand the structure of storytelling: cause and effect, conflict(冲突)and resolution, character development and a narrative(叙述的) way with a beginning, middle and end. Kids can hear many new words. They can also learn to recognize objects, people, places, animals and actions and tell a story based on pictures. This helps kids have a larger vocabulary and connect pictures with things they see.
Reading wordless books helps kidsobtainconfidence. A young kid or preschooler is proud to have finished a favorite book and have understood the whole story from start to finish without adults' help. When they're proud of themselves, they become more confident.
Reading wordless stories helps little kids develop a love of books. Wordless book can be enjoyed by little kids. After they find the pleasure in reading, they’ll fall in love with reading.
Wordless books can be enjoyed by all little kids. Books without text are great for kids who speak different languages, are learning English, or have developmental or learning difficulties that make reading words challenging.
1. The author's aunt refused to buy wordless books because ________.| A．her son didiVt like reading | B．she considered such books useless |
| C．there're too many books at her home | D．her son was too old to read such books |
| A．learn to explain pictures under help | B．learn about how to read stories |
| C．learn how to think on their own | D．know what forms a book or a story |
| A．Get. | B．Use. | C．Show. | D．Expect. |
| A．Why there are wordless books. | B．Why kids love reading wordless books. |
| C．Why reading wordless books helps kids. | D．Why people should read wordless books. |
9 . Charlie Thorne and the Last Equation
by Stuart Gibbs
The CIA is on a task to find an equation (方程式) called Pandora, which could destroy the world if the wrong people get it. For help, they turn to Charlie, a 12-year-old girl who's as smart as Albert Einstein. People who like action-packed mysteries will enjoy reading this exciting book.
AstroNuts
by Jon Scieszka and Steven Weinberg
In AstroNuts, the Earth has been destroyed by humans for thousands of years. Four animals set out from Mount Rushmore, the headquarters (总部) of NNASA. Their task is to find a new planet fit for human life. Finally, they discover one: Plant Planet. The story's theme (主题) is simple: Don't harm the planet. Readers who love fantasy will enjoy AstroNuts.
Stargazing
by Jen Wang
Christine hears that Moon, who's new in town, is the kind of kid who beats people up for fun. But Moon and her mum come to live with Christine's family, and the two kids become best friends. Moon even shares a big secret with Christine. Stargazing is based on author Jen Wang's experiences as a child. The story is about the power of friendship and how people are able to change.
Roll with It
by Jamie Sumner
Roll with It is a story about a 12-year-old girl named Ellie. She has difficulty walking on her own and uses a wheelchair. When Ellie and her mum move to another state to take care of Ellie's grandpa, she must learn to navigate (处理) a new school and new friendships. This page-turner is a must-read for everyone. It's a heartwarming story that really shows the value of family and how being different is special.
1. Which book tells readers to protect the place we live in?| A．AstroNuts |
| B．Stargazing. |
| C．Roll with It. |
| D．Charlie Thorne and the Last Equation. |
| A．It talks about friendship. |
| B．It tells stories about animals. |
| C．It contains lots of scientific knowledge. |
| D．It was written according to the author's experiences. |
| A．She had difficulty in making friends. |
| B．She had an accident which left her in a wheelchair. |
| C．She went to a new school and had to start all over again. |
| D．She lost her mum and was taken care of by her grandpa. |
10 . When I was eleven, my parents gave me the first book I ever owned--The Tales of Edgar Allan Poe. It was written by the famous novelist Edgar Allan Poe. I clearly remember opening it, reading the first lines of the book, and saying to myself, “So this is what reading is!” I was delighted. Little did I know at the time that I was at the beginning of a lifelong journey.
So, if I read my first real book at the age of eleven, what was I reading before then? In a word, these books are relatively plotless and repetitive, and they attempt to teach children to recognize letters and their sounds and to build their vocabulary. But I still had no idea what writing was. In Poe's stories, the sentences were more complex and stylish than anything I had ever read before.
Poe, in short, was a start. My parents gave me that first book, but then I searched for other books. I liked science, which led me to discover Jules Verne and H. G. Wells. Other writers followed in quick one after another, Isaac Asimov, Ray Bradbury, and Arthur C. Clarke. But I didn't limit myself to science fiction. Other books that deeply impressed me, and which I have carried on my life's journey, include: The Yearling. Shane, Ivanhoe, Of Mice and Men, To Kill a Mockingbird, and The Good Earth.
It went on from there. I became that kid who, long after his parents turned the lights off, hid under the covers with a flashlight, a book, and his greatest fear of being discovered and having his flashlight taken away. I realized that my parents must have known I was defying them. But in their wisdom they pretended to ignore it. And so I owe my start as a reader to my parents.
1. What can we learn from Paragraph 1?| A．The first book the author read was a novel. |
| B．The author didn't read any books before 11. |
| C．The author developed an interest in reading. |
| D．The importance of reading was understood by the author. |
| A．To broaden children's visions. |
| B．To teach kids how to write. |
| C．To arouse kids' interest in novels. |
| D．To help children learn new words. |
| A．He tried doing scientific research. |
| B．He expanded the range of reading materials. |
| C．He started to write science fiction. |
| D．He advised his parents to buy more books. |
| A．disobeying | B．blaming |
| C．appreciating | D．satisfying |
